1977 Dallas Cowboys season

1977 Dallas Cowboys season
1977 Dallas Cowboys season
Owner	Clint Murchison, Jr.
General manager	Tex Schramm
Head coach	Tom Landry
Home stadium	Texas Stadium
Results
Record	12–2
Division place	1st in NFC East
Playoffs	Won Divisional Playoffs; (vs. Bears) 37–7; Won NFC Championship; (vs. Vikings) 23–6; Won Super Bowl XII; (vs. Broncos) 27–10

The 1977 Dallas Cowboys season was their 18th in the National Football League (NFL). The club appeared twice on Monday Night Football. Rookie running back 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. Dallas scored 345 points, which ranked first in the NFC, while its defense only gave up 212 points. Dallas finished with a 12–2 record (tied with 1968 for the best record in the Landry era). The Cowboys made it to their fourth Super Bowl and beat the Denver Broncos to capture their second Super Bowl title. They were the first team from the NFC East Division to win two Super Bowls. Their 15–2 (.882) record (including the postseason) remains the highest single-season winning percentage in franchise history. The Cowboys became the 4th team in NFL history to win two Super Bowls, joining the Packers, Dolphins, and Steelers.

As in 1975, the Cowboys did not play this season on Thanksgiving, again replaced by the St. Louis Cardinals.

The 1977 Cowboys ranked #17 on the 100 greatest teams of all time presented by the NFL on its 100th anniversary.^[1]^[2]

Offseason

To improve their running game, the Cowboys orchestrated a big trade with the Seattle Seahawks, moving up in the NFL draft to acquire running back Tony Dorsett, the Heisman Trophy winner from national champion Pittsburgh.^[3]

With the retirement of Lee Roy Jordan, Bob Breunig became the starting middle linebacker, Randy White was moved to defensive tackle, and Thomas Henderson became a starter at strongside linebacker, turning the defense into a dominant unit.

Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1977 Dallas Cowboys draft
1	2	Tony Dorsett * ^†	RB	Pittsburgh	Pick from SEA
2	54	Glenn Carano	QB	UNLV
3	62	Tony Hill *	WR	Stanford
3	81	Val Belcher	OG	Houston
4	108	Guy Brown	LB	Houston
5	137	Andy Frederick	OT	New Mexico
6	164	Jim Cooper	OT	Temple
7	191	Dave Stalls	DE	Northern Colorado
8	208	Al Cleveland	DE	Pacific
8	221	Fred Williams	RB	Arizona State
9	248	Mark Cantrell	C	North Carolina
10	275	Steve DeBerg	QB	San Jose State
11	305	Don Wardlow	TE	Washington
12	332	Greg Peters	OL	California
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[4]

Undrafted free agents

1977 undrafted free agents of note
Player	Position	College
Thomas Bailey	Running back	Tulsa
Artie Belvin	Defensive back	UTEP
Larry Brinson	Running back	Florida
Jeff Butts	Tight end	Oregon
Bruce Huther	Linebacker	New Hampshire
Richard Jacobson	Defensive Line	Hamline
Lucien Johnson	Linebacker	UTEP
Abel Joe	Running back	Cheyney State
Dave Meteer	Offensive line	BYU
Keith Ponder	Defensive back	Northern Michigan
Fred Rayhle	Tight end	Chattanooga

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game Site	Attendance	Recap
1	August 6	San Diego Chargers	W 34–14	1–0	Texas Stadium	59,504	Recap
2	August 13	at Seattle Seahawks	L 17–23 (OT)	1–1	Kingdome	58,789	Recap
3	August 20	Miami Dolphins	L 14–20	1–2	Texas Stadium	58,620	Recap
4	August 27	Baltimore Colts	W 23–21	2–2	Texas Stadium	54,835	Recap
5	September 3	at Houston Oilers	L 14–23	2–3	Astrodome	49,777	Recap
6	September 8	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 30–0	3–3	Texas Stadium	49,824	Recap

