1977 Pittsburgh Steelers season

Pittsburgh Steelers 45th US football season August 2023 March 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers 1977 9–5 1st in AFC Central Chuck Noll Art Rooney Three Rivers Stadium Lost Divisional Playoffs(at Broncos) 21–34 border:none; padding:0; 4 RB Franco Harris LB Jack Ham LB Jack Lambert WR Lynn Swann border:none; padding:0; 4 Joe Greene (1st team) Jack Ham (1st team) Franco Harris (1st team) Lynn Swann (2nd team) Terry Bradshaw Steelers seasons The 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 45th in the National Football League (NFL). The 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers failed to improve on their 10–4 record from 1976 and finished with a 9–5 record; however, they appeared in the playoffs for their 6th straight season and won the AFC Central again. They had a hard time for most of the season as their record hovered around .500. Even the Steel Curtain seemed to have a little wear and tear allowing 243 points on the season, more than 100 more than the previous season. The sloppy plays would catch up with them in the Divisional Playoffs when they were knocked off by the Broncos 34–21 in Denver. The 1977 season is remembered as one of the most turbulent in franchise history, as numerous players were involved with off-the-field issues. Defensive tackle Ernie Holmes was arrested for cocaine possession, and despite being found not guilty, lawsuits followed. Head coach Chuck Noll was also subject to a defamation lawsuit, as Oakland Raiders safety George Atkinson sued Noll and the Steelers for a disparaging comment in which Noll called Atkinson part of the "criminal element" in football. Though Atkinson lost the lawsuit, Noll was forced to bring Steelers cornerback Mel Blount into the suit, which upset Blount as he was one of many Steelers players engaged in a contract holdout, with others including linebacker Jack Lambert and safety Glen Edwards. Disputes between these players and Steelers owner Art Rooney were often publicized, and the overall drama played a significant part in the regression of the Steel Curtain defense.https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2019/1/29/18200711/no-season-in-team-history-was-plagued-by-as-much-drama-as-the-steelers-1977-campaign-nfl-news No season in team history was plagued by as much drama as the Steelers 1977 campaign Chester Simon 2019-01-29 Behind the Steel Curtain en 2019-12-22https://www.steelers.com/news/the-1978-season-part-1-the-prelude?campaign=sf:fanshare:facebook The 1978 Season: Part 1, The Prelude www.steelers.com Pittsburgh Steelers en-US 2019-12-22 This was also the first season that the Steelers wore black face masks on their helmets. Offseason NFL draft 1977 NFL draft 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers 1 21 Robin Cole Linebacker New Mexico yes yes 2 48 Sidney Thornton Running back Northwestern State yes 3 60 Tom Beasley Defensive lineman Virginia Tech yes 3 75 Jim Smith Wide receiver Michigan yes 4 93 Ted Petersen Guard Eastern Illinois yes 4 99 Laverne Smith Running back Kansas yes 4 106 Dan Audick Guard Hawaii no 5 121 Cliff Stoudt Quarterback Youngstown State yes 5 125 Steve Courson Guard South Carolina yes 5 132 Dennis Winston Linebacker Arkansas yes yes no Undrafted free agents + 1977 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeTony DungySafetyMinnesota Personnel Staff 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers #08214A white #EEC607 Chairman of the board – Arthur J. Rooney President – Daniel M. Rooney Vice president – John R. McGinley Vice president – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr. Public relations director – Ed Kiely Traveling secretary – James A. Boston Publicity director – Joe Gordon Controller – Dennis P. Thimons Ticket manager – Joseph H. Carr Ticket office coordinator – Geraldine Glenn Director