1977 Tennessee Volunteers football team

The 1977 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") represented the University of Tennessee in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Johnny Majors, in his first year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of four wins and seven losses (4–7 overall, 1–5 in the SEC).

1977 Tennessee Volunteers football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
1977 record	4–7 (1–5 SEC)
Head coach	Johnny Majors (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Joe Avezzano (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Bobby Roper (1st season)
Captains	Pert Jenkins Greg Jones Brent Watson
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium

1977 Southeastern Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Alabama $	7	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 6 Kentucky	6	–	0	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
Auburn	5	–	1	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
LSU	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Florida	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	1
Georgia	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Mississippi State	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Ole Miss	2	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Tennessee	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	6	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Kentucky ineligible for SEC championship due to NCAA probation. Mississippi State later forfeited all 1977 wins due to NCAA violations. Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 10	California*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, Tennessee	L 17–27	84,421
September 17	Boston College*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, Tennessee	W 24–18	83,263
September 24	Auburn	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, Tennessee	L 12–14	84,084
October 1	Oregon State*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, Tennessee	W 41–10	82,865
October 8	Georgia Tech*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, Tennessee	L 8–24	82,631
October 15	at No. 4 Alabama	Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama (Third Saturday in October)	L 10–24	71,000
October 22	at No. 19 Florida	Florida Field Gainesville, Florida (rivalry)	L 17–27	67,711
November 5	Memphis State*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, Tennessee	W 27–14	82,573
November 12	vs. Ole Miss	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee	L 14–43	50,259
November 19	at No. 7 Kentucky	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, Kentucky (Battle for the Barrel)	L 17–21	57,914
November 26	Vanderbilt	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, Tennessee	W 42–7	83,146
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

• Reference:[1]

Personnel

1977 Tennessee Volunteers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class TE Kyle Aguillard RB Kelsey Finch TE Reggie Harper QB Joe Hough RB Gary Moore QB Pat Ryan QB Jimmy Streater RB Nate Sumpter	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB Thomas Rowsey	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P Craig Colquitt K Jim Gaylor KR Joe Morgan	Head coach Johnny Majors Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Craig Colquitt	Punter	3	76	Pittsburgh Steelers
Jesse Turnbow	Defensive tackle	8	205	Cleveland Browns
Russ Williams	Defensive back	9	250	Dallas Cowboys
Brent Watson	Tackle	10	261	Cleveland Browns
Pat Ryan	Quarterback	11	281	New York Jets

• References:[2][3]

References

General

• 2011 Tennessee Football Record Book (PDF). Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Athletics Media Relations Office. 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2012.

Specific

1. 2011 Tennessee Football Record Book, p. 125
2. 2011 Tennessee Football Record Book, p. 101
3. "1978 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 7, 2012.