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 including an 84-yard touchdown run which was the longest during the 1977 NFL season.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game Site	Attendance	Recap
1	September 18	at Minnesota Vikings	W 16–10 (OT)	1–0	Metropolitan Stadium	47,678	Recap
2	September 25	New York Giants	W 41–21	2–0	Texas Stadium	64,215	Recap
3	October 2	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 23–7	3–0	Texas Stadium	55,316	Recap
4	October 9	at St. Louis Cardinals	W 30–24	4–0	Busch Memorial Stadium	50,129	Recap
5	October 16	Washington Redskins	W 34–16	5–0	Texas Stadium	62,115	Recap
6	October 23	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 16–10	6–0	Veterans Stadium	65,507	Recap
7	October 30	Detroit Lions	W 37–0	7–0	Texas Stadium	63,160	Recap
8	November 6	at New York Giants	W 24–10	8–0	Giants Stadium	74,532	Recap
9	November 14	St. Louis Cardinals	L 17–24	8–1	Texas Stadium	64,038	Recap
10	November 20	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 13–28	8–2	Three Rivers Stadium	49,761	Recap
11	November 27	at Washington Redskins	W 14–7	9–2	RFK Stadium	55,031	Recap
12	December 4	Philadelphia Eagles	W 24–14	10–2	Texas Stadium	60,289	Recap
13	December 12	at San Francisco 49ers	W 42–35	11–2	Candlestick Park	55,851	Recap
14	December 18	Denver Broncos	W 14–6	12–2	Texas Stadium	63,752	Recap

Division opponents are in bold text

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
⁽¹⁾	12	2	0	.857	7–1	11–1	345	212	W4
Washington Redskins	9	5	0	.643	4–4	8–4	196	189	W3
St. Louis Cardinals	7	7	0	.500	4–4	7–5	272	287	L4
Philadelphia Eagles	5	9	0	.357	2–6	4–8	220	207	W2
New York Giants	5	9	0	.357	3–5	5–7	181	265	L2

Roster

Dallas Cowboys 1977 roster

Quarterbacks

18 Glenn Carano
12 Roger Staubach

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

89 Billy Joe DuPree
87 Jay Saldi

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

63 Larry Cole DE/DT
77 Bill Gregory DT
72 Ed Jones DE
79 Harvey Martin DE
75 Jethro Pugh DT
65 Dave Stalls DE
54 Randy White DT

Linebackers

53 Bob Breunig MLB
59 Guy Brown OLB
58 Mike Hegman OLB
56 Thomas Henderson OLB
57 Bruce Huther MLB
50 D. D. Lewis OLB

Defensive backs

31 Benny Barnes CB
43 Cliff Harris FS
42 Randy Hughes FS/SS
25 Aaron Kyle CB
20 Mel Renfro CB
46 Mark Washington CB
41 Charlie Waters SS

Special teams

1 Efrén Herrera K
11 Danny White P/QB

Reserve lists

52 Jim Eidson T (IR)
81 Percy Howard WR (IR)
60 Greg Peters G (IR)
78 Greg Schaum DE (IR)
30 Charley Young RB (IR)

Rookies in italics
45 active, 5 inactive

Game summaries

Week 1: at Minnesota Vikings

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Cowboys	0	3	0	7	6	16
Vikings	7	0	0	3	0	10

at Metropolitan Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: Sunday, September 18, 1977
Game time: 1:00
Game weather: 68°, wind 12 mph
Referee: Pat Haggerty
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Chuck Foreman 18-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick)

Second quarter

DAL – Efrén Herrera 40-yard field goal

Fourth quarter

DAL – Preston Pearson 7-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén 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, lng 23, rate 90.4
MIN – Fran Tarkenton 13/32, 182 yds, TD, 3 INT, lng 25, rate 31.0

Rushing

DAL – Preston Pearson 15 att, 63 yds, lng 22
MIN – Chuck Foreman 22 att, 66 yds, lng 9

Receiving

DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 4 rec, 57 yds, lng 23
MIN – Chuck Foreman 5 rec, 56 yds, TD, lng 20

Defense

DAL - Cliff Harris 2 INT
DAL - Thomas Henderson 1 INT

Kick returns

DAL - Butch Johnson 2 rt, 69 yds, 34.5 y/rt
DAL - Larry Brinson 1 rt, 15 yds, 15.0 y/rt
MIN - Brent McClanahan 2 rt, 40 yds, 20.0 y/rt
MIN - Robert Miller 1 rt, 12 yds, 12.0 y/rt