of player personnel – Dick Haley Assistant director of player personnel – Bill Nunn Director of professional scouting – V. Timothy Rooney Head coach – Chuck Noll Offensive backfield – Dick Hoak Receivers – Tom Moore Offensive line – Dan Radakovich Defensive coordinator – Bud Carson Defensive line – George Perles Linebackers – Woody Widenhofer Strength – Louis Riecke Flexibility – Paul Uram Team physician – David S. Huber Team physician, orthopedic – Paul B. Steele, Jr. Team dentist – George P. Boucek Trainer – Ralph Berlin Assistant trainer – Robert Milie Equipment manager – Anthony Parisi Field manager – Jack Hart Film director – Bob McCartney Photographer – Harry Homa 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide Roster 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers 12 Terry Bradshaw 16 Neil Graff 18 Cliff Stoudt y 20 Rocky Bleier 35 Jack Deloplaine 32 Franco Harris 46 Reggie Harrison 28 Alvin Maxson 38 Sidney Thornton y 43 Frank Lewis football 85 Ernie Pough 86 Jim Smith wide receiver y 82 John Stallworth 88 Lynn Swann 89 Bennie Cunningham 84 Randy Grossman 79 Larry Brown tight end, born 1949 T 50 Jim Clack G 57 Sam Davis American football G 55 Jon Kolb T 72 Gerry Mullins G 66 Ted Petersen y C 74 Ray Pinney T 52 Mike Webster C 64 Steve Furness DT/DE 75 Joe Greene DT 68 L. C. Greenwood DE 63 Ernie Holmes DT 78 Dwight White DE 56 Robin Cole MLB y 60 Brad Cousino OLB 59 Jack Ham OLB 54 Dave LaCrosse y OLB 58 Jack Lambert American football MLB 51 Loren Toews OLB 53 Dennis Winston y MLB 45 Jimmy Allen American football CB/S 47 Mel Blount CB 21 Tony Dungy y SS 27 Glen Edwards safety FS 29 Brent Sexton b. 1953 CB 31 Donnie Shell SS 24 J. T. Thomas defensive back CB 17 Rick Engles P 10 Roy Gerela K 76 John Banaszak DE IR 65 Tom Beasley y DT IR 83 Theo Bell WR IR 77 Steve Courson y G IR 67 Gary Dunn DT IR 36 Wentford Gaines CB IR 15 Mike Kruczek QB IR 37 Laverne Smith y RB IR -- Jimmy Stephens tight end y TE IR 39 Bobby Walden P IR 23 Mike Wagner S IR 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/pit/1977_roster.htm 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers Pro-Football-Reference.com 2014-12-17 The Pittsburgh Steelers began the 1977 season looking to improve upon their 10–4 record in 1976; when they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Oakland Raiders. While the Steelers once again won the AFC Central crown, they finished with one fewer win; going 9–5 and losing to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional playoff game at Denver. Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Kickoff (ET) TV Result Record Game Site 1 Mon. Sep. 19 San Francisco 49ers 9:00 p.m. ABC W 27–0 1–0 Three Rivers Stadium 2 Sun. Sep. 25 Oakland Raiders 4:00 p.m. NBC L 7–16 1–1 Three Rivers Stadium 3 Sun. Oct. 2 at Cleveland Browns 1:00 p.m. NBC W 28–14 2–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 4 Sun. Oct. 9 at Houston Oilers 2:00 p.m. NBC L 10–27 2–2 Astrodome 5 Mon. Oct. 17 Cincinnati Bengals 9:00 p.m. ABC W 20–14 3–2 Three Rivers Stadium 6 Sun. Oct. 23 Houston Oilers 1:00 p.m. NBC W 27–10 4–2 Three Rivers Stadium 7 Sun. Oct. 30 at Baltimore Colts 4:00 p.m. NBC L 21–31 4–3 Memorial Stadium 8 Sun. Nov. 6 at Denver Broncos 4:00 p.m. NBC L 7–21 4–4 Mile High Stadium 9 Sun. Nov. 13 Cleveland Browns 1:00 p.m. NBC W 35–31 5–4 Three Rivers Stadium 10 Sun. Nov. 20 Dallas Cowboys 4:00 p.m. CBS W 28–13 6–4 Three Rivers Stadium 11 Sun. Nov. 27 at New York Jets 1:00 p.m. NBC W 23–20 7–4 Shea Stadium 12 Sun. Dec. 4 Seattle Seahawks 1:00 p.m. NBC W 30–20 8–4 Three Rivers Stadium 13 Sat. Dec. 10 at Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 p.m. NBC L 10–17 8–5 Riverfront Stadium 14 Sun. Dec. 18 at San Diego Chargers 4:00 p.m. NBC W 10–9 9–5 San Diego Stadium Game summaries Week 1 (Monday September 19, 1977): vs. San Francisco 49ers 49ers 0 0 0 0 Steelers 0 10 3 14 