“My Maryland” Cards for the 1977 Hall of Fame Game (Maryland and Minnesota) for SOM College Football

Zip file of Cards for 1977-Maryland-Final-SOM-Cards.zip

Zip file of Cards for 1977-MINNESOTA-FINAL-SOM-Cards.zip

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“My Maryland” Cards for the 1977 Hall of Fame Game for SOM College Football.  

Maryland sporting a 5-2 look against the 

Golden Gopher Veer.

The 1977-78 Hall of Fame Bowl (then called the Hall of Fame Classic) featured the Maryland Terrapins and the Minnesota Golden Gophers and it was played on December 22, 1977, in Birmingham, Alabama.  Both teams carried 7-4 records into the game, which marked Maryland’s 5th straight post-season bowl, but the first for Minnesota since 1962.

“That’s something Maryland has going for It,” Coach Cal Stoll of Minnesota said at the time, “For many of their players, it will be the third or fourth post-season game. But I think we have enough leadership on this team that they’ll know how to handle it.  Unfortunately the game didn’t exactly go the Gophers way.  Minnesota lost 17-7, with running back George Scott scoring two touchdowns for Maryland. 

For the Gophers, QB Mark Carlson led an opportunistic offense, and defensive tackle Steve Midboe received the team's Most Valuable Player award. Kicker Paul Rogind and Midboe were named All-Big Ten first team. Defensive tackle Mark Merrill, center Mark Slater and defensive back Bobby Weber were named All-Big Ten second team. Offensive lineman Dennis Fitzpatrick, offensive lineman Bryson Hollimon, defensive lineman Stan Sytsma and corner back Bob Weber were named Academic All-Big Ten. Coach Cal Stoll, in his sixth year at the helm, had one keynote win on their schedule, a 16-0 upset win at home against then #1 ranked Michigan to win the Little Brown Jug. It was the first time Michigan had been held scoreless in over 200 consecutive games. 

I definitely remember this one. 

Coach Jerry Claiborne’s Maryland was a touchdown favorite over the upset-minded Gophers. They had finished in a tie for third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and outscored their opponents 254 to 179.  (Minnesota had actually been outscored).  The team's statistical leaders included QB Larry Dick with 1,351 passing yards, George Scott with 894 rushing yards, and Vince Kinney with 505 receiving yards. The Terrapins had started 1-3 but they righted the ship, and only a tough 10-7 loss to North Carolina ended their hopes for more conference glory. 

The 1977 Hall of Fame Classic got started with Minnesota gaining the early upper hand.  Golden Golphers tailback Marion Barber rushed for a one-yard touchdown in the opening quarter to give his team a 7-0 lead. Barber is the father of former Minnesota and Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber III.  Maryland shut out Minnesota over the final three quarters and only allowed the Golden Gophers to accumulate 69 yards of total offense in the second half.

The Terps received two second quarter rushing touchdowns from tailback George Scott. Scott rushed 75 yards on 24 carries in the Maryland victory in Birmingham.  Kicker Mike Sochko added a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter.

The Terps held the advantage in both rushing yards (120-113) and passing yards (211-155). The Golden Gophers actually recorded 17 first downs to just 15 for the Terps, but Maryland was able to keep them off the scoreboard.

Claiborne would go on to be the second-winningest coach at Maryland as he put together a 77-37 mark during his 10 seasons with the program.   The Terps would only have one losing season over the next four years before Claiborne left for Kentucky.

“Song of Service” Cards for the 1977 Army-Navy Game for SOM College Football

 

Cards for 1977 Army: 

1977-Army.zip

Late Clerical Fix for Army (cosmetic) 1977-ARMY-1.pdf

Cards for 1977 Navy:

1977-Navy.zip

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Read me! Chris’s notes on these teams versus other 1977 teams. 

Read Me! 1977-army-navy.txt

(Another great effort from Big Stew, Chris Stewart, West Point Class of 1990. To him and all of you who serve or have served, have a Blessed Veterans Day. Thank You for your service.) 