Punt returns

DAL - Butch Johnson 4 rt, 28 yds, 7.0 y/rt
MIN - Bob Grim 3 rt, 10 yds, 3.3 y/rt

Kicking

DAL - Efrén Herrera 1 XPM, 1 XPA, 1 FGM, 2 FGA
MIN - Fred Cox 1 XPM, 1 XPA, 1 FGM, 2 FGA

Punting

DAL - Danny White 9 pnts, 352 yds, 39.1 y/pnt
MIN - Neil Clabo 5 pnts, 177 yds, 35.4 y/pnt

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, Texas

Date: Sunday, September 25, 1977
Game time: 1:00
Game weather: 88°, wind 16 mph
Referee: Gordon McCarter
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

DAL – Roger Staubach 2-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Preston Pearson 10-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)

Second quarter

DAL – Doug Dennison 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Tony Dorsett 11-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
NYG – Willie Spencer 1-yard run (Joe Danelo kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 37-yard field goal

Third quarter

NYG – Bobby Hammond 68-yard punt return (Joe Danelo kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 41-yard field goal
NYG – Doug Kotar 3-yard run (Joe Danelo kick)

Fourth quarter

DAL – Tony Dorsett 34-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)

Passing

NYG – Joe Pisarcik 9/23, 129 yds, 2 INT, lng 54, rate 21.8
DAL – Roger Staubach 18/29, 235 yds, TD, lng 4, rate 2.8

Rushing

NYG – Larry Csonka 9 att, 39 yds, lng 14
DAL – Tony Dorsett 7 att, 62 yds, 2 TD, lng 6

Receiving

NYG – Johnny Perkins 1 rec, 54 yds, lng 14
DAL – Drew Pearson 6 rec, 97 yds, lng 13

Defense

DAL - Randy Hughes INT, 8 yds, lng 8
DAL - Aaron Kyle INT, 9 yds, lng 9
DAL - D.D. Lewis INT, 29 yds, lng 29

Kick returns

DAL - Larry Brinson 2 rt, 43 yds, 21.5 y/rt
NYG - Bobby Hammond 3 rt, 85 yds, 28.3 y/rt
NYG - Gordon Bell 2 rt, 48 yds, 24.0 y/rt
NYG - Emery Moorehead 1 rt, 24 yds, 24.0 y/rt
NYG - Beasley Reece 1 rt, 16 yds, 16.0 y/rt

Punt returns

DAL - Butch Johnson 6 rt, 61 yds, 10.2 y/rt
DAL - Tony Hill 1 rt, 4 yds, 4.0 y/rt
NYG - Bobby Hammond 3 rt, 72 yds, 24.0 y/rt, TD

Kicking

DAL - Efrén Herrera 5 XPM, 5 XPA, 2 FGM, 3 FGA

Punting

DAL - Danny White 6 pnts, 259 yds, 43.2 y/pnt
NYG - Dave Jennings 8 pnts, 331 yds, 41.4 y/pnt

Week 3: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Buccaneers	0	7	0	0	7
Cowboys	17	3	3	0	23

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

Date: Sunday, October 2, 1977
Game time: 12:00
Game weather: 74 F, wind 15 mph
Game attendance: 55,316
Referee: Bernie Ulman
TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Alex Hawkins
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

DAL – Efrén Herrera 32-yard field goal
DAL – Thomas Henderson 79-yard interception return (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Robert Newhouse 17-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)

Second quarter

TB – Richard Wood 37-yard fumble return (Allan Leavitt kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 19-yard field goal

Third quarter

DAL – Efrén Herrera 20-yard field goal

Passing

TB – Gary Huff 8/23, 107 yards, 2 INT, lng 30, rate 14.2
DAL – Roger Staubach 15/24, 212 yards, INT, lng 24, rate 73.6

Rushing

TB – Anthony Davis 15 att, 30 yards, lng 9
DAL – Robert Newhouse 16 att, 73 yards, TD, lng 17

Receiving

TB – Morris Owens 4 rec, 57 yards, lng 24
DAL – Preston Pearson 5 rec, 65 yards, lng 21

Defense

TB - Richard Wood 1 INT, 29 yards, lng 29
DAL - Thomas Henderson 2 INT, 79 yards, TD

