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The 1977 Dallas Cowboys season was their 18th in the NFL. The club appeared twice on Monday Night Football. Tony Dorsett rushed for 1,007 yards and became the second member of the Cowboys (first since 1973) to have a 1,000-yard rushing season. During the season, the club scored 345 points, which ranked first in the NFC, while the defense only gave up 212 points. The Cowboys made it to their fourth Super Bowl and beat the Denver Broncos to capture their second Super Bowl Championship. They were the first team from the NFC East Division to win two Super Bowls. Their 15-2 record (.882, including the postseason) remains the highest single season winning percentage in team history.
NFL Draft
[ 1]
Regular season
December 4, 1977 – Tony Dorsett becomes the first player in franchise history to rush for at least 200 yards in a game. Against the Philadelphia Eagles, Dorsett had 23 rushes for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Schedule
Week
Date
Result
Record
Opponent
Points For
Points Against
First Downs
Attendance
1
September 18
Win
1–0
at Minnesota Vikings
16
10
16
47,678
2
September 25
Win
2–0
New York Giants
41
21
25
64,215
3
October 2
Win
3–0
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
23
7
23
55,316
4
October 9
Win
4–0
at St. Louis Cardinals
30
24
22
50,129
5
October 16
Win
5–0
Washington Redskins
34
16
23
62,115
6
October 23
Win
6–0
at Philadelphia Eagles
16
10
17
65,507
7
October 30
Win
7–0
Detroit Lions
37
0
20
63,160
8
November 6
Win
8–0
at New York Giants
24
10
13
74,532
9
November 14
Loss
8–1
St. Louis Cardinals
17
24
16
64,038
10
November 20
Loss
8–2
at Pittsburgh Steelers
13
28
20
49,761
11
November 27
Win
9–2
at Washington Redskins
14
7
19
55,031
12
December 4
Win
10–2
Philadelphia Eagles
24
14
19
60,289
13
December 12
Win
11–2
at San Francisco 49ers
42
35
24
55,851
14
December 18
Win
12–2
Denver Broncos
14
6
15
63,752
Standings
Roster
Dallas Cowboys 1977 roster
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
Reserve Lists
Currently vacant
Rookies in italics 45 Active, 0 Inactive
Regular season
Week 1: at Minnesota Vikings
Game information
First Quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 18-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick) Second Quarter DAL – Efren Herrera 40-yard field goal Fourth Quarter DAL – Preston Pearson 7-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
MIN – Fred Cox 35-yard field goal Overtime DAL – Roger Staubach 4-yard run (no PAT attempt)
Passing DAL – Roger Staubach 18/30, 196 yds, TD
MIN – Fran Tarkenton 13/32, 182 yds, TD, 3 INT Rushing DAL – Preston Pearson 15 att, 63 yds
MIN – Chuck Foreman 22 att, 66 yds Receiving DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 4 rec, 57 yds
MIN – Chuck Foreman 5 rec, 56 yds
Week 2: vs. New York Giants
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Giants
0
7
14 0 21
Cowboys 14
17
3 7 41
at Texas Stadium , Irving, TX
Date : Sunday, September 25Game time : 1:00Game weather : 88°, wind 16 mphBox Score
Game information
First Quarter DAL – Roger Staubach 2-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
DAL – Preston Pearson 10-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick) Second Quarter DAL – Doug Dennison 1-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
DAL – Tony Dorsett 11-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
NYG – Willie Spencer 1-yard run (Joe Danelo kick)
DAL – Efren Herrera 37-yard field goal Third Quarter NYG – Bobby Hammond 68-yard punt return (Joe Danelo kick)
DAL – Efren Herrera 41-yard field goal
NYG – Doug Kotar 3-yard run (Joe Danelo kick) Fourth Quarter DAL – Tony Dorsett 34-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
Passing NYG – Joe Pisarcik 9/23, 129 yds, 2 INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 18/29, 235 yds, TD Rushing NYG – Larry Csonka 9 att, 39 yds
DAL – Tony Dorsett 7 att, 62 yds, 2 TD Receiving NYG – Johnny Perkins 1 rec, 54 yds
DAL – Drew Pearson 6 rec, 97 yds
Week 3: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter
Passing Rushing Receiving
Week 4: at St. Louis Cardinals
Game information
First Quarter STL – Jim Bakken 32-yard field goal
DAL – Efren Herrera 29-yard field goal
