1977 New Orleans Saints season
1977 New Orleans Saints season | |
---|---|
Head coach | Hank Stram |
Home field | Louisiana Superdome |
Results | |
Record | 3–11 |
Division place | 4th NFC West |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | None |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/1986_Jeno%27s_Pizza_-_06_-_Harold_Carmichael.jpg/220px-1986_Jeno%27s_Pizza_-_06_-_Harold_Carmichael.jpg)
The 1977 New Orleans Saints season was the team's eleventh as a member of the National Football League. They were unable to improve on their previous season's output of 4–10, winning only three games. The most notable part of the season was when they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who won their first game in franchise history after losing their first 26 games.[1] The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eleventh consecutive season, while coach Hank Stram was fired following the season. In his two seasons as coach the Saints only won seven games.
Offseason[]
NFL draft[]
1977 New Orleans Saints draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | Joe Campbell | Defensive end | Maryland | |
2 | 34 | Mike Fultz | Defensive tackle | Maryland | |
3 | 64 | Linebacker | Boston College | ||
5 | 118 | Dave LaFary | Offensive tackle | Purdue | |
5 | 135 | Andy Spiva | Linebacker | Tennessee | |
6 | 147 | Cliff Parsley | Punter | Oklahoma State | |
6 | 162 | Tom Schick | Guard | Maryland | |
7 | 174 | Greg Boykin | Running back | Northwestern | |
8 | 201 | Jimmy Stewart | Running back | Tulsa | |
9 | 231 | Dave Knowles | Tackle | Indiana | |
10 | 258 | Rafael Septién[a] * | Kicker | Southwestern Louisiana | |
11 | 285 | John Blain | Tackle | San Jose State | |
12 | 315 | Oakley Dalton | Defensive tackle | Jackson State | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Personnel[]
Staff[]
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster[]
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
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Regular season[]
The first victory overall for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, did not come until week 13 on the road against the Saints, almost two seasons after their first game against the Houston Oilers in 1976. The Bucs led at halftime by a score of 13–0. Dave Green had two field goals, while Gary Huff threw a touchdown pass to Morris Owens. Upon their arrival to Tampa Bay, the Bucs were greeted by 8,000 fans.[4]
The Saints were 11-point favorites before the game,[5] and fans booed as the Buccaneers scored. "Eleven years I've supported this franchise!" one shouted, adding, "With all this money I've spent on this lousy team I could have bought some land in Colombia and raised pot". Losing to a team with a 0-26 losing streak was so humiliating that safety Tom Myers said, "We've been made the laughingstocks of the business ... I'm too embarrassed to say that I play for the team that got beat by Tampa Bay". Said head coach Hank Stram, "We're all very ashamed of what happened today. Ashamed for our people, for our fans, the organization, everybody. It is my worst coaching experience". Team owner said during the loss that the Saints "is a poorly coached team",[6] and Stram was fired January 28, 1978.
Schedule[]
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 18, 1977 | Green Bay Packers | L 24–20 | 56,250
|
2 | September 25, 1977 | at Detroit Lions | L 23–19 | 51,458
|
3 | October 2, 1977 | at Chicago Bears | W 42–24 | 51,488
|
4 | October 9, 1977 | San Diego Chargers | L 14–0 | 53,942
|
5 | October 16, 1977 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 14–7 | 46,045
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6 | October 23, 1977 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 49–31 | 48,417
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7 | October 30, 1977 | Los Angeles Rams | W 27–26 | 59,023
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8 | November 6, 1977 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 28–7 | 53,482
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9 | November 13, 1977 | San Francisco 49ers | L 10–7 | 41,564
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10 | November 20, 1977 | Atlanta Falcons | W 21–20 | 43,135
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11 | November 27, 1977 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 20–17 | 33,702
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12 | December 4, 1977 | New York Jets | L 16–13 | 40,464
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13 | December 11, 1977 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 33–14 | 40,124
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14 | December 18, 1977 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 35–7 | 36,895
|
Week 10 vs. Atlanta Falcons[]
- TV Network: CBS
- Announcers: Gary Bender, Johnny Unitas
Before a Regional TV Audience, Atlanta, which had never given up more than 14 points in a game this year, tried to keep it that way with one minute to go - In New Orleans - And Archie Manning was waiting. The Saints quarterback, back in action for the first time in six weeks, read the blitz and beat it with a 18-yard TD Pass, his second scoring strike to tight end Henry Childs. It was Hank Stram's 136th victory as a head coach... and his last.
Standings[]
NFC West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Los Angeles Rams(2) | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 302 | 146 | L1 |
Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 179 | 129 | W1 |
San Francisco 49ers | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 3–3 | 5–7 | 220 | 260 | L3 |
New Orleans Saints | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 232 | 336 | L4 |
Notes[]
- ^ Never played a game with the Saints, but played in the Pro Bowl in 1982 with the Dallas Cowboys.
References[]
- ^ 1977 New Orleans Saints
- ^ "1977 New Orleans Saints draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
- ^ "All-Time Roster". NewOrleansSaints.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-18. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
- ^ Numbelivable!, p.111, Michael X. Ferraro and John Veneziano, Triumph Books, Chicago, Illinois, 2007, ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0
- ^ Martz, Ron (1977-12-12). "BUCS WIN: Saints historic victims 33-14". St. Petersburg Times. pp. 1C, 6C. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
- ^ Martz, Ron (1977-12-13). "Well, forget about encouraging words". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1C. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
- New Orleans Saints seasons
- 1977 National Football League season by team
- 1977 in sports in Louisiana