1977 Stanford Cardinals football team

1977 Stanford Cardinals football
Sun Bowl champion
Sun Bowl, W 24–14 vs. LSU
ConferencePacific-8 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 15
APNo. 15
Record9–3 (5–2 Pac-8)
Head coach
Home stadiumStanford Stadium
1977 Pacific-8 Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 10 Washington $ 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
No. 15 5 – 2 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
No. 13 USC 5 – 2 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
California 3 – 4 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Washington State 3 – 4 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Oregon 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
Oregon State 0 – 7 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
UCLA † 0 – 2 – 0 0 – 4 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • † – UCLA forfeited 7 wins (5 conference wins) due to ineligible players.
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1977 Stanford Cardinals football team represented Stanford University in the Pacific-8 Conference during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. Led by first-year head coach Bill Walsh, Stanford ended the regular season with an 8–3 record (5–2 in Pac-8, tie for second).

The Cardinals were led by senior quarterback Guy Benjamin, who won the Sammy Baugh Trophy, awarded to the best passer in college football; senior receiver James Lofton, who caught 57 passes for 1,010 yards and 14 TDs and was named an AP and NEA Second Team All-American; junior linebacker Gordy Ceresino, and freshman running back Darrin Nelson.[1]

On New Year's Eve, Stanford defeated LSU 24–14 in the Sun Bowl for their ninth win.[2][3][4][5] and climbed to fifteenth in the final rankings.[6]

Walsh, previously the offensive coordinator of the NFL's San Diego Chargers, was hired the previous December.[7][8][9] He had been an assistant at Stanford under John Ralston from 1963 through 1965 and spent eight seasons as an assistant with the expansion Cincinnati Bengals under head coach Paul Brown.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 10at No. 12 Colorado*
L 21–2750,482[10]
September 17at Tulane*
W 21–1730,482[11]
September 24Illinois*
W 37–2450,500[12]
October 1Oregon
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA
W 20–1036,500[13]
October 8UCLA
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA
W 32–2864,500[14]
October 15at Washington
L 21–4546,529[15]
October 22Washington State
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA
W 31–2947,500[16]
October 29at Oregon State
W 26–720,196[17]
November 5at No. 16 USC
L 0–4965,101[18]
November 12San Jose State*
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA (rivalry)
W 31–2639,000[19]
November 19California
W 21–387,500[20]
December 31LSU*
CBSW 24–1431,318[21]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1977 Stanford Cardinal football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 7 Guy Benjamin Sr
WR 30 James Lofton Sr
RB 31 Darrin Nelson Fr
OT 72 Gordon King Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 95 Gordy Ceresino Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Awards and honors

All-conference

Main article: 1977 All-Pacific-8 Conference football team

NFL draft

Four Cardinals were selected in the 1978 NFL draft.

Player Position Round Overall Franchise
James Lofton WR 1 6 Green Bay Packers
Gordon King T 1 10 New York Giants
Guy Benjamin QB 2 51 Miami Dolphins
Bill Kellar WR 7 184 Kansas City Chiefs

[22]

References

  1. ^ Migdol, Gary (1997). Stanford: Home of Champions. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC. p. 168. ISBN 1-57167-116-1.
  2. ^ "Stanford passes sink LSU, 24-14". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 1, 1978. p. D8.
  3. ^ "Cardinals win a duel in the Sun". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. January 1, 1978. p. 3C.
  4. ^ "Cards win classic match". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. January 1, 1978. p. 5B.
  5. ^ "Stanford Game-by-Game Results; 1977–1981". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  6. ^ "It might not add up, but Irish are clearly No. 1". Eugene REgister-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. January 4, 1978. p. 5B.
  7. ^ "Bill Walsh named Card grid mentor". Lodi News-Sentinel. (California). UPI. December 13, 1976. p. 14.
  8. ^ "Stanford hires Walsh". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 13, 1976. p. 3C.
  9. ^ "Walsh ready to go". Lodi News-Sentinel. (California). UPI. December 14, 1976. p. 6.
  10. ^ "CU staves off Stanford threats". The Daily Sentinel. September 11, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Last quarter rally sparks Cards to win". The San Francisco Examiner. September 18, 1977. Retrieved October 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Stanford trounces Illinois". Minneapolis Tribune. September 25, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Cards whip Ducks". The Times Standard. October 2, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Stanford upends UCLA". The Register. October 9, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Game-breaking plays lift Washington 45–21". The Idaho Statesman. October 16, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Stanford is survivor in scorefest". The Sacramento Bee. October 23, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Stanford tops OSU". The Press Democrat. October 30, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Trojans rout Cards". Contra Costa Times. November 6, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Stanford edges San Jose, 31–26". The Los Angeles Times. November 13, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Cards win, OK Sun Bowl bid". The Times-Herald. November 20, 1977. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Cards upset LSU". The San Francisco Examiner. January 1, 1978. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "1978 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on December 22, 2007.
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