1977 Minnesota Vikings season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Minnesota Vikings 1977 9–5 1st NFC Central Bud Grant Mike Lynn Metropolitan Stadium Won Divisional Playoffs(at Rams) 14–7Lost NFC Championship(at Cowboys) 6–23 LB Matt BlairRB Chuck ForemanLB Jeff SiemonG Ed WhiteWR Sammy WhiteT Ron Yary T Ron Yary (2nd team) File:Vikings1975-86.png Vikings seasons thumb|The Vikings' famed Purple People Eaters defensive line stopping a Rams rushing play in the 1977 NFC Divisional Playoff game. The 1977 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 17th in the National Football League. After starting the season 5–3, the team's starting quarterback Fran Tarkenton broke his leg in week 9 and missed the rest of the season. Despite losing Tarkenton, the team managed to finish the season with a 9–5 record and went to the playoffs as winners of the NFC Central division title. They beat the Los Angeles Rams 14–7 in the Divisional Round in a game played in Los Angeles and termed the Mud Bowl, although the Vikings had lost 35–3 to the Rams in week 6.Heroes of Yesteryear: Pro Football’S Dying Breed of Players from a Bygone Era, Danny Jones, Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2017. Chapter on Chuck Foreman.The Super '70s, Tom Danyluk, Mad Uke Publishing, 2005, page 95. The person being interviewed, "LM," is former Rams running back (1972-'79) Lawrence McCutcheon. In the NFC Championship game played in Dallas, the Vikings lost to the Dallas Cowboys 23–6. Offseason 1977 draft 1977 NFL draft Pro Bowler 1977 Minnesota Vikings Draft Draft order Player name Position College Notes Round Selection127 Tommy KramerQuarterbackRice255Dennis SwilleyGuardTexas A&M383Tommy HannonSafetyMichigan State4111Traded to the Seattle SeahawksThe Vikings traded a fourth-round selection (111th overall) to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for WR Ahmad Rashad.5138Ken MooreTight endNorthern Illinois6166Traded to the New England PatriotsThe Vikings traded a sixth-round selection (166th overall) and a 1976 eighth-round selection (235th overall) to the New England Patriots in exchange for C Doug Dumler.7194Traded to the Cincinnati BengalsThe Vikings traded a seventh-round selection (194th overall) to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for TE Orlando Nelson.8222Clint StrozierDefensive backUSC9250 Scott StudwellLinebackerIllinois10278Dan BeaverPlacekickerIllinois11306Keith HartwigWide receiverArizona12335Jim KelleherRunning backColorado Notes Personnel Staff 1977 Minnesota Vikings Principal owner/president – Max Winter Chairman/treasurer – H. P. Skoglund General manager – Mike Lynn Coordinator–administration – Harley Peterson Coordinator–football operations – Jerry Reichow Director of player personnel – Frank Gilliam Head coach – Bud Grant Offensive coordinator – Jerry Burns Offensive line – John Michels Offensive backfield – Bus Mertes Defensive coordinator – Neill Armstrong Defensive line – Buddy Ryan Linebackers – Jack Nelson1977 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide https://library.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/publications/football/yearbooks/FMINVMG-1977-minnesota-vikings-media-guide.pdf 3 February 2025 Roster 1977 Minnesota Vikings 45 1  9 Tommy Kramer y 19 Bob Lee quarterback 10 Fran Tarkenton 44 Chuck Foreman 48 Sammy Johnson American football 39 Mark Kellar 33 Brent McClanahan 35 Robert Miller running back 36 Manfred Moore 26 Bob Grim American football 28 Ahmad Rashad 85 Sammy White American football 84 Steve Craig American football 38 Bob Tucker American football 83 Stu Voigt 57 Doug Dumler C 68 Charlie Goodrum G 61 Wes Hamilton G 78 Steve Riley American football T 67 Dennis Swilley y G 53 Mick Tingelhoff C 62 Ed White American football G 73 Ron Yary T 81 Carl Eller DE 76 Joey Jackson DT 70 Jim Marshall defensive end DE 77 Mark Mullaney DE 88 Alan Page DT 69 Doug Sutherland American football DT 72 James White defensive tackle DT 59 Matt Blair OLB 58 Wally Hilgenberg OLB 54 Fred McNeill OLB 50 Jeff Siemon MLB 55 Scott Studwell y MLB 25 Nate Allen cornerback CB 21 Joe Blahak CB 20 Bobby Bryant CB 45 Tommy Hannon y FS 22 Paul Krause FS 29 Phil Wise American football SS 23 Jeff Wright defensive back SS 43 Nate Wright CB 12 Neil Clabo P 14 Fred Cox K  7 Rick Danmeier y K