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
Seasons
← 1976
1978 →
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 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
  • $ – 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.

  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.