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 9:00 pm EDT Game weather: 69 F, wind 9 mph on Game attendance: 48,046 Referee: Bernie Ulman TV announcers: (ABC) Frank Gifford (play by play), Don Meredith & Howard Cosell (color commentators) Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – Harris 14 run (Gerela kick) Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 49 Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 47 Pittsburgh – Harris 7 run (Gerela kick) Pittsburgh – Stallworth 15 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) Week 2 (Sunday September 25, 1977): vs. Oakland Raiders Raiders 0 9 0 7 Steelers 0 0 0 7 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 4:00 pm EDT Game weather: 67 F, wind 9 mph on Game attendance: 50,398 Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers: (NBC) Curt Gowdy (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator) Scoring drives: Oakland – FG Mann 21 Oakland – FG Mann 40 Oakland – FG Mann 41 Oakland – van Eeghen 8 run (Mann kick) Pittsburgh – Cunningham 43 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) Week 3 at Browns 1977 Cleveland Browns season Pittsburgh Steelers 1977 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Three: Pittsburgh Steelers (1–1) at Cleveland Browns (2–0) October 2 1:00 p.m. Steelers 7 7 7 7 Browns 7 7 0 0 Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio 80,588 55 F C Fred Silva NBC Curt Gowdy and Merlin Olsen Box Score First quarter PIT – Lynn Swann 5-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 7–0. Drive: CLE – Dave Logan 22-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick). Tie 7–7. Drive: Second quarter CLE – Cleo Miller 1-yard run (Don Cockroft kick). Browns 14–7. Drive: PIT – Frank Lewis 65-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick). Tie 14–14. Drive: Third quarter PIT – Lynn Swann 14-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 21–14. Drive: Fourth quarter PIT – Terry Bradshaw 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 28–14. Drive: Top passers PIT – Terry Bradshaw – 10/17, 143 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT CLE – Brian Sipe – 9/20, 81 yards, TD, INT Top rushers PIT – Franco Harris – 22 rushes, 72 yards CLE – Cleo Miller – 11 rushes, 49 yards, TD Top receivers PIT – Lynn Swann – 7 receptions, 71 yards, 2 TD CLE – Oscar Roan – 3 receptions, 43 yards Week 4 (Sunday October 9, 1977): at Houston Oilers Steelers 3 7 0 0 Oilers 7 0 10 10 at Astrodome, Houston, Texas Game time: 2:00 pm EDT Game attendance: 49,226 Referee: Dick Jorgensen TV announcers: (NBC) Jack Buck (play by play), Jimmy Johnson (color commentator) Scoring drives: Houston – Burrough 44 pass from Coleman (Fritsch kick) Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 27 Pittsburgh – Bleier 1 run (Gerela kick) Houston – FG Fritsch 27 Houston – Johnson 51 pass from Pastorini (Fritsch kick) Houston – Stemrick 5 fumble recovery return (Fritsch kick) Houston – FG Fritsch 18 Week 5 (Monday October 17, 1977): vs. Cincinnati Bengals Bengals 0 7 0 7 Steelers 0 13 0 7 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 9:00 pm EDT Game weather: 39 F, wind 18 mph on Game attendance: 47,950 Referee: Ben Dreith TV announcers: (ABC) Frank Gifford (play by play) and Don Meredith (color commentator) Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – Bleier 1 run (Gerela kick) Pittsburgh – Bleier 2 run (kick failed) Cincinnati – Bujnoch 4 run (Bahr kick) Pittsburgh – Thornton 1 run (Gerela kick) Cincinnati – Williams recovered blocked punt in end zone (Bahr kick) Week 6 (Sunday October 23, 1977): vs. Houston Oilers Oilers 0 7 0 3 Steelers 0 7 6 14 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 1:00 pm EDT Game weather: 50 F, wind 12 mph on Game attendance: 48,517 Referee: Bernie Ulman TV announcers: (NBC) Stu Nahan (play by play), Andy Russell (color