STL – Terry Metcalf 62-yard run (Jim Bakken kick) Second Quarter DAL – Tony Dorsett 77-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
STL – Mel Gray 60-yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
DAL – Efren Herrera 40-yard field goal Third Quarter DAL – Efren Herrera 44-yard field goal
STL – Charles Davis 35-yard fumble return (Jim Bakken kick) Fourth Quarter DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
DAL – Golden Richards 17-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
Passing DAL – Roger Staubach 18/29, 153 yards, TD
STL – Jim Hart 9/32, 186 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing DAL – Tony Dorsett 14 att, 141 yards, TD
STL – Terry Metcalf 10 att, 79 yards, TD Receiving DAL – Drew Pearson 6 rec, 55 yards
STL – Mel Gray 3 rec, 84 yards, TD
Week 5: vs. Washington Redskins
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Redskins
6
7
3 0 16
Cowboys 0
14
6 14 34
at Texas Stadium , Irving, TX
Date : Sunday, October 16Game time : 3:00 pmGame weather : 56 F, wind 8 mphBox Score
Game information
First Quarter WSH – Mark Moseley 25-yard field goal
WSH – Mark Moseley 40-yard field goal Second Quarter DAL – Golden Richards 50-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
DAL – Robert Newhouse 7-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
WSH – Clarence Harmon 1-yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) Third Quarter WSH – Mark Moseley 53-yard field goal
DAL – Efren Herrera 44-yard field goal
DAL – Efren Herrera 52-yard field goal Fourth Quarter DAL – Drew Pearson 59-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
DAL – Robert Newhouse 6-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
Passing WSH – Billy Kilmer 4/15, 45 yards, INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 15/28, 250 yards, 2 TD Rushing WSH – Mike Thomas 15 att, 46 yards
DAL – Robert Newhouse 17 att, 71 yards, 2 TD Receiving WSH – Charley Taylor 2 rec, 32 yards
DAL – Drew Pearson 6 rec, 157 yards, TD
Week 6: at Philadelphia Eagles
Game information
Second Quarter PHI – Charlie Smith 12-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Horst Muhlmann kick)
DAL – Tony Dorsett 5-yard run (kick failed) Fourth Quarter DAL – Charlie Waters 17-yard punt return (Efren Herrera kick)
DAL – Efren Herrera 18-yard field goal
PHI – Horst Muhlmann 32-yard field goal
Passing DAL – Roger Staubach 15/26, 172 yards
PHI – Ron Jaworski 10/23, 104 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing DAL – Tony Dorsett 13 att, 48 yards, TD
PHI – Tom Sullivan 13 att, 61 yards Receiving DAL – Drew Pearson 4 rec, 54 yards
PHI – Keith Krepfle 3 rec, 40 yards
Week 7: vs. Detroit Lions
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Lions
0
0
0 0 0
Cowboys 3
20
7 7 37
at Texas Stadium , Irving, TX
Date : Sunday, October 30Game time : 1:00Game weather : 70 F, wind 11 mphBox Score
Game information
First Quarter DAL – Efren Herrera 21-yard field goal Second Quarter DAL – Efren Herrera 45-yard field goal
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 14-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
DAL – Scott Laidlaw 18-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
DAL – Efren Herrera 30-yard field goal Third Quarter DAL – Jay Saldi 1-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick) FOurth Quarter DAL – Larry Brinson 20-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
Passing DET – Joe Reed 6/16, 75 yards, INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 16/25, 179 yards, 3 TD Rushing DET – Horace King 8 att, 26 yards
DAL – Tony Dorsett 13 att, 48 yards Receiving DET – Rick Kane 2 rec, 30 yards
DAL – Tony Dorsett 5 rec, 48 yards
Week 8: at New York Giants
Game information
First Quarter DAL – Jay Saldi 8-yard fumble return (Efren Herrera kick) Second Quarter NYG – Joe Danelo 51-yard field goal
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 5-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick) Third Quarter DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
NYG – Bobby Hammond 1-yard run (Joe Danelo kick) Fourth Quarter DAL – Efren Herrera 35-yard field goal
Passing DAL – Roger Staubach 14/25, 190 yards, TD
NYG – Joe Pisarcik 6/17, 61 yards, INT Rushing DAL – Robert Newhouse 11 att, 41 yards
NYG – Larry Csonka 15 att, 47 yards Receiving DAL – Drew Pearson 3 rec, 89 yards
