| 1977 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Art Modell |
| Head coach | Forrest Gregg Dick Modzelewski (interim) |
| Home stadium | Cleveland Municipal Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–8 |
| Division place | 4thAFC Central |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | RBGreg Pruitt |
The1977 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 28th season with theNational Football League. After a 6–4 start, the Browns lost their final four games of the season, to finish with a disappointing 6–8 record. With one game left in the season, head coachForrest Gregg was fired and replaced byDick Modzelewski.
The following were selected in the1977 NFL draft.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Robert L. Jackson | Linebacker | Texas A&M | |
| 2 | 46 | Tom Skladany | Punter | Ohio State | |
| 4 | 102 | Oliver Davis | Defensive back | Tennessee State | |
| 4 | 110 | Mickey Sims | Defensive tackle | South Carolina State | |
| 7 | 173 | Kenny Randle | Wide receiver | SMU | |
| 7 | 184 | Blane Smith | Linebacker | Purdue | |
| 7 | 188 | Bob Lingenfelter | Offensive tackle | Nebraska | |
| 8 | 213 | Bill Armstrong | Defensive back | Wake Forest | |
| 9 | 240 | Daryl Brown | Defensive back | Tufts | |
| 10 | 269 | Tom Burkett | Offensive tackle | North Carolina | |
| 11 | 296 | Charles Nash | Wide receiver | Arizona | |
| 12 | 325 | Leo Tierney | Center | Georgia Tech |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
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| 1977 Cleveland Browns roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends | Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists
rookies in italics | |||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 8 | Washington Redskins | L 14–16 | 0–1 | 32,554 |
| 2 | August 13 | atMinnesota Vikings | L 33–34 | 0–2 | 45,379 |
| 3 | August 19 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 19–10 | 1–2 | 31,308 |
| 4 | August 25 | Chicago Bears | W 14–7 | 2–2 | 36,598 |
| 5 | September 3 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 19–14 | 3–2 | 53,180 |
| 6 | September 9 | atDetroit Lions | L 20–24 | 3–3 | 49,168 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 18 | atCincinnati Bengals | W 13–3 | 1–0 | Riverfront Stadium | 52,847 | Recap |
| 2 | September 26 | New England Patriots | W 30–27 | 2–0 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 76,418 | Recap |
| 3 | October 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 14–28 | 2–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 80,588 | Recap |
| 4 | October 9 | Oakland Raiders | L 10–26 | 2–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 80,236 | Recap |
| 5 | October 16 | atHouston Oilers | W 24–23 | 3–2 | Houston Astrodome | 47,888 | Recap |
| 6 | October 23 | atBuffalo Bills | W 27–16 | 4–2 | Rich Stadium | 60,905 | Recap |
| 7 | October 30 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 44–7 | 5–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 60,381 | Recap |
| 8 | November 6 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 7–10 | 5–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 81,932 | Recap |
| 9 | November 13 | atPittsburgh Steelers | L 31–35 | 5–4 | Three Rivers Stadium | 47,055 | Recap |
| 10 | November 20 | atNew York Giants | W 21–7 | 6–4 | Giants Stadium | 72,576 | Recap |
| 11 | November 27 | Los Angeles Rams | L 0–9 | 6–5 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 70,352 | Recap |
| 12 | December 4 | atSan Diego Chargers | L 14–37 | 6–6 | San Diego Stadium | 37,312 | Recap |
| 13 | December 11 | Houston Oilers | L 15–19 | 6–7 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 30,898 | Recap |
| 14 | December 18 | atSeattle Seahawks | L 19–20 | 6–8 | Kingdome | 61,583 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
The 1977 season started with a league rival and an impressive win.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Bengals | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
atRiverfront Stadium •Cincinnati, Ohio
| Game information | ||
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The Cleveland Browns had not hosted nor been in aMonday Night Football game since the 1973 season, when they lost at home against the Miami Dolphins. The Cleveland Stadium was sold out that beautiful night along the lakefront and the crowd looked forward to a great game. Indeed, the game went into overtime, and with a little more than 10 minutes left in over time, Don Cockroft kicked a 35-yard field goal to end the game with a win for the Browns.Howard Cosell said that it was one of the most exciting finishes to a Monday Night Football game that he ever witnessed.
| 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Browns beat the Oilers 24–23 on another Cockroft last-second field goal.Toni Fritsch kicks a 37-yarder with 4:28 left to give Houston a 23–21 lead, but running backGreg Pruitt leads the Browns on their final scoring drive with three runs and a 13-yard third-down completion toCleo Miller. Cockroft's six points lift him pastJim Brown to the no. 2 spot (behindLou Groza) on the Browns' all-time scoring list.
Scoring their most points in 9 years, the Browns broke a team record with 34 first downs while rolling up 526 yards (322 rushing) in a rout over the Kansas City Chiefs 44-7. Greg Pruitt rushed for 153 yards. Brian Sipe threw for 200 yards and tight end Gary Parris caught two touchdown passes.
| 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 |