War Games

Army and Navy have been battling on the field since 1930.  Through the 2024 meeting, Navy leads the series 63-54-7.  The game has been primarily played in Philadelphia, but the game has also been held in the New York area, Baltimore, Washington DC, Chicago, Pasadena, and Boston. These teams were once national powers and the game would have National Championship implications. But since 1963 only the 1996, 2010, 2016, 2017, and 2024 games have seen both teams enter with winning records.  But the game remains a College Football institution.  Played now on the second Saturday in December, it is the last scheduled football game of the Division 1-A regular season.  Tradition has kept it on the radio since 1930 and on TV since 1945.  It has remained over the air even in the 21st Century, in the new era of cable, satellite and streaming. 

The Ball from the 1974 Game 

The November 27, 1926 Army-Navy Game was used for the dedication of Soldier Field as a monument to American servicemen who had fought in World War 1. The two teams tied 21-21, resulting in Navy being awarded a ahare of the National Title. 

Navy won the 2002 Army Navy game at Giants Stadium by a score of 58-12. 

In both the 1944 and 1945 contests, Army and Navy entered the game #1 and #2, respectively.  Army won the game in 1944 24-7, and the rematch in 1945 was labeled The Game of The Century before it was even played. 9-0 Army defeated 7-0-1 Navy 32-13. 

Navy had a high point in the series in 2011, winning their tenth in a row 27-21. 

One year after Jackie Kennedy encouraged the teams to play after JFK’s assassination, Rollie Stichweh, the Golden Knight QB, turned the tables on Roger Staubach 32-13.  Stichweh served five years in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne. 

Rollie Stichweh

The Black Knights- A Prelude to 1977

The 1970s were purgatory for Army football. An 0-10 season accentuated by an embarrassing 51-0 loss to Navy in 1973 halted the momentum built in the 1960s and early 1970s. From 1973-1983, Army notched one winning season. However, that winning season is one of the program’s more underrated.

Believe it or not, Army had one of the country’s best passers in the mid-1970s. QB Leamon Hall was the point man for Head Coach Homer Smith’s pass-happy offense from 1975-1977. Hall. threw for 2174 yards in 1976, a total that’s still good for 2nd all-time in Army’s single-season rankings. He also entered his senior year as Army’s all-time leading passer. The national media regarded Leamon Hall so highly that Sports Illustrated wrote an article showcasing him in 1976, even with Army mired in a 5-6 season.

1977 was Hall and Army’s breakout year. Army entered their yearly clash with Navy with a 6-4 record with wins over UMass, VMI, Villanova, Lafayette, Holy Cross, and Air Force. The Cadets’ only losses came to Boston College, defending Big Eight champion Colorado, Notre Dame, and defending national champion Pitt, who played in the Gator Bowl in 1977. Leamon Hall threw for over 1900 yards, while tight end Clennie Brundidge had over 800 receiving yards to lead one of the East’s top offenses.

There are some great players on these teams that hopefully a few people will remember. 

• Army

• QB Leamon Hall had a great year (55% and 18 TDs) throwing to All-American TE Clennie Brudidge (52 catches for 16.5 average and 4 TDs).  
• On defense, DE Chuck Schott was selected as an All-American

• Navy

• TB Joe Gattuso ran for 1,292 yards and 6 TDs (his dad was actually a really good RB for Navy as well)
• Phil McConkey (yes, the WR for the Giants championship team) had a nice year (34 catches for 596 and 4 TDs)
• On defense, CB John Sturges was selected as an All-American   

https://youtu.be/C32x4mJzJLo?si=o6tzYmgcSK5wFFiF

The 1977 Army Navy Game

In the 1977 Army-Navy football game, Army defeated Navy 17-14 in a cold, snowy game at Philadelphia's John F. Kennedy Stadium. 

The game was played in near-zero temperatures and a large crowd of over 81,000 spectators.  The victory capped a successful 7-4 season for Army, which was their best since 1968. The Army defense tallied two first-quarter interceptions, and Navy missed a game-tying opportunity late in the fourth quarter. 

Although not the greatest season in West Point’s history, it was a noteworthy return to respect for the struggling program. Thus, a young bowl seeking credibility courted Army.