commentator) Scoring drives: Houston – Barber 5 pass from Pastorini (Fritsch kick) Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Gerela kick) Pittsburgh – Stallworth 49 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed) Houston – FG Fritsch 46 Pittsburgh – Cunningham 2 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Gerela kick) Week 7 (Sunday October 30, 1977): at Baltimore Colts Steelers 0 0 7 14 Colts 3 14 7 7 at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland Game time: 4:00 pm EST Game weather: 53 F, wind 8 mph on Game attendance: 60,225 Referee: Red Cashion TV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Len Dawson (color commentator) Scoring drives: Baltimore – FG Linhart 24 Baltimore – Leaks 26 pass from Jones (Linhart kick) Baltimore – Mitchell 13 pass from Jones (Linhart kick) Baltimore – Lee 25 run (Linhart kick) Pittsburgh – Swann 32 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) Baltimore – Jones 6 run (Linhart kick) Pittsburgh – Harris 11 run (Gerela kick) Pittsburgh – Harris 3 run (Gerela kick) Week 8 (Sunday November 6, 1977): at Denver Broncos Steelers 0 0 7 0 Broncos 14 7 0 0 at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado Game time: 4:00 pm EST Game weather: 52 F, wind 7 mph on Game attendance: 74,967 Referee: Fred Wyant TV announcers: (NBC) Jim Simpson (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator) Scoring drives: Denver – Lytle 1 run (Turner kick) Denver – Upchurch 87 punt return (Turner kick) Denver – Moses 20 pass from Morton (Turner kick) Pittsburgh – Stallworth 4 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) Week 9 (Sunday November 13, 1977): vs. Cleveland Browns Browns 3 0 7 21 Steelers 7 21 0 7 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 1:00 pm EST Game weather: 30 F, wind 13 mph on Game attendance: 47,055 Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers: (NBC) Jim Simpson (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator) Scoring drives: Cleveland – FG Cockroft 44 Pittsburgh – Swann 39 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) Pittsburgh – Bleier 2 run (Gerela kick) Pittsburgh – Stallworth 38 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) Pittsburgh – Harris 16 run (Gerela kick) Cleveland – Miller 5 run (Cockroft kick) Pittsburgh – Stallworth 9 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) Cleveland – Poole 5 pass from Mays (Cockroft kick) Cleveland – Poole 13 pass from Mays (Cockroft kick) Cleveland – Poole 3 pass from Mays (Cockroft kick) Week 10 (Sunday November 20, 1977): vs. Dallas Cowboys Cowboys 6 7 0 0 Steelers 0 14 14 0 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 4:00 pm EST Game weather: 48 F, wind 9 mph on Game attendance: 49,761 Referee: Bob Frederic TV announcers: (CBS) Pat Summerall (play by play), Tom Brookshier (color commentator) Scoring drives: Dallas – Dorsett 13 run (kick blocked) Pittsburgh – Harris 61 run (Gerela kick) Dallas – Saldi 23 pass from Staubach (Herrera kick) Pittsburgh – Swann 9 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) Pittsburgh – Stallworth 28 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) Pittsburgh – Harris 2 run (Gerela kick) Week 11 at Jets 1977 New York Jets season Pittsburgh Steelers 1977 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Eleven: Pittsburgh Steelers (6–4) at New York Jets (2–8) November 27 1:00 p.m. Steelers 6 14 0 3 Jets 6 7 0 7 Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York 47,385 31 F C Jerry Markbreit NBC Jim Simpson and Merlin Olsen Box Score First quarter NYJ – Pat Leahy 33-yard field goal. Jets 3–0. Drive: PIT – John Stallworth 37-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (kick blocked). Steelers 6–3. Drive: NYJ – Pat Leahy 47-yard field goal. Tie 6–6. Drive: Second quarter PIT – Lynn Swann 5-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 