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1977 Abilene Christian Wildcats football
1977 Abilene Christian Wildcats football
NAIA Division I national champion; LSC co-champion
Champion Bowl, W 24–7 vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State
Conference	Lone Star Conference
Record	11–1–1 (5–1–1 LSC)
Head coach	DeWitt Jones (1st season);
MVP	Ray Nunez, Kelly Kent
Captains	Cleo Montgomery; John Mayes; Ray Nunez; John Usrey; Chuck Sitton;
Home stadium	Shotwell Stadium
	Seasons ← 1976 1978 →

1977 Lone Star Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 2 Abilene Christian +^	5	–	1	–	1	11	–	1	–	1
No. 3 Texas A&I +	5	–	1	–	1	8	–	1	–	1
No. 11 Angelo State	5	–	2	–	0	8	–	2	–	0
No. 15 Southwest Texas State	5	–	2	–	0	5	–	4	–	0
No. 13 East Texas State	4	–	3	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Stephen F. Austin	2	–	5	–	0	2	–	8	–	0
Sam Houston State	1	–	6	–	0	1	–	10	–	0
Howard Payne	0	–	7	–	0	2	–	8	–	0

$ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

The 1977 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented Abilene Christian University (ACU) as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) during the 1977 NAIA Division I football season. In their first season under head coach DeWitt Jones, the Wildcats compiled an 11–1–1 record (5–1–1 against conference opponents) and tied for the LSC championship. They advanced to the NAIA playoff, defeating Wisconsin–Stevens Point (35–7) in the seminfinals and Southwestern Oklahoma State (24–7) in the Champion Bowl to win the 1977 NAIA Division I football national championship.^[1]^[2]

Wide receiver Cleotha Montgomery and tight end Kirby Jones received first-team honors on the 1977 All-Lone Star Conference football team. Quarterback John Mayes and four defensive players were chosen for the second team.^[3] Other key players included Kelly Kent who rushed for over 1,000 yards.

The team played its home games at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene, Texas.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	Northwestern Oklahoma State*	Shotwell Stadium Abilene, TX	W 34–14	7,000	^[4]
September 10	at Northern Colorado*	Greeley, CO	W 24–3		^[5]
September 17	Western New Mexico*	Shotwell Stadium Abilene, TX	W 46–13	7,000	^[6]
September 24	Cameron*	Shotwell Stadium Abilene, TX	W 21–14		^[7]
October 8	at Texas A&I	Javelina Stadium Kingsville, TX	T 25–25
October 15	Angelo State	Shotwell Stadium Abilene, TX	L 14–21
October 22	at East Texas State	Commerce, TX	W 28–13
October 29	Stephen F. Austin	Shotwell Stadium Abilene, TX	W 35–21	7,500
November 5	at Sam Houston State	Pritchett Field Huntsville, TX	W 41–18		^[8]
November 12	Southwest Texas State	Shotwell Stadium Abilene, TX	W 36–30	7,000	^[9]
November 19	at Howard Payne	Brownwood, TX	W 42–24		^[10]
December 3	Wisconsin–Stevens Point*	Shotwell Stadium Abilene, TX (NAIA Division I semifinal)	W 35–7	8,500	^[1]
December 10	vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State*	Kingdome Seattle, WA (Champion Bowl)	W 24–7	12,940	^[2]
*Non-conference game

References

^ ^a ^b Mark McDonald (December 4, 1977). "ACU's Power Too Much for Pointers". Abilene Reporter-News. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Stan Farber (December 11, 1977). "It's Abilene Christian: Texans rule NAIA". The News Tribune. p. F2 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Javelinas dominate LSC team". San Antonio Express. December 1, 1977 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Mark McDonald (September 4, 1977). "ACU Awakening Whips Okies". Abilene Reporter-News. pp. 1C, 4C.
^ "ACU Explodes Late in 2nd Victory". Abilene Reporter-News. September 11, 1977. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
^ Mark McDonald (September 18, 1977). "Tongue Lashing Spurs ACU". Abilene Reporter-News. pp. 1C, 7C – via Newspapers.com.
^ Mark McDonald (September 25, 1977). "No Name Play Works for ACU". Abilene Reporter-News. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Davis leads ACU win". Abilene Reporter-News. November 6, 1977. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Art Lawler (November 13, 1977). "Wildcats Thrill Fans with Late Victory". Abilene Reporter-News. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
^ Mark McDonald (November 20, 1977). "ACU Awakens in Time to Share Title". Abilene Reporter-News. pp. 1C, 3C – via Newspapers.com.