| 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Art Rooney |
| Head coach | Chuck Noll |
| Home stadium | Three Rivers Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–5 |
| Division place | 1st inAFC Central |
| Playoffs | LostDivisional Playoffs (atBroncos) 21–34 |
| All-Pros | 4
|
| Pro Bowlers | |
| Team MVP | Terry Bradshaw |
The1977 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 45th in theNational 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 theBroncos 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 tackleErnie Holmes was arrested forcocaine possession, and despite being found not guilty, lawsuits followed. Head coachChuck Noll was also subject to a defamation lawsuit, asOakland Raiders safetyGeorge 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 cornerbackMel Blount into the suit, which upset Blount as he was one of many Steelers players engaged in a contract holdout, with others including linebackerJack Lambert and safetyGlen Edwards. Disputes between these players and Steelers ownerArt Rooney were often publicized, and the overall drama played a significant part in the regression of the Steel Curtain defense.[1][2] This was also the first season that the Steelers wore black face masks on their helmets.
| 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Robin Cole * | Linebacker | New Mexico | |
| 2 | 48 | Sidney Thornton | Running back | Northwestern State | |
| 3 | 60 | Tom Beasley | Defensive lineman | Virginia Tech | |
| 3 | 75 | Jim Smith | Wide receiver | Michigan | |
| 4 | 93 | Ted Petersen | Guard | Eastern Illinois | |
| 4 | 99 | Laverne Smith | Running back | Kansas | |
| 4 | 106 | Dan Audick | Guard | Hawaii | |
| 5 | 121 | Cliff Stoudt | Quarterback | Youngstown State | |
| 5 | 125 | Steve Courson | Guard | South Carolina | |
| 5 | 132 | Dennis Winston | Linebacker | Arkansas | |
| Made roster * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
ThePittsburgh Steelers began the1977 season looking to improve upon their 10–4 record in1976; when they lost to the eventualSuper Bowl championOakland Raiders.
While the Steelers once again won theAFC Central crown, they finished with one fewer win; going 9–5 and losing to theDenver Broncos in the AFC Divisional playoff game at Denver.
| 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 | atCleveland Browns | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 28–14 | 2–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium |
| 4 | Sun. Oct. 9 | atHouston 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 | atBaltimore Colts | 4:00 p.m. | NBC | L 21–31 | 4–3 | Memorial Stadium |
| 8 | Sun. Nov. 6 | atDenver 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 | atNew 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 | atSan Diego Chargers | 4:00 p.m. | NBC | W 10–9 | 9–5 | San Diego Stadium |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steelers | 0 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 27 |
atThree Rivers Stadium,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 0 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 16 |
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
atThree Rivers Stadium,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Browns | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
atCleveland Municipal Stadium,Cleveland, Ohio
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Oilers | 7 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 27 |
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Steelers | 0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
atThree Rivers Stadium,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oilers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Steelers | 0 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 27 |
atThree Rivers Stadium,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| Colts | 3 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
atMemorial Stadium,Baltimore, Maryland
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Broncos | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
atMile High Stadium,Denver, Colorado
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 3 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 31 |
| Steelers | 7 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 35 |
atThree Rivers Stadium,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Steelers | 0 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
atThree Rivers Stadium,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 6 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
| Jets | 6 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
atShea Stadium,Flushing, New York
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 20 |
| Steelers | 7 | 6 | 0 | 17 | 30 |
atThree Rivers Stadium,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Bengals | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
atRiverfront Stadium,Cincinnati
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Chargers | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
atSan Diego Stadium,San Diego, California
Scoring drives:
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers(3) | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 276 | 243 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 3–3 | 6–6 | 299 | 230 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 3–3 | 6–5 | 238 | 235 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 269 | 267 | L4 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Broncos | 7 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 34 |
atMile High Stadium,Denver, Colorado