13–6. Drive: NYJ – Scott Dierking 5-yard pass from Matt Robinson (Pat Leahy kick). Tie 13–13. Drive: PIT – Franco Harris 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 20–13. Drive: Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter PIT – Roy Gerela 37-yard field goal. Steelers 23–13. Drive: NYJ – Bruce Harper 4-yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick). Steelers 23–20. Drive: Top passers PIT – Terry Bradshaw – 10/28, 143 yards, 2 TD, INT NYJ – Matt Robinson – 7/19, 80 yards, TD, 3 INT Top rushers PIT – Franco Harris – 21 rushes, 83 yards, TD NYJ – Scott Dierking – 23 rushes, 107 yards Top receivers PIT – Lynn Swann – 4 receptions, 54 yards, TD NYJ – Scott Dierking – 3 receptions, 26 yards, TD Week 12 (Sunday December 4, 1977): vs. Seattle Seahawks Seahawks 0 3 10 7 Steelers 7 6 0 17 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 1:00 pm EST Game weather: 33 F, wind 7 mph on Game attendance: 45,429 Referee: Cal Lepore TV announcers: (NBC) Sam Nover (play by play), Mike Haffner (color commentator) Scoring drives: Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 5 run (Gerela kick) Seattle – FG Leypoldt 20 Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 22 Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 28 Seattle – McCullum 65 pass from Zorn (Leypoldt kick) Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 43 Pittsburgh – Swann 22 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 3 run (Gerela kick) Seattle – Largent 30 pass from Zorn (Leypoldt kick) Week 13 (Saturday December 10, 1977): at Cincinnati Bengals Steelers 0 10 0 0 Bengals 7 0 10 0 at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati Game time: 1:00 pm EST Game weather: 0 F, wind 12 mph on Game attendance: 36,133 Referee: Jim Tunney TV announcers: (NBC) Curt Gowdy (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator) Scoring drives: Cincinnati – Parrish 47 interception return (Bahr kick) Pittsburgh – Harris 5 run (Gerela kick) Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 32 Cincinnati – FG Bahr 24 Cincinnati – McInally 43 pass from Anderson (Bahr kick) Week 14 (Sunday December 18, 1977): at San Diego Chargers Steelers 0 0 10 0 Chargers 6 3 0 0 at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California Game time: 4:00 pm EST Game weather: 63 F, wind 12 mph on Game attendance: 50,727 Referee: Ben Dreith TV announcers: (NBC) Charlie Jones (play by play), Andy Russell (color commentator) Scoring drives: San Diego – C. Williams 2 run (kick failed) San Diego – FG Benirschke 38 Pittsburgh – Thornton 1 run (Gerela kick) Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 27 Standings Postseason Game summary AFC Divisional Playoff (Saturday December 24, 1977): at Denver Broncos Steelers 0 14 0 7 Broncos 7 7 7 13 at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado Game time: 4:00 pm EST Game weather: 44 F, wind 17 mph on Game attendance: 75,059 Referee: Gene Barth TV announcers: (NBC) Jim Simpson (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator) Denver – Lytle 7 run (Turner kick) Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 1 run (Gerela kick) Denver – Armstrong 10 run (Turner kick) Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Gerela kick) Denver – Odoms 30 pass from Morton (Turner kick) Pittsburgh – Brown 1 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) Denver – FG Turner 44 Denver – FG Turner 25 Denver – Dolbin 34 pass from Morton (Turner kick) See also List of NFL teams affected by internal conflict References External links 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers season at Profootballreference.com 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers season statistics at jt-sw.com Category:Pittsburgh Steelers seasons Pittsburgh Steelers Category:AFC Central championship seasons Pittsburgh Steel Category:1977 in Pittsburgh