# 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 15–2 (.882) 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.

### Draft

1977 Dallas Cowboys draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Tony Dorsett * $^†$ | RB | Pittsburgh | Pick from SEA |
| 2 | 54 | Glenn Carano | QB | UNLV | |
| 3 | 62 | Tony Hill * | WR | Stanford | |
| 3 | 81 | Val Belcher | OG | Houston | |
| 4 | 108 | Guy Brown | LB | Houston | |
| 5 | 137 | Andy Frederick | OT | New Mexico | |
| 6 | 164 | Jim Cooper | OT | Temple | |
| 7 | 191 | Dave Stalls | DE | Northern Colorado | |
| 8 | 208 | Al Cleveland | DE | Pacific | |
| 8 | 221 | Fred Williams | RB | Arizona State | |
| 9 | 248 | Mark Cantrell | C | North Carolina | |
| 10 | 275 | Steve DeBerg | QB | San Jose State | |
| 11 | 305 | Don Wardlow | TE | Washington | |
| 12 | 332 | Greg Peters | OL | California | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

### Undrafted free agents

1977 Undrafted Free Agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Thomas Bailey | Running back | Tulsa |
| Artie Belvin | Defensive back | UTEP |
| Larry Brinson | Running back | Florida |
| Jeff Butts | Tight end | Oregon |
| Bruce Huther | Linebacker | New Hampshire |
| Richard Jacobson | Defensive Line | Hamline |
| Lucien Johnson | Linebacker | UTEP |
| Abel Joe | Running back | Cheyney State |
| Dave Meteer | Offensive line | BYU |
| Keith Ponder | Defensive back | Northern Michigan |
| Fred Rayhle | Tight end | Chattanooga |

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | August 6 | San Diego Chargers | W 34–14 | 1–0 | Texas Stadium | 59,504 | Recap |
| 2 | August 13 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 17–23 (OT) | 1–1 | Kingdome | 58,789 | Recap |
| 3 | August 20 | Miami Dolphins | L 14–20 | 1–2 | Texas Stadium | 58,620 | Recap |
| 4 | August 27 | Baltimore Colts | W 23–21 | 2–2 | Texas Stadium | 54,835 | Recap |
| 5 | September 3 | at Houston Oilers | L 14–23 | 2–3 | Astrodome | 49,777 | Recap |
| 6 | September 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 30–0 | 3–3 | Texas Stadium | 49,824 | Recap |

## 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

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 18 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 16–10 (OT) | 1–0 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,678 | Recap |
| 2 | September 25 | New York Giants | W 41–21 | 2–0 | Texas Stadium | 64,215 | Recap |
| 3 | October 2 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 23–7 | 3–0 | Texas Stadium | 55,316 | Recap |
| 4 | October 9 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 30–24 | 4–0 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 50,129 | Recap |
| 5 | October 16 | Washington Redskins | W 34–16 | 5–0 | Texas Stadium | 62,115 | Recap |
| 6 | October 23 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 16–10 | 6–0 | Veterans Stadium | 65,507 | Recap |
| 7 | October 30 | Detroit Lions | W 37–0 | 7–0 | Texas Stadium | 63,160 | Recap |
| 8 | November 6 | at New York Giants | W 24–10 | 8–0 | Giants Stadium | 74,532 | Recap |
| 9 | November 14 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 17–24 | 8–1 | Texas Stadium | 64,038 | Recap |
| 10 | November 20 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 13–28 | 8–2 | Three Rivers Stadium | 49,761 | Recap |
| 11 | November 27 | at Washington Redskins | W 14–7 | 9–2 | RFK Stadium | 55,031 | Recap |
| 12 | December 4 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 24–14 | 10–2 | Texas Stadium | 60,289 | Recap |
| 13 | December 12 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 42–35 | 11–2 | Candlestick Park | 55,851 | Recap |
| 14 | December 18 | Denver Broncos | W 14–6 | 12–2 | Texas Stadium | 63,752 | Recap |
    Division opponents are in bold text

