1977_in_sports References

1977 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Alpine skiing

Alpine Skiing World Cup
- Men's overall season champion: Ingemar Stenmark, Sweden
- Women's overall season champion: Lise-Marie Morerod, Switzerland

January 9 − Super Bowl XI: the Oakland Raiders (AFC) won 32−14 over the Minnesota Vikings (NFC)
- Location: Rose Bowl
- Attendance: 103,438
- MVP: Fred Biletnikoff, WR (Oakland)
October 9 - Eddie Brown sets NFL record for punt returns in a game (11).
November 20 – Playing despite a 101 °F (38 °C) fever as a result of the flu, Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton sets a new single-game NFL rushing record, gaining 275 yards in a 10–7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
December 11 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their second NFL season win their first ever game over the New Orleans Saints. The win ends their NFL record 26-game losing streak encompassing the entire 1976 season and the first 12 games in 1977.
Sugar Bowl (1976 season):
- The Pittsburgh Panthers won 27–3 over the Georgia Bulldogs to win the college football national championship

Liverpool dominate English and European football, winning both the European Cup and the Football League Championship, but they miss out on a "treble" by losing in the FA Cup final.
January 18 – death of Luciano Re Cecconi (28), Lazio and Italy, who was shot during a hoax robbery
October 1 - Pelé played the final game of his storied career at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. He played the first half for his current club, the New York Cosmos, and the second half for his old Brazilian club Santos.

Victorian Football League
- May 7: Hawthorn kick 25.41 (191) against St. Kilda. That score breaks by seven the record for the most behinds by a team in a match, and by six the most scoring shots. Neither record has been equalled.
- North Melbourne wins the 81st VFL Premiership (North Melbourne 9.22 (76) drew Collingwood Football Club 10.16 (76), replay North Melbourne 21.25 (151) d Collingwood 19.10 (124))
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Graham Teasdale ( South Melbourne)

January 19 – Ernie Banks is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He won back-to-back MVP awards, but is best remembered for his famous line, "Let's play two".
Sparky Lyle breaks Ron Perranoski's major league record for left-handers of 179 career saves.
The Major League Baseball expansion Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays make their debuts (both are American League teams). It would be the last expansion in MLB until 1993.
World Series – The New York Yankees defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is the Series in which Reggie Jackson becomes known as "Mr. October."

After 13 years and 82 contests, including 14 title defences, World Middleweight Champion Carlos Monzón retired undefeated.

12–17 March, Melbourne - Centenary Test played between Australia and England to commemorate 100th anniversary of first Test match. Australia won by 45 runs, exactly the same margin as in the first Test match in 1877.
World Series Cricket begins playing games in competition to official International Cricket Council sanctioned matches.

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion –
- Rick Swenson won with lead dogs: Andy & O.B. (Old Buddy)

World Figure Skating Championships –
- Men's champion: Vladimir Kovalev, Soviet Union
- Ladies' champion: Linda Fratianne, United States
- Pair skating champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexander Zaitsev, Soviet Union
- Ice dancing champions: Irina Moiseyeva & Andrei Minenkov, Soviet Union

Men's professional

Masters Tournament - Tom Watson
U.S. Open - Hubert Green
British Open - Tom Watson
PGA Championship - Lanny Wadkins
PGA Tour money leader - Tom Watson - $310,653
Ryder Cup - United States won 12½ -7½ over Britain & Ireland in team golf. This was the last Ryder Cup to feature a side exclusively from the British Isles; the U.S. opponents in the next Ryder Cup, held in 1979 at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, would be drawn from all of Europe. The U.S.-Europe format has continued ever since.

Men's amateur

Women's professional

Steeplechases

Flat races

Eighth Amateur Radio Direction Finding European Championship held in Skopje, Yugoslavia.
First IARU Radiosport Championship held in July.

83rd Five Nations Championship series is won by France who complete the Grand Slam and do so by using the same 15 players in all four matches, the first time that an unchanged team has won the Grand Slam