1977 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1977 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Gator Bowl champion
Gator Bowl, W 34–3 vs. Clemson
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 7
AP	No. 8
Record	9–2–1
Head coach	Jackie Sherrill (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Bob Leahy (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro I, split backs
Defensive coordinator	Jimmy Johnson (1st season)
Base defense	5–2
Home stadium	Pitt Stadium
Seasons ←  1976 1978  →

1977 NCAA Division I independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Penn State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
Colgate		–		–				10	–	1	–	0
North Texas State *		–		–				10	–	1	–	0
No. 16 San Diego State		–		–				10	–	1	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–				8	–	1	–	1
No. 14 Florida State		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Pittsburgh		–		–				9	–	2	–	1
East Carolina		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Army		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Louisville		–		–				7	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				5	–	4	–	2
Georgia Tech		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Northwestern State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
William & Mary		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Temple		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
Hawaii		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Navy		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				5	–	7	–	0
Utah State		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Villanova		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
Virginia Tech		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
Miami (FL)		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Richmond		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Tulane		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Air Force		–		–				2	–	8	–	1
Holy Cross		–		–				2	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
North Texas State (originally 9–2) awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player. [1] Rankings from AP Poll

The 1977 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The Panthers competed in the Gator Bowl.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	4:20 p.m.	No. 3 Notre Dame	No. 7	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ABC	L 9–19	56,500	[2]
September 17	1:30 p.m.	William & Mary	No. 16	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 28–6	39,646	[3]
September 24	1:00 p.m.	at Temple		Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA		W 76–0	13,199	[4]
October 1	1:30 p.m.	at Boston College	No. 16	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA		W 45–7	24,881	[5]
October 8	7:00 p.m.	at No. 20 Florida	No. 15	Florida Field Gainesville, FL		T 17–17	62,724	[6]
October 15	1:30 p.m.	Navy	No. 17	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 34–17	45,397	[7]
October 22	1:30 p.m.	Syracuse	No. 14	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)		W 28–21	43,551	[8]
October 29	1:30 p.m.	Tulane	No. 13	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 48–0	46,273	[9]
November 5	1:30 p.m.	at West Virginia	No. 12	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (Backyard Brawl)		W 44–3	37,031	[10]
November 12	1:30 p.m.	vs. Army	No. 10	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ		W 52–26	35,387	[11]
November 26	1:30 p.m.	No. 9 Penn State	No. 10	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ABC	L 13–15	56,500	[12]
December 30	9:00 p.m.	vs. No. 11 Clemson	No. 10	Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	ABC	W 34–3	72,289	[13]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Personnel

1977 Pittsburgh Panthers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB Wayne Adams Sr C 67 Tom Brzoza Sr QB 12 Matt Cavanaugh Sr RB Jo Jo Heath So WR 24 Gordon Jones Jr RB Ray Jones WR 19 Randy Reutershan Sr WR Willie Taylor QB Rick Trocano Fr FB 34 Elliott Walker Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB Mike Balzer LB 55 Al Chesley Jr DT 75 Ed Gallagher Jr DL 99 Hugh Green Fr DE 70 Randy Holloway Sr CB 31 Bob Jury Sr DT 78 David Logan Jr DT 76 Bill Neill So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P Joe Gasparovic K Mark Schubert	Head coach Jackie Sherrill Coordinators/assistant coaches Larry Bielat (AdmA) Don Boyce (OL) Foge Fazio (LB) Larry Holton (DB) Jimmy Johnson (Ast HC/DC) Bob Leahy (OC) Bob Matey (DL) Joe Moore (RB) Otto Stowe (WR) Dave Wannstedt (Str & Cond) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Season summary

Notre Dame

See also: 1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and Notre Dame–Pittsburgh football rivalry

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0) at Pittsburgh Panthers (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	6	0	13	19
Pittsburgh	7	2	0	0	9

at Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: September 10, 1977
• Game attendance: 56,500
• TV: ABC
• Recap

Game information

First quarter PITT – Gordon Jones 12-yard pass from Matt Cavanaugh (Mark Schubert kick). Pitt 7–0. Drive: Second quarter PITT – Safety, Joe Restic tackled in end zone. Pitt 9–0. ND – Ken MacAfee 5-yard pass from Rusty Lisch (kick blocked). Pitt 9–6. Drive: Fourth quarter ND – Dave Reeve 35-yard field goal. Tie 9–9. Drive: ND – Dave Reeve 26-yard field goal. Notre Dame 12–9. Drive: ND - Terry Eurick 4-yard run (Dave Reeve kick). Notre Dame 19–9. Drive: Top rushers ND – Jerome Heavens – 88 yards

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Randy Holloway	Defensive end	1	21	Minnesota Vikings
Matt Cavanaugh	Quarterback	2	50	New England Patriots
Bob Jury	Defensive back	3	63	Seattle Seahawks
Elliott Walker	Running back	6	148	San Francisco 49ers
Randy Reutershan	Wide receiver	6	160	Pittsburgh Steelers
J.C. Wilson	Defensive back	8	210	Houston Oilers
Willie Taylor	Wide receiver	9	223	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brzoza	Center	11	300	Pittsburgh Steelers

^[14]

References

1. https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1977-standings.html
2. "Notre Dame stops Pitt". The Victoria Advocate. September 11, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Pitt whips W&M 28–6". The Roanoke Times & World-News. September 18, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Trocano gives Pitt mismatch victory". Wisconsin State Journal. September 25, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Panthers Overpower B.C., 45–7". The Pittsburgh Press. October 2, 1977. pp. D1, D2 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Florida ties fumbling Pitt, 17–17". The Pittsburgh Press. October 9, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Pitt sinks Navy, 34–17". The Anniston Star. October 16, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Pitt foils SU, Hurley on late TD". Press and Sun-Bulletin. October 23, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Pitt too much for Tulane, 48–0". The Pittsburgh Press. October 30, 1977. Retrieved October 19, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Pitt rolls by 44–3". The Tampa Tribune. November 6, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Pitt rips Army, awaits bowl bid". Mount Vernon Argus. November 13, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Defense does the job in Penn State victory". The Buffalo News. November 27, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Hammond's record falls as Pitt mauls Clemson". Tallahassee Democrat. December 31, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. "1978 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on December 22, 2007.