IR Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendancehttps://www.profootballarchives.com/1977nflmin.html 1977 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - Pro Football Archives 1 August 6 at Los Angeles Rams W 22–17 1–0 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 55,168 2 August 13 Cleveland BrownsW 34–33 2–0 Metropolitan Stadium 45,370 3 August 19 at Baltimore Colts L 7–29 2–1 Memorial Stadium 45,529 4 August 26 Miami Dolphins W 33–7 3–1 Metropolitan Stadium 44,396 5 September 3 at Cincinnati BengalsL 7–26 3–2 Riverfront Stadium 52,942 6 September 10 at Buffalo Bills W 30–6 4–2 Rich Stadium 35,017 Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 18 Dallas Cowboys L 10–16 (OT) 0–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,678 2 September 24 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 9–3 1–1 Tampa Stadium 66,272 3 October 2 Green Bay Packers W 19–7 2–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,143 4 October 9 Detroit Lions W 14–7 3–1 Metropolitan Stadium 45,860 5 October 16 Chicago Bears W 22–16 (OT) 4–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,708 6 October 24 at Los Angeles Rams L 3–35 4–2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 62,414 7 October 30 at Atlanta Falcons W 14–7 5–2 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 59,257 8 November 6 St. Louis Cardinals L 7–27 5–3 Metropolitan Stadium 47,066 9 November 13 Cincinnati Bengals W 42–10 6–3 Metropolitan Stadium 45,371 10 November 20 at Chicago Bears L 7–10 6–4 Soldier Field 49,563 11 November 27 at Green Bay Packers W 13–6 7–4 Lambeau Field 56,267 12 December 4 San Francisco 49ers W 28–27 8–4 Metropolitan Stadium 40,745 13 December 11 at Oakland Raiders L 13–35 8–5 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 52,771 14 December 17 at Detroit Lions W 30–21 9–5 Silverdome 78,572 Game summaries Week 2: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Minnesota Vikings 1977 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Two: Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary September 24, 1977 8:00 p.m. EDT Vikings 0 2 7 0 Buccaneers 0 3 0 0 Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida 66,272 80 F C Fred Wyant Box score First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter MIN – Randy Hedberg sacked in end zone by Carl Eller for a safety. Vikings 2–0. TB – Allan Leavitt 18-yard field goal. Buccaneers 3–2. Third quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 31-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 9–3. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 25/38, 223 yards, TD, 2 INT TB – Randy Hedberg – 4/14, 51 yards, 3 INT Top rushers MIN – Chuck Foreman 14 rushes, 58 yards TB – Ricky Bell – 21 rushes, 66 yards Top receivers MIN – Chuck Foreman – 4 receptions, 52 yards, TD TB – Morris Owens – 2 receptions, 26 yards Week 3: vs Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings 1977 2; text-align:center autocollapse Week 3: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings October 2, 1977 1:00 p.m. CST Packers 7 0 0 0 Vikings 7 6 0 6 Metropolitan Stadium, Minnesota Overcast, 47 F C CBS Tim Ryan and Johnny Unitas Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter GB – Steve Odom 95-yard pass from Lynn Dickey (Chester Marcol kick). Packers 7–0. MIN – Sammy White 16-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick). Tied 7–7. Second quarter MIN – Chuck Foreman 3-yard run. Vikings 13–7. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter MIN – Sammy Johnson 2-yard run. Vikings 19–7. Top passers GB – Lynn Dickey – 8/20, 143 yards, TD MIN – Fran Tarkenton – 19/27, 184 yards, TD Top rushers GB – Eric Torkelson – 8 rushes, 34 yards MIN – Sammy Johnson – 12 rushes, 65 yards, TD Top receivers GB – Steve Odom – 1 reception, 95 yards, TD MIN – Sammy White – 5 receptions, 73 yards, TD Week 7: at Atlanta Falcons Television network: CBSJanuary 2023 Announcers: Pat Summerall and Tom BrookshierJanuary 2023 Minnesota's Fran Tarkenton threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Sammy White to tie the game in the second quarter, then tossed a 6-yard scoring pass to Bob Tucker in the fourth quarter after Chuck Foreman's 51-yard run to salvage a big win for the Vikings. The Falcons took the lead early lead on a 49-yard scoring pass from Scott Hunter to Greg McCrary.January 2023 Week 10: at Chicago Bears Minnesota