1977 NFL Championship Series (Australia)
Following this decision, the NFL decided to replaces the VFL teams with the top four VFA teams from the previous season, a surprising move considering the VFA was expelled from the ANFC in 1970.


1977 NFL Draft
The 1977 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1977, at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, New York. The league also held its first supplemental draft, which took place after the regular draft and before the regular season.


1977 NFL Draft
This was the first draft in the common draft era (since 1967) to be 12 rounds, five rounds fewer than drafts of 1967-76. The draft remained at 12 rounds through 1992 before being reduced to seven, where it has remained through 2019.


1977 NFL season
The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the National Football League. The Seattle Seahawks were placed in the AFC West while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slotted into the NFC Central.


1977 NFL season
Instead of a traditional Thanksgiving Day game hosted by the Dallas Cowboys, the league scheduled a Miami Dolphins at St. Louis Cardinals contest. This would be only the second season since 1966 that the Cowboys did not play on that holiday. It marked the last time that the Cowboys did not play on Thanksgiving.


1977 NFL season
This was the last NFL regular season with 14 games. The regular season was expanded to 16 games in 1978, with the preseason reduced from six games to four. It was also the final season of the eight-team playoff field in the NFL, before going to ten the following season.


1977 NFL season
The 1977 season is considered the last season of the “Dead Ball Era” of professional football (1970 to 1977). The 17.2 average points scored per team per game was the lowest since 1942. For 1978, the league made significant changes to allow greater offensive production.


1977 NFL season
The season ended with Super Bowl XII when the Cowboys defeated the Denver Broncos.


1977 NFL season, Player movement, Draft
The 1977 NFL Draft was held from May 3 to 4, 1977 at New York City’s Roosevelt Hotel. With the first pick, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected running back Ricky Bell from the University of Southern California.


1977 NFL season, New Referees
Tommy Bell retired after the 1976 season. His line judge, Jerry Markbreit, was named his successor. Bell worked two Super Bowls, III and VII. Markbreit would work four Super Bowls, and is (as of 2019) the only referee to achieve this.


1977 NFL season, Division races
Tampa Bay and Seattle continued as "swing" teams that did not participate in regular conference play. Every other NFL team played a home-and-away series against the other members in its division, two or three interconference games, and the remainder of their 14-game schedule against other conference teams. Tampa Bay switched to the NFC and played the other 13 members of the conference, while Seattle did the same in the AFC. The teams met in Week Five, with Seattle winning 30–23.


1977 NFL season, Division races
Starting in 1970, and through 2001, except for the strike-shortened 1982 season, there were three divisions (Eastern, Central and Western) in each conference. This was the final season as the winners of each division, and a fourth "wild card" team based on the best non-division winner, qualified for the playoffs. The tiebreaker rules were changed to start with head-to-head competition, followed by division records, common opponents records, and conference play.


1977 NFL season, Playoffs
* The Denver Broncos (the AFC 1 seed) did not play the Oakland Raiders (the 4 seed) in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.


1977 NHL Amateur Draft
The 1977 NHL Amateur Draft was the 15th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. It was notable for the inclusion of players being drafted at 20 years of age.


1977 NHL Amateur Draft
This was the only draft in which the Cleveland Barons as a distinctive franchise drafted, as they would fold prior to the 1978 draft.


1977 NHL Amateur Draft, Selections by round
Below are listed the selections in the 1977 NHL amateur draft.


1977 NHL Amateur Draft, Selections by round
Club teams are located in North America unless otherwise noted.


1977 NSL Cup
The 1977 NSL Cup was the first edition of the National Soccer League Cup, which was a national association football (soccer) knockout cup competition in Australia. All 14 NSL teams from around Australia entered the competition and it immediately followed the home and away season, as there was no final series.


1977 NSL Cup Final
The 1977 NSL Cup Final was the first NSL Cup Final, the final match of the 1977 NSL Cup. It was played at Perry Park in Brisbane, Australia, on 9 October 1977, contested by Brisbane City and Marconi-Fairfield.


1977 NSWRFL season
The 1977 NSWRFL season was the 70th season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership. Twelve clubs, including six of 1908's foundation teams and another six from around Sydney competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the St. George and Parramatta clubs. NSWRFL teams also competed for the 1977 Amco Cup.


1977 NSWRFL season, Season summary
During the pre-season Parramatta forward Graham Olling made headlines when he became the first rugby league player to admit to taking anabolic steroids, which at the time were not illegal in the sport.


1977 NSWRFL season, Season summary
Another stir was created at the start of the season by Newtown's recruitment of professional American football player, Manfred Moore. The club's first match of the season at Henson Park attracted the likes of Paul Hogan, Jeannie Little and John Laws who witnessed the American score Newtown's first try.


1977 NSWRFL season, Season summary
Twenty-two regular season rounds were played from March till August, with Parramatta top of the table for much of the season before finishing the home and away fixtures on top of the table. The final five were rounded out by St. George, Eastern Suburbs, Balmain and Manly. Cronulla-Sutherland had been in contention for a finals spot before fading late in the season.


1977 NSWRFL season, Season summary
The 1977 season's Rothmans Medal, as well as Rugby League Week's player of the year award, was awarded to Parramatta centre Mick Cronin.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
Parramatta boasted an experienced team, making their second consecutive Grand Final appearance. The young St. George side dubbed "Bath's Babes", were able to draw on the experience and wiles of their coach Harry Bath, and as the day of the decider approached the betting market narrowed.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
A crowd of 66,000 flocked to the Sydney Cricket Ground to see an enthusiastic St. George side come out with all guns blazing. Dragons lock forward “Rocket” Rod Reddy, initially dominated proceedings with his brutal defensive play.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
In attack, diminutive Dragons halfback Mark Shulman made inroads and they went ahead 4–0 with two penalty goals to Ted Goodwin. Just before half time, "Lord Ted" scored a miraculous try when he burst through and chipped ahead from halfway. Confronting his opposite fullback Phil Mann, Goodwin kicked again. A foot race followed with cover defenders Graeme Atkins and Ed Sulkowicz joining. The ball trickled towards the dead-ball line but Goodwin got there first, hitting the ground hard and knocking himself out in the process. He had run 50 yards (46 m) and beat every defender to score a breathtaking individual try. John Chapman converted and though Goodwin took no further part in the match, he had given his side a handy 9–0 lead going into the break.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
The second half began like the first, with uncompromising defence. Reddy was targeting Parramatta's champion lock, Ray Price but in the process gave away a number of penalties. Mick Cronin slotted three pressure goals to make it 9–6 and the older Eels were well positioned for a comeback against a tiring Dragons defence.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
With 10 minutes to run, Parramatta pounced when Cronin drew three defenders and found Price in support who stepped through and gave a final pass to Sulkowicz who scored the equaliser out wide. Now Parramatta had the chance to snatch victory through Mick Cronin’s conversion attempt. A prolific goalkicker throughout his career, Cronin had an opportunity which young players dream of – to kick his team to premiership glory. However, the ball sailed to the right of the uprights and moments later the full-time scoreboard read 9–9. For the first time in history, a New South Wales Rugby Football League Grand Final was forced into 20 minutes extra time.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
Parramatta took command of the restart and looked strong. The Eels almost scored when prop Graham Olling found space near the line, but he failed to pass to his unmarked front rower partner Ron Hilditch. St. George then lifted a notch, grafted out some territory towards the Eels' end and began to think of field goals. Shulman and Chapman both made unsuccessful attempts before reserve Tony Quirk had a third attempt from close range. Quirk's kick initially looked on target but the ball bounced off the post and into the arms of St. George's hooker, Steve Edge. He grounded the ball over the line but was ruled offside by referee Gary Cook.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
With one minute left Cook awarded a penalty to the Dragons within kicking range. In a final twist, Chapman's attempt went the same way as Cronin's earlier kick and after 100 minutes of Grand Final play, the scores were still locked at 9–9. The players initially appeared confused, then began shaking hands. The ground announcer advised that a replay would be required.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
Greenwood's reference described the match as “the game of the century”. This is a bold claim but it was undoubtedly a brave effort by both sides and a ground-breaking match in Australian rugby league history.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final replay
From the first match, the Dragons had lost halfback Mark Shulman, who suffered a kneeing in the back by Parramatta skipper Ray Higgs, although otherwise their team had come through unscathed. The Parramatta camp had players showing multiple cuts, bruises and bite marks with Ray Price in particular looking like he had been used as a punching bag.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final replay
Although a Grand Final replay had not occurred in the Australian game, the young Dragons were able to draw on the experience of "the Old Fox", Harry Bath who had played in the drawn 1953–54 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley in England, and whose Warrington side won the replay in front of a then record crowd of over 102,000. The 1977 Victorian Football League's Grand Final played the same day, also finished as a draw and would need to be replayed.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final replay
With a strong breeze at their backs, St George began the match in a determined fashion and were soon in front 7–0 when John Jansen scored following a great forward charge by tireless front rower Bruce Starkey; the final pass, though was at least a metre forward.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final replay
Twelve minutes into the second half, St George furthered their lead with a penalty goal to Ted Goodwin. Led by Steve Edge, Craig Young and Robert Stone, with the ruthlessness of Rod Reddy and the experience of veteran Barry Beath, the strong Dragons forward pack laid a good foundation and as the match wore on their backline took advantage. Robert Finch and Graham Quinn began to find room in the centres, and the halves John Bailey and Rod McGregor started to outpace their older opposition. A field goal from Goodwin took the score to 10–0 and then after Parramatta were found offside, Goodwin kicked another penalty goal.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final replay
An incident occurred when touch judge Brian Barry was hit by a projectile from the crowd and collapsed. He had to be replaced by a referees' official, Ray O'Donnell, who was wearing normal street attire. For the remainder of the match top referee Jack Danzey acted as touch judge on the eastern side.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final replay
Late in the match, Robert Stone found the ball and ran 30 metres to score a rare forward's try right in front of the St. George faithful who, as per the club's tradition, had massed in the Sheridan Stand. With a scoreline of 17–0 the Dragons had the game but then, following a wonderful display of backing up, Saints were awarded a penalty try by referee Gary Cook when John Bailey was taken out by the tired defence. After Goodwin's final conversion and 180 minutes of bone-crushing football, St George were declared the 1977 champions, winning their club's 14th premiership 22–0.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final replay
It was a fitting farewell for the stalwart Dragons second rower Barry Beath, the last Dragon to retire who had been involved as a player in their unbeaten eleven-year run of the mid 50s to 60s. Beath is credited with the unusual statistic of winning a premiership in his first season (1966) and his last (1977), but none in ten seasons between.


