1977 Chicago Bears season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Chicago Bears 1977 9–5 2nd NFC Central Jack Pardee Jim Finks George Halas Soldier Field Lost Divisional Playoffs(at Cowboys) 7–37 Bears seasons The 1977 Chicago Bears season was their 58th regular season completed in the National Football League. The team finished with a 9–5 record, which was their first winning season since 1967 and earned them a wild card spot against the Dallas Cowboys, who eventually beat the Bears 37–7 en route to a Super Bowl victory. This was their first postseason appearance since winning the 1963 championship. They secured this by winning their last six games, including among others the last of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ record run of 26 consecutive losses. Sid Gillman was hired to serve as offensive coordinator of the team.https://www.si.com/nfl/2016/07/01/dr-z-paul-zimmerman-sid-gillman-sports-illustrated-nfl Best of Dr. Z: 1991 Sid Gillman feature July 2016 Star halfback Walter Payton had the best season of his career as he led the entire NFL in rushing (1,852 yards), 275 of those 1,852 came on a November 20 game against their division rivals the Minnesota Vikings and he did it despite coming down with the flu on a dark rainy day at Soldier Field. A week after the Dallas playoff loss, Coach Pardee stunned the team by resigning to take the head coaching position of the Washington Redskins (George Allen having been fired after the Redskins were eliminated from the playoffs by a Bears overtime victory over the New York Giants in the last game of the regular season). When Gillman expressed desire to open up the offense, those ideas were rejected by upper staff, which led to the resignation of Gillman. Offseason NFL draft 1977 NFL draft 1977 Chicago Bears 1 14 Ted Albrecht Offensive tackle California yes no 2 43 Mike Spivey Cornerback Colorado yes no 3 61 Robin Earl Tight end Washington yes no 6 140 Vince Evans Quarterback USC yes no 7 182 Gerald Butler Wide receiver Nicholls State no no 9 238 Nick Buonamici Defensive tackle Ohio State no no 10 266 Dennis Breckner Defensive end Miami (FL) no no 11 294 Connie Zelencik Center Purdue no no 12 322 Terry Irvin Defensive back Jackson State no no no Undrafted free agents + 1977 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeMike AndrusSafetyRichmondChris HoskinsRunning backMissouri WesternNeil LittleDefensive backNorthwesternTony MadauPunterNevadaLen WalterscheidSafetySouthern UtahScott YelvingtonWide receiverNorthwestern Roster 1977 Chicago Bears  7 Bob Avellini  8 Vince Evans y 15 Mike Phipps 25 Art Best y 39 Robin Earl y 35 Roland Harper 22 Johnny Musso 34 Walter Payton 80 Bo Rather 83 Steve Rivera 85 Steve Schubert 89 James Scott gridiron football 81 Chuck Bradley tight end 88 Greg Latta 64 Ted Albrecht y T 63 Fred Dean offensive lineman y G 65 Noah Jackson G 62 Dan Jiggetts T 70 Dennis Lick T 52 Dan Neal C/G 53 Dan Peiffer C 69 Revie Sorey G 73 Mike Hartenstine DE 74 Jerry Meyers American football DE 87 Billy Newsome DE 68 Jim Osborne defensive tackle DT 76 Ron Rydalch DT 75 Jeff Sevy DE 50 Waymond Bryant OLB 55 Doug Buffone OLB 59 Gary Campbell linebacker y OLB 54 Tom Hicks American football MLB 58 Jerry Muckensturm OLB 51 Mel Rogers OLB 57 Don Rives MLB 43 Craig Clemons SS 48 Allan Ellis American football CB 45 Gary Fencik SS 24 Virgil Livers CB 46 Doug Plank FS 47 Mike Spivey American football y CB 44 Terry Schmidt CB/S 23 Len Walterscheid y FS 86 Bob Parsons American football P 16 Bob Thomas K 79 Lionel Antoine T IR 84 Brian Baschnagel WR IR 60 Wally Chambers DT IR 71 Roger Stillwell DE IR Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 18 Detroit Lions W 30–20 1–0 Soldier Field 51,530 2 September 25 at St. Louis Cardinals L 13–16 1–1 Busch Memorial Stadium 49,878 3 October 2 New Orleans Saints L 24–42 1–2 Soldier Field 51,488 4 October 10 Los Angeles Rams W 24–23 2–2 Soldier Field 51,412 5 October 16 at Minnesota Vikings L 16–22 (OT) 2–3 Metropolitan Stadium 47,708 6 October 23 Atlanta Falcons L 10–16 2–4 Soldier Field 49,407 7 October 30 at Green Bay Packers W 26–0 3–4 Lambeau Field 56,002 8 November 6 at Houston Oilers L 0–47 3–5 Houston Astrodome 47,226 9 November 13 Kansas City Chiefs W 28–27 4–5 Soldier Field 49,543 10 November 20 Minnesota Vikings W 10–7 5–5 Soldier Field 49,563 11 November 24 at Detroit Lions W 31–14 6–5 