The Independence Bowl was in its second year of operation. The bowl accommodated the Southland Conference champion in the aftermath of Arkansas State’s 1975 11-0 season that ended without a bowl. Unfortunately, the Independence Bowl struggled to find an opposing team in its first year. Teams quietly exited the running, while Rutgers bluntly declined an invitation from the Independence Bowl despite it being their first bowl appearance. The Independence Bowl ultimately settled for 7-3-1 Tulsa, champion of the five-team Missouri Valley Conference. 

A solid Army team presented an opportunity for the bowl. A November 18, 1977 report from the Hattiesburg American documented Army made “indirect contact” with the bowl. The Independence Bowl also had 10-0 Colgate, 8-3 East Carolina, and 6-3-1 Louisville in its pool of prospective opponents for the Southland champion after their first choice Maryland opted for the Hall of Fame Classic in Birmingham. 

Ultimately, this trip to Shreveport never came to fruition. Army beat Navy in its final game but did not attend its first bowl until 1984, when they played in the Cherry Bowl. The Independence instead opted for Army’s future Conference USA and AAC cohort, East Carolina. Still, this Independence Bowl scenario leaves room for fun thought experiments involving the 1977 team. 

Nineteen years after Army’s triumphant 1977 campaign, the Black Knights finally made it to Shreveport to cap a 10-1 regular season. This year’s Black Knights continues an intriguing history of close calls and near-participation in the Independence Bowl. This month’s Independence Bowl is another step in a nearly five-decade odyssey to the Independence Bowl. 

*For more on the 1977 Army Team, read Operation Black September by Mike Belter, the definitive retrospective on the 1977 Cadets

Presented with Approval from the Author. Special thanks to Chris Stewart, all rights reserved. Initial Date of Publication November 11, 2025. 

“En Memento, Elvis” Cards for the 1977-78 Liberty Bowl, Nebraska and North Carolina for SOM College Football

Elvis Presley Died August 16, 1977 in Memphis

Dropbox link for cards for 1977-Nebraska-Final-SOM-Cards.zip

Dropbox link to cards for 1977-NORTH-CAROLINA-FINAL-SOM-Cards.zip

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“En Memento, Elvis”  Cards for the 1977-78 Liberty Bowl, Nebraska and North Carolina for SOM College Football

The 1977 Liberty Bowl was significant for Elvis Presley because he was awarded the Liberty Bowl's highest honor, which his father, Vernon Presley, accepted on his behalf, and the halftime show featured a tribute to him with Roy Orbison and Margarette Piazza performing songs. The program for the Nebraska vs. North Carolina game also featured Elvis on the cover.  Elvis, as it happens, was a huge football fan and even attended games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, in his hometown of Memphis. 

The game was also Nebraska backup QB Randy Garcia’s Road to Redemption, on a night when Tom Osborne delivered perhaps his most emotional halftime speech ever to spur 8-3 and 12 ranked Nebraska to a 21-17 win.  The win came at the expense of 8-2-1 and 14th ranked North Carolina, which came into the Liberty Bowl as the 1977 ACC champions with freshman Lawrence Taylor and the nation’s leading defense against scoring.

LT was only a freshman but had impact on the Tar Heel Defense 

North Carolina took a 17-7 lead in the third quarter on a 47-yard field goal by Tom Biddle. On the Tar Heels’ first possession of the second half, Kupec took his team from its 12 to the Nebraska 30, and Biddle booted the 47‐yarder, the longest field goal of his career. On the kick, aided by a wind of 15 to 20 miles an hour, the ball struck the crossbar and bounced over, breaking the Liberty Bowl record of 46 yards, set by Mississippi's Van Brown in 1968.

Nebraska's comeback began in the fourth quarter when backup quarterback Randy Garcia entered the game. Garcia, a senior who during the regular season shared the quarterbacking duties with Tom Sorley, the Nebraska starter, went to work, entering the game on Nebraska's first possession of the final period. He completed a 13‐yard pass to Ken Spaeth and used the running of I.M. Hipp and Monte Anthony to move the ball to the Carolina 10.  Garcia then faked inside, fooling the Carolina defense, and tossed to Curtis Craig, who made a diving catch in the end zone with 10:51 remaining to cut the deficit to 17-14. 