Kick returns

TB - Isaac Hagins 5 rt, 118 yards, 23.6 y/rt
TB - Anthony Davis 1 rt, 19 yards, 19.0 y/rt
DAL - Butch Johnson 2 rt, 39 yards, 19.5 y/rt

Punt returns

TB - Isaac Hagins 2 rt, 1 yd, 0.5 y/rt
TB - Danny Reece 1 rt, 3 yds, 3.0 y/rt
DAL - Butch Johnson 6 rt, 88 yds, 14.7 y/rt

Kicking

DAL - Efrén Herrera 2 XPM, 2 XPA, 3 FGM, 4 FGA

Punting

TB - Dave Green 10 pnts, 415 yds, 41.5 y/pnt
DAL - Danny White 5 pnts, 216 yds, 43.2 y/pnt

Week 4: at St. Louis Cardinals

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	3	10	3	14	30
Cardinals	10	7	7	0	24

at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri

Date: Sunday, October 9, 1977
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 49 F, wind 13 mph
Referee: Fred Silva
TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and Alex Hawkins
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

STL – Jim Bakken 32-yard field goal
DAL – Efrén Herrera 29-yard field goal
STL – Terry Metcalf 62-yard run (Jim Bakken kick)

Second quarter

DAL – Tony Dorsett 77-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
STL – Mel Gray 60-yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 40-yard field goal

Third quarter

DAL – Efrén Herrera 44-yard field goal
STL – Charles Davis 35-yard fumble return (Jim Bakken kick)

Fourth quarter

DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Golden Richards 17-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)

Passing

DAL – Roger Staubach 18/29, 153 yards, TD, lng 17, rate 87.3
STL – Jim Hart 9/32, 186 yards, TD, 2 INT, lng 60, rate 35.7
STL - Terry Metcalf 1/2, 9 yards, lng 9, rate 62.5

Rushing

DAL – Tony Dorsett 14 att, 141 yards, 2 TD, lng 77
STL – Terry Metcalf 10 att, 79 yards, TD, lng 32

Receiving

DAL – Drew Pearson 6 rec, 55 yards, lng 12
STL – Mel Gray 3 rec, 84 yards, TD, lng 60

Defense

DAL - Cliff Harris INT, 7 yards, lng 7
DAL - Charlie Waters INT, 3 yards, lng 3

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, Texas

Date: Sunday, October 16
Game time: 3:00 pm
Game weather: 56 F, wind 8 mph
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
Box 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 (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Robert Newhouse 7-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
WSH – Clarence Harmon 1-yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick)

Third quarter

WSH – Mark Moseley 53-yard field goal
DAL – Efrén Herrera 44-yard field goal
DAL – Efrén Herrera 52-yard field goal

Fourth quarter

DAL – Drew Pearson 59-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Robert Newhouse 6-yard run (Efrén 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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	6	0	10	16
Eagles	0	7	0	3	10

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia

Date: Sunday, October 23
Game time: 1:00 pm
Game weather: 53 F, wind 11 mph
Referee: Don Wedge
TV announcers (CBS): Lindsey Nelson and Paul Hornung
Box Score

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 (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén 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, Texas

Date: Sunday, October 30
Game time: 1:00
Game weather: 70 F, wind 11 mph
Referee: Chuck Heberling
TV announcers (CBS): Lindsey Nelson and Paul Hornung
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

DAL – Efrén Herrera 21-yard field goal

Second quarter

DAL – Efrén Herrera 45-yard field goal
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 14-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Scott Laidlaw 18-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 30-yard field goal

Third quarter

DAL – Jay Saldi 1-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)

Fourth quarter

DAL – Larry Brinson 20-yard run (Efrén 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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	7	7	3	24
Giants	0	3	7	0	10

at The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Date: Sunday, November 6
Game time: 1:00 pm
Game weather: 54 F, wind 16 mph
Referee: Gene Barth
TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and Alex Hawkins
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

DAL – Jay Saldi 8-yard fumble return (Efrén Herrera kick)

Second quarter

NYG – Joe Danelo 51-yard field goal
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 5-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)

Third quarter

DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
NYG – Bobby Hammond 1-yard run (Joe Danelo kick)

Fourth quarter

DAL – Efrén 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, Texas

Date: Monday, November 14
Game time: 8:00 pm
Game weather: 61 F, wind 12 mph
Referee: Jim Tunney
TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

STL – Jim Bakken 26-yard field goal

Second quarter

DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 2-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)

Third quarter

STL – Wayne Morris 1-yard run (Jim Bakken kick)

Fourth quarter

DAL – Efrén 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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	6	7	0	0	13
Steelers	0	14	14	0	28

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh

Date: Sunday, November 20
Game time: 4:00 pm
Game weather: 48 F, wind 9 mph
Referee: Bob Frederic
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
Box Score

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 (Efrén 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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	0	7	7	14
Redskins	0	7	0	0	7

at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.