### Standings

NFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Dallas Cowboys$^{(1)}$ | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 7–1 | 11–1 | 345 | 212 | W4 |
| Washington Redskins | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 4–4 | 8–4 | 196 | 189 | W3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 7–5 | 272 | 287 | L4 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 2–6 | 4–8 | 220 | 207 | W2 |
| New York Giants | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 181 | 265 | L2 |

### Roster
## Game summaries
### Week 1: at Minnesota Vikings

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
| Vikings | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
at Metropolitan Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: Sunday, September 18, 1977
* Game time: 1:00
* Game weather: 68°, wind 12 mph
* Referee: Pat Haggerty
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
MIN – Chuck Foreman 18-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick)
Second quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 40-yard field goal
Fourth quarter
DAL – Preston Pearson 7-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
MIN – Fred Cox 35-yard field goal
Overtime
DAL – Roger Staubach 4-yard run (no PAT attempt)
Passing
DAL – Roger Staubach 18/30, 196 yds, TD, lng 23, rate 90.4
MIN – Fran Tarkenton 13/32, 182 yds, TD, 3 INT, lng 25, rate 31.0
Rushing
DAL – Preston Pearson 15 att, 63 yds, lng 22
MIN – Chuck Foreman 22 att, 66 yds, lng 9
Receiving
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 4 rec, 57 yds, lng 23
MIN – Chuck Foreman 5 rec, 56 yds, TD, lng 20
Defense
DAL - Cliff Harris 2 INT
DAL - Thomas Henderson 1 INT
Kick returns
DAL - Butch Johnson 2 rt, 69 yds, 34.5 y/rt
DAL - Larry Brinson 1 rt, 15 yds, 15.0 y/rt
MIN - Brent McClanahan 2 rt, 40 yds, 20.0 y/rt
MIN - Robert Miller 1 rt, 12 yds, 12.0 y/rt
Punt returns
DAL - Butch Johnson 4 rt, 28 yds, 7.0 y/rt
MIN - Bob Grim 3 rt, 10 yds, 3.3 y/rt
Kicking
DAL - Efrén Herrera 1 XPM, 1 XPA, 1 FGM, 2 FGA
MIN - Fred Cox 1 XPM, 1 XPA, 1 FGM, 2 FGA
Punting
DAL - Danny White 9 pnts, 352 yds, 39.1 y/pnt
MIN - Neil Clabo 5 pnts, 177 yds, 35.4 y/pnt :

### Week 2: vs. New York Giants

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Cowboys | 14 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 41 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: Sunday, September 25, 1977
* Game time: 1:00
* Game weather: 88°, wind 16 mph
* Referee: Gordon McCarter
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Roger Staubach 2-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Preston Pearson 10-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
Second quarter
DAL – Doug Dennison 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Tony Dorsett 11-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
NYG – Willie Spencer 1-yard run (Joe Danelo kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 37-yard field goal
Third quarter
NYG – Bobby Hammond 68-yard punt return (Joe Danelo kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 41-yard field goal
NYG – Doug Kotar 3-yard run (Joe Danelo kick)
Fourth quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 34-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
NYG – Joe Pisarcik 9/23, 129 yds, 2 INT, lng 54, rate 21.8
DAL – Roger Staubach 18/29, 235 yds, TD, lng 4, rate 2.8
Rushing
NYG – Larry Csonka 9 att, 39 yds, lng 14
DAL – Tony Dorsett 7 att, 62 yds, 2 TD, lng 6
Receiving
NYG – Johnny Perkins 1 rec, 54 yds, lng 14
DAL – Drew Pearson 6 rec, 97 yds, lng 13
Defense
DAL - Randy Hughes INT, 8 yds, lng 8
DAL - Aaron Kyle INT, 9 yds, lng 9
DAL - D.D. Lewis INT, 29 yds, lng 29
Kick returns
DAL - Larry Brinson 2 rt, 43 yds, 21.5 y/rt
NYG - Bobby Hammond 3 rt, 85 yds, 28.3 y/rt
NYG - Gordon Bell 2 rt, 48 yds, 24.0 y/rt
NYG - Emery Moorehead 1 rt, 24 yds, 24.0 y/rt
NYG - Beasley Reece 1 rt, 16 yds, 16.0 y/rt
Punt returns
DAL - Butch Johnson 6 rt, 61 yds, 10.2 y/rt
DAL - Tony Hill 1 rt, 4 yds, 4.0 y/rt
NYG - Bobby Hammond 3 rt, 72 yds, 24.0 y/rt, TD
Kicking
DAL - Efrén Herrera 5 XPM, 5 XPA, 2 FGM, 3 FGA
Punting
DAL - Danny White 6 pnts, 259 yds, 43.2 y/pnt
NYG - Dave Jennings 8 pnts, 331 yds, 41.4 y/pnt :