After a Nebraska fumble recovery, Garcia connected with Tim Smith for the game-winning 34-yard touchdown pass with 3:16 remaining.  Nebraska's defensive player of the game, George Andrews, also contributed with a sack of North Carolina Kupec.  

It was the eighth bowl victory in nine seasons for Nebraska; they remained at twelfth in the final AP poll, and North Carolina slipped to seventeenth.

The jubilant Huskers after the game. 

Initial Date of Publication: 7-16-2025

Reprinted with Permission, Chris Stewart

“Pitt’s Redemption” Cards for the 1977-78 Gator Bowl for SOM College Football

 

“Pitt’s Redemption” Cards for the 1977 Gator Bowl for SOM College Football

Dropbox link to cards for 1977-CLEMSON FINAL SOM-Cards.zip

Dropbox link to cards for 1977 Pittsburgh SOM Final Cards.zip

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The 1977 Gator Bowl was a college football game played on December 30, 1977, in Jacksonville, Florida, where the #10 ranked Pittsburgh Panthers defeated the #11 ranked Clemson Tigers 34-3. Pittsburgh quarterback Matt Cavanaugh set a new Gator Bowl record for passing yards with 387 yards in the game.  In one of his more spectacular games, the Youngstown, Ohio, senior passed for four touchdowns and 387 yards before a record crowd of 72,289 and a national television audience. That set a couple of records—most yardage passing in a Gator Bowl game and most yardage passing in a game by a Pitt player, up until that point. 

The #10 ranked Pittsburgh Panthers had high hopes as defending champions, hoping that their sturdy defense and Cavanaugh would carry them to another undefeated season. But he missed three games during the year, plus the last three quarters of the 1977 season opener with a broken arm. Doctors had expected him to be out at least six weeks, but Cavanaugh made it back early.  He was injured during a play in which he threw a touchdown pass to give Pitt a 6‐0 lead over Notre Dame. The Irish came back against a strong Pitt defense and eventually won, 19‐9, and shattered the Panthers’ hope of repeating as national champions. 

Pitt’s Matt Cavanaugh

The other side of the field had good reason to celebrate any postseason play at all.  Just the mere idea of Clemson going to a bowl Game was almost unfathomable to their long-suffering fans in 1977. After an 18 year postseason bowl drought, the Clemson Tigers were finally going bowlin’ thanks to a spectacular finish in the Clemson-South Carolina matchup. Culminating in “The Catch,” a 20 yard last minute grab by Jerry Butler of a Steve Fuller pass for a 31-27 win in Columbia, the No. 11 Tigers accepted a bid to play in the Gator Bowl.

They still talk about “The Catch”

The game was, unfortunately, one sided.  There was a stark difference in the sheer size of the Pitt players versus Clemson’s - comparatively, they were monsters.  Clemson would end up being crushed 34-3. The only offensive output was derived from the leg of place kicker Obed Ariri. 

Clemson QB Steve Fuller

The strong Pitt defense asserted itself, as it stymied Clemson's quarterback, Steve Fuller, with four interceptions, stopped the South Carolina Tigers three times inside the 15‐yard line and held Clemson at the Pitt 1 ½ late in the fourth period after the issue was settled.

Running back Elliott Walker, also playing his last game for Pitt, helped make Cavanaugh s performance impressive as he scored three of the touchdowns on Cavanaugh passes. The first Cavanaugh-to-Walker score was on a 39‐yard touchdown play. The quarterback stood up straight after the snap and flipped the ball over the linebackers to Walker, who beat the Clemson secondary for the 33 yards he had to run.  The second touchdown by this pair was a 10‐yarder on a roll right by Cavanaugh. The last one was on a screen pass of 25 yards, with Walker doing a fine job of open‐field running after catching the ball.

Mark Schubert, a sophomore placekicker, made the other 10 Pitt points with four extra‐point kicks and two field goals of 24 and 21 yards. Clemson's only points came on a 49‐yard field goal by Obed Ariri, a sophomore from Nigeria. That made distance set a Gator Bowl record.

Special Thanks to Chris Stewart, the author. 