1977 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final replay
St. George 22 (Tries: Jansen, Stone, Bailey. Goals: Goodwin 6. Field Goal: Goodwin)


1977 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
Elections to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly were held in November 1977 to elect members of the 60 constituencies in Nagaland, India. United Democratic Front won the majority of seats and Vizol Koso was appointed as the Chief Minister of Nagaland for his second term. The number of constituencies was set as 60 by the recommendation of the Delimitation Commission of India.


1977 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
These were the first elections held in Nagaland after the Shillong Accord of 1975.


1977 Nashville 420
The 1977 Nashville 420 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event that took place on July 16, 1977, at Nashville Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee.


1977 Nashville 420, Background
Nashville Speedway was converted to a half-mile paved oval in 1957, when it began to be a NASCAR series track. The speedway was lengthened between the 1969 and 1970 seasons. The corners were cut down from 35 degrees to their present 18 degrees in 1972.


1977 Nashville 420, Summary
Four hundred and twenty laps were done on a paved oval track spanning .596 miles (0.959 km) for a grand total of 250.3 miles (402.8 km). The race took three hours, ten minutes, and nine seconds to successfully complete. Darrell Waltrip defeated Bobby Allison by more than one lap in front of seventeen thousand and five hundred people. This race was important to Waltrip as this track was considered his "local" Winston Cup Series track at the time. Ten cautions were given for fifty-four laps.


1977 Nashville 420, Summary
Notable speeds were: 78.999 miles per hour (127.137 km/h) as the average speed and 104.21 miles per hour (167.71 km/h) as the pole position speed. Total winnings for this race were $56,175 ($237,008.53 when adjusted for inflation) and the winner walked away with $9,415 of that amount ($39,722.92 when adjusted for inflation).


1977 Nashville 420, Summary
Waltrip was overcome by the excessive heat shortly after the race. As a result, he took oxygen while on top of his vehicle's hood and wasn't lucid enough to give a post-race interview. Ronnie Thomas was supposed to make his debut on this track but got into a wreck and didn't get it fixed in time to qualify. He would make his debut in the 1977 running of the Old Dominion 500 (now Tums Fast Relief 500) instead.


1977 Nashville 420, Summary
Mike Kempton made his official NASCAR debut in this event while Henley Gray would retire from professional stock car racing as a driver after this event.


1977 Nashville 420, Summary, Finishers
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased * Driver failed to finish race


1977 National Challenge Cup
The 1977 National Challenge Cup was the 64th edition of the USSF's annual open soccer championship. Teams from the North American Soccer League declined to participate. Maccabee Los Angeles of Los Angeles defeated the Philadelphia United German-Hungarians of Philadelphia in the final game.


1977 National Football League (South Africa), Final table
NB: 3 more losses than wins; odd number of draws; 9 more goals conceded than scored.


1977 National Invitation Tournament
The 1977 National Invitation Tournament was the 1977 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.


1977 National Invitation Tournament, Selected teams
Below is a list of the 16 teams selected for the tournament. This was the first edition of the tournament in which early round games were played at campus sites.


1977 National League Championship Series
The 1977 National League Championship Series was a best-of-five matchup between the West Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the East Division champion Philadelphia Phillies. It was the ninth NLCS in all. The Dodgers beat the Phillies three games to one and went on to lose the 1977 World Series to the New York Yankees.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
The Phillies took the opening game of the series, winning their first postseason game since Game 1 of the 1915 World Series. They had lost the final four games in 1915, been swept in the 1950 World Series and were swept again in the 1976 National League Championship Series.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Game 1 had been billed as a classic pitching matchup between 1977 Cy Young award winner Steve Carlton and 20-game winner and Comeback Pitcher of the Year Tommy John. It didn't really live up to that, as neither figured in the final decision. The Phillies drew first blood in the first on a two-run homer by Greg Luzinski. They stretched the lead to 4–0 in the fifth on a bases-loaded, two-run single by Davey Johnson. In that inning, the Phils were helped when, on an apparent force-out of Bake McBride by Larry Bowa, Dodger shortstop Bill Russell glided off the second base bag as he received the throw before completing an attempted double play.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
The Dodgers finally got on the board in their half of the fifth when Davey Lopes singled in Lee Lacy, who had pinch-hit for John and singled. Lacy scored after being advanced to second on a Carlton balk. The Phillies countered in the sixth on an RBI single by Carlton.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
With two outs in the seventh and Lopes on first, Carlton appeared to be on his way out of the inning. However, he issued walks to Bill Russell and Reggie Smith. Ron Cey then made Carlton pay dearly for his loss of control by tying the game at five with a grand slam.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
The Phils bounced back in the top of the ninth on an RBI single by Mike Schmidt, his only RBI of the NLCS. They added another run to close out the scoring when Bowa scored on a balk by Dodger reliever Elías Sosa.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
The Phillies got on the board first once again via homer, with Bake McBride hitting a shot off Dodger starter Don Sutton in the third. The Dodgers tied it in the bottom half on an RBI single by Davey Lopes, then broke it wide open on a grand slam by Dusty Baker in the fourth off Jim Lonborg. Meanwhile, Sutton settled in and shut the Phils down the rest of the way, yielding nine hits in the complete game. The Dodgers added single runs in the sixth and seventh on an RBI single by Steve Yeager and an RBI triple to center by Reggie Smith, chased down and briefly caught by McBride, but dropped when he impacted the unpadded wall.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Game 3 went down in Philadelphia baseball annals as "Black Friday." The Dodgers opened the scoring in the second off Larry Christenson when Dusty Baker doubled home Steve Garvey from first on a close play at the plate. The Phillies tried to claim Garvey never touched home plate, but to no avail. Steve Yeager followed with a single to score Baker to make it 2–0.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
In the bottom of the second, with two outs and Richie Hebner on second and Bob Boone on first, Dodger starter Burt Hooton began to dispute a number of borderline ball/strike calls issued by home plate umpire Harry Wendelstedt. The normally unflappable Hooton's visible frustration aroused the displeasure of Philadelphia's infamous "boobird" fans, who took out their wrath upon their team's opponent. As the volume of more than 63,000 fans escalated, including derisive chants of "Hoot, Hoot, Hoot" in unison, the rattled Hooton uncharacteristically lost control of both his composure and his pitching.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
He walked Ted Sizemore to load the bases and then walked pitcher Larry Christenson, Bake McBride, and Larry Bowa in succession to force in three runs and give the Phillies a 3–2 lead. Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda then pulled Hooton in favor of Rick Rhoden, who induced Mike Schmidt into popping up to end the threat.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
While Rhoden and Doug Rau were busy shutting down the Phils, the Dodgers tied the game in the fourth on an RBI single by Baker. The score stayed tied at 3–3 until the bottom of the eighth, setting up a wild finish.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Hebner led off the eighth with a double. Garry Maddox singled home Hebner and went all the way to third as Reggie Smith's throw home to try to nail Hebner went wild. Maddox then scored when Bob Boone grounded to Ron Cey at third and Cey threw wildly to first. With a 5–3 lead entering the ninth and ace reliever Gene Garber on the mound, the Phillies seemed in control.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Garber retired the first two hitters and got ahead of pinch-hitter Vic Davalillo 0–1. But Davalillo, noticing Ted Sizemore playing unusually deep at second, shocked the Phillies with a drag bunt for a single. Lasorda then sent another pinch hitter, Manny Mota, to hit for pitcher Lance Rautzhan. Mota, on an 0–2 pitch, sent a deep drive to left that Greg Luzinski reached, but the ball caromed off his glove, onto the wall, and back. Luzinski threw to second to try to nail Mota, but his throw skipped wildly past Sizemore allowing Davalillo to score and Mota to reach third. Phillie manager Danny Ozark came under fire for not having Jerry Martin, a faster outfielder, in left field (a defensive substitution Ozark made often throughout the season) as Martin likely would have reached Mota's liner easier than the bigger, slower Luzinski.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Davey Lopes followed by hitting a blistering grounder to third that took a wicked hop and struck Mike Schmidt in the left knee. Larry Bowa barehanded the ricocheted ball out of the air, and fired to first. On a very close play, umpire Bruce Froemming called Lopes safe. The Phillies protested, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Mota scored to tie the game at 5–5.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Garber, in an attempt to pick off Lopes at first, threw wildly past Hebner, sending Lopes to second. Bill Russell then singled to center to score Lopes with the go-ahead run, before the stunned crowd. Mike Garman retired the side in the ninth for the Dodgers, who narrowly escaped defeat. It was the first time since Game 4 of the 1947 World Series that the Dodgers won a postseason game when trailing going into the ninth inning.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
The Phillies did not recover after a controversial finish of game 3 as the Dodgers clinched the pennant in a game that was delayed two hours by rain after the first inning. Facing elimination, the Phillies brought ace pitcher Steve Carlton back on three days' rest. In a game played in anything from a drizzle to a steady rain, the Dodgers punched their ticket to the World Series on the strength of a two-run homer in the second by Dusty Baker, who was named NLCS MVP. Tommy John atoned for his Game 1 performance by getting the better of Carlton this time, only allowing a single run in the fourth on an RBI double by Richie Hebner.


