1977 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The 1977 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 91st staging of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament. The championship began on 8 May 1977 and ended on 25 September 1977.

1977 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Championship details
Dates	8 May – 25 September 1977
Teams	33
All-Ireland Champions
Winning team	Dublin (20th win)
Captain	Tony Hanahoe
Manager	Tony Hanahoe
All-Ireland Finalists
Losing team	Armagh
Captain	Jimmy Smyth
Manager	Gerry O'Neill
Provincial Champions
Munster	Kerry
Leinster	Dublin
Ulster	Armagh
Connacht	Roscommon
Championship statistics
Top Scorer	Jimmy Keaveney (2–27)
Player of the Year	Jimmy Keaveney
← 1976 1978 →

Kilkenny returned to the Leinster Senior Football Championship.

Dublin entered the championship as the defending champions.

On 25 September 1977, Dublin won the championship following a 5–12 to 3–6 defeat of Armagh in the All-Ireland final.^[1] This was their 20th All-Ireland title and their second championship in succession.

Dublin's Jimmy Keaveney was the championship's top scorer with 2–27. Keaveney was also the choice for Texaco Footballer of the Year.

Results

Connacht Senior Football Championship

Quarter-finals

Leitrim v London

15 May 1977 Quarter-final

Leitrim

0–6 – 0–9

London

Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon

Mayo v Roscommon

22 May 1977 Quarter-final	Mayo	0–13 – 0–16	Roscommon	MacHale Park, Castlebar
	C Moynihan 0–6, G Feeney 0–4, T O'Malley 0–1, M Collins 0–1, S Weir 0–1.		D Earley 0–8, M Freyne 0–3, J O'Connor 0–2, P Cox 0–1, M Menton 0–1, T McManus 0–1.	Referee: J Gorman (Sligo)

Semi-finals

Galway v London

12 June 1977 Semi-final	Galway	5–13 – 1–9	London	Dunlo GAA Grounds, Ballinasloe
	J Tobin 2–3, G McManus 1–2, L Sammon 1–1, B Talty 0–4, B Joyce 1–0, TJ Gilmore 0–2, J Duggan 0–1.		E O'Sullivan 1–2, M McGovern 0–2, D Keating 0–2, John O'Mahoney 0–2, F Couzens 0–1, James O'Mahoney 0–1.	Referee: PJ McGrath (Mayo)

Roscommon v Sligo

19 June 1977 Semi-final	Roscommon	2–9 – 1–6	Sligo	Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon
	J O'Connor 1–2, E McManus 1–0, P Cox 0–2, M Freyne 0–2, A McManus 0–2, D Earley 0–1.		J Stenson 1–1, J Kearins 0–2, M Hoey 0–1, M Laffey 0–1, B Murphy 0–1.	Referee: T Moran (Leitrim)

Final

Roscommon v Galway

10 July 1977 Final	Roscommon	1–12 – 2–8	Galway	Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon
	D Earley 0–9, M Freyne 1–2, T McManus 0–1.		B Talty 2–1, G McManus 0–5, TJ Gilmore 0–2.	Attendance: 18,000 Referee: T Moran (Leitrim)

Leinster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary round

Offaly v Wicklow

8 May 1977 Preliminary round	Offaly	0–19 – 0–7	Wicklow	Croke Park, Dublin
	V Henry 0–10, G Carroll 0–2, J Dunne 0–2, E Lowry 0–2, G Hickey 0–1, P Fenning 0–1, J Mooney 0–1.		T Murphy 0–2, M Coffey 0–1, G Grehan 0–1, P O'Toole 0–1, P Quinn 0–1, F Burke 0–1.	Attendance: 1500 Referee: P Kelly (Dublin)