Vikings 1977 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 10: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – Game summary Sunday, November 20 12:00 p.m. Vikings 0 0 7 0 Bears 0 10 0 0 Soldier Field, Chicago 48 F C Gordon McCarter CBS Lindsey Nelson, Paul Hornung Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter CHI – Walter Payton 1-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 7–0. CHI – Bob Thomas 37-yard field goal. Bears 10–0. Third quarter MIN – Matt Blair 10-yard return of blocked punt (Fred Cox kick). Bears 10–7. Fourth quarter No scoring plays. Top passers MIN – Bob Lee – 12/24, 116 yards, 2 INT CHI – Bob Avellini – 4/6, 33 yards, INT Top rushers MIN – Chuck Foreman – 14 rushes, 54 yards CHI – Walter Payton – 40 rushes, 275 yards, TD Top receivers MIN – Sammy White – 3 receptions, 31 yards CHI – James Scott – 2 receptions, 22 yards Week 11: at Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings 1977 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 11: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – Game summary Sunday, November 27 1:00 p.m. Vikings 0 13 0 0 Packers 6 0 0 0 Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin 10 F C Don Wedge CBS Gary Bender and Johnny Unitas Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter GB – David Whitehurst 3-yard run (kick failed). Packers 6–0. Second quarter MIN – Sammy White 40-yard pass from Bob Lee (Fred Cox kick). Vikings 7–6. MIN – Fred Cox 21-yard field goal. Vikings 10–6. MIN – Fred Cox 31-yard field goal. Vikings 13–6. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter No scoring plays. Top passers MIN – Bob Lee – 5/8, 68 yards, TD GB – David Whitehurst – 6/23, 75 yards, 2 INT Top rushers MIN – Chuck Foreman – 26 rushes, 101 yards GB – Eric Torkelson – 13 rushes, 53 yards Top receivers MIN – Sammy White – 1 reception, 40 yards, TD GB – Bert Askson – 1 reception, 34 yards Week 13: at Oakland Raiders Minnesota Vikings 1977 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 13: Minnesota Vikings at Oakland Raiders – Game summary Sunday, December 11 4:00 p.m. Vikings 0 7 0 6 Raiders 21 0 7 7 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California 53 F C Fred Wyant CBS Vin Scully and Alex Hawkins Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter OAK – Mark van Eeghen 2-yard run (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 7–0. OAK – Cliff Branch 10-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 14–0. OAK – Willie Hall 2-yard fumble recovery (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 21–0. Second quarter MIN – Nate Wright 27-yard fumble recovery (Fred Cox kick). Raiders 21–7. Third quarter OAK – Cliff Branch 32-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 28–7. Fourth quarter OAK – Carl Garrett 2-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 35–7. MIN – Sammy White 11-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (kick failed, wide right). Raiders 35–13. Top passers MIN – Tommy Kramer – 16/34, 177 yards, TD, 3 INT OAK – Ken Stabler – 10/15, 143 yards, 3 TD Top rushers MIN – Chuck Foreman – 11 rushes, 48 yards OAK – Mark van Eeghen – 28 rushes, 112 yards, TD Top receivers MIN – Sammy White – 5 reception, 73 yards, TD OAK – Cliff Branch – 4 reception, 95 yards, 2 TD Standings Postseason Week Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance Divisional December 26 at Los Angeles Rams W 14–7 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 62,538 Conference January 1 at Dallas Cowboys L 6–23 Texas Stadium 61,968 Statistics Team leaders Category Player(s) Value Passing yards Fran Tarkenton 1,734 Passing touchdowns Fran Tarkenton 9 Rushing yards Chuck Foreman 1,112 Rushing touchdowns Chuck Foreman 6 Receiving yards Sammy White 760 Receiving touchdowns Sammy White 9 Points Chuck Foreman Sammy White 54 Kickoff return yards Manfred Moore 524 Punt return yards Manfred Moore 277 Interceptions Bobby Bryant 4 League rankings Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank(out of 28) Passing offense 2,368 169.1 6th Rushing offense 1,821 130.1 21st Total offense 4,189 299.2 14th Passing defense 1,581 112.9 3rd Rushing defense 2,218 158.4 21st Total defense 3,799 271.4 11th References Category:Minnesota Vikings seasons Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings Category:NFC Central championship seasons