1977 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Two more Dodger runs came across in the fifth when Baker scored on a Carlton wild pitch and Steve Yeager came home on a Bill Russell suicide squeeze bunt that the wet surface made difficult to field. Baker's homer was all John needed, however. Throughout the game, the umpires appeared to consult with National League President Chub Feeney, who was in attendance, about delaying or postponing the game. But the game went on, despite nearly unplayable conditions, as John went the distance for the seven-hit complete game, recording eight strikeouts.


1977 National League season
The 1977 National League was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom.


1977 National League season, Summary
Newport had moved down from the British League. Their riders were transferred to Bristol Bulldogs but they acquired new riders and were renamed Newport Dragons. Paisley Lions dropped out so the league had 19 teams, the same as the previous season. Part way through the season, Coatbridge Tigers relocated and changed name to Glasgow Tigers.


1977 National League season, Summary
Eastbourne Eagles won the National League title, completing a league and cup double.


1977 National League season, Summary
Joe Owen, the leading rider of 1976 had moved from champions Newcastle Diamonds to join British League side Hull Vikings. Newcastle were unable to compensate for the loss and finished in 6th place, despite Joe's brother Tom Owen finishing top of the averages.


1977 National League season, National League Knockout Cup
The 1977 National League Knockout Cup was the tenth edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Eastbourne Eagles were the winners of the competition.


1977 National League season, National League Knockout Cup, Final
Eastbourne were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 98–57.


1977 National Provincial Championship
The National Provincial Championship, or NPC, was the predecessor to the current Air New Zealand Cup and Heartland Championship in New Zealand rugby. 1977 was the second year of the National Provincial Championship, Canterbury were the winners of Division 1, thus claiming the title of National Champions.


1977 National Provincial Championship, Division 1, Standings
These were the NPC Division 1 standings for the 1977 season.


1977 National Provincial Championship, Promotion/Relegation
Bay of Plenty and Marlborough finished in the bottom two of Division 1.


1977 National Provincial Championship, Promotion/Relegation
The winners of Division 2 North, North Auckland, were automatically promoted to Division 1. Bay of Plenty were relegated, just one season after they won the National Championship.


1977 National Provincial Championship, Promotion/Relegation
The winners of Division 2 South, South Canterbury, played Marlborough and won 13-9 to earn promotion to Division 1. Marlborough were relegated to Division 2.


1977 National Soccer League
The 1977 National Soccer League season was the first season of the National Soccer League of Australia. The league was not only the first national soccer league in Australia but the first of any of the forms of football in Australia. Clubs predominantly joined from the top leagues in each state, with Canberra City forming in 1977 to join the league. The inaugural champions were Eastern Suburbs.


1977 National Soccer League, Background
Attempts had been made to start a national league several times during the 1960s and 1970s, however it wasn't until 1975 that the talk became serious. In April 1975, nine clubs from New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia agreed to form a national league in either 1976 or 1977. Frank Lowy, president of Hakoah-Eastern Suburbs and Alex Pongrass, St George-Budapest president led a concerted effort to bring in teams from Victoria over objections from the state association. Eventually, four Victorian clubs joined with the addition of a team from the Australian Capital Territory.


1977 National Soccer League (Canada) season
The 1977 National Soccer League season was the fifty fourth season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began in late April and concluded in early October with the Montreal Castors securing the double (First Division title, and NSL Championship) by finishing first in the First Division. The NSL Cup was claimed by Toronto Panhellenic. The Second Division title was won by Toronto Falcons by finishing first in the standings which allowed promotion to the First Division. The NSL was operative in Northern Ontario, Quebec, and had a franchise in the United States in Upstate New York.


1977 National Soccer League (Canada) season, Overview
The National Soccer League (NSL) had intentions of expanding westward with the idea of forming a division in British Columbia. Though the idea never materialized  the NSL would ultimately establish an affiliated league in British Columbia with the Pacific Rim Soccer League in the 1986 season. Several changes were approved by the league ownership in order to limit the usage of imports by placing a further restriction on foreign players from five to four.


1977 National Soccer League (Canada) season, Overview
As the league attempted to curve the usage of imports it approved the requirement of every First Division club to field a feeder team in the NSL's youth division. The season produced several controversies as multiple riots and fan violence erupted throughout matches, which were primarily fueled by ethic rivalries amongst the ethnically associated clubs. One particular match which produced a riot occurred between Toronto Italia, and Toronto Panhellenic supporters which caused Italia to contemplate leaving the league before reconsidering.


1977 National Soccer League (Canada) season, Overview
The membership in the league increased to 20 teams with 10 members in both divisions. Hamilton Italo-Canadians and Toronto Croatia were promoted to the First Division, while Hamilton Croatia and Welland Lions departed from the league. St. Catharines Roma with experience in the Inter-City Soccer League purchased Welland's franchise rights, and Toronto Hungaria returned and became based in Mississauga, Ontario. The NSL expanded further into Montreal with the acceptance of the Montreal Stars, and the addition of the Bradford Marshlanders with both clubs operating in the Second Division. Reports were also circulating about the league employing a potential commissioner with Toronto attorney Joe Kane as the primary candidate. Kane served as the league's legal advisor, and assisted in drafting the league's new constitution the previous year.


1977 National Soccer League (Canada) season, Promotion and relegation matches
The promotion and relegation system utilized by the National Soccer League operated with the last placed team in the First Division being automatically relegated, while the Second Division champion would receive an automatic promotion to the First Division. The second last team in the First Division would play in a series of matches against the runner-ups in the Second Division in order to determine which team would be relegated or promoted.


1977 National Society of Film Critics Awards
The 12th National Society of Film Critics Awards, given on 19 December 1977, honored the best filmmaking of 1977.


1977 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Picture
1. Annie Hall2. That Obscure Object of Desire (Cet obscur objet du désir)3. Close Encounters of the Third Kind


1977 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Director
1. Luis Buñuel – That Obscure Object of Desire (Cet obscur objet du désir)2. Steven Spielberg – Close Encounters of the Third Kind3. Woody Allen – Annie Hall


1977 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Actor
1. Art Carney – The Late Show2. John Gielgud – Providence3. Fernando Rey – That Obscure Object of Desire (Cet obscur objet du désir)3. John Travolta – Saturday Night Fever


1977 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Actress
1. Diane Keaton – Annie Hall2. Shelley Duvall – 3 Women3. Jane Fonda – Julia


1977 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Supporting Actor
1. Edward Fox – A Bridge Too Far2. Bill Macy – The Late Show3. David Hemmings – Islands in the Stream3. Maximilian Schell – Julia


1977 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Supporting Actress
1. Ann Wedgeworth – Handle with Care2. Marcia Rodd – Handle with Care3. Sissy Spacek – 3 Women


1977 National Women's Conference
The National Women's Conference of 1977 was a four-day event during November 18–21, 1977, as organized by the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. The conference drew around, 2,000 delegates along with 15,000-20,000 observers in Houston, Texas. The United States Congress approved $5 million in public appropriations for both the state and national conferences as HR 9924, sponsored by Congresswoman Patsy Mink, which Ford signed into law. In 1977 at the start of his presidency, President Jimmy Carter chose a new Commission and appointed Congresswoman Bella Abzug to head it. Numerous events were held over the next two years, culminating in the National Women's Conference.


1977 National Women's Conference
The conference represents a turning point for the political history of second-wave feminism in the United States. A number of controversial issues, including abortion rights and sexual orientation, were flashpoints in the event's program. Historian Marjorie J. Spruill argues that the anti-feminists led by Phyllis Schlafly had a more successful follow-up. They moved the Republican Party to a more socially conservative position. As the Reagan administration came into office in January 1981, much of the political support for the conference and its output, , dissipated in national politics.


1977 National Women's Conference, History
In 1972, the United Nations proclaimed 1975 as International Women's Year. In the spirit of that proclamation, U.S. President Gerald Ford issued , creating a National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year "to promote equality between men and women." Jill Ruckelshaus would be appointed its first chairperson.


1977 National Women's Conference, History
This commission would become the organizing body for the conference as part of the provisions of congressional legislation that would appropriate $5,000,000 for the conference.


1977 National Women's Conference, History
Before the Opening Ceremonies of the Conference, there was relay of important women who brought an torch from Seneca Falls, New York to Houston, Texas. Seneca Falls was the location of the seminal women's rights convention in 1848, and this relay took place over 51 days to show and recognize the link between these two historical conferences. This relay was put together by multiple organizations, including the Road Runners of America, and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.


1977 National Women's Conference, History
Those taking part in the relay wore easily recognizable bright blue T-shirts with the words "Women on the Move" written on them. Some of the most notable people involved in this relay included Katherine Switzer (the first women to officially compete in the Boston Marathon), Donna de Varona (Olympic gold medalist and Women's Sports Foundation activist), and Billie Jean King.


1977 National Women's Conference, Event
The goal was to hammer out a "Plan of Action" to be presented to the Carter Administration and Congress for consideration and/or adoption. Each of the twenty-six Resolutions on Women's Rights in the Plan was proposed to the attendees and voted upon collectively. The Conference was chaired by Congresswoman Bella Abzug.