### Week 3: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buccaneers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Cowboys | 17 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: Sunday, October 2, 1977
* Game time: 12:00
* Game weather: 74 F, wind 15 mph
* Game attendance: 55,316
* Referee: Bernie Ulman
* TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Alex Hawkins
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 32-yard field goal
DAL – Thomas Henderson 79-yard interception return (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Robert Newhouse 17-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Second quarter
TB – Richard Wood 37-yard fumble return (Allan Leavitt kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 19-yard field goal
Third quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 20-yard field goal
Passing
TB – Gary Huff 8/23, 107 yards, 2 INT, lng 30, rate 14.2
DAL – Roger Staubach 15/24, 212 yards, INT, lng 24, rate 73.6
Rushing
TB – Anthony Davis 15 att, 30 yards, lng 9
DAL – Robert Newhouse 16 att, 73 yards, TD, lng 17
Receiving
TB – Morris Owens 4 rec, 57 yards, lng 24
DAL – Preston Pearson 5 rec, 65 yards, lng 21
Defense
TB - Richard Wood 1 INT, 29 yards, lng 29
DAL - Thomas Henderson 2 INT, 79 yards, TD
Kick returns
TB - Isaac Hagins 5 rt, 118 yards, 23.6 y/rt
TB - Anthony Davis 1 rt, 19 yards, 19.0 y/rt
DAL - Butch Johnson 2 rt, 39 yards, 19.5 y/rt
Punt returns
TB - Isaac Hagins 2 rt, 1 yd, 0.5 y/rt
TB - Danny Reece 1 rt, 3 yds, 3.0 y/rt
DAL - Butch Johnson 6 rt, 88 yds, 14.7 y/rt
Kicking
DAL - Efrén Herrera 2 XPM, 2 XPA, 3 FGM, 4 FGA
Punting
TB - Dave Green 10 pnts, 415 yds, 41.5 y/pnt
DAL - Danny White 5 pnts, 216 yds, 43.2 y/pnt :

### Week 4: at St. Louis Cardinals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 3 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 30 |
| Cardinals | 10 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
* Date: Sunday, October 9, 1977
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 49 F, wind 13 mph
* Referee: Fred Silva
* TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and Alex Hawkins
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
STL – Jim Bakken 32-yard field goal
DAL – Efrén Herrera 29-yard field goal
STL – Terry Metcalf 62-yard run (Jim Bakken kick)
Second quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 77-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
STL – Mel Gray 60-yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 40-yard field goal
Third quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 44-yard field goal
STL – Charles Davis 35-yard fumble return (Jim Bakken kick)
Fourth quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Golden Richards 17-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
DAL – Roger Staubach 18/29, 153 yards, TD, lng 17, rate 87.3
STL – Jim Hart 9/32, 186 yards, TD, 2 INT, lng 60, rate 35.7
STL - Terry Metcalf 1/2, 9 yards, lng 9, rate 62.5
Rushing
DAL – Tony Dorsett 14 att, 141 yards, 2 TD, lng 77
STL – Terry Metcalf 10 att, 79 yards, TD, lng 32
Receiving
DAL – Drew Pearson 6 rec, 55 yards, lng 12
STL – Mel Gray 3 rec, 84 yards, TD, lng 60
Defense
DAL - Cliff Harris INT, 7 yards, lng 7
DAL - Charlie Waters INT, 3 yards, lng 3 :

