1977 Denver Broncos season

1977 Denver Broncos season
Head coach	Red Miller
General manager	Fred Gehrke
Home field	Mile High Stadium
Results
Record	12–2
Division place	1st AFC West
Playoff finish	Lost Super Bowl XII

The 1977 Denver Broncos season was the team's 18th year in professional football and its eighth with the National Football League (NFL).

The team had by far its best season to date, finishing first in the AFC West and making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The Broncos won the first two playoff games in franchise history (over perennial AFC powerhouses Pittsburgh and Oakland) and won their first AFC Championship, earning a berth in Super Bowl XII, where they fell to the NFC champion Dallas Cowboys, 27–10.

Still, 1977 was a major leap for the Broncos, who had never won more than nine games in a season. Coach Red Miller — in his first season as the Broncos' head coach — was named NFL Coach of the Year, and quarterback Craig Morton was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Denver's 1977 season is chronicled in Terry Frei's 2008 book, '77: Denver, the Broncos and a Coming of Age.

Personnel

Staff

1977 Denver Broncos staff
	Front office Chairman of the Board – Gerald Phipps President – Allan Phipps Vice President/General Manager – Fred Gehrke Director of Player Personnel – Carroll Hardy Director of Pro Scouting – Doc Urich Head coaches Head Coach – Red Miller Offensive coaches Quarterbacks – Babe Parilli Offensive Backfield – Paul Roach Wide Receivers – Fran Polsfoot Offensive Line – Ken Gray			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Joe Collier Defensive Line – Stan Jones Linebackers – Myrel Moore Defensive Backfield – Bob Gambold Special teams coaches Special Teams – Marv Braden

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	Record	Attendance
1	September 18	St. Louis Cardinals	W 7–0	Mile High Stadium	1–0	75,002
2	September 25	Buffalo Bills	W 26–6	Mile High Stadium	2–0	74,897
3	October 2	at Seattle Seahawks	W 24–13	Kingdome	3–0	53,108
4	October 9	Kansas City Chiefs	W 23–7	Mile High Stadium	4–0	74,878
5	October 16	at Oakland Raiders	W 30–7	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	5–0	53,616
6	October 23	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 24 – 13	Riverfront Stadium	6–0	54,395
7	October 30	Oakland Raiders	L 14–24	Mile High Stadium	6–1	75,007
8	November 6	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 21–7	Mile High Stadium	7–1	74,967
9	November 13	at San Diego Chargers	W 17–14	San Diego Stadium	8–1	45,211
10	November 20	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 14–7	Arrowhead Stadium	9–1	54,050
11	November 27	Baltimore Colts	W 27–13	Mile High Stadium	10–1	74,939
12	December 4	at Houston Oilers	W 24–14	Astrodome	11–1	46,875
13	December 11	San Diego Chargers	W 17–9	Mile High Stadium	12–1	74,905
14	December 18	at Dallas Cowboys	L 6–14	Texas Stadium	12–2	63,752

Season summary

Week 1

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 0 0 0 0 0 • Broncos 0 0 7 0 7 Date: September 18 Location: Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado Game start: 2:00 p.m. Game weather: 60°F, wind 10 mph Referee: Dick Jorgensen

Scoring summary 3 DEN Otis Armstrong 10 yard run (Jim Turner kick) Broncos 7–0

^[1]

Week 2

1 2 3 4 Total Bills 0 6 0 0 6 • Broncos 3 7 13 3 26 Date: September 25 Location: Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 66°F; wind 11

Scoring summary Q1 DEN Turner 48 yard field goal DEN 3–0 Q2 BUF Cornell 22 yard fumble return (kick failed) BUF 6–3 Q2 DEN Morton 5 yard run (Turner kick) DEN 10–6 Q3 DEN Armstrong 1 yard run (kick failed) DEN 16–6 Q3 DEN Odoms 1 yard pass from Morton (Turner kick) DEN 23–6 Q4 DEN Turner 26 yard field goal DEN 26–6