NYG – Johnny Perkins 4 rec, 34 yards
Week 9: vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Cardinals 3
0
7 14 24
Cowboys
0
14
0 3 17
at Texas Stadium , Irving, TX
Date : Monday, November 14Game time : 8:00 pmGame weather : 61 F, wind 12 mphBox Score
Game information
First Quarter STL – Jim Bakken 26-yard field goal Second Quarter DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 2-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick) Third Quarter STL – Wayne Morris 1-yard run (Jim Bakken kick) Fourth Quarter DAL – Efren Herrera 21-yard field goal
STL – Mel Gray 49-yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
STL – Jackie Smith 3-yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
Passing STL – Jim Hart 10/24, 141 yards, 2 TD, INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 11/20, 102 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing STL – Wayne Morris 21 att, 72 yards, TD
DAL – Robert Newhouse 12 att, 61 yards Receiving STL – Mel Gray 3 rec, 76 yards, TD
DAL – Drew Pearson 4 rec, 45 yards
Week 10: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Game information
First Quarter DAL – Tony Dorsett 13-yard run (kick failed) Second Quarter PIT – Franco Harris 61-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)
DAL – Jay Saldi 23-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
PIT – Lynn Swann 9-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick) Third Quarter PIT – John Stallworth 28-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
PIT – Franco Harris 2-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)
Passing DAL – Roger Staubach 18/26, 230 yards, TD, 2 INT
PIT – Terry Bradshaw 7/12, 106 yards, 2 TD Rushing DAL – Tony Dorsett 17 att, 73 yards, TD
PIT – Franco Harris 29 att, 179 yards, 2 TD Receiving DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 3 rec, 45 yards
PIT – John Stallworth 4 rec, 46 yards, TD
Week 11: at Washington Redskins
Game information
Second Quarter WSH – Joe Theismann 1-yard run (Mark Moseley kick) Third Quarter DAL – Golden Richards 4-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick) Fourth Quarter DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
Passing DAL – Roger Staubach 10/24, 138 yards, TD, INT
WSH – Joe Theismann 17/35, 231 yards, INT Rushing DAL – Tony Dorsett 19 att, 64 yards, TD
WSH – Calvin Hill 4 att, 44 yards Receiving DAL – Drew Pearson 2 rec, 79 yards
WSH – Frank Grant 6 rec, 89 yards
Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Game information
First Quarter DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efren Herrera kick) Second Quarter PHI – Mike Hogan 51-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
DAL – Drew Pearson 16-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick) Third Quarter PHI – Harold Carmichael 12-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
DAL – Efren Herrera 24-yard field goal Fourth Quarter DAL – Tony Dorsett 84-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
Passing PHI – Ron Jaworski 18/32, 199 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 13/26, 183 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing PHI – Mike Hogan 6 att, 25 yards
DAL – Tony Dorsett 23 att, 206 yards, 2 TD Receiving PHI – Mike Hogan 3 rec, 59 yards, TD
DAL – Preston Pearson 3 rec, 70 yards
Week 13: at San Francisco 49ers
Game information
First Quarter SF – Bob Ferrell 1-yard run (Ray Wersching kick) Second Quarter DAL – Roger Staubach 1-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
DAL – Preston Pearson 36-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
SF – Kenny Harrison 10-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick)
DAL – Tony Dorsett 20-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick) Third Quarter DAL – Tony Dorsett 21-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
SF – Gene Washington 27-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick) Fourth Quarter DAL – Butch Johnson 22-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
SF – Devlin Williams 1-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick)
DAL – Preston Pearson 3-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
SF – Paul Seal 47-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick)