### Week 5: vs. Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Redskins | 6 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 34 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: Sunday, October 16
* Game time: 3:00 pm
* Game weather: 56 F, wind 8 mph
* Referee: Dick Jorgensen
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
WSH – Mark Moseley 25-yard field goal
WSH – Mark Moseley 40-yard field goal
Second quarter
DAL – Golden Richards 50-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Robert Newhouse 7-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
WSH – Clarence Harmon 1-yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick)
Third quarter
WSH – Mark Moseley 53-yard field goal
DAL – Efrén Herrera 44-yard field goal
DAL – Efrén Herrera 52-yard field goal
Fourth quarter
DAL – Drew Pearson 59-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Robert Newhouse 6-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
WSH – Billy Kilmer 4/15, 45 yards, INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 15/28, 250 yards, 2 TD
Rushing
WSH – Mike Thomas 15 att, 46 yards
DAL – Robert Newhouse 17 att, 71 yards, 2 TD
Receiving
WSH – Charley Taylor 2 rec, 32 yards
DAL – Drew Pearson 6 rec, 157 yards, TD :

### Week 6: at Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 16 |
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia
* Date: Sunday, October 23
* Game time: 1:00 pm
* Game weather: 53 F, wind 11 mph
* Referee: Don Wedge
* TV announcers (CBS): Lindsey Nelson and Paul Hornung
* Box Score
Game information :
Second quarter
PHI – Charlie Smith 12-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Horst Muhlmann kick)
DAL – Tony Dorsett 5-yard run (kick failed)
Fourth quarter
DAL – Charlie Waters 17-yard punt return (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 18-yard field goal
PHI – Horst Muhlmann 32-yard field goal
Passing
DAL – Roger Staubach 15/26, 172 yards
PHI – Ron Jaworski 10/23, 104 yards, TD, 2 INT
Rushing
DAL – Tony Dorsett 13 att, 48 yards, TD
PHI – Tom Sullivan 13 att, 61 yards
Receiving
DAL – Drew Pearson 4 rec, 54 yards
PHI – Keith Krepfle 3 rec, 40 yards :

### Week 7: vs. Detroit Lions

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cowboys | 3 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 37 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: Sunday, October 30
* Game time: 1:00
* Game weather: 70 F, wind 11 mph
* Referee: Chuck Heberling
* TV announcers (CBS): Lindsey Nelson and Paul Hornung
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 21-yard field goal
Second quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 45-yard field goal
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 14-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Scott Laidlaw 18-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 30-yard field goal
Third quarter
DAL – Jay Saldi 1-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
Fourth quarter
DAL – Larry Brinson 20-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
DET – Joe Reed 6/16, 75 yards, INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 16/25, 179 yards, 3 TD
Rushing
DET – Horace King 8 att, 26 yards
DAL – Tony Dorsett 13 att, 48 yards
Receiving
DET – Rick Kane 2 rec, 30 yards
DAL – Tony Dorsett 5 rec, 48 yards :

### Week 8: at New York Giants

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
| Giants | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: Sunday, November 6
* Game time: 1:00 pm
* Game weather: 54 F, wind 16 mph
* Referee: Gene Barth
* TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and Alex Hawkins
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Jay Saldi 8-yard fumble return (Efrén Herrera kick)
Second quarter
NYG – Joe Danelo 51-yard field goal
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 5-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
Third quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
NYG – Bobby Hammond 1-yard run (Joe Danelo kick)
Fourth quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 35-yard field goal
Passing
DAL – Roger Staubach 14/25, 190 yards, TD
NYG – Joe Pisarcik 6/17, 61 yards, INT
Rushing
DAL – Robert Newhouse 11 att, 41 yards
NYG – Larry Csonka 15 att, 47 yards
Receiving
DAL – Drew Pearson 3 rec, 89 yards
NYG – Johnny Perkins 4 rec, 34 yards :

