1977 Holy Cross Crusaders football team

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]

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
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

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

Schedule

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

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

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.