Pontiac Silverdome 71,373 12 December 4 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 10–0 7–5 Tampa Stadium 48,948 13 December 11 Green Bay Packers W 21–10 8–5 Soldier Field 33,557 14 December 18 at New York Giants W 12–9 (OT) 9–5 Giants Stadium 50,152 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Playoffs Round Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Divisional December 26 at Dallas Cowboys L 7–37 0–1 Texas Stadium 62,920 Game summaries Week 1 Lions 7 3 3 7 Bears 7 20 0 3 September 18 Soldier Field • Chicago, Illinois 1:00 p.m. 51,530 73 F • Wind 8 mph on Gary Bender, Tom Matte CBS yes 1 DET Dexter Bussey 1-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick) Lions 7–0 1 CHI Johnny Musso 2-yard run (Bob Thomas kick) Tie 7–7 2 CHI Steve Schubert 70-yard punt return (Bob Thomas kick) Bears 14–7 2 CHI Walter Payton 3-yard run (kick failed) Bears 20–7 2 CHI Walter Payton 2-yard run (Bob Thomas kick) Bears 27–7 2 DET Steve Mike-Mayer 35-yard field goal Bears 27–10 3 DET Steve Mike-Mayer 38-yard field goal Bears 27–13 4 DET Dexter Bussey 5-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick) Bears 27–20 4 CHI Bob Thomas 35-yard field goal Bears 30–20 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 2 Chicago Bears 1977 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 2: Chicago Bears at St. Louis Cardinals September 25, 1977 1:00 p.m. CST Bears 3 0 3 7 Cardinals 3 10 3 0 Busch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri Overcast, 68 F C CBS Frank Glieber and Johnny Morris First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers CHI – Bob Avellini – 18/37, 177 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT STL – Jim Hart – 16/24, 215 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT Top rushers CHI – Roland Harper – 14 rushes, 65 yards STL – Jim Otis – 20 rushes, 64 yards Top receivers CHI – James Scott – 5 receptions, 64 yards STL – Mel Gray – 5 receptions, 95 yards Jim Hart completed 12 straight passes, one of 10 yards for a second-quarter touchdown, while directing St. Louis to victory over Chicago 16–13. The veteran Hart who completed 16 of 24 passes while suffering two interceptions, contributed balance to a crisp Cards attack and Jim Bakken booted three field goals. Week 3 vs New Orleans Saints Chicago Bears 1977 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 3: New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears October 2, 1977 12:00 p.m. CST Saints 7 14 14 14 Bears 7 3 0 14 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois Overcast, 56 F C CBS Don Criqui and Emerson Boozer First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers NO – Archie Manning – 8/17, 168 yards, TD CHI – Bob Avellini – 18/38, 238 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers NO – Tony Galbreath – 21 rushes, 61 yards CHI – Walter Payton – 19 rushes, 140 yards, 2 TD Top receivers NO – Jim Thaxton – 3 receptions, 63 yards CHI – Bo Rather – 6 receptions, 113 yards Archie Manning scored on runs of 8, 2 and 11 and threw a 35-yard Touchdown pass to Chuck Muncie as the Saints gain a road victory. The Saints also got TDs on a 52-yard fumble recovery by Bob Pollard and a 57-yard interception return by Jim Merlo. Week 4 Rams 13 3 0 7 Bears 7 7 0 10 October 10 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois 8:00 p.m. CDT Frank Gifford and Don Meredith ABC yes 1 LA Rafael Septien 22 yard field goal Rams 3–0 1 LA Rafael Septien 29 yard field goal Rams 6–0 1 LA Lawrence McCutcheon 2 yard run (Rafael Septien kick) Rams 13–0 1 CHI James Scott 70 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick) Rams 13–7 2 CHI James Scott 72 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick) Bears 14–13 2 LA Rafael Septien 24 yard field goal Rams 16–14 4 CHI Bob Thomas 33 yard field goal Bears 17–16 4 CHI Greg Latta 29 yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick) Bears 24–16 4 LA Dwight Scales 26 yard pass from Pat Haden (Rafael Septien kick) Bears 24–23 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 6 Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois TV Station: CBS Announcers: Vin Scully, Alex Hawkins With about two minutes to go, Chicago appeared to have a one-point victory over Atlanta. But the Bears' Steve Schubert fumbled a punt deep in his own territory, Atlanta recovered and Haskel Stanback plowed in moments