^[2]

Week 12

1 2 3 4 Total • Broncos 0 14 3 7 24 Oilers 0 7 7 0 14 Date: December 4 Location: Houston Astrodome Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 46,875 Game weather: Indoors (dome)

Scoring summary Q2 HOU Coleman 2 yard run (Fritsch kick) HOU 7–0 Q2 DEN Odoms 13 yard pass from Morton (Turner kick) Tie 7–7 Q2 DEN Upchurch 13 yard pass from Morton (Turner kick) DEN 14–7 Q3 DEN Turner 42 yard field goal DEN 17–7 Q3 HOU Burrough 29 yard pass from Pastorini (Fritsch kick) DEN 17–14 Q4 DEN Weese 5 yard run (Turner kick) DEN 24–14

^[3]

Week 14

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	0	3	3	6
Cowboys	7	0	7	0	14

at Texas Stadium, Irving, TX

• Date: Sunday, December 18
• Game time: 1:00 pm
• Game weather: 52 F, wind 10 mph
• Referee: Jerry Markbreit
• TV announcers (NBC): Jack Buck and Len Dawson
• Box Score

Game information

First Quarter DAL – Preston Pearson 22-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren Herrera kick) Third Quarter DAL – Robert Newhouse 7-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efren 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

Playoffs

Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	Attendance
Divisional Playoffs	December 24	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 34–21	Mile High Stadium	75,011
AFC Championship	January 1	Oakland Raiders	W 20–17	Mile High Stadium	74,982
Super Bowl XII	January 15	Dallas Cowboys	L 10–27	Louisiana Superdome	76,400

AFC Championship

1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 3 0 0 14 17 • Broncos 7 0 7 6 20 Date: January 1 Location: Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado Game start: 12:00 p.m. MST Game attendance: 74,982 Game weather: 13°F • Wind 6 TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Len Dawson

Scoring summary 1 OAK Errol Mann 20 yard field goal Raiders 3–0 1 DEN Haven Moses 74 yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick) Broncos 7–3 3 DEN Jon Keyworth 1 yard run (Jim Turner kick) Broncos 14–3 4 OAK Dave Casper 7 yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick) Broncos 14–10 4 DEN Haven Moses 12 yard pass from Craig Morton (kick failed) Broncos 20–10 4 OAK Dave Casper 17 yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick) Broncos 20–17

^[4]

Super Bowl XII: Dallas Cowboys 27, Denver Broncos 10

Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys (NFC)	10	3	7	7	27
Broncos (AFC)	0	0	10	0	10

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Date: January 15, 1978
• Game attendance: 76,400
• Referee: Jim Tunney
• TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier

Standings

AFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Denver Broncos^(1)	12	2	0	.857	6–1	11–1	274	148	L1
Oakland Raiders^(4)	11	3	0	.786	5–2	10–2	351	230	W2
San Diego Chargers	7	7	0	.500	3–4	6–6	222	205	L2
Seattle Seahawks	5	9	0	.357	1–3	4–9	282	373	W2
Kansas City Chiefs	2	12	0	.143	1–6	1–11	225	349	L6

Roster

Defense CB Louis Wright ⋅ CB Steve Foley ⋅ Offense WR Jack Dolbin ⋅ LT LG C RG RT Andy Maurer Tom Glassic Mike Montler Paul Howard Claudie Minor ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ TE Riley Odoms ⋅ WR Haven Moses ⋅ QB Craig Morton ⋅ RB Otis Armstrong ⋅ FB Jon Keyworth Lonnie Perrin Special Teams PK Jim Turner P Bucky Dilts KR Rick Upchurch PR Rick Upchurch

References

1. Pro-Football-Reference.com
2. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Dec-25.
3. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Dec-10.
4. Pro-Football-Reference.com

External links

• 1977 Denver Broncos at Pro-Football-Reference.com