1977 National Women's Conference, Event
The opening ceremony speakers included: First Ladies Rosalynn Carter, Betty Ford and Lady Bird Johnson, activists Coretta Scott King, Bella Abzug, Betty Friedan, Barbara Jordan, Liz Carpenter, and Jean Stapleton. Maya Angelou read the .


1977 National Women's Conference, Event
Heated debates ensued over 26 major topics addressed at the conference, such as the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), reproductive rights, the nuclear family, child care funding, sexual orientation, education reform, and the rights of disabled, minority, and aging women. At the conference, there was also a lengthy discussion about nuclear disarmament and a series of talks featuring women who had reached important positions of responsibility in government such as chair of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Assistant Secretary for the United States Department of Commerce, and head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).


1977 National Women's Conference, Event
On the other side of Houston, at the Astrodome, almost fifteen thousand conservative women under the leadership of Phyllis Schlafly held their own counter-conference in which they vowed to uphold traditional pro-family values. The competing Houston conferences demonstrated the discord among women over key issues, and Schlafly's message that women had something to lose, not something to gain, from feminism continued to resonate in the increasingly conservative political climate. Nowhere was this clearer than in the battles over reproductive freedom and the Equal Rights Amendment, the issues most associated with feminism in the public mind in the 1970s.


1977 National Women's Conference, Event
An abundance of people attended the 1977 National Women's Conference and "delegates ranged from students and homemakers attending their first women's conference to Presidents of National Women's groups." The head of the conference was Congresswoman Bella Abzug who spoke in front of more than 20,000 of her fellow advocates.


1977 National Women's Conference, Event
Many people who were interested in feminism were at the 1977 National Women's Conference to support women's rights. The inspiring author Betty Friedan attended the conference, the feminist Gloria Steinem attended the conference along with a new feminist leader Eleanor Smeal. Celebrities in education and sports like the anthropologist Margaret Mead, the advocate for women in sports Billie Jean King, the poet Maya Angelou, Commissioner Jean Stapleton, Commissioner Coretta Scott King. Congresswomen included Bella Abzug, Republican Jill Ruckelshaus, Congresswoman Margaret Heckler, Mary Louise, Mary Crisp, Republican Elly Peterson, Democrat Elizabeth Holtzman, Pat Schroeder, Lindy Boggs, Martha Griffiths, and Barbara Jordan. Past, and at the time, current first ladies Rosalynn Carter, Betty Ford, and Lady Bird Johnson were also in attendance at this conference.


1977 National Women's Conference, Event
All of these women banded together in the Conference to create the 26 planks described above and discuss the rights of women as well as how women should not be discriminated against.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes
, the official report on the first national women's conference, was submitted to President Carter and Congress in March 1978. A month later, Carter established the National Advisory Committee for Women. The Senate granted a three-year extension for ratification of the ERA within a year of the Houston meeting; this unprecedented move was viewed as a major post-conference achievement, despite the final failure of the amendment in 1982, at which point only 35 of the required 38 states had ratified the amendment. Under political pressure, President Carter fired Abzug from the Commission. No further action was taken by the Administration or Congress on the Plan.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, National Plan of Action
Included in the official conference report, the conference produced a National Plan of Action, a culminating document that comprised a series of demands for more revisions, changes in enforcement, and new policies to improve the living conditions of women in American society. The National Plan of Action included 26 planks representing issues and concerns of interest to American women. The planks were discussed at the state-level women's meetings that preceded the 1977 conference and were then open to debate on the floor at the Houston conference. Seventeen of the planks were adopted by conference delegates by wide majorities, and only 20% of delegates opposed certain planks, representing a consensus among conference delegates and attendees on "what American women need and want to achieve equal rights, equal status, and equal responsibilities with men."


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, National Plan of Action
The 26 planks contained in the National Plan of Action are:


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Declaration of American Women
This plank declared that all women from different backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs deserved the same rights and privileges as men. Equality was an important theme throughout this conference and this plank brought to light the significance of women finally being able to achieve the same privileges as men. At the time, women did not have the right to vote in politics, own housing property, have more power politically, or have the same pay as men in the workplace. The conference concentrated on emphasizing the why women's rights should be implemented into society, and how close women were to achieving these rights.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Arts and Humanities
Opportunities for manager positions and employment jobs in Arts and Humanities were little to non-existent before this conference. This plank was introduced to point this out to society and hopefully inspire a change. Another issue in this department was that women were having a difficult time obtaining art grants, whereas their male counterparts were finding success in this area. If men were the only ones receiving funding for art projects, how would women ever be able to showcase their talent and education to be able to do the same? Being withheld from receiving art grants would be very detrimental to the progression of an artist's career. This was unfortunately the sad reality many aspiring female artists were having to face and a large reason why this plank was brought up at the conference for debate.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Battered Women
A common theme in society was violence against women, which because of its prevalence and importance, earned its own plank at the conference for discussion. They voiced that the amount of violence that women were receiving should be stopped/minimized however possible. A solution that came out of the conference was to provide shelters for women who have experienced violence. It was also announced that these programs should be offered with bilingual and cultural options in order for them to be able to help and benefit a larger portion of society.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Business
At the time of this conference, "less than one percent"  of businesses were owned by women. This statistic, among other reasons, gained this issue a spot as a plank at the conference. It was determined that female entrepreneurs in government activities were to be included as a part of government and granted the same opportunities as men to own a business. Additionally, the Executive Order 11625 of October 13, 1971, was put into place to protect minorities and women with small businesses and the benefits of this order were applauded at this conference.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Child Abuse
Another important issue in society was the problem of child abuse. There really was not any support for the victims of this, so the conference brought up the topic of Child Care to work towards a way to help the victims. The conference determined that the government should provide support, funds, and protective services to help prevent child abuse and assist those affected by it. Also, it was decided that the government should provide equal child care programs for minority women, and improve schools as well as parenthood programs. The "care must be low cost and high quality" in programs in order for Child Care programs to be efficient in assisting the public.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Credit
This plank argued that women should have equal credit and be informed of their rights pertaining to credit. In order to ensure that women had equal access to credit, regardless of gender, the conference determined that the Equal Credit Opportunity Act needed to be passed. Consequently, the credit issue was the only plank out of all 26 that "was approved unanimously". Everyone at the conference was in agreement that due to the prevalence of this important issue in society, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act needed to be passed immediately.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Disabled Women
During this time period, society did not give much credit to people that were disabled; additionally, they were not given equal opportunities. The conference discussions led to the decision that disabled women should be able to have the right to education and employment, take care of their children, and be protected from discrimination.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Education
Due to the discrimination against women's education, the conference brought up this plank to argue for law prohibiting this. Discussion on this plank brought to light the lack of women in educational textbooks and leadership positions in society. In order for young women to have more influential role models to inspire them to benefit future generations, there needed to be more female leadership in education. To ensure that these changes were placed into society, "Title IX must be enforced".


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Elective and Appointive Office
There was a serious lack of women in leadership roles before this conference. Most high status and upper pay grade jobs went to males and this kept women from aspiring to achieve more in the workforce. Instead of settling for the less important jobs and positions, the conference decided that women should be allowed more positions in office and more opportunities to move up in the work force.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Elective and Appointive Office
The prejudice that women belonged at home and not in an office was old-fashioned and the discussions at this conference helped to open people's eyes to the importance of aiming higher in the job arena. This factor would also be crucial in inspiring the younger female generations into believing that they too could succeed in the world and were able to do more than past generations.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Employment
The employment plank goes along with the elective and appointive office plank; more women should be allowed into the workforce with higher paying positions. The conference decided that there should be no discrimination in employment and all employment should have equal pay, no discrimination for pregnancy, and special attention to minority women.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Equal Rights Amendment
The ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment which establishes equal rights for all people was discussed. Although this amendment was never ratified, the conference succeeded in earning a three-year extension from the Senate for further discussion on it.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Health
All women should have equal opportunities to health benefits. Additionally, the food and drug administration should be expanded so that food overall could be safer to consume. Another aspect of this plank the conference deemed important was low-cost reproductive health services as well as research into the effects of women's contraception.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Homemakers
All women should be equal to their partners when it comes to owning property. If divorced with children, then the children's needs should come first as well. These topics were reviewed by the convention and ultimately ended up deciding that homemakers should have access to social security because a difficult economic situation would arise from a divorce or death of a spouse. If their significant other passed away and the homemaker did not have social security, they would be left broke.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Insurance
There should be no discrimination between women and insurance, all insurance should be equally provided to women and insurance.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, International Affairs
Women should be allowed to be more involved with international affairs, especially in the UN Commission and the UN Decade, Country Development, Human Rights, Peace and Disarmament, Education


