1977 Dallas Cowboys season

The 1977 Dallas Cowboys season was their 18th in the National Football League (NFL). The club appeared twice on Monday Night Football. Rookie running back Tony Dorsett rushed for 1,007 yards and became the second member of the Cowboys (first since 1973) to have a 1,000-yard rushing season. Dallas scored 345 points, which ranked first in the NFC, while its defense only gave up 212 points. Dallas finished with a 12–2 record (tied with 1968 for the best record in the Landry era). The Cowboys made it to their fourth Super Bowl and beat the Denver Broncos to capture their second Super Bowl title. They were the first team from the NFC East Division to win two Super Bowls. Their .880 record (including the postseason) remains the highest single-season winning percentage in franchise history. The Cowboys became the 4th team in NFL history to win two Super Bowls, joining the Packers, Dolphins, and Steelers.

As in 1975, the Cowboys did not play this season on Thanksgiving, again replaced by the St. Louis Cardinals.

The 1977 Cowboys ranked #17 on the 100 greatest teams of all time presented by the NFL on its 100th anniversary.

Offseason
To improve their running game, the Cowboys orchestrated a big trade with the Seattle Seahawks, moving up in the NFL draft to acquire running back Tony Dorsett, the Heisman Trophy winner from national champion Pittsburgh.

With the retirement of Lee Roy Jordan, Bob Breunig became the starting middle linebacker, Randy White was moved to defensive tackle, and Thomas Henderson became a starter at strongside linebacker, turning the defense into a dominant unit.

Regular season

 * December 4, 1977 – Tony Dorsett becomes the first player in franchise history to rush for at least 200 yards in a game. Against the Philadelphia Eagles, Dorsett had 23 rushes for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns including an 84-yard touchdown run which was the longest during the 1977 NFL season.

Schedule

 * Division opponents are in bold text

Season recap
With an improved offense and defense, the Cowboys finished with a 12–2 regular season record, breezing through the playoffs by beating the Chicago Bears 37–7 in the divisional round, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 23–6 in the NFC Championship Game and winning Super Bowl XII 27–10 against the Denver Broncos.

Dorsett set a franchise rookie record with 1,007 rushing yards. Defensive end Harvey Martin had one of the greatest seasons ever by an NFL player. In a 14-game season he totaled 85 tackles and an estimated league-leading 23 sacks (more than Michael Strahan's 22.5 record in 16 games), he was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a consensus All-Pro selection, was a key player in the Cowboys winning Super Bowl XII, and a co-MVP of the game with Randy White.

Awards and records

 * Tony Dorsett, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award
 * Tony Dorsett, All-Pro Selection
 * Efrén Herrera, Five Field Goals Attempted in one Super Bowl game, Super Bowl record
 * Harvey Martin, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player
 * Harvey Martin, NFL Defensive Player of the Year
 * Harvey Martin, Led NFL, Sacks (23)
 * Drew Pearson, Led NFL Receiving Yards (870)
 * Drew Pearson, All-Pro Selection
 * Drew Pearson, Pro Bowl Selection
 * Roger Staubach, All-Pro Selection
 * Roger Staubach, Pro Bowl Selection
 * Roger Staubach, Led NFC, Touchdown Passes (18)
 * Roger Staubach, NFC Passing Leader
 * Randy White, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player
 * Led NFC, Points Scored (345)
 * Led NFC, Fewest Rushing Yards Allowed (1,651)
 * Led NFL, Fewest Total Yards Allowed (3,213)
 * Led NFL, Total Yards, (4,812)

Publications

 * The Football Encyclopedia ISBN 0-312-11435-4
 * Total Football ISBN 0-06-270170-3
 * Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes ISBN 0-446-51950-2