later from the two-yard line for the Falcons victory. Chicago had taken a 3–0 lead on Bob Thomas' 40-yard field goal, but Nick Mike-Mayer come back with shots of 32, 44, and 21 yards to put Atlanta ahead 9–3. Brian Baschnagel's 84-yard kickoff return resulted in the Bears only touchdown. Week 7 Chicago Bears 1977 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 7: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers October 30, 1977 1:00 p.m. CST Bears 13 3 0 10 Packers 0 0 0 0 Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin Overcast, 45 F C CBS Gary Bender and Johnny Morris First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers CHI – Bob Avellini – 4/9, 54 yards, TD, INT GB – Lynn Dickey – 10/25, 96 yards, INT Top rushers CHI – Walter Payton – 23 rushes, 205 yards, 2 TDs GB – Barty Smith – 15 rushes, 54 yards Top receivers CHI – Greg Latta – 3 receptions, 49 yards GB – Ollie Smith – 3 receptions, 57 yards Walter Payton's 205 tied Gale Sayers record for most rushing yards in a game that was set in 1968. "I didn't want to break Sayers' record because Sayers is a super guy. What's a record? I just want to win the game" Payton said it after scoring touchdown runs of 1 and 6 and setting up Johnny Musso's 3-yard touchdown run in a rout over the Packers. Week 8 The Astrodome in Houston, Texas TV Station: CBS Announcers: Frank Glieber and Johnny Morris Houston's big play offense, dormant throughout the season sprang to life on touchdown bombs of 85 and 43 yards to Ken Burrough and a 75-yard free kick return and a 61-yard touchdown run by Billy Johnson as the Oilers dazzled Chicago 47–0. Houston's first two big plays, Johnson's run and Burrough's 85-yarder we're delivered over a span of 2:55 in the second quarter and helped the Oilers to a 17–0 halftime lead and never looked back. Coach Jack Pardee call the loss "The worst thing I've ever been associated with in any form". This loss turns out to be a turning point in the Bears season. They would not lose a game again in the 1977 regular season. Week 10 autocollapse Sunday, November 20 12:00 p.m. Vikings 0 0 7 0 Bears 0 10 0 0 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois 49,563 48 F, wind 21 mph on Pro-Football-Reference.com 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 blocked punt return (Fred Cox kick) – Bears 10–7 Vikings Bob Lee 12/24, 116 Yds, 2 INT Chuck Foreman 14 Rush, 54 Yds Sammy White 3 Rec, 31 Yds Bears Bob Avellini 4/6, 33 Yds, INT Walter Payton 40 Rush, 275 Yds, TD James Scott 2 Rec, 22 Yds Week 11 Bears 0 0 17 14 Lions 0 7 0 7 November 24 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, MI 1:30 p.m. EST 71,373 Indoors (dome) yes Q2 DET Hill 16 yard pass from Landry (Mike-Mayer kick) DET 7–0 Q3 CHI Rather 42 yard pass from Avellini (Thomas kick) Tie 7–7 Q3 CHI Payton 75 yard pass from Avellini (Thomas kick) CHI 14–7 Q3 CHI Thomas 29 yard field goal CHI 17–7 Q4 CHI Avellini 1 yard run (Thomas kick) CHI 24–7 Q4 DET O'Neil 52 yard fumble return (Mike-Mayer kick) CHI 24–14 Q4 CHI Payton 8 yard run (Thomas kick) CHI 31–14 yes Walter Payton 20 Rush, 137 Yds, 4 Rec, 107 Yds Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Nov-27. Standings Postseason NFC Divisional Playoff Chicago Bears text-align:center; Dallas Cowboys 37, Chicago Bears 7 Bears 0 0 0 7 Cowboys 7 10 17 3 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 1:00 p.m. CST 49 °F °C, mostly cloudy CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Gordon McCarter 62,920 Safety Charlie Waters led the Cowboys to a 37–7 victory by setting an NFL playoff record of 3 interceptions. Dallas built a 17–0 halftime lead, with the aid of running back Doug Dennison’s 2-yard touchdown run and quarterback Roger Staubach’s 28-yard scoring pass to tight end Billy Joe Dupree. In the second half, running back Tony Dorsett recorded two rushing touchdowns and Efren Herrera added two more field goals. The Bears were limited to 224 total yards and did not score until the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach. Awards and records Walter Payton, NFL MVP Walter Payton, led NFL in rushing (1,852 yards) Walter Payton, Pro Bowl Most Valuable Player Walter Payton, Led NFL in Total Yards, (2,216) References External links Chicago Bears on Pro Football Reference Chicago Bears on jt-sw Chicago Bears Category:Chicago Bears seasons Chicago Bears Category:1977 in Chicago