Passing DAL -Roger Staubach 14/19, 220 yards, 3 TD
SF – Jim Plunkett 15/29, 263 yards, 4 TD Rushing DAL – Tony Dorsett 20 att, 92 yards, TD
SF – Delvin Williams 17 att, 44 yards Receiving DAL – Drew Pearson 4 rec, 61 yards
SF – Gene Washington 5 rec, 130 yards, TD
Week 14: vs. Denver Broncos
Game information
First Quarter DAL – Preston Pearson 22-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick) Third Quarter DAL – Robert Newhouse 7-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
DEN – Jim Turner 22-yard field goal Fourth Quarter DEN – Jim Turner 37-yard field goal
Passing DEN – Norris Weese 10/19, 94 yards
DAL – Roger Staubach 15/20, 160 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing DEN – Norris Weese 6 att, 33 yards
DAL – Tony Dorsett 17 att, 50 yards Receiving DEN – Jack Dolbin 5 rec, 85 yards
DAL – Preston Pearson 6 rec, 48 yards, TD
Postseason
NFC Divisional Playoff
Game information
First Quarter DAL – Doug Dennison 2-yard run (Efren Herrera kick) Second Quarter DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 28-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
DAL – Efren Herrera 21-yard field goal Third Quarter DAL – Tony Dorsett 23-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
DAL – Efren Herrera 31-yard field goal
DAL – Tony Dorsett 7-yard run (Efren Herrera kick) Fourth Quarter DAL – Efren Herrera 27-yard field goal
CHI – Steve Schubert 34-yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick)
Passing CHI – Bob Avellini 15/25, 177 yds, TD, 4 INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 8/13, 134 yds, TD, INT Rushing CHI – Walter Payton 19 att, 60 yds
DAL – Tony Dorsett 17 att, 85 yds, 2 TD Receiving CHI – Steve Schubert 5 rec, 69 yds, TD
DAL – Drew Pearson 2 rec, 38 yds
NFC Championship Game
Game information
First Quarter DAL – Golden Richards 32-yard pass from Roger Staubach (kick failed) Second Quarter DAL – Robert Newhouse 5-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
MIN – Fred Cox 32-yard field goal
MIN – Fred Cox 37-yard field goal
DAL – Efren Herrera 21-yard field goal Fourth Quarter DAL – Tony Dorsett 11-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
Passing MIN – Bob Lee 14/31, 158 yds, INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 12/23, 165 yds, TD, INT Rushing MIN – Chuck Foreman 21 att, 59 yds
DAL – Robert Newhouse 15 att, 81 yds, TD Receiving MIN – Sammy White 3 rec, 46 yds
DAL – Drew Pearson 4 rec, 62 yds
Super Bowl XII
Game information
First Quarter DAL – Tony Dorsett 3-yard run (Efren Herrera kick)
DAL – Efren Herrera 35-yard field goal Second Quarter DAL – Efren Herrera 43-yard field goal Third Quarter DEN – Jim Turner 47-yard field goal
DAL – Butch Johnson 45-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick)
DEN – Rob Lytle 1-yard run (Jim Turner kick) Fourth Quarter DAL – Golden Richards 29-yard pass from Robert Newhouse (Efren Herrera kick)
Passing DAL – Roger Staubach 17/25, 183 yds, TD
DEN – Craig Morton 4/15, 39 yds, 4 INT Rushing DAL – Tony Dorsett 15 att, 66 yds, TD
DEN – Rob Lytle 10 att, 35 yds, TD Receiving DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 4 rec, 66 yds
DEN – Jack Dolbin 2 rec, 24 yds
Awards and Records
Tony Dorsett, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award
Tony Dorsett, All-Pro Selection
Efren Herrera, Five Field Goals Attempted in one Super Bowl game, Super Bowl record
Harvey Martin, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player
Harvey Martin, NFL Defensive Player of the Year
Harvey Martin, Led NFL, Sacks (23)
Pearson , Led NFL Receiving Yards (870)Pearson , All-Pro SelectionPearson , Pro Bowl SelectionRoger Staubach , All-Pro SelectionRoger Staubach , Pro Bowl SelectionRoger Staubach, Led NFC, Touchdown Passes (18)
Roger Staubach, NFC Passing Leader
Randy White, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player
Led NFC, Points Scored (345)
Led NFC, Fewest Rushing Yards Allowed (1,651)
Led NFL, Fewest Total Yards Allowed (3,213)
Led NFL, Total Yards, (4,812)
Publications
The Football Encyclopedia ISBN 0-312-11435-4
References
External links
Franchise Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Division championships (25) Conference championships (10) League championships (5) Media Current league affiliations
