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1977 Penn State Nittany Lions football
1977 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Eastern champion; Fiesta Bowl champion
Fiesta Bowl, W 42–30 vs. Arizona State
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 4
AP	No. 5
Record	11–1
Head coach	Joe Paterno (12th season);
Offensive scheme	I formation
Defensive coordinator	Jerry Sandusky (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Captains	John Dunn; Steve Geise; Ron Hostetler; Randy Sidler;
Home stadium	Beaver Stadium
	Seasons ← 1976 1978 →

1977 NCAA Division I independents football records
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Penn State		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
Colgate		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
North Texas State *		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
No. 16 San Diego State		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–		8	–	1	–	1
No. 14 Florida State		–		–		10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Pittsburgh		–		–		9	–	2	–	1
East Carolina		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
Army		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Louisville		–		–		7	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–		5	–	4	–	2
Georgia Tech		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Northwestern State		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Syracuse		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
William & Mary		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Temple		–		–		5	–	5	–	1
Hawaii		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Navy		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
South Carolina		–		–		5	–	7	–	0
Utah State		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Villanova		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–		3	–	7	–	1
Virginia Tech		–		–		3	–	7	–	1
Miami (FL)		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Richmond		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Tulane		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Air Force		–		–		2	–	8	–	1
Holy Cross		–		–		2	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–		2	–	9	–	0

North Texas State (originally 9–2) awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player.^[1] Rankings from AP Poll

The 1977 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The team was coached by Joe Paterno and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	at Rutgers	No. 13	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ		W 45–7	64,790
September 17	No. 9 Houston	No. 10	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA		W 31–14	62,554
September 24	Maryland	No. 5	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	ABC	W 27–9	62,079	^[2]
October 1	Kentucky	No. 4	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA		L 20–24	62,196	^[3]
October 8	Utah State	No. 10	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA		W 16–7	62,015
October 15	at Syracuse	No. 10	Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY (rivalry)		W 31–24	27,029
October 22	West Virginia	No. 10	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)		W 49–28	62,108	^[4]
October 29	Miami (FL)	No. 9	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA		W 49–7	61,853
November 5	at NC State	No. 9	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC		W 21–17	44,800	^[5]
November 12	Temple	No. 9	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA		W 44–7	61,327
November 26	at No. 10 Pittsburgh	No. 9	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ABC	W 15–13	56,500
December 25	vs. No. 15 Arizona State	No. 8	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ (Fiesta Bowl)	CBS	W 42–30	57,766	^[6]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

	1	2	3	4	Total
Miami (FL)	0	0	0	7	7
• Penn St	7	28	14	0	49

Fiesta Bowl
#15 Arizona State vs. #8 Penn State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Arizona St	0	14	0	16	30
• Penn St	14	3	7	18	42

1977 Penn State Nittany Lions football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`81`	Bob Bassett	Jr
WR	`44`	Jimmy Cefalo	Sr
WR	`19`	Tom Donovan	So
OT	`68`	Eric Cummingham	Jr
OT	`71`	Keith Dorney	Jr
WR	`46`	Scott Fitzkee	Jr
QB	`14`	Chuck Fusina	Jr
RB	`24`	Mike Guman	So
TE	`82`	Mickey Shuler	Sr
RB	`32`	Matt Suhey	So

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DB	`25`	Tom Bradley	Jr
DE	`54`	Bruce Clark	So
LB	`95`	Tom DePaso	Sr
S	`27`	Pete Harris	So
DE	`74`	Larry Kubin	Fr
DT	`57`	Pete Kugler	Fr
LB	`56`	Lance Mehl	So
LB	`60`	Matt Millen	So
DE	`28`	Rich Milot	Jr
DT	`78`	Randy Sidler	Sr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`10`	Matt Bahr	Jr

Seven Nittany Lions were drafted in the 1978 NFL draft.

Round	Pick	Overall	Name	Position	Team
3rd	5	61	Mickey Shuler	Tight end	New York Jets
3rd	25	81	Jimmy Cefalo	Wide receiver	Miami Dolphins
5th	4	113	Randy Sidler	Defensive tackle	New York Jets
6th	17	155	Steve Geise	Running back	Cincinnati Bengals
9th	5	227	Neil Hutton	Running back/Defensive back	New York Jets
10th	17	267	Tom DePaso	Linebacker	Cincinnati Bengals
11th	25	303	Ron Hostetler	Linebacker/Defensive back	Los Angeles Rams

^ https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1977-standings.html
^ "State passes Maryland for easy 27–9 victory". Sunday Call-Chronicle. September 25, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Kentucky shocks Penn State". The Tennessean. October 2, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Lions crush Mountaineers". The Times Recorder. October 23, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Penn State improvises, beats Pack". The Roanoke Times. November 6, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Lions outpoint Arizona State, 42–30, in Fiesta". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 26, 1977. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Eugene Register-Guard. 1977 Oct 29.
^ "Penn State runs mark to 11-1." Eugene Register-Guard. 1977 Dec 26.