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1977 Denver Broncos Season
The 1977 Denver Broncos season (also known as the Broncomania season) was the team's 18th year in professional football and its eighth with the National Football League (NFL). The team had what was then by far its best season at 12–2, finishing first in the AFC West, and making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The Broncos earned home field advantage, and won its first two playoff games (over perennial AFC powerhouses Pittsburgh and Oakland). With the AFC Championship win over the defending Super Bowl champion Raiders on New Year's Day, Denver earned a berth in Super Bowl XII, but fell 27–10 to the NFC champion Dallas Cowboys. Despite the defeat in the Super Bowl, 1977 was a major leap for the Broncos, who had never won more than nine games in a season. Coach Red Miller, in his first season as the Broncos' head coach, was named NFL Coach of the Year. Quarterback Craig Morton, age 34, was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year. The Denver defense was known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AFC West
The American Football Conference – Western Division or AFC West is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division comprises the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers. The division has sent teams to the Super Bowl eighteen times beginning with Super Bowl I when the Chiefs played the Green Bay Packers. As of the 2021 season, the Broncos and Raiders were tied with the most Super Bowl wins within the division with 3 each; The Broncos have appeared in the most Super Bowls in the division with 8 and the Raiders have appeared in 5. The Chiefs are 2–2 in the Super Bowl, while the Chargers lost their lone Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXIX. The Chiefs won the most recent AFC West title in 2022. It was their seventh consecutive AFC West title, moving them into a four-way tie with the Broncos, Raiders and Chargers for the most AFC West titles. History The di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orange Crush Defense
The Orange Crush Defense was the 3–4 defense of the Denver Broncos during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The National Football League (NFL) team adopted the 3–4 defense during the 1976 season, and the nickname "Orange Crush" for the team's defense was popularized early in the 1977 season by sportswriter/broadcaster Woody Paige. It was one of the top defenses of its time with linebackers Randy Gradishar and Tom Jackson, with Gradishar as a potential Pro Football Hall of Fame selection. Other key players were defensive linemen Paul Smith (a three-time Pro Bowl selection), Barney Chavous, Lyle Alzado, and Rubin Carter, linebackers Bob Swenson and Joe Rizzo, and defensive backs Billy Thompson, Louis Wright, Steve Foley, and Bernard Jackson. In early 1977, head coach John Ralston stepped down after his best season and New England offensive line coach Red Miller was brought in to guide an already talented team to their first ever playoff berth. The defense was already sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Punter (football)
A punter (P) in gridiron football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts (kicks) the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a third down in Canadian football. Punters may also occasionally take part in fake punts in those same situations, when they throw or run the football instead of punting. Skills and usage The purpose of the punt is to force the team that is receiving the kick to start as far as possible from the kicking team's end zone. Accordingly, the most effective punts land just outside the receiving team's end zone and land either out of bounds (making it impossible to advance the ball until the next play) or after being kicked exceptionally high (allowing the kicking team time to run down the field and prevent the punt returner from advancing the ball). Punters therefore must be able to kick the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Larry Swider
Lawrence John Swider (February 1, 1955 – August 7, 2021) was an American football punter. He attended DuBois Area High School in DuBois, Pennsylvania, where he was a standout athlete. He played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1979 to 1982. He then played in the United States Football League (USFL) for the Pittsburgh Maulers and the Jacksonville Bulls. Swider died on August 7, 2021, in Fayetteville, Texas Fayetteville is a city in Fayette County, Texas. The population was 246 at the 2020 census. History The town is located in an area that was originally granted to Alex Thompson and George Cumberland. Fayetteville's first immigrant settlers were ..., at age 66. References 1955 births 2021 deaths People from Limestone, Maine American football punters Pittsburgh Panthers football players Detroit Lions players St. Louis Cardinals (football) players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Pittsburgh Maulers players Jacksonville Bulls players Players of Americ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1976 Duke Blue Devils Football Team
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The 1976 Duke Blue Devils football team represented Duke University during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. Schedule References Duke Duke Blue Devils football seasons Duke Blue Devils football The Duke Blue Devils football team represents Duke University in the sport of American football. The Blue Devils compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Coastal Division of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Center (gridiron Football)
Center or Centre (C) is a position in gridiron football. The center is the innermost Lineman (American football), lineman of the offensive line on a football team's Offense (sports), offense. The center is also the player who passes (or "Snap (gridiron football), snaps") the ball between his legs to the quarterback at the start of each Play from scrimmage, play. The importance of centers for a football team has increased, due to the re-emergence of 3–4 defenses. According to Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, "you need to have somebody who can neutralize that nose tackle. If you don't, everything can get screwed up. Your running game won't be effective and you'll also have somebody in your quarterback's face on every play." Roles The center's first role is to pass the football to the quarterback. This exchange is called a snap. Most offensive schemes make adjustments based on how the defensive line and linebackers align themselves in relation to the offensive line, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billy Bryan
William Kirby Bryan (born June 21, 1955) is a former American football player in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 1977 NFL Draft out of Duke University. Bryan holds the second-longest NFL career for Duke graduates, behind only to Sonny Jurgensen. He went on to play for the Broncos from 1977 to 1988 and was All-Pro in 1985. In his career as a member of the Broncos, Bryan played 153 games. Honors and awards * Duke Blue Devils football ** 1976 All-America honors ** Atlantic Coast Conference Jacobs Blocking Trophy * Denver Broncos ** Participated in 4 Super Bowls ** All-Pro in 1985 ** 13 seasons in the National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ... References 1955 births Living pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1976 Michigan Wolverines Football Team
The 1976 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1976 Big Ten Conference football season. In their eighth year under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines finished the season with a 10–2 record, won the Big Ten Conference championship, and played in the 1977 Rose Bowl. The Wolverines outscored their opponents 432 to 95 and ranked first in the country in total offense (448.1 yards per game), scoring offense (38.7 points per game), and scoring defense (7.2 points per game). In the final AP and UPI Polls, Michigan was ranked #3. Highlights of the season included a 51–0 victory over Stanford in which three Michigan running backs rushed for over 100 yards. Michigan's 70–14 victory over Navy was the worst defeat in the history of the Naval Academy's football program. Michigan spent most of the season ranked #1 in the polls, but a 16–14 loss to Purdue in the ninth game of the season dropped the Wolverines out of the top spot. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Running Back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense, rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and Blocking (American football), block. There are usually one or two running backs on the field for a given play, depending on the offensive formation. A running back may be a Halfback (American football), halfback (in certain contexts also referred to as a "tailback" — see #Halfback/tailback, below), a wingback (American football), wingback or a Fullback (American football), fullback. A running back will sometimes be called a "feature back" if he is the team's starting running back. Halfback/tailback The halfback (HB) or tailback (TB) position is responsible for carrying the ball on the majority of running plays, and may frequently be used as a receiver on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rob Lytle
Robert William Lytle (November 12, 1954 – November 20, 2010) was an American football player. Lytle played college football at the University of Michigan from 1973 to 1976. A running back, he broke Michigan's career record with 3,317 rushing yards and was selected as a consensus first-team All-American in 1976. He was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015. Lytle played professionally for the Denver Broncos of National Football League (NFL) from 1977 to 1983. In seven seasons, Lytle compiled 1,451 rushing yards and 562 receiving yards. Early years Born and raised in Fremont, Ohio, where his family had operated a clothing store for several generations, Lytle graduated from its Ross High School in 1973. University of Michigan Lytle enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1973 and played college football as a tailback and fullback for Bo Schembechler's Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1973 to 1976. As a sophomore in 1974, Lytle was th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1976 Boston College Eagles Football Team
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The 1976 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College as an independent