1977 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

1977 Illinois Fighting Illini football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record3–8 (2–6 Big Ten)
Head coach
MVPs
  • James Coleman
  • John Sullivan
Captains
  • Rickie Mitchem
  • Kurt Steger
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
1977 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 9 Michigan + 7 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
No. 11 Ohio State + 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
Michigan State 6 – 1 – 1 7 – 3 – 1
Indiana 4 – 3 – 1 5 – 5 – 1
Minnesota 4 – 4 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
Purdue 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Iowa 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Wisconsin 3 – 6 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Illinois 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Northwestern 1 – 8 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1977 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1977 Big Ten season. In their first year under head coach Gary Moeller, the Fighting Illini compiled a 3–8 record (2–6 in conference games), finished in ninth place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 292 to 141.[1]

The team's statistical leaders include quarterback Mike McCray (418 passing yards, 60.0% completion percentage), running back James Coleman (715 rushing yards, 5.0 yards per carry), wide receiver Tom Schooley (15 receptions for 231 yards), and kicker Dave Finzer (25 points scored, 7 of 13 extra points, 6 of 11 field goals).[2] Coleman and linebacker John Sullivan were selected as the team's most valuable players.[3] Guard Kevin Pancratz and linebacker John Sullivan received first-team honors on the 1977 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[4] [5][6]

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 10No. 2 Michigan
L 9–3760,477[7][8]
September 17Missouri*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
W 11–752,771[9]
September 24at Stanford*
L 24–3750,500[10]
October 1Syracuse*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
L 20–3052,015[11]
October 8at No. 19 Wisconsin
L 0–2678,661[12]
October 15at Purdue
W 29–2260,242[13]
October 22Indiana
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
W 21–750,298[14]
October 29at Michigan State
L 20–4970,589[15]
November 5No. 4 Ohio State
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (Illibuck)
L 0–3566,973[16]
November 12Minnesota
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
L 0–2137,697[17]
November 19at Northwestern
L 7–2117,255[18]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1977 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
TE 81 Mike Sherrod Jr
QB 10 Nick Sowa Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 87 Mikę Brzuszkiewicz Jr
LB 97 John Sullivan Sr
LB 67 John Thiede So
DT 69 Bruce Thornton Jr
CB 14 Derwin Tucker Jr
DT 96 Joe Waymire Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Roster

References

  1. ^ "1977 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  2. ^ "1977 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  3. ^ "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Illinois. 2015. p. 155. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  4. ^ "Blue places five on AP's Big Ten squad". The Michigan Daily. November 29, 1977. p. 12.
  5. ^ "1977 All-Big Ten Football". The Times Recorder. November 29, 1977. p. 13.
  6. ^ "OSU, Michigan Dominate Big 10". The Salem News (Salem, Ohio). November 23, 1977. p. 9.
  7. ^ Curt Sylvester (September 11, 1977). "What Big Test? It's U-M, 37-9". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1E, 4E.
  8. ^ John Niemeyer (September 11, 1977). "Michigan mauls Illinois, 37-9". The Michigan Daily. pp. 1, 10 – via Bentley Historical Library.
  9. ^ "Illini hold on for 11–7 victory over fumbling Missouri". Southern Illinoisan. September 18, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Stanford trounces Illinois". Minneapolis Tribune. September 25, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Syracuse downs Illini". The Post-Crescent. October 2, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Illinois is fifth victim of Badgers". The Rock Island Argus. October 9, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Strader's 30-yard TD aids Illini win". The Dispatch. October 16, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Illinois turns back Indiana, 21–7". The Times. October 23, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Michigan State ground game destroys Illini". The Pantagraph. October 30, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Ohio State rolls over Illini, 35–0". The Grand Rapids Press. November 6, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Gopher carries 57 times in win". The Sioux City Journal. November 13, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Wildcats beat Illini for first victory". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 20, 1977. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
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