Kildare v Kilkenny

8 May 1977 Preliminary round	Kildare	4–13 – 2–4	Kilkenny	Geraldine Park, Athy
	T Carew 2–2, H Hyland 1–0, P Whyte 1–0, J Geoghegan 0–3, A Whelan 0–2, J Crofton 0–2, B O'Doherty 0–1, C Feeney 0–1, A Meaney 0–1, P Mangan 0–1.		K Mulhall 1–3, M Regan 1–0, G Fennelly 0–1.	Referee: J Denton (Wexford)

Louth v Westmeath

15 May 1977 Preliminary round	Louth	2–9 – 0–12	Westmeath	Páirc Tailteann, Navan
	D Reid 1–4, M McKeown 1–2, A McGrath 0–1, JP O'Kane 0–1, E Sheelin 0–1.		J Gillivan 0–4, T McGuire 0–2, F Scully 0–3, G McNevin 0–1, W Lowry 0–1, A O'Halloran 0–1.	Referee: R Barry (Meath)

Carlow v Longford

22 May 1977 Preliminary round	Carlow	1–9 – 1–9	Longford	O'Connor Park, Tullamore
	W Cullen 1–4, P Cleere 0–2, D Byrne 0–1, T Geoghegan 0–1, J Moore 0–1.		M Greene 1–1, P Mullooly 0–3, B Smith 0–2, P Burke 0–1, S Mulvihill 0–1, J Hanniffy 0–1.	Referee: J Gunning (Offaly)

Carlow v Longford

5 June 1977 Preliminary round replay	Carlow	1–10 – 1–8	Longford	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
	W Cullen 1–3, P Clear 0–3, P Connolly 0–2, D Burke 0–2.		J Farrell 1–2, J Hanniffy 0–3, M Casey 0–2, J Bannon 0–1.	Referee: J Gunning (Offaly)

Quarter-finals

Dublin v Kildare

29 May 1977 Quarter-final	Dublin	1–14 – 2–8	Kildare	Páirc Tailteann, Navan
	J Keaveney 0–6, B Brogan 1–1, T Hanahoe 0–2, D Hickey 0–2, B Doyle 0–2, R Kelleher 0–1.		T Carew 1–3, P Mangan 1–0, M Condon 0–1, J Crofton 0–1, B O'Doherty 0–1, H Hyland 0–1, J Geoghegan 0–1.	Referee: P Collins (Westmeath)

Wexford v Offaly

5 June 1977 Quarter-final	Wexford	4–6 – 2–10	Offaly	Croke Park, Dublin
	M Quigley 2–0, G Howlin 2–0, J Shell 0–2, W French 0–1, P Neville 0–1, M Carty 0–1, B Furlong 0–1.		V Henry 1–8, J Mooney 1–1, W Bryan 0–1.	Referee: H Reilly (Louth)

Laois v Louth

12 June 1977 Quarter-final	Laois	4–15 – 1–16	Louth	Croke Park, Dublin
	W Brennan 2–4, T Prendergast 1–3, B Bohane 1–2, E Whelan 0–2, B Miller 0–2, L Scully 0–2.		D Reid 0–10, A Hoey 1–0, E Marmion 0–2, J McLoughlin 0–1, JP O'Kane 0–1, B Gaughran 0–1, T Lennon 0–1.	Referee: S Aldridge (Kildare)

Meath v Carlow

19 June 1977 Quarter-final	Meath	1–18 – 0–7	Carlow	Croke Park, Dublin
	C Roe 1–4, M Kerrigan 0–5, O O'Brien 0–4, P Cromwell 0–2, C Donnegan 0–1, M Ryan 0–1, D Clare 0–1.		W Cullen 0–3, C Hughes 0–2, P Connelly 0–1, P Cleere 0–1.

