1977 Holy Cross Crusaders football team

American college football season

1977 Holy Cross Crusaders football

Conference| Independent
Record| 2–9
Head coach|

* Neil Wheelwright (2nd season)

Captains|

* Craig Cerretani
* Steve Hunt

Home stadium| Fitton Field

Seasons

<- 1976

1978 ->

1977 NCAA Division I independents football records

* v
* t
* e

| Conf. |  |  | Overall

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|
|
|

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

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

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1977 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross as an independent during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. Head coach Neil Wheelwright returned for his second year. The team compiled a record of 5–6.[2]

All home games were played at Fitton Field on the Holy Cross campus in Worcester, Massachusetts.

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Opponent| Site| Result| Attendance| Source

|
|
|
|
|

September 10 | at New Hampshire |

* Cowell Stadium
* Durham, NH

| L 14–27|  11,800 |  [3]
September 17 | at Rhode Island |

* Meade Stadium
* Kingston, RI

| L 0–14|  5,742 |  [4]
September 24 | at Dartmouth |

* Memorial Field
* Hanover, NH

| L 14–17|  7,900 |  [5]
October 8 |  Colgate |

* Fitton Field
* Worcester, MA

| L 14–31|  10,132 |  [6]
October 15 |  Boston University |

* Fitton Field
* Worcester, MA

| L 13–14|  6,110 |  [7]
October 22 |  Brown^ |

* Fitton Field
* Worcester, MA

| L 13–44|  14,000 |  [8]
October 29 | at Army |

* Michie Stadium
* West Point, NY

| L 7–48|  41,376 |  [9]
November 5 | at UMass |

* Alumni Stadium
* Hadley, MA

| L 6–28|  8,100 |  [10]
November 12 |  Villanova |

* Fitton Field
* Worcester, MA

| L 0–24|  7,651 |  [11]
November 19 | at Connecticut |

* Memorial Stadium
* Storrs, CT

| W 14–3|  5,246 |  [12]
November 26 |  Boston College |

* Fitton Field
* Worcester, MA (rivalry)

| W 35–20|  12,006 |  [13]

* Homecoming
* ^ Family Weekend

## Statistical leaders

[edit]

Statistical leaders for the 1977 Crusaders included:[14]

* Rushing: Crocky Nangle, 603 yards and 4 touchdowns on 148 attempts
* Passing: Peter Colombo, 508 yards, 38 completions and 2 touchdowns on 77 attempts
* Receiving: Pat Kelly, 357 yards on 26 receptions
* Scoring: Crocky Nangle, 26 points from 4 touchdowns and 1 two-point conversion
* Total offense: Peter Colombo, 610 yards (508 passing, 102 rushing)
* All-purpose yards: Larry Ewald, 923 yards (435 returning, 408 rushing, 80 receiving)
* Interceptions: Herb Mihalik, 6 interceptions for 24 yards

## References

[edit]

1. ^ https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1977-standings.html
2. ^ "2019 Holy Cross Football Fact Book" (PDF). Worcester, Mass.: College of the Holy Cross. p. 123. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
3. ^ Morganti, Al (September 11, 1977). "UNH Prevails as Crusade Fails, 27-14". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 95 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ "URI Stuns HC, 14-0, Via Air". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. September 18, 1977. p. 90 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ Morganti, Al (September 25, 1977). "Lowery Kicks Dartmouth Past HC". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 71 - via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ Mumpton, Roy (October 9, 1977). "Colgate Untracks, Snuffs Holy Cross Threat, 31-14". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 79 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ Morganti, Al (October 16, 1977). "BU Takes Breaks, 14-13". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 53 - via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Boston University 14, Holy Cross 13". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Fla. October 16, 1977. p. 6C.
8. ^ Roberts, Ernie (October 23, 1977). "Brown Sophomore Script Scrambles HC, 44-13". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 73 - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ Mumpton, Roy (October 30, 1977). "Army Marches over HC, 48-7". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 72 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ Eisenberg, Harry (November 6, 1977). "UMass Toils, HC Tumbles; Defense Key, 28-6". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 70 - via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ Mumpton, Roy (November 13, 1977). "Villanova Hands HC 9th Loss". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 80 - via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ Anderson, Woody (November 20, 1977). "Crusaders Beat Punchless Huskies, 14-3". The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. p. 1C - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ McGowen, Deane (November 27, 1977). "Holy Cross Stuns B.C., 35-20; Lehigh Tops UMass". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S8.
14. ^ "2019 Holy Cross Football Fact Book" (PDF). Worcester, Mass.: College of the Holy Cross. pp. 68–73. Retrieved June 15, 2020.

* v
* t
* e

Holy Cross Crusaders football

Venues|

* Worcester College Grounds (1896–1902)
* Worcester Oval (1897–1902)
* Fitton Field (1903–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* 1946 Orange Bowl
* Boston College
* Fordham: Ram–Crusader Cup
* Sacred Cod Trophy

Culture & lore|

* The Crusader
* "Chu! Chu! Rah! Rah!"
* Holy Cross Goodtime Marching Band
* 2021 Patriot League Football Championship Game

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1891
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*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf.]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[No.]: Number