1977 Dallas Cowboys season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Dallas Cowboys 1977 12–2 1st in NFC East Tom Landry Tex Schramm Clint Murchison, Jr. Texas Stadium Won Divisional Playoffs(vs. Bears) 37–7Won NFC Championship(vs. Vikings) 23–6Won Super Bowl XII(vs. Broncos) 27–10 Cowboys seasons thumb|220px|The Cowboys and Broncos in Super Bowl XII 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 y 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. As of 2025, this was the final season that the team did not play on the holiday. The 1977 Cowboys ranked #17 on the 100 greatest teams of all time presented by the NFL on its 100th anniversary.NFL Top 100 Teams https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nfl-top-100-teams.htm Pro Football Reference100 Greatest Teams: Numbers 100-1 SUPERCUT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qzU600OwVc NFL.com 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.April 1, 2011 Tony Dorsett had all the right moves and a brilliant NFL career http://www.profootballhof.com/news/tony-dorsett-had-all-the-right-moves-and-a-brilliant-nfl-career/ June 7, 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame 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 1977 NFL draft 1977 Dallas Cowboys 1 2 Tony Dorsett RB Pittsburgh Pick from SEA yes yes yes 2 54 Glenn Carano QB UNLV yes 3 62 Tony Hill WR Stanford yes yes 3 81 Val Belcher OG Houston 4 108 Guy Brown LB Houston yes 5 137 Andy Frederick OT New Mexico yes 6 164 Jim Cooper OT Temple yes 7 191 Dave Stalls DE Northern Colorado yes 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 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/draft/1977.htm 1977 NFL Draft Pro-Football-Reference.com July 15, 2019 Undrafted free agents + 1977 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeThomas BaileyRunning backTulsaArtie BelvinDefensive backUTEPLarry BrinsonRunning backFloridaJeff ButtsTight endOregonBruce HutherLinebackerNew HampshireRichard JacobsonDefensive LineHamlineLucien JohnsonLinebackerUTEPAbel JoeRunning backCheyney StateDave MeteerOffensive lineBYUKeith PonderDefensive backNorthern MichiganFred RayhleTight endChattanooga Roster Dallas Cowboys 1977 roster Quarterbacks 18 Glenn Carano 12 Roger Staubach Running backs 36 Larry Brinson 21 Doug Dennison 33 Tony Dorsett 35 Scott Laidlaw 44 Robert Newhouse 26 Preston Pearson Wide receivers 80 Tony Hill 86 Butch Johnson 88 Drew Pearson 83 Golden Richards Tight ends 89 Billy Joe DuPree 87 Jay Saldi Offensive linemen 61 Jim Cooper G 67 Pat Donovan T 62 John Fitzgerald C 71 Andy Frederick T 66 Burton Lawless G 73 Ralph Neely T 64 Tom Rafferty G/C 68 Herbert Scott G 70 Rayfield Wright T 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/QBReserve lists 52 Jim Eidson T (IR) 10px 81 Percy Howard WR (IR) 10px 60 Greg Peters G (IR) 10px 78 Greg Schaum DE (IR) 10px 30 Charley Young RB (IR) 10px Rookies in italics45 active, 5 inactive Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap 1 August 6, 1977 San Diego Chargers W 34–14 1–0 Texas Stadium 59,504 Recap 2 August 13, 1977 at Seattle Seahawks L 17–23 (OT) 1–1 Kingdome 58,789 Recap 3 August 20, 1977 Miami Dolphins L 14–20 1–2 Texas Stadium 58,620 Recap 4 August 27, 1977 Baltimore Colts W 23–21 2–2 Texas Stadium 54,835 Recap 5 September 3, 1977 at Houston Oilers L 14–23 2–3 Astrodome 49,777 Recap 6 September 8, 1977 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, 1977 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, 1977 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 Game summaries Week 1: at Minnesota Vikings 1977 Minnesota Vikings season collapsed Sunday, September 18, 1977 1:00 Cowboys 0 3 0 7 6 Vikings 7 0 0 3 0 Metropolitan Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota 68°, wind 12 mph Pat Haggerty CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Box Score 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 1977 New York Giants season collapsed Sunday, September 25, 1977 1:00 Giants 0 7 14 0 Cowboys 14 17 3 7 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 88°, wind 16 mph Gordon McCarter CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Box Score 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 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season collapsed Sunday, October 2, 1977 12:00 Buccaneers 0 7 0 0 Cowboys 17 3 3 0 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 55,316 74 F, wind 15 mph Bernie Ulman CBS Frank Glieber and Alex Hawkins Box Score 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 1977 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season collapsed Sunday, October 9, 1977 1:00 p.m. Cowboys 3 10 3 14 Cardinals 10 7 7 0 Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri 49 F, wind 13 mph Fred Silva