| 1977 Stanford Cardinals football | |
|---|---|
Sun Bowl champion | |
| Conference | Pacific-8 Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 15 |
| AP | No. 15 |
| Record | 9–3 (5–2 Pac-8) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Stanford Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Washington $ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Stanford | 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
- ^ Migdol, Gary (1997). Stanford: Home of Champions. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC. p. 168. ISBN 1-57167-116-1.
- ^ "Stanford passes sink LSU, 24-14". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 1, 1978. p. D8.
- ^ "Cardinals win a duel in the Sun". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. January 1, 1978. p. 3C.
- ^ "Cards win classic match". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. January 1, 1978. p. 5B.
- ^ "Stanford Game-by-Game Results; 1977–1981". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
- ^ "It might not add up, but Irish are clearly No. 1". Eugene REgister-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. January 4, 1978. p. 5B.
- ^ "Bill Walsh named Card grid mentor". Lodi News-Sentinel. (California). UPI. December 13, 1976. p. 14.
- ^ "Stanford hires Walsh". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 13, 1976. p. 3C.
- ^ "Walsh ready to go". Lodi News-Sentinel. (California). UPI. December 14, 1976. p. 6.