Date: Sunday, November 27
Game time: 4:00 pm
Game weather: 31 F, wind 16 mph
Referee: Gordon McCarter
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
Box Score

Game information

Second quarter

WSH – Joe Theismann 1-yard run (Mark Moseley kick)

Third quarter

DAL – Golden Richards 4-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)

Fourth quarter

DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén 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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	7	7	0	14
Cowboys	7	7	3	7	24

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

Date: Sunday, December 4
Game time: 1:00 pm
Game weather: 59 F, wind 12 mph
Referee: Pat Haggerty
TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and Alex Hawkins
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén 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 (Efrén Herrera kick)

Third quarter

PHI – Harold Carmichael 12-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 24-yard field goal

Fourth quarter

DAL – Tony Dorsett 84-yard run (Efrén 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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	21	7	14	42
49ers	7	7	7	14	35

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco

Date: Monday, December 12
Game time: 6:00 p.m. PST
Game weather: 53 F, wind 6 mph
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

SF – Bob Ferrell 1-yard run (Ray Wersching kick)

Second quarter

DAL – Roger Staubach 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Preston Pearson 36-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
SF – Kenny Harrison 10-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick)
DAL – Tony Dorsett 20-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)

Third quarter

DAL – Tony Dorsett 21-yard run (Efrén 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 (Efrén Herrera kick)
SF – Devlin Williams 1-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick)
DAL – Preston Pearson 3-yard run (Efrén 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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	0	3	3	6
Cowboys	7	0	7	0	14

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

Date: Sunday, December 18
Game time: 3:00 pm
Game weather: 52 F, wind 10 mph
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers (NBC): Jack Buck and Len Dawson
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

DAL – Preston Pearson 22-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)

Third quarter

DAL – Robert Newhouse 7-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén 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

Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Game Site	Attendance	Recap
Divisional	December 26, 1977	Chicago Bears (4)	W 37–7	Texas Stadium	63,260	Recap
NFC Championship	January 1, 1978	Minnesota Vikings (3)	W 23–6	Texas Stadium	64,293	Recap
Super Bowl XII	January 15, 1978	vs Denver Broncos (A 1)	W 27–10	Louisiana Superdome	75,583	Recap

NFC Divisional Playoff

Dallas Cowboys 37, Chicago Bears 7

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	0	7	7
Cowboys	7	10	17	3	37

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

Date: December 26, 1977
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C), mostly cloudy
Game attendance: 63,260
Referee: Gordon McCarter
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

DAL – Doug Dennison 2-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)

Second quarter

DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 28-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 21-yard field goal

Third quarter

DAL – Tony Dorsett 23-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 31-yard field goal
DAL – Tony Dorsett 7-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)

Fourth quarter

DAL – Efrén 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

Dallas Cowboys 23, Minnesota Vikings 6

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	6	0	0	6
Cowboys	6	10	0	7	23

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

Date: January 1, 1978
Game time: 4:30 p.m. CST
Game weather: 30 °F (−1 °C), cloudy
Game attendance: 64,293
Referee: Pat Haggerty
TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and Alex Hawkins
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

DAL – Golden Richards 32-yard pass from Roger Staubach (kick failed)

Second quarter

DAL – Robert Newhouse 5-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
MIN – Fred Cox 32-yard field goal
MIN – Fred Cox 37-yard field goal
DAL – Efrén Herrera 21-yard field goal

Fourth quarter

DAL – Tony Dorsett 11-yard run (Efrén 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

Dallas Cowboys 27, Denver Broncos 10

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys (NFC)	10	3	7	7	27
Broncos (AFC)	0	0	10	0	10