CBS Vin Scully and Alex Hawkins Box Score 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 1977 Washington Redskins season collapsed Sunday, October 16 3:00 pm Redskins 6 7 3 0 Cowboys 0 14 6 14 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 56 F, wind 8 mph Dick Jorgensen CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Box Score 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 1977 Philadelphia Eagles season collapsed Sunday, October 23 1:00 pm Cowboys 0 6 0 10 Eagles 0 7 0 3 Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia 53 F, wind 11 mph Don Wedge CBS Lindsey Nelson and Paul Hornung Box Score 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 1977 Detroit Lions season collapsed Sunday, October 30 1:00 Lions 0 0 0 0 Cowboys 3 20 7 7 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 70 F, wind 11 mph Chuck Heberling CBS Lindsey Nelson and Paul Hornung Box Score 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 collapsed Sunday, November 6 1:00 pm Cowboys 7 7 7 3 Giants 0 3 7 0 The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey 54 F, wind 16 mph Gene Barth CBS Vin Scully and Alex Hawkins Box Score 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 collapsed Monday, November 14 8:00 pm Cardinals 3 0 7 14 Cowboys 0 14 0 3 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 61 F, wind 12 mph Jim Tunney ABC Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith Box Score 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 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers season collapsed Sunday, November 20 4:00 pm Cowboys 6 7 0 0 Steelers 0 14 14 0 Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh 48 F, wind 9 mph Bob Frederic CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Box Score 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 collapsed Sunday, November 27 4:00 pm Cowboys 0 0 7 7 Redskins 0 7 0 0 RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. 31 F, wind 16 mph Gordon McCarter CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Box Score 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 collapsed Sunday, December 4 1:00 pm Eagles 0 7 7 0 Cowboys 7 7 3 7 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 59 F, wind 12 mph Pat Haggerty CBS Vin Scully and Alex Hawkins Box Score 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 1977 San Francisco 49ers season collapsed Monday, December 12 6:00 p.m. PST Cowboys 0 21 7 14 49ers 7 7 7 14 Candlestick Park, San Francisco 53 F, wind 6 mph Dick Jorgensen ABC Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith Box Score 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 1977 Denver Broncos season collapsed Sunday, December 18 3:00 pm Broncos 0 0 3 3 Cowboys 7 0 7 0 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 52 F, wind 10 mph Jerry Markbreit NBC Jack Buck and Len Dawson Box Score 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 1977–78 NFL playoffs Round Date Opponent Result Game Site Attendance Recap Divisional December 26, 1977 F j, Y 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 1977 Chicago Bears season Dallas Cowboys 37, Chicago Bears 7 text-align:center; Dallas Cowboys Bears 0 0 0 7 Cowboys 7 10 17 3 December 26, 1977 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 1:00 p.m. CST 49 °F °C, mostly cloudy CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier 63,260 Gordon McCarter Box Score 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 text-align:center; Dallas Cowboys Vikings 0 6 0 0 Cowboys 6 10 0 7 January 1, 1978 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 4:30 p.m. CST 30 °F °C, cloudy CBS Vin Scully and Alex Hawkins 64,293 Pat Haggerty Box Score 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 Super Bowl XII Dallas Cowboys 27, Denver Broncos 10 text-align:center; Dallas Cowboys Cowboys (NFC) 10 3 7 7 Broncos (AFC) 0 0 10 0 Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans January 15, 1978 CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Jim Tunney 75,583 Box Score 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 sacksDeLuca Sam The Football Handbook 1981 Jonathan David Publishers 0824602749 143 en Defensive tackle Harvey Martin of the Cowboys had 23 sacks in 1977 -as many as the entire San Diego team had in 1976 (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 0-312-11435-4 Total Football 0-06-270170-3 Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes 0-446-51950-2 References 30em External links 1977 Dallas Cowboys Pro Football Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys Official Site Dallas Category:Dallas Cowboys seasons Category:NFC East championship seasons Category:National Football Conference championship seasons Category:Super Bowl champion seasons Dallas Cowboys