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Media
All jobs in the media should be able to hire women and women should be given the proper training as well. Additionally, more women should have leadership roles in the media jobs. Federal agencies should look into how mass media impacts sex discrimination.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Minority Women
Some people at the convention felt that the needs and concerns of women of color were not accurately discussed or solved. For example, attendee, Jane Hickie commented, "I don't believe that Anglo women had heard directly expressed sorts of frustrations from other women who were Mexican American or Puerto Rican Americans, Latinas, ever before". The conference discussed how all minority women should be respected and treated equally, and the government should give them equal rights to work and education, etc. Another aspect that the conference went over about minorities was how all minority cultures should be accepted into the United States.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Offenders
There should be no discrimination with women in facilities, the health services should be improved, and protection from sexual abuse should be more prominent. Also, children should have special care if their mother is in prison. The mother in prison would not be able to adequately care for her children due to her situation, so an alternate care program would need to be open to the children that this circumstance applied to.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Older Women
All health and social services should be provided to older women so that they can "live with dignity". These services would allow the older population to live comfortably after they retire and not have to worry about running out of money in their old age.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Rape
The government should revise their rape laws to have "graduated penalties depend on the amount of coercion, apply assault by or upon both sexes, include all types of sexual assault". The creation of rape centers to help survivors and provide survivor compensation, would make it more accessible for those that have been hurt by rape to get help. In order to make it financially easier on married women that attempt to file a rape accusation against their spouse, the definition of rape should be broadened to include marital rape. Additionally, the government should provide programs to schools to help prevent rape and try to stop this issue from being as prevalent in future generations.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Reproductive Freedom
The convention argued that women should have reproductive freedom and be able to have private facilities relating to reproductive freedom. Sex-education should be in schools to educate teens to promote STD awareness and hopefully lessen teenage unplanned pregnancies. Also, the convention determined that promoting the backing of Roe v Wade, family planning, and Medicaid payment use for abortion would be in the best interests of everyone.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Rural Women
Rural women should have the same rights as rural men, as well as establish a rural education policy. The convention was centered around eliminating female discrimination in mostly all debates and planks.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Sexual Orientation
The discussion on this plank was centered around how there should be no discrimination on women's sexual orientation. This topic was intensely debated at the conference before it was eventually passed; never before had this topic been talked about at any event of this size.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Statistics
The government should collect data on the basis of sex in the workplace, its impact on jobs, and its effect on women in the workplace so that the information acquired can be studied and improved to help future generations of women.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Welfare
"The Federal and State governments should assume a role in focusing on welfare and poverty as major women's issues" "Improve social security and retirement systems, raise minimum wage, provide child care and focus on welfare and poverty as major women's issues".


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Continuing Committee of the Conference
Required an establishment of a Committee to assemble a second conference so the progression towards female equality could continue to grow.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Education reform
Although the Equal Rights Amendment was a significant stride towards demanding the reforms called for in the National Plan of Action, the states ultimately failed to ratify it, and therefore it did not pass into law. Even so, its momentum produced significant ripple effects on the many facets of society that the National Plan of Action sought to change. One such facet is education. Mostly attributed to the outspoken efforts of Betty Friedan, reforms in education policy and enforcement became notably prominent.


1977 National Women's Conference, Outcomes, Education reform
Other prominent organizers for education reform from women present at the conference were:


1977 National Women's Conference, Organizing around identities
Concerning the aforementioned rights of disabled, minority, and aging women, the National Plan of Action included separate planks devoted specifically to several such groups of women based on identity. These separate planks were intended to create a space in which women who fit distinctions such as 'Minority Women,' 'Rural Women,' and 'Older Women' could address concerns uniquely related to these identities.


1977 National Women's Conference, Organizing around identities
Hundreds of women sought to have their voices heard and to be included in the document. Maxine Waters, a black woman, worked ceaselessly to pass the 'Minority Women' resolution. Waters described the moment of its passing: "Everyone joined in singing 'We Shall Overcome' and women were crying and hugging each other. It was an especially big moment for me because I led off the reading of the resolution we had spent three days and nights drafting."


1977 National Women's Conference, Organizing around identities
Waters also explained the importance of including minority women's perspectives in all of the planks, ensuring that they did not simply become isolated within the 'Minority Women' section. She wrote: "There is a black perspective in all the feminist issues in the National Plan. Battered women, for example. There's a special black perspective because of the frustration of men in the black community. Black women have been able to get jobs when black men could not, and are often hired under affirmative action plans because they meet two criteria: 1) as women, and 2) as blacks. The frustration of the men in seeking employment added to other sexist socialization, often leads to wife-beating. When I was growing up, I often saw women beaten in the streets."


1977 National Women's Conference, Organizing around identities
The diverse nature of the women who attended the Conference contributed to many debates between individuals and between various groups of women. Women had to organize and debate across identity in order to reach solutions. In Sisters of '77, Jane Hickie commented: "I don't believe that Anglo women had heard directly  ... those sorts of frustrations from other women who were Mexican American or Puerto Rican American [or] Latinas ever before." Of significant importance to Latina attendees were the discussions revolving around deportations of mothers of American-born children and rights for migrant farm workers.


1977 National Women's Conference, Organizing around identities
Vera Brown Starr, a member of the Yavapai-Apache Nation and Lorraine White, a Quechan-Pueblo woman of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, were especially gratified that the resolution against discrimination included language regarding removal of Native American children from their homes and tribes. Women from Asian-American communities brought up issues regarding sweatshop labor practices and discriminatory practices towards wives of U. S. servicemen.


1977 National Women's Conference, Organizing around identities
The Conference thus helped many women achieve a broader intersectional lens through which to view women's issues. Maxine Waters elaborated on her experience with this: "I try to explain to white women the reasons why black women can't support some of the feminist issues. For example, in California, we have a midwifery bill. Midwives were very common in the history of the black community. Because they were too poor to go to the hospital, black women's babies were delivered at home by midwives.


1977 National Women's Conference, Organizing around identities
The new mothers suffered torn tissues  ... the scar tissue is still there  ... Black women just don't understand white women who say they don't want to go to sterile hospitals to deliver their babies." These differences emphasized the importance of injecting multiple perspectives into every plank. As stated in the beginning of the 'Minority Women' plank: "Every recommendation of this National Plan of Action shall be understood as applying equally and fully to minority women."


1977 National Women's Conference, Organizing around identities
Kimberle Crenshaw explains the necessity of intersectional approaches to address women's issues: "Where systems of race, gender, and class domination converge, as they do in the experiences of battered women of color, intervention strategies based solely on the experiences of women who do not share the same class or race backgrounds will be of limited help to women who because of race and class face different obstacles."


1977 National Women's Conference, First Ladies at the conference
The conference was attended by former First Ladies Lady Bird Johnson and Betty Ford, as well as Rosalynn Carter, wife of then-president Jimmy Carter. These women were not the only political figures in attendance, but their position as direct connections to the president made their presence significant.


1977 National Women's Conference, First Ladies at the conference
After President Lyndon B. Johnson entered office, his wife Lady Bird began to focus on social issues of the time rather than social status or being the ideal American housewife. Johnson was a key component in her husband's political career, serving as an adviser and working to present herself in the best way possible. While in the White House, Johnson sought to link her political influence with the traditional roles and responsibilities of the position of First Lady. During President Johnson's second inauguration, she became the first wife to hold the Bible while her husband was sworn in. During her term as First Lady, she focused on beautification of natural areas which stemmed from a lifelong love of nature.


1977 National Women's Conference, First Ladies at the conference
Betty Ford took the office of First Lady in 1974 following the resignation of President Richard Nixon, and would spend the rest of her term pushing for greater rights for women. She was an advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment and campaigned for it whenever her schedule allowed. It was during the Ford administration that the idea for a women's conference began to surface, and many believe that Betty Ford was largely responsible for this. She was the main voice leading her fellow First Ladies to attend the conference, and would continue to use her political power to advocate for women's rights after the conference.


1977 National Women's Conference, First Ladies at the conference
Rosalynn Carter, who was First Lady when the conference took place, was a strong proponent of feminism and the Equal Rights Amendment. She was the first First Lady to use the office in the East Wing, and was a known advocate for several social issues such as mental health and services for senior citizens. She attended the conference with Johnson and Ford, stating that Ford was the major force in bringing them all together. The First Ladies all delivered speeches during the opening ceremony and accepted the torch when it arrived onstage.


1977 National Women's Conference, Catholic women at the conference
Bette Hillemeier attended the conference as the at-large delegate from Minnesota. She was from Olivia, Minnesota and called herself a “Christian feminist.” She was an example of the intersection and controversy between traditional Catholic values and the women's liberation movement. She was the President of the National Council of Catholic Women in 1978 & 1979. This organization represented 10-14 million Catholic women and advocated for “pro-family” ideals. Hillemeier was“personally opposed the ERA.” She wanted “equality,...


1977 National Women's Conference, Catholic women at the conference
but [thought] existing laws would take care of equal rights if they were enforced.”  When she was elected president of the NCCW the organization did not support the ERA while many nuns were in support of ratification. This differing of opinion created tensions within the group. Many nuns supported the ERA as it improved chances for ordination of women as deacons and priests.


1977 National Women's Conference, Controversial issues, Reproductive freedom
The 21st plank of the National Action Plan was titled "Reproductive Freedom." In this plank, the women of the National Women's Conference stated their full support of women's reproductive freedom and encouraged all levels of government to comply with the Supreme Court's decisions to guarantee it, such as Roe v. Wade. The plank also included the support of abortion and pregnancy-related care being available to all women as well as encouraging organizations to hold the government responsible for maintaining these principles. The delegates also called for the requirement of consent for all sterilization procedures, concomitant to Department of Health, Education and Welfare's April 1974 regulations. Repeatedly holding all levels of government responsible, they insisted on developing sex education programs and programs for teenage parents in all schools.


1977 National Women's Conference, Controversial issues, Reproductive freedom
Delegates' articulation of women's reproductive freedom encompassed a variety of reproductive rights and family planning issues confronting women around the time of the conference in 1977. The goal of the Reproductive Freedom plank was to ensure that every woman had the fundamental right to access the available means to control her reproduction. Before the legalization of abortion, women, and often disproportionately poor women and women of color, were not able to obtain safe abortions and often resorted to self-procedures. These illegal abortion procedures frequently resulted in complications and sometimes death. In 1972, an estimated 88 abortion-related deaths were reported and about 63 were associated with illegal abortions.