### Week 9: vs. St. Louis Cardinals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 3 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: Monday, November 14
* Game time: 8:00 pm
* Game weather: 61 F, wind 12 mph
* Referee: Jim Tunney
* TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
STL – Jim Bakken 26-yard field goal
Second quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 2-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
Third quarter
STL – Wayne Morris 1-yard run (Jim Bakken kick)
Fourth quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 21-yard field goal
STL – Mel Gray 49-yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
STL – Jackie Smith 3-yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
Passing
STL – Jim Hart 10/24, 141 yards, 2 TD, INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 11/20, 102 yards, TD, 2 INT
Rushing
STL – Wayne Morris 21 att, 72 yards, TD
DAL – Robert Newhouse 12 att, 61 yards
Receiving
STL – Mel Gray 3 rec, 76 yards, TD
DAL – Drew Pearson 4 rec, 45 yards :

### Week 10: at Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Steelers | 0 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh
* Date: Sunday, November 20
* Game time: 4:00 pm
* Game weather: 48 F, wind 9 mph
* Referee: Bob Frederic
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 13-yard run (kick failed)
Second quarter
PIT – Franco Harris 61-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)
DAL – Jay Saldi 23-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
PIT – Lynn Swann 9-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
Third quarter
PIT – John Stallworth 28-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)
PIT – Franco Harris 2-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)
Passing
DAL – Roger Staubach 18/26, 230 yards, TD, 2 INT
PIT – Terry Bradshaw 7/12, 106 yards, 2 TD
Rushing
DAL – Tony Dorsett 17 att, 73 yards, TD
PIT – Franco Harris 29 att, 179 yards, 2 TD
Receiving
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 3 rec, 45 yards
PIT – John Stallworth 4 rec, 46 yards, TD :

### Week 11: at Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Redskins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
* Date: Sunday, November 27
* Game time: 4:00 pm
* Game weather: 31 F, wind 16 mph
* Referee: Gordon McCarter
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
* Box Score
Game information :
Second quarter
WSH – Joe Theismann 1-yard run (Mark Moseley kick)
Third quarter
DAL – Golden Richards 4-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
Fourth quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
DAL – Roger Staubach 10/24, 138 yards, TD, INT
WSH – Joe Theismann 17/35, 231 yards, INT
Rushing
DAL – Tony Dorsett 19 att, 64 yards, TD
WSH – Calvin Hill 4 att, 44 yards
Receiving
DAL – Drew Pearson 2 rec, 79 yards
WSH – Frank Grant 6 rec, 89 yards :

### Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: Sunday, December 4
* Game time: 1:00 pm
* Game weather: 59 F, wind 12 mph
* Referee: Pat Haggerty
* TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and Alex Hawkins
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Second quarter
PHI – Mike Hogan 51-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
DAL – Drew Pearson 16-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
Third quarter
PHI – Harold Carmichael 12-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 24-yard field goal
Fourth quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 84-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
PHI – Ron Jaworski 18/32, 199 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 13/26, 183 yards, TD, 2 INT
Rushing
PHI – Mike Hogan 6 att, 25 yards
DAL – Tony Dorsett 23 att, 206 yards, 2 TD
Receiving
PHI – Mike Hogan 3 rec, 59 yards, TD
DAL – Preston Pearson 3 rec, 70 yards :

### Week 13: at San Francisco 49ers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
| 49ers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco
* Date: Monday, December 12
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 53 F, wind 6 mph
* Referee: Dick Jorgensen
* TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
SF – Bob Ferrell 1-yard run (Ray Wersching kick)
Second quarter
DAL – Roger Staubach 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Preston Pearson 36-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
SF – Kenny Harrison 10-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick)
DAL – Tony Dorsett 20-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
Third quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 21-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
SF – Gene Washington 27-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick)
Fourth quarter
DAL – Butch Johnson 22-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
SF – Devlin Williams 1-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick)
DAL – Preston Pearson 3-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
SF – Paul Seal 47-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Ray Wersching kick)
Passing
DAL -Roger Staubach 14/19, 220 yards, 3 TD
SF – Jim Plunkett 15/29, 263 yards, 4 TD
Rushing
DAL – Tony Dorsett 20 att, 92 yards, TD
SF – Delvin Williams 17 att, 44 yards
Receiving
DAL – Drew Pearson 4 rec, 61 yards
SF – Gene Washington 5 rec, 130 yards, TD :

