1977 William & Mary Indians football
ConferenceIndependent
Record7–4
Head coach
CaptainJoe Agee, Keith Fimian
Home stadiumCary Field
1977 NCAA Division I independents football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Notre Dame      11 1 0
No. 5 Penn State      11 1 0
Colgate      10 1 0
North Texas State *      10 1 0
No. 16 San Diego State      10 1 0
Tennessee State      8 1 1
No. 14 Florida State      10 2 0
No. 8 Pittsburgh      9 2 1
East Carolina      8 3 0
Rutgers      8 3 0
Army      7 4 0
Louisville      7 4 1
Boston College      6 5 0
Cincinnati      5 4 2
Georgia Tech      6 5 0
Memphis State      6 5 0
Northwestern State      6 5 0
Syracuse      6 5 0
William & Mary      6 5 0
Southern Miss      6 5 0
Temple      5 5 1
Hawaii      5 6 0
Navy      5 6 0
West Virginia      5 6 0
South Carolina      5 7 0
Utah State      4 7 0
Villanova      4 7 0
Illinois State      3 7 1
Virginia Tech      3 7 1
Miami (FL)      3 8 0
Richmond      3 8 0
Tulane      3 8 0
Air Force      2 8 1
Holy Cross      2 8 0
Northeast Louisiana      2 9 0
  • North Texas State (originally 9–2) awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player.[1]
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1977 William & Mary Indians football team represented the College of William & Mary as an independent during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. Led by Jim Root in his sixth year as head coach, William & Mary finished the season with a record of 6–5.[2]

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 3Norfolk StateW 27–13
September 10at VMIL 13–238,100[3]
September 17at No. 16 PittsburghL 6–28
September 24at LouisvilleW 21–7
October 1Villanova
  • Cary Field
  • Williamsburg, VA
W 28–812,500
October 8vs. Virginia TechL 8–1718,698[4]
October 22at NavyL 17–42
October 29Rutgers
  • Cary Field
  • Williamsburg, VA
L 21–2214,800[5]
November 5at The CitadelW 14–13
November 12vs. East CarolinaW 21–1720,863[6]
November 19Richmond
  • Cary Field
  • Williamsburg, VA (rivalry)
W 29–1314,000[7]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Game summaries

East Carolina / "12th Man Tackle"

On November 12, William & Mary met heavily favored East Carolina in the Oyster Bowl. In the third quarter East Carolina led by three points. With 3:15 left in the third quarter, William & Mary quarterback Tom Rozantz broke loose and ran for the end zone. Jim Johnson, a former head coach for the East Carolina football team, who was described by The Virginian Pilot as "a portly 65-year-old gentleman in a raincoat", ran from the sidelines and threw a block tackle on Rozantz before he could score the winning touchdown. The unusual turn of events silenced the screaming William & Mary fans, and the officials gathered to discuss their course of action. After deliberation, the play was ruled a touchdown and William & Mary went on to win, 21–17.[8][9][10]

References

  1. https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1977-standings.html
  2. "William & Mary Football Record Book" (PDF). William & Mary Athletics. June 1, 2021. p. 27. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  3. "Jones booms 5 field goals, VMI surprises W&M 23–13". Daily Press. September 11, 1977. Retrieved February 2, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Virginia Tech wins 17–8". Daily Press. October 9, 1977. Retrieved December 14, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  5. Richards, Ed (October 30, 1977). "Rutgers' Late Score Scuttles W&M 22-21". Daily Press. Newport News, Va. p. D1 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Rozantz leads W&M's upset of Pirates". The Danville Register. November 13, 1977. Retrieved March 4, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "W&M blasts Richmond". The Danville Register. November 20, 1977. Retrieved October 28, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  8. Coach Jim tackled a lot in life, but one was most memorable, The Virginian Pilot, December 1, 2004, retrieved February 3, 2009.
  9. Pirate Alumni newsletter June 23, 2008, retrieved March 13, 2011.
  10. Richards, Ed (November 13, 1977). "Rozantz, W&M, Find Pearls In Oyster Bowl; Despite '12th Man', Pirates Shocked 21-17". The Daily Press. Retrieved May 25, 2021.


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