1977 San Diego Chargers season

The 1977 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's eighth season in the National Football League (NFL), and its 18th overall. It was Tommy Prothro's final full season as the team's head coach.

1977 San Diego Chargers season
OwnerEugene V. Klein
General managerJohnny Sanders
Head coachTommy Prothro
Home fieldSan Diego Stadium
Results
Record7–7
Division place3rd AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
AP All-Pros

The 7–7 record allowed the Chargers to break a string of seven consecutive losing seasons. It was their best mark since the AFL–NFL merger.

Offseason

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NFL draft

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1977 San Diego Chargers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 24 Bob Rush  Center Memphis
3 77 Linden King  Linebacker Colorado State
5 124 Clarence Williams  Running back South Carolina
5 128 Cliff Olander  Quarterback New Mexico State
6 146 Dave Lindstrom  Defensive end Boston University
6 151 Larry Barnes  Running back Tennessee State
6 152 Pete Shaw  Safety Northwestern
7 181 Ron Bush  Defensive back Southern California
9 234 Gene Washington  Wide receiver Georgia
10 265 Curtis Townsend  Linebacker Arkansas
12 319 Jim Stansik  Tight end Eastern Michigan
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Roster

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1977 San Diego Chargers roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Reserve

Rookies in italics

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 18 at Oakland Raiders L 0–24 0–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 51,022 Recap
2 September 25 at Kansas City Chiefs W 23–7 1–1 Arrowhead Stadium 56,146 Recap
3 October 2 Cincinnati Bengals W 24–3 2–1 San Diego Stadium 40,352 Recap
4 October 9 at New Orleans Saints W 14–0 3–1 Louisiana Superdome 53,942 Recap
5 October 16 New England Patriots L 20–24 3–2 San Diego Stadium 50,327 Recap
6 October 23 Kansas City Chiefs L 16–21 3–3 San Diego Stadium 33,010 Recap
7 October 30 at Miami Dolphins W 14–13 4–3 Miami Orange Bowl 40,670 Recap
8 November 6 at Detroit Lions L 0–20 4–4 Pontiac Silverdome 72,559 Recap
9 November 13 Denver Broncos L 14–17 4–5 San Diego Stadium 45,211 Recap
10 November 20 Oakland Raiders W 12–7 5–5 San Diego Stadium 50,887 Recap
11 November 27 at Seattle Seahawks W 30–28 6–5 Kingdome 58,994 Recap
12 December 4 Cleveland Browns W 37–14 7–5 San Diego Stadium 37,312 Recap
13 December 11 at Denver Broncos L 9–17 7–6 Mile High Stadium 74,905 Recap
14 December 18 Pittsburgh Steelers L 9–10 7–7 San Diego Stadium 50,727 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: at Oakland Raiders

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Week One: San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 0 000
Raiders 7 10 7024

at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: September 18
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 66 °F (18.9 °C), relative humidity 71%, wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
  • Game attendance: 51,022
  • Referee: Cal Lepore
  • TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson and Merlin Olsen
  • Box score
Game information

Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs

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Week Two: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 9 0723
Chiefs 7 0 007

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: September 25
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 66 °F (18.9 °C), relative humidity 71%, wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
  • Game attendance: 56,146
  • Referee: Red Cashion
  • TV announcers (NBC): Stu Nahan and Floyd Little
  • Box score
Game information

Week 3: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

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Week Three: Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bengals 0 3 003
Chargers 7 7 7324

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: October 2
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 70 °F (21.1 °C), relative humidity 82%, wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
  • Game attendance: 40,352
  • Referee: Don Wedge
  • TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson and John Brodie
  • Box score
Game information

Week 4: at New Orleans Saints

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Week Four: San Diego Chargers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 0 0714
Saints 0 0 000

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: October 9
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: N/A (game played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 53,942
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (NBC): Stu Nahan and Len Dawson
  • Box score
Game information

Week 5: vs. New England Patriots

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Week Five: New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Patriots 7 0 71024
Chargers 6 0 7720

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: October 16
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 66 °F (18.9 °C), relative humidity 86%, wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
  • Game attendance: 50,327
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Len Dawson
  • Box score
Game information

Week 6: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

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Week Six: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 0 0 71421
Chargers 3 7 3316

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: October 23
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 69 °F (20.6 °C), relative humidity 82%, wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
  • Game attendance: 33,010
  • Referee: Chuck Heberling
  • TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Floyd Little
  • Box score
Game information

Week 7: at Miami Dolphins

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Week Seven: San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 7 0714
Dolphins 6 0 0713

at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

  • Date: October 30
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 75 °F (23.9 °C), relative humidity 74%, wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
  • Game attendance: 40,670
  • Referee: Bob Frederic
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Stockton and Paul Maguire
  • Box score
Game information

Week 8: at Detroit Lions

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Week Eight: San Diego Chargers at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 0 000
Lions 0 0 71320

at Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit, Michigan

  • Date: November 6
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: N/A (game played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 72,559
  • Referee: Jerry Markbreit
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Stockton and Paul Maguire
  • Box score
Game information

Week 9: vs. Denver Broncos

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Week Nine: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Broncos 3 0 7717
Chargers 7 7 0014

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: November 13
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 64 °F (17.8 °C), relative humidity 73%, wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
  • Game attendance: 45,211
  • Referee: Chuck Heberling
  • TV announcers (NBC): Stu Nahan and Len Dawson
  • Box score
Game information

Week 10: vs. Oakland Raiders

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Week Ten: Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Raiders 0 7 007
Chargers 0 6 3312

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: November 20
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 59 °F (15.0 °C), relative humidity 56%, wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
  • Game attendance: 50,887
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Stockton and Paul Maguire
  • Box score
Game information

Week 11: at Seattle Seahawks

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Week Eleven: San Diego Chargers at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 10 3 31430
Seahawks 0 14 7728

at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: November 27
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: N/A (game played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 58,994
  • Referee: Gene Barth
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Stockton and Len Dawson
  • Box score
Game information

Week 12: vs. Cleveland Browns

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Week Twelve: Cleveland Browns at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Browns 0 0 01414
Chargers 14 13 3737

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 4
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 59 °F (15.0 °C), relative humidity 82%, wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
  • Game attendance: 37,312
  • Referee: Fred Wyant
  • TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Mike Adamle
  • Box score
Game information

Week 13: at Denver Broncos

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Week Thirteen: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 3 3 309
Broncos 7 0 01017

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: December 11
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 44 °F (6.7 °C), relative humidity 27%, wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
  • Game attendance: 74,905
  • Referee: Red Cashion
  • TV announcers (NBC): Jack Buck and Mike Haffner
  • Box score
Game information

Week 14: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

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Week Fourteen: Pittsburgh Steeler at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 0 10010
Chargers 6 3 009

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 18
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 63 °F (17.2 °C), relative humidity 81%, wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
  • Game attendance: 50,727
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Andy Russell
  • Box score
Game information

Standings

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AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Denver Broncos(1) 12 2 0 .857 6–1 11–1 274 148 L1
Oakland Raiders(4) 11 3 0 .786 5–2 10–2 351 230 W2
San Diego Chargers 7 7 0 .500 3–4 6–6 222 205 L2
Seattle Seahawks 5 9 0 .357 1–3 4–9 282 373 W2
Kansas City Chiefs 2 12 0 .143 1–6 1–11 225 349 L6

References

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  1. ^ "1977 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  2. ^ "1977 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com.