1977 National Women's Conference, Controversial issues, Reproductive freedom
One of the landmark decisions that affected the reproductive freedom movement was Roe v. Wade, in which the Supreme Court held that the constitutional right to privacy includes a women's right to terminate her pregnancy and affirmed the right for a woman to choose abortion. Between the Supreme Court decision in 1973 and the National Women's Conference in 1977, the number of safe and legal abortions steadily increased from 744,600 to 1,270,000; however, in 1977 approximately 560,000 women were not able to obtain the abortion services they needed. Women still faced many obstacles in obtaining abortion services. In 1976, approximately 458,000 women who were able to obtain services had to travel outside of their counties to do so, and 118,000 had to travel to different states.


1977 National Women's Conference, Controversial issues, Reproductive freedom
Though one of the goals of the plank was to ensure the availability of safe and legal abortions, it encompassed a wide variety of concepts that the delegates also recognized as necessary for reproductive freedom. The plank also emphasized the opposition to involuntary sterilization and upheld that spousal consent should not be a requirement for sterilization procedures. Sterilization abuse was an issue that gained attention in the 1970s and activists called on the women's movement to incorporate the concept into their fight.


1977 National Women's Conference, Controversial issues, Reproductive freedom
The 21st plank also presented the need for confidential family-planning services and sex education programs in schools. The plank read "Federal, State, and local governing bodies should take whatever steps necessary to remove existing barriers to family planning services for all teenagers who request them."


1977 National Women's Conference, Controversial issues, Reproductive freedom
Ultimately, the delegates called for the freedom of all women and girls to be able to be informed about and control their own reproduction.


1977 National Women's Conference, Controversial issues, Reproductive freedom
Today, challenges surrounding reproductive freedom are still being addressed, and women are still fighting to obtain the reproductive freedom they called for in 1977. Many of these challenges have centered around abortion debates involving the healthcare provider Planned Parenthood. The debates have become a focal point of the political and legal sphere, with members of Congress deliberating on government funding allocated to the organization. Supporters of reproductive freedom and Planned Parenthood argue that defunding the organization, which provides a variety of healthcare services to women, men, and young people including safe and legal abortions, would detrimentally affect preventative and reproductive care.


1977 National Women's Conference, Controversial issues, Liberal feminist analysis of "Plank 8"
All of the demands from Plank 8 can be analyzed through a liberal feminist approach. Feminist concerns with education focused on reallocation of government funds. The delegates of the conference decided that the ways in which money was being dispensed into education opportunities for women in academia was not enough. This sentiment is echoed in Adrienne Rich's Claiming an Education, where she writes,


1977 National Women's Conference, Controversial issues, Liberal feminist analysis of "Plank 8"
One of the devastating weaknesses of university learning, of the store of knowledge and opinion that has been handed down through academic training, has been its almost total erasure of women's experience and thought from the curriculum, and its exclusion of women as members of the academic community.


1977 National Women's Conference, Controversial issues, Liberal feminist analysis of "Plank 8"
Liberal feminist theory grounds itself on the firm belief in education. Donovan says that education is an imperative tool that must be available to women so that they can impact society, without access to it, the patriarchy continues to makes women "civilly dead". In asking for educational opportunities to be expanded to women, the attendees of the 1977 conference were in agreement with Wollstonecraft's thought. Wollstonecraft asserted that only through proper education would women be able to free themselves from patriarchal oppression. The delegates of 1977 were asserting the rights they felt were guaranteed to them as citizens of the United States.


1977 Nations motorcycle Grand Prix
The 1977 Nations motorcycle Grand Prix was the fourth round of the 1977 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on 15 May 1977 at the Autodromo Dino Ferrari.


1977 Nauruan parliamentary election
Early parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 12 November 1977, after Parliament had been dissolved by President Bernard Dowiyogo due to a sustained campaign against the government led by former President Hammer DeRoburt, who had been voted out of office the previous year. Particular controversy had been caused by the Supply Act passed in June, and Dowiyogo stated that elections would be held to give him a mandate. After Parliament failed to approve the budget, Dowiyogo asked Speaker David Gadaroa to dissolve the legislature.


1977 Nauruan parliamentary election
Nine seats were won by supporters of Dowiyogo (who ran under the Nauru Party banner), eight by those of DeRoburt, and one by a candidate without any affiliation, but who supported the Nauru Party. Following the election, Dowiyogo was re-elected President by Parliament on 15 November.


1977 Nauruan parliamentary election, Aftermath
Following the elections, the newly elected Parliament met on 15 November. Gadaroa was re-elected as Speaker and Leo Keke as Deputy Speaker, both running unopposed.


1977 Nauruan parliamentary election, Aftermath
Dowiyogo and DeRoburt were the two nominees for President, with Dowiyogo winning by nine votes to eight. He subsequently formed a cabinet consisting of Kenas Aroi as Minister of Island Development, Industry and Civil Aviation, Kinza Clodumar as Minister of Finance, Lagumot Harris as Minister of Education and Health and Ruben Kun as Minister of Works. After the new government was formed, DeRoburt refused to follow parliamentary procedure or instructions from the Speaker.


1977 Nauruan parliamentary election, Aftermath
Following a heated budget debate at the start of January, during which Dowiyogo resigned and was re-elected, Clodumar was sacked as Minister of Finance and replaced by Kun. Leo Keke was appointed Minister of Works. However, Dowiyogo resigned again in April 1978 after a bill was defeated in parliament. Lagumot Harris was elected president, but resigned less than a month later when another bill was rejected. Following Harris' resignation, DeRoburt was elected.


1977 Nauruan parliamentary election, Aftermath
His cabinet included Buraro Detudamo as Minister of Justice, James Ategan Bop as Minister of Finance, Joseph Detsimea Audoa as Minister for Education and Health and Totouwa Depaune as Minister for Works and Community Services. A cabinet reshuffle in December 1978 saw Harris replace Depaune as Minister for Works and Community Services, Kenas Aroi take over as Minister for Justice, Detudamo become Minister for Finance.


1977 Navy Midshipmen football team
The 1977 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The team was led by fifth-year head coach George Welsh.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
Anderson, Rene #2 (Sr.) DBAndrews, George #96 (Jr.) DEAnthony, Monte #49 (Sr.) IBBarnett, Bill #97 (So.) DTBerns, Richard #35 (Jr.) IBBishop, Keith #53 (Jr.) CBloom, Jeff #50 (So.) CBrown, Kenny #22 (Jr.) WBBruce, Mike #76 (So.) OTBryant, Bill #95 (Jr.) DTBurns, Ed #17 (Sr.) QBCarpenter, Jeff #37 (Sr.) LBCass, Dan #8 (So.) DBClark, Kelvin #73 (Jr.) OTCole, Lawrence #81 (So.) DECooley, Lawrence #67 (Jr.) OGCotton, Barney #54 (Jr.) CCraig, Curtis #33 (Sr.) WBDavis, Tom #52 (Sr.) CDixon, Rod #5 (Jr.) PKDonnell, Dodie #45 (Sr.) FBDufresne, Mark #88 (Sr.) TEDunning, Bruce #40 (So.) LBEngland, Gary #91 (So.) DTEverett, Earl #9 (Sr.) WBFischer, Tim #16 (Jr.) DBFranklin, Andra (So.) FBFrei, Steve #27 (So.) DBGarcia, Randy #18 (Sr.) QBGast, Reg #82 (Sr.) DEGemar, Scott #1 (So.) PKGlenn, Steve #71 (Jr.) OT


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
Goodspeed, Mark #72 (So.) OTHager, Tim #10 (So.) QBHansen, Jeff #48 (Jr.) DBHarvey, Ted #31 (Sr.) DBHavekost, John #69 (So.) OGHedrick, Brian #43 (So.) DTHenson, Zac #79(Sr.) OGKHipp, I.M. #32 (So.) IBHorn, Rod #55 (So.) DTIngram, John #19 (So.) DBJorgensen, Greg #63 (Sr.) OGKeith, Percy #21 (So.) DBKeuten, John #64 (So.) OGKunz, Lee #38 (Jr.) LBLee, Jeff #26 (Jr.) SELee, Oudious #65 (So.) MGLehigh, Pat #6 (Jr.) DBLindquist, Steve #68 (Jr.) OGLockett, Frank #80 (Jr.) SELoken, Rocke #87 (Sr.) SEMarkus, Steve #56 (Sr.) LBMatthies, Tom #77 (So.) OTMcCrady, Tim #24 (So.) WBMcQuitter, Greg #41 (Jr.) DBMeans, Andy #34 (So.) DBMiller, Junior #89 (So.) TEMoritz, Brett #70 (Sr.) OGNelson, Derrie #92 (So.) DEO'Doherty, Dave #78 (So.) OTOhrt, Tom #74 (Jr.) OTPayne, Dennis #13 (Jr.) DBPensick, Dan #93 (So.) DTPillen, Jim #29 (Jr.) DB


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
Poeschl, Randy #75 (Jr.) DTPowers, Dana #28 (So.) DBPullen, Jeff #66 (Sr.) MGQuinn, Jeff #11 (So.) QBRick, Randy #90 (Sr.) DERoehrs, Kelvin #99 (Jr.) MGRuud, John #46 (So.) LBSaalfeld, Kelly #57 (Jr.) CSamuel, Tony #98 (Sr.) DESchleusener, Randy #61 (So.) OGSelko, John #83 (Jr.) TESmith, Kent #23 (Sr.) DBSmith, Tim #84 (So.) SESorley, Tom #12 (Jr.) QBSpaeth, Ken #86 (Sr.) TESteiner, Dan #58 (So.) OGSteward, Keith #44 (Jr.) FBStewart, Byron #30 (Jr.) IBStroh, Mark #85 (So.) DESukup, Dean #3 (So.) PKTodd, Billy #14 (Jr.) PKValasek, Larry #4 (Sr.) DBVering, Tom #47 (Jr.) LBWaldemore, Stan #62 (Sr.) OTWalton, Darrell #7 (Jr.) DBWashington, Mike #36 (So.) FBWeinmaster, Kerry #51 (So.) MGWightman, Jim #59 (Sr.) LBWurth, Tim #25 (So.) IBYoung, Larry #94 (Jr.) DEYoung, Willie #39 (So.) LB