Semi-finals

Dublin v Wexford

3 July 1977 Semi-final	Dublin	3–11 – 0–6	Wexford	Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow
	J Dunphy 0–4, W French 0–1, R Neville 0–1.		J Keaveney 0–6, J McCarthy 1–1, T Hanahoe 1–1, B Doyle 1–0, A O'Toole 0–2, R Kelleher 0–1.	Referee: S Aldridge (Kildare)

Meath v Laois

10 July 1977 Semi-final	Meath	3–20 – 1–13	Laois	Croke Park, Dublin
	K Rennicks 1–8, J Gibbons 2–0, O O'Brien 0–6, P Cromwell 0–3, G Farrelly 0–1, G McEntee 0–1, J Cassells 0–1.		W Brennan 0–6, L Scully 1–1, PJ Costello 0–1, C Browne 0–1, B Bohane 0–1, M Fennell 0–1, B Nurney 0–1, T Prendergast 0–1.

Final

Dublin v Meath

31 July 1977 Final	Dublin	1–9 – 0–8	Meath	Croke Park, Dublin
	Jimmy Keaveney 0–6 (0-4f), Anton O'Toole 1–0, Bobby Doyle, John McCarthy, Fran Ryder 0–1 each		Ken Rennicks and Gerry Farrelly (0-2f) 0–2 each, Ollie O'Brien (0-1f), John Gibbons (0-1f), Cormac Rowe, Matt Kerrigan 0–1 each	Attendance: 46,044 Referee: Seamus Aldridge (Kildare)

Munster Senior Football Championship

Quarter-finals

Waterford v Clare

15 May 1977 Quarter-final	Waterford	3–6 – 1–18	Clare	Fraher Field, Dungarvan
	V Kirwan 2–1, K Power 1–0, T Keating 0–2, B Fleming 0–2, T Partridge 0–1.		B McGrath 1–7, S Flanagan 1–3, A Moloney 1–3, P Curtin 0–2, M Keogh 0–1, M Downey 0–1, Martin Greene 0–1.

Limerick v Tipperary

22 May 1977 Quarter-final	Limerick	1–5 – 4–10	Tipperary	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	P Kelly 1–1, G Moloney 0–2, G Brown 0–1, P Quish 0–1.		H Mulhare 2–1, G McGrath 1–4, P Morrissey 1–0, D Ryan 0–3, E Webster 0–1, T McGrath 0–1.	Referee: A Fogarty (Kerry)

Semi-finals

Clare v Cork

12 June 1977 Semi-final	Clare	1–5 – 3–12	Cork	Cusack Park, Ennis
	S Flanagan 1–0, T Curtin 0–2, M Downes 0–1, A Moloney 0–1, B O'Reilly 0–1.		D Long 0–4, D Allen 1–0, J Barry-Murphy 1–0, M Mullins 1–0, S Murphy 0–3, S Coughlan 0–3, D McCarthy 0–1, C O'Rourke 0–1.	Referee: J Landers (Waterford)

Kerry v Tipperary

3 July 1977 Semi-final	Kerry	3–14 – 0–9	Tipperary	Austin Stack Park, Tralee
	B Walsh 2–4, P Spillane 1–0, J Egan 0–3, P Ó Sé 0–3, S Walsh 0–2, J O'Keeffe 0–1, G Power 0–1.		G McGrath 0–5, T McGrath 0–1, H Mulhare 0–1, D Ryan 0–1, S Kearney 0–1.	Referee: F Halbert (Cork)

Final

Kerry v Cork

24 July 1977 Final	Kerry	3–15 – 0–9	Cork	Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney
	Pat Spillane 1–3, Barry Walsh 0–5 (0-2f), Sean Walsh 1–1, John Egan 1–0, Mikey Sheehy 0–3 (0-2f), Jack O'Shea 0–2, Paudie Lynch 0–1		Seamus Coughlan 0-3f, Denis Long (0-1f) and Sean O'Shea 0–2 each, Dinny Allen and Jimmy Barry-Murphy 0–1 each	Attendance: 46,087 Referee: Brendan Cross (Limerick)