Reprinted with permission 9-15-2025

Fred Bobberts

“The Lions In The Desert” Cards for 1977 Penn State and Arizona State for 80s SOM CFB

“The Lions In The Desert” Cards for 1977 Penn State and Arizona State (Fiesta Bowl) for 1980s SOM CFB

Special Thanks to Big Stew, Chris Stewart, who created these!

Dropbox Link for PDF file: 1977-Arizona-State-Final-SOM-Cards.zip

Dropbox Link for PDF file: 1977-PENN-STATE-FINAL-SOM-Cards.zip

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Penn State 42, ASU 30

The Fiesta Bowl originated in 1971 due to Western Athletic Conference (WAC) frustration.  Hard to believe it now, with the game now part of College Football bowl royalty, but the 1977 Fiesta Bowl was only the seventh edition, and it was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona on Sunday, December 25. The game matched the eighth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions and the #15 Arizona State Sun Devils of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Favored Penn State took an early lead and won 42–30 on the Sun Devils' home field.

When people remember the 1977 season, they remember Texas, with a final record at 11-1, but being undefeated they were the easy consensus champion until they lost to Notre Dame, who finished 11-1 and jumped from #5 to win it. They remember Alabama, which also finished 11-1, who beat 9-2 Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl but could not quite jump to the Title even though they had started Bowl Week at #3. The #6 Arkansas Razorbacks, while also finishing at 11-1 and whipping Oklahoma, were not able to leapfrog enough teams to win the Title. But in actuality there was a fifth 11-1 team, and a sixth one loss team we’ll explore later. Every one of the five teams had a legitimate call on the Ultimate Flag, even Texas, who had beaten Oklahoma and Arkansas as well as two other top fifteen teams before their pratfall in Dallas. 

Sun Devil Stadium, from the North

The fifth 11-1 team was Penn State.  Penn State featured running back Matt Suhey, QB Chuck Fusina, TE Mickey Schuler, and OT Keith Dorney, but they were at the time an Independent, and they did not get an “at large” slot in one of the bigger bowls.  The Nittany Lions had to accept an invitation to the Fiesta Bowl.  They were ranked as high as fourth in the nation, until a home loss to #16 Kentucky in early October, but then won seven straight. It was their first Fiesta Bowl appearance.

In the Sun Devils' final year in the WAC, they were co-champion for the seventh and last time, and appeared in their fifth Fiesta Bowl.  They were invited after WAC co-champion BYU backed out due to the bowl being slated to play on a Sunday.  ASU's sole loss in the WAC was at Colorado State in a snowstorm.

Key stars for the 1977 Sun Devils football team included quarterback Dennis Sproul, who was named Offensive Player of the Game in the 1977 Fiesta Bowl, and running back Mike Harris, a WAC All-American and recipient of the Sun Angel Male Athlete of the Year award. Other notable players on the roster were quarterback Mark Malone, running back Arthur Lane, and tight end Ken MacAfee.

Matt Suhey takes a handoff

In the game, the Nittany Lions’ started the fun early, as Joe Lally blocked a punt and returned it 21 yards to give Penn State the lead early in the first quarter. Bob Torrey caught a touchdown pass from Chuck Fusina to make it 14–0. Arthur Lane caught a touchdown pass from Dennis Sproul to narrow it to 14–7. Bahr made it 17–7 with a field goal. Ron Washington caught a touchdown pass from Sproul to narrow it to 17–14 at halftime.

An 18-yard touchdown run by halfback Steve Geise made it 24–14 at the end of the third, and a three-yard run by fullback Matt Suhey increased the lead to seventeen points early in the fourth. Washington caught another touchdown pass from Sproul to narrow it to 31–21, but Bahr kicked another field goal to make it 34–21. Arizona State's George Perry ran in from a yard out to close the gap to 34–28, but Suhey's second touchdown run and a deliberate safety late in the game sealed the game for Penn State, who won their first-ever Fiesta Bowl.  Penn State wound up fifth in the final rankings- but they may have had just as good a claim as any on the 1977-78 National Championship. 

Initial Date of Publication: 8/31/2025

Courtesy Chris Stewart, reprinted with permission