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Washington State
Nebraska convincingly dominated Washington State on the field and statistically, but fumbled repeatedly, including three times inside the Cougar 10-yard line and once on a punt. Despite the miscues, Nebraska still held onto a 7–7 tie at halftime. As the game progressed and Washington State began to pull away, Nebraska kept piling up the statistics but failed to get any closer than 10-14 before the Cougars iced the game with a field goal and a safety in the 4th quarter. The numbers defied the scoreboard, as Nebraska led in first downs 24–14, on the ground 247-120 and in the air 223–174, but the number that mattered was 0–1 to start the season.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Alabama
Alabama came into Lincoln ranked #2 as Nebraska was still feeling the sting of the loss to Washington State and a rare absence from the polls. While the Crimson Tide slightly exceeded the Cornhuskers on offensive production, the 5-1 interception ratio and 25-17 first down edge each helped give Nebraska the edge to pull off the stunning upset.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Baylor
Baylor was behind 10-3 by the end of the 1st quarter, and their only other score was a 3rd-quarter touchdown made possible in part by a lost Nebraska fumble. It was the offensive production that told the story of the day, as Nebraska rolled up 414 yards compared to the 182 produced by Baylor.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Indiana
Nebraska IB I.M. Hipp, starting place of injured IB Rick Berns, set a new single game rushing record of 254 yards, besting the previous record of 211 set the previous year by Berns. Despite that performance, the game actually was in doubt entering the 4th quarter as the Hoosiers trailed 13–17, but the Cornhuskers added two more touchdowns soon after and came away with their 3rd consecutive 31-point score and win to close out the non-conference slate.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas State
Two long touchdown runs by Nebraska IB I.M. Hipp created the gap between Kansas State and Nebraska, but the three interceptions suffered by the Wildcats also hurt any hopes that Kansas State may have had to put up a fight. Though Nebraska started out behind 0–3 in the 1st quarter, they scored the next touchdown and never looked back.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Iowa State
Nebraska struck first and still held the 14–7 lead by the end of the 1st quarter, but two more Iowa State scores before the half put the Cyclones ahead for the rest of the game. Both offenses ground to a halt in the 4th quarter as the Cornhuskers failed to overcome the 21–24 deficit and were handed their second loss of the season.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Colorado
The season of upsets for and against Nebraska continued, as the #7 Colorado team arrived in Lincoln to be dealt its first loss of the season. One of the two Colorado scores came on a 98-yard kickoff return, but after the half it was all Nebraska as the Cornhuskers piled up 390 yards on the ground and 480 in total.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State
Nebraska owned the edge in all facets, leading 74-63 through the air and 318–196 on the ground. Although the Cornhuskers didn't see the scoreboard until the 2nd quarter, they quickly took the lead with help from the Blackshirts, as the Cowboys soon found themselves too far behind to pose any further threat to Nebraska.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Missouri
Once again the Blackshirts helped carry the day to make up for repeated turnovers, along with help from Nebraska PK Billy Todd, who created some breathing room by accounting for 9 of the 11 points that separated the Cornhuskers from the Tigers at the final whistle.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas
Nebraska steamrolled Kansas in Lincoln to close out the home schedule, setting records all over in the process. Cornhusker PK Billy Todd set a new Nebraska record for field goals in a season with his 12th and tied a 55-yard longest Nebraska field goal record set in 1969, while the offense set a new single-game rushing record at 550 yards. The Jayhawks' only score came in the 4th quarter against reserves.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma
Both teams struggled to put points up to start out, but adjustments made by Oklahoma, with help from inopportune turnovers by Nebraska, led to a Sooner halftime lead of 21–7. The Cornhuskers never were able to get consistent production after that and never saw the scoreboard again as Oklahoma had little trouble padding their lead by an additional 17 points to secure their 6th straight win over Nebraska.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, North Carolina
Nebraska survived a scare when they came from behind, lagging North Carolina 7–17 at the start of the 4th quarter, to post two straight touchdowns for the lead and the win. Nebraska was the only team to score more than 14 against the Tar Heels all year, as North Carolina led the nation in scoring defense and had held opponents to an average of under 8 points per game.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, North Carolina
It was backup Nebraska QB Randy Garcia who provided the late spark for the Cornhuskers as he came off the bench and directed the two touchdown drives that put Nebraska ahead with just 3:16 left to play, putting away the game and closing the door on the Tar Heels' bid for an upset.


1977 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Rankings, NFL and Pro Players
The following Nebraska players who participated in the 1977 season later moved on to the next level and joined a professional or semi-pro team as draftees or free agents.


1977 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball)
The 1977 Nemzeti Bajnokság I is the 27th season of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, Hungary's premier Handball league.


1977 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Final list
* M: Matches W: Win D: Drawn L: Lost G+: Goals earned G-: Goals got P: Point


1977 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
The 1977 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno during the 1977 NCAA Division II football season. Nevada competed as an independent. The Wolf Pack were led by second–year head coach Chris Ault and played their home games at Mackay Stadium.


1977 Nevis independence referendum
An unofficial independence referendum was held in Nevis on 18 August 1977. It was organised by the Nevis Reformation Party, and resulted in 99.66% voting in favour. However, the result was declared invalid by the national government.


1977 Nevis independence referendum
The constitution proclaimed at the independence of Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1983 contained Article 113, giving Nevis the right to unilaterally secede if a referendum resulted in a two-thirds majority. A 1998 referendum resulted in 62% voting in favour.


1977 New Caledonian legislative election
Legislative elections were held in New Caledonia on 11 September 1977. Anti -autonomy parties won 19 of the 35 seats.


1977 New Caledonian legislative election, Campaign
A total of 495 candidates contested the elections, representing 19 parties. For the first time, parties were allowed party political broadcasts on radio and television, with time allocated on the basis of seats held in the outgoing Assembly and local government. The campaign was described by Pacific Islands Monthly as "exceptionally savage".


1977 New Caledonian legislative election, Results
Women were elected to the Assembly for the first time, with Marie-Paule Serve and Edwige Antier winning seats. Of the 35 elected members, 22 were new to the Assembly.


1977 New Caledonian legislative election, Results
Anti -autonomy parties (Rally for Caledonia, the Caledonian Liberal Movement, the New Caledonian Union, the Union for Caledonian Renewal, the All Ethnicity Union and the Democratic Union) won 19 seats; pro-independence parties (the Caledonian Union, the Party of Kanak Liberation and the United Front of Kanak Liberation) won 12 seats, with the remaining four held by pro-autonomy parties (the Caledonian Socialist Party and the Melanesian Progressive Union).


1977 New England Patriots season
The 1977 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 8th season in the National Football League and 18th overall. The Patriots ended the season with a record of nine wins and five losses, and finished third in the AFC East Division.


1977 New Hampshire Wildcats football team
The 1977 New Hampshire Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented the University of New Hampshire as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1977 NCAA Division II football season. In its sixth year under head coach Bill Bowes, the team compiled an 8–2 record (3–2 against conference opponents) and finished third out of six teams in the Yankee Conference.


1977 New Hebridean general election
Early general elections were held in the New Hebrides on 29 November 1977 following the dissolution of the Representative Assembly elected in 1975 due to the Vanua'aku Pati blocking its work in order to protest the inclusion of members elected by the Chamber of Commerce.


1977 New Hebridean general election
The Vanua'aku Pati and other pro-independence parties boycotted the elections, meaning no seats were contested. The result was a victory for the francophone Tanunion. Nagriamel emerged as the second-largest party with seven seats.


1977 New Hebridean general election, Background
After the elections were announced, the Vanua'aku Pati issued a list of five demands that if not met, would result in them boycotting the elections. The demands were that voting rights be restricted to the indigenous population, the voting age be reduced to 18, a party winning a majority of seats be able to form a government alone, that the new government should have the powers required for self-government, and that an independence referendum be held by the end of the year.


1977 New Hebridean general election, Results
Of the 38 members elected, 26 were new to the Assembly.


1977 New Hebridean general election, Results
Nagriamel won seven seats and the Natatok Efate party won five. Other parties that won seats included the Movement for the Autonomy of the New Hebrides (MANH), Tanunion (a successor to the UCNH) and the Federation of Independents (FEDIP).


1977 New Hebridean general election, Results
A majority group of 21 representatives was established by Tanunion, Natatok Efate and two independents. FEDIP, the MANH and Nagriamel joined with three independents to form an opposition bloc holding the remaining 17 seats.


1977 New Hebridean general election, Aftermath
On election day the Vanua'aku Pati announced the establishment of a People's Provisional Government, raising its flag at 47 of 50 party locations. It subsequently which took control of large areas of several islands until it was dissolved in May 1978.


1977 New Hebridean general election, Aftermath
When the newly elected Assembly met, Maxime Carlot Korman was elected as its president. George Kalsakau of Natatok Efate was appointed as the first Chief Minister, heading a seven-member Council of Ministers including four members of the Tanunion/Natatko Efate group and two members of the FEDIP/MANH group.


1977 New Hebridean general election, Aftermath
On 15 December 1978 Kalsakau lost a motion of no confidence by thirty votes to six, and was removed as Chief Minister; the following day he was appointed as the Speaker of the Assembly. On 21 December he was succeeded as Chief Minister by Gérard Leymang who formed a unity government including the Vanua'aku Pati. Vanua'aku Pati leader Walter Lini was appointed Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Social Affairs.