Ulster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary round

Donegal v Derry

29 May 1977 Preliminary round	Donegal	0–12 – 1–12	Derry	MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey
	M Carney 0–7, H McClafferty 0–2, D Doherty 0–1, S Harput 0–1, C Keeney 0–1.		S Lagan 1–5, T McGuinness 0–2, B Kelly 0–2, M Lynch 0–1, M Moran 0–1, G O'Loughlin 0–1.	Referee: L McGovern (Fermanagh)

Quarter-finals

Monaghan v Antrim

29 May 1977 Quarter-final	Monaghan	0–10 – 0–6	Antrim	St. Mary's Park, Castleblayney
	D Mulligan 0–2, C Caddaher 0–1, K Treanor 0–1, DJ Finlay 0–1, E Hughes 0–1, B Brady 0–1, G McMeel 0–1, G Brannigan 0–1, M Quinn 0–1.		G O'Kane 0–2, G McCann 0–1, Darragh 0–1, J McKiernan 0–1, M Donaghy 0–1.	Referee: G McCabe (County Tyrone)

Armagh v Cavan

5 June 1977 Quarter-final	Armagh	2–14 – 1–12	Cavan	Athletic Grounds, Armagh
	C McKinstry 1–1, P Moriarty 1–0, F Toman 0–3, E O'Neill 0–3, N Marley 0–2, L Kearins 0–2, J Smyth 0–2, K Rafferty 0–1.		S Duggan 1–5, J Cusack 0–3, K O'Keeffe 0–2, O Brady 0–2.	Referee: M Devlin (County Tyrone)

Down v Fermanagh

12 June 1977 Quarter-final	Down	3–9 – 0–7	Fermanagh	Páirc Esler, Newry
	B Gardiner 1–1, J McParland 1–1, P Rooney 1–0, V McGovern 0–3, M Slevin 0–3, C McAlarney 0–1.		I McManus 0–4, G Lynch 0–1, V Connolly 0–1, C Corrigan 0–1.	Referee: S Murray (Monaghan)

Derry v Tyrone

19 June 1977 Quarter-final	Derry	3–10 – 1–11	Tyrone	The Playing Fields, Lurgan
	B Kelly 2–5, E Laverty 1–0, T McGuinness 0–2, G McElhinney 0–1, A Dallas 0–1, M Lynch 0–1.		E McKenna 0–6, B Donnelly 1–1, T Donnelly 0–2, G Taggart 0–1, K McCabe 0–1.	Referee: H Duggan (Armagh)

Semi-finals

Armagh v Monaghan

26 June 1977 Semi-final	Armagh	2–12 – 3–5	Monaghan	O'Neill Park, Dungannon
	E O'Neill 1–1, P Trainor 1–1, P Loughran 0–3, F Tornan 0–3, J Smyth 0–2, S Daly 0–1, J Kernan 0–1.		E Tavey 1–0, G Fitzpatrick 1–1, K Treanor 1–0, K Finlay 0–1, E Hughes 0–1, R Brady 0–1, G Brannigan 0–1.	Referee: H McPolin (Antrim)

Down v Derry

3 July 1977 Semi-final	Down	0–8 – 0–10	Derry	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	V McGovern 0–4, W Walsh 0–3, C McAlarney 0–1.		B Kelly 0–4, G O'Loughlin 0–3, M Lynch 0–2, T McGuinness 0–1.	Referee: P Greene (Antrim)

Final

Armagh v Derry

24 July 1977 Final	Armagh	3–10 – 1–5	Derry	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	N Marley 1–2, P Moriarty 1–1, L Kearins 1–0, P Trainor 0–2, J Smyth 0–2, P Loughran 0–1, J Donnelly 0–1, C McKinstry 0–1.		G Keane 1–1, G McElhinney 0–1, C Faulkner 0–1, E Laverty 0–1, M Lynch 0–1.	Attendance: 25,000 Referee: S Murray (Monaghan)