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans

Date: January 15, 1978
Game attendance: 75,583
Referee: Jim Tunney
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

DAL – Tony Dorsett 3-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 35-yard field goal

Second quarter

DAL – Efrén Herrera 43-yard field goal

Third quarter

DEN – Jim Turner 47-yard field goal
DAL – Butch Johnson 45-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DEN – Rob Lytle 1-yard run (Jim Turner kick)

Fourth quarter

DAL – Golden Richards 29-yard pass from Robert Newhouse (Efrén 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

Season recap

With an improved offense and defense, the Cowboys finished with a 12–2 regular season record, breezing through the playoffs by beating the Chicago Bears 37–7 in the divisional round, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 23–6 in the NFC Championship Game and winning Super Bowl XII 27–10 against the Denver Broncos.

Dorsett set a franchise rookie record with 1,007 rushing yards. Defensive end Harvey Martin had one of the greatest seasons ever by an NFL player. In a 14-game season he totaled 85 tackles and an estimated league-leading 23 sacks^[5] (more than Michael Strahan's 22.5 record in 16 games), he was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a consensus All-Pro selection, was a key player in the Cowboys winning Super Bowl XII, and a co-MVP of the game with Randy White.

Awards and records

Tony Dorsett, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award
Tony Dorsett, All-Pro Selection
Efrén 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)
Drew Pearson, Led NFL Receiving Yards (870)
Drew Pearson, All-Pro Selection
Drew Pearson, Pro Bowl Selection
Roger Staubach, All-Pro Selection
Roger Staubach, Pro Bowl Selection
Roger 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
Total Football ISBN 0-06-270170-3
Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes ISBN 0-446-51950-2

References

^ "NFL Top 100 Teams". Pro Football Reference.
^ "100 Greatest Teams: Numbers 100-1 SUPERCUT". NFL.com.
^ "Tony Dorsett had all the right moves and a brilliant NFL career". Pro Football Hall of Fame. April 1, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
^ "1977 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
^ DeLuca, Sam (1981). The Football Handbook. Jonathan David Publishers. p. 143. ISBN 0824602749. Defensive tackle Harvey Martin of the Cowboys had 23 sacks in 1977 -as many as the entire San Diego team had in 1976

External links

[NFL_Top_100_Teams-1] "NFL Top 100 Teams". Pro Football Reference.

[100_Greatest_Teams-2] "100 Greatest Teams: Numbers 100-1 SUPERCUT". NFL.com.

[3] "Tony Dorsett had all the right moves and a brilliant NFL career". Pro Football Hall of Fame. April 1, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2017.

[4] "1977 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 15, 2019.

[5] DeLuca, Sam (1981). The Football Handbook. Jonathan David Publishers. p. 143. ISBN 0824602749. Defensive tackle Harvey Martin of the Cowboys had 23 sacks in 1977 -as many as the entire San Diego team had in 1976

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Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl XII champions
1 Efrén Herrera 11 Danny White 12 Roger Staubach 18 Glenn Carano 20 Mel Renfro 21 Doug Dennison 25 Aaron Kyle 26 Preston Pearson 31 Benny Barnes 33 Tony Dorsett 35 Scott Laidlaw 36 Larry Brinson 41 Charlie Waters 42 Randy Hughes 43 Cliff Harris 44 Robert Newhouse 46 Mark Washington 50 D. D. Lewis 53 Bob Breunig 54 Randy White (Co-MVP) 56 Thomas Henderson 57 Bruce Huther 58 Mike Hegman 59 Guy Brown 61 Jim Cooper 62 John Fitzgerald 63 Larry Cole 64 Tom Rafferty 65 Dave Stalls 66 Burton Lawless 67 Pat Donovan 68 Herbert Scott 70 Rayfield Wright 71 Andy Frederick 72 Ed "Too Tall" Jones 73 Ralph Neely 75 Jethro Pugh 77 Bill Gregory 79 Harvey Martin (Co-MVP) 80 Tony Hill 83 Golden Richards 86 Butch Johnson 87 Jay Saldi 88 Drew Pearson 89 Billy Joe DuPree
Head coach: Tom Landry
Coaches: Ermal Allen Mike Ditka Jim Myers Dan Reeves Gene Stallings Ernie Stautner Jerry Tubbs

Dallas Cowboys
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