### Week 14: vs. Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: Sunday, December 18
* Game time: 3:00 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 (Efrén Herrera kick)
Third quarter
DAL – Robert Newhouse 7-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén 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 :

## Postseason

| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Game Site | Attendance | Recap |
| Divisional | December 26, 1977 | Chicago Bears (4) | W 37–7 | Texas Stadium | 63,260 | Recap |
| NFC Championship | January 1, 1978 | Minnesota Vikings (3) | W 23–6 | Texas Stadium | 64,293 | Recap |
| Super Bowl XII | January 15, 1978 | vs Denver Broncos (A 1) | W 27–10 | Louisiana Superdome | 75,583 | Recap |

### NFC Divisional Playoff

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 10 | 17 | 3 | 37 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: December 26, 1977
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C), mostly cloudy
* Game attendance: 63,260
* Referee: Gordon McCarter
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Doug Dennison 2-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Second quarter
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 28-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 21-yard field goal
Third quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 23-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 31-yard field goal
DAL – Tony Dorsett 7-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Fourth quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 27-yard field goal
CHI – Steve Schubert 34-yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick)
Passing
CHI – Bob Avellini 15/25, 177 yds, TD, 4 INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 8/13, 134 yds, TD, INT
Rushing
CHI – Walter Payton 19 att, 60 yds
DAL – Tony Dorsett 17 att, 85 yds, 2 TD
Receiving
CHI – Steve Schubert 5 rec, 69 yds, TD
DAL – Drew Pearson 2 rec, 38 yds :

### NFC Championship Game

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vikings | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Cowboys | 6 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 23 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: January 1, 1978
* Game time: 4:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 30 °F (−1 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 64,293
* Referee: Pat Haggerty
* TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and Alex Hawkins
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Golden Richards 32-yard pass from Roger Staubach (kick failed)
Second quarter
DAL – Robert Newhouse 5-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
MIN – Fred Cox 32-yard field goal
MIN – Fred Cox 37-yard field goal
DAL – Efrén Herrera 21-yard field goal
Fourth quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 11-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
MIN – Bob Lee 14/31, 158 yds, INT
DAL – Roger Staubach 12/23, 165 yds, TD, INT
Rushing
MIN – Chuck Foreman 21 att, 59 yds
DAL – Robert Newhouse 15 att, 81 yds, TD
Receiving
MIN – Sammy White 3 rec, 46 yds
DAL – Drew Pearson 4 rec, 62 yds :

### Super Bowl XII

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys (NFC) | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Broncos (AFC) | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans
* Date: January 15, 1978
* Game attendance: 75,583
* Referee: Jim Tunney
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Tony Dorsett 3-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick)
DAL – Efrén Herrera 35-yard field goal
Second quarter
DAL – Efrén Herrera 43-yard field goal
Third quarter
DEN – Jim Turner 47-yard field goal
DAL – Butch Johnson 45-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Efrén Herrera kick)
DEN – Rob Lytle 1-yard run (Jim Turner kick)
Fourth quarter
DAL – Golden Richards 29-yard pass from Robert Newhouse (Efrén Herrera kick)
Passing
DAL – Roger Staubach 17/25, 183 yds, TD
DEN – Craig Morton 4/15, 39 yds, 4 INT
Rushing
DAL – Tony Dorsett 15 att, 66 yds, TD
DEN – Rob Lytle 10 att, 35 yds, TD
Receiving
DAL – Billy Joe DuPree 4 rec, 66 yds
DEN – Jack Dolbin 2 rec, 24 yds :

## 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