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Semi-finals

Armagh v Roscommon

14 August 1977 Semi-final	Armagh	3–9 – 2–12	Roscommon	Croke Park, Dublin
	J Smyth 1–4, P Moriarty 1–1, P Trainor 1–0, P Loughran 0–3, J Kernan 0–1.		D Earley 1–5, E McManus 1–1, P Cox 0–2, M Menton 0–1, J O'Gara 0–1, A McManus 0–1, M Freyne 0–1.	Attendance: 32,601 Referee: P Collins (Westmeath)

Dublin v Kerry

21 August 1977 Semi-final	Dublin	3–12 – 1–13	Kerry	Croke Park, Dublin
	D Hickey 1–1, J McCarthy 1–0, B Brogan 1–0, J Keaveney 0–3, A O'Toole 0–4, T Hanahoe 0–3, B Doyle 0–1.		M Sheehy 0–7, S Walsh 1–2, J Egan 0–2, J O'Keeffe 0–1, P Lynch 0–1.	Attendance: 54,974 Referee: S Murray (Monaghan)

Armagh v Roscommon

28 August 1977 Semi-final replay	Armagh	0–15 – 0–14	Roscommon	Croke Park, Dublin
	J Smyth 0–5, P Loughran 0–5, S Devlin 0–2, P Trainor 0–2, L Kerins 0–1.		D Earley 0–7, A McManus 0–3, E McManus 0–2, P Cox 0–1, M Finneran 0–1.	Attendance: 43,322 Referee: P Collins (Westmeath)

Final

Dublin v Armagh

25 September 1977 Final	Dublin	5–12 – 3–6	Armagh	Croke Park, Dublin
	J Keaveney 2–6, B Doyle 2–2, J McCarthy 1–2, D Hickey 0–1, A O'Toole 0–1.		J Kernan 2–1, P Moriarty 1–0, P Loughran 0–2, J Smyth 0–1, S Devlin 0–1, P Trainor 0–1.	Attendance: 66,542 Referee: John Moloney (Tipperary)

Main article: 1977 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final

Championship statistics

Top scorers

Overall

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Jimmy Keaveney	Dublin	2–27	33	5	6.60
	Dermot Earley	Roscommon	1–30	33	5	6.60
3	Vincent Henry	Offaly	1–18	21	2	10.50
4	Jimmy Smyth	Armagh	1–16	19	6	3.16
5	Brendan Kelly	Derry	2–11	17	4	4.25
	Damien Reid	Louth	1–14	17	2	8.50
7	Willie Brennan	Laois	2–10	16	2	8.00
	Willie Cullen	Carlow	2–10	16	3	5.33
9	Barry Walsh	Kerry	2–9	15	3	5.00
10	Tommy Carew	Kildare	3–5	14	2	7.00

Single game

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Jimmy Keaveney	Dublin	2–6	12	Armagh
2	Brendan Kelly	Derry	2–5	11	Tyrone
	Vincent Henry	Offaly	1–8	11	Wexford
	Ken Rennicks	Meath	1–8	11	Laois
5	Willie Brennan	Laois	2–4	10	Louth
	Barry Walsh	Kerry	2–4	10	Tipperary
	B. McGrath	Clare	1–7	10	Waterford
	Vincent Henry	Offaly	0–10	10	Wicklow
	Damien Reid	Louth	0–10	10	Laois
10	John Tobin	Galway	2–3	9	London
	Dermot Earley	Roscommon	0–9	9	Galway

Miscellaneous

• After 2 years in the Connacht championship London record against Leitrim was their first ever championship win.
• Armagh qualify for the Ulster final for the first time since 1961. Their defeat of Derry in that game secures their first provincial title since 1953.
• The All-Ireland semi-final draw between Armagh and Roscommon was the first at that stage of the competition since 1969 when Cavan and Offaly drew.
• The attendance of 54,974 at the All-Ireland semi-final between Dublin and Kerry was the largest at an All-Ireland semi-final since 1962 when 60,396 watched the same teams in action.
• Jimmy Keaveney of Dublin set a new scoring record in an All-Ireland final when he scores 2–6 for Dublin against Armagh.