1977 New Jersey State Senate election
The 1977 New Jersey State Senate election coincided with Brendan Byrne's re-election to a second term as Governor of New Jersey.


1977 New Jersey State Senate election
The election coincided with Governor Brendan Byrne's re-election over Senator Raymond Bateman. Byrne narrowly survived a primary election which eliminated seven incumbent Democratic Senators. Despite the intra-party division and early polls indicating Byrne was an underdog in the general election, Byrne survived and the Democrats preserved their large majority in the Senate, losing just one seat on aggregate.


1977 New Jersey State Senate election, Summary of results by district, Gaines and losses
One Democratic Senator resigned from the Senate in 1977 after receiving a federal appointment; that seat was picked up by the Republicans:


1977 New Jersey State Senate election, Summary of results by district, Gaines and losses
One incumbent Independent Senator was defeated for re-election, a Democratic pickup:


1977 New Jersey State Senate election, Summary of results by district, Incumbents who lost primaries
Two incumbent Democratic Senators who were denied party support for another term ran in the General Election as Independent candidates and were defeated; Democrats held both of these seats:


1977 New Jersey State Senate election, Summary of results by district, Incumbents who lost primaries
Five incumbent Democratic Senators were defeated in the June primary; Democrats held four of the seats, and Republicans picked up one seat:


1977 New Jersey State Senate election, Leadership
Democrats chose Joseph P. Merlino as the Senate President and Carmen Orechio as Majority Leader; Republicans named Garrett Hagedorn as Minority Leader.


1977 New Jersey gubernatorial election
The 1977 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1977. Incumbent Democrat Brendan Byrne defeated Republican nominee Raymond Bateman with 55.71% of the vote. As of 2021, this is the last time a Democratic governor won reelection in New Jersey, and the last time Hunterdon and Warren Counties were carried by a Democratic gubernatorial candidate.


1977 New Mexico Lobos football team
The 1977 New Mexico Lobos football team was an American football team that represented the University of New Mexico in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. In their fourth season under head coach Bill Mondt, the Lobos compiled a 5–7 record (2–5 against WAC opponents) and were outscored by a total of 319 to 272.


1977 New Mexico Lobos football team
Preston Dennard, Jake Gonzales, Smokey Turman, and Marion Chapman were the team captains. The team's statistical leaders included Noel Mazzone with 1,085 passing yards, Mike Williams with 1,096 rushing yards, Preston Dennard with 341 receiving yards, and Jim Haynes with 43 points scored.


1977 New Mexico State Aggies football team
The 1977 New Mexico State Aggies football team was an American football team that represented New Mexico State University in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. In their fifth year under head coach Jim Bradley, the Aggies compiled a 4–7 record. The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, New Mexico.


1977 New Orleans Saints season
The 1977 New Orleans Saints season was the team's eleventh as a member of the National Football League. They were unable to improve on their previous season's output of 4–10, winning only three games. The most notable part of the season was when they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who won their first game in franchise history after losing their first 26 games. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eleventh consecutive season, while coach Hank Stram was fired following the season. In his two seasons as coach the Saints only won seven games.


1977 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season
The first victory overall for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, did not come until week 13 on the road against the Saints, almost two seasons after their first game against the Houston Oilers in 1976. The Bucs led at halftime by a score of 13–0. Dave Green had two field goals, while Gary Huff threw a touchdown pass to Morris Owens. Upon their arrival to Tampa Bay, the Bucs were greeted by 8,000 fans.


1977 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season
The Saints were 11-point favorites before the game, and fans booed as the Buccaneers scored. "Eleven years I've supported this franchise!" one shouted, adding, "With all this money I've spent on this lousy team I could have bought some land in Colombia and raised pot". Losing to a team with a 0-26 losing streak was so humiliating that safety Tom Myers said, "We've been made the laughingstocks of the business ... I'm too embarrassed to say that I play for the team that got beat by Tampa Bay".


1977 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season
Said head coach Hank Stram, "We're all very ashamed of what happened today. Ashamed for our people, for our fans, the organization, everybody. It is my worst coaching experience". Team owner John Mecom said during the loss that the Saints "is a poorly coached team", and Stram was fired January 28, 1978.


1977 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Week 10 vs. Atlanta Falcons
Before a Regional TV Audience, Atlanta, which had never given up more than 14 points in a game this year, tried to keep it that way with one minute to go - In New Orleans - And Archie Manning was waiting. The Saints quarterback, back in action for the first time in six weeks, read the blitz and beat it with a 18-yard TD Pass, his second scoring strike to tight end Henry Childs. It was Hank Stram's 136th victory as a head coach... and his last.


1977 New Orleans mayoral election
The New Orleans mayoral election of 1977 resulted in the election of Ernest Morial as the first African-American mayor of New Orleans.


1977 New Orleans mayoral election, Background
Elections in Louisiana—with the exception of U.S. presidential elections—follow a variation of the open primary system. Candidates of any and all parties are listed on one ballot; voters need not limit themselves to the candidates of one party. Unless one candidate takes more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a run-off election is then held between the top two candidates, who may in fact be members of the same party. In this election, the first round of voting was held on October 1, 1977, and the runoff was held on November 12.


1977 New Orleans mayoral election, Background
The 1977 municipal elections were the first under Louisiana's open primary law signed by Governor Edwin Edwards two years earlier.


1977 New Orleans mayoral election, Background
Under the New Orleans City Charter adopted by voters in 1954, Incumbent mayor Moon Landrieu was term-limited.


1977 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1977 are appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1977. The awards were announced on 30 December 1976 in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Barbados, Mauritius, Fiji, Grenada, and for Overseas Privy Councillors.


1977 New Year Honours
The recipients of honours are displayed as they were styled before their new honour and arranged by the country (in order of precedence) whose ministers advised the Queen on the appointments, then by honour with grades i.e. Knight/Dame Grand Cross, Knight/Dame Commander etc. and then divisions i.e. Civil, Diplomatic and Military as appropriate.


1977 New Year Honours (New Zealand)
The 1977 New Year Honours in New Zealand were appointments by Elizabeth II on the advice of the New Zealand government to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. The awards celebrated the passing of 1976 and the beginning of 1977, and were announced on 31 December 1976.


1977 New Year Honours (New Zealand)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


1977 New York City Marathon
The 1977 New York City Marathon was the 8th edition of the New York City Marathon and took place in New York City on 23 October.


1977 New York City mayoral election
The New York City mayoral election of 1977 occurred on Tuesday, November 8, 1977.


1977 New York City mayoral election
Incumbent mayor Abraham Beame, a Democrat, was challenged by five other Democrats, including Representative Ed Koch, New York Secretary of State Mario Cuomo, and feminist activist and former Representative Bella Abzug for the Democratic nomination. Koch won the initial vote in the Democratic primary as well as a runoff vote held between him and Cuomo. In the general election, Koch beat Cuomo, who ran on the Liberal Party ticket, and Roy M. Goodman, who ran on the Republican ticket.


1977 New York City mayoral election, Candidates, Democratic
Beame's struggles with the economy and crime, which had led to a decrease in the population of New York City, encouraged several Democrats to challenge him.


1977 New York City mayoral election, Candidates, Democratic
Abzug represented parts of Manhattan and the Bronx in the U.S. House. In 1975, she left her seat to run for the U.S. Senate but was narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary by Daniel Patrick Moynihan.


1977 New York City mayoral election, Candidates, Democratic
Cuomo, a liberal from Queens, had been appointed Secretary of State by Governor Hugh Carey in 1976, after losing the election for lieutenant governor in 1974.


1977 New York City mayoral election, Candidates, Democratic
Ed Koch, a Jewish politician from Greenwich Village, began his career as "just a plain liberal," but shifted rightward, towards being a "liberal with sanity".


1977 New York City mayoral election, Candidates, Democratic
Longtime city political figure Edward N. Costikyan led a significant campaign early in the race, but by mid-May he decided to withdraw and gave his endorsement to Koch.


1977 New York City mayoral election, Candidates, Democratic
Other major candidates running were Rep. Herman Badillo of the Bronx, Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton, and civic watchdog Joel Harnett.


1977 New York City mayoral election, Candidates, Republican
Roy Goodman served in the State Senate. Barry Farber, a conservative radio talk show host, also ran.


1977 New York City mayoral election, Primaries, Liberal party
The Liberal Party convention was held on May 19, 1977. Cuomo defeated Abzug for the nomination.


1977 New York City mayoral election, Primaries, Republican primary
The Republican primary was held on September 8, 1977. Goodman defeated Farber.


1977 New York City mayoral election, Primaries, Democratic primary
Koch ran to the right of the other candidates, on a "law and order" platform. According to historian Jonathan Mahler, the blackout that happened in July of that year, and the subsequent rioting, helped catapult Koch and his message of restoring public safety to front-runner status.


1977 New York City mayoral election, Primaries, Democratic primary, Bailout
In October 1975, with the city on the verge of bankruptcy, Mayor Beame asked the federal government for a bailout. President Gerald Ford refused, leading to the memorable New York Daily News headline: "Ford to City: Drop Dead". As a result, Mayor Beame laid off many police officers and other city employees, which was followed by an increase in crime. (The next month, Ford relented in part, signing the New York City Seasonal Financing Act of 1975, which extended $2.3 billion in federal loans to the city for three years.)


1977 New York City mayoral election, Primaries, Democratic primary, Bailout
A 982-page report from the Securities and Exchange Commission blamed Beame's mismanagement for the city's financial mess, which his opponents seized on as an electoral issue.


1977 New York City mayoral election, Primaries, Democratic primary, Blackout
A major blackout affected New York City from July 13, 1977 to July 14, 1977. The blackout was localized to New York City and the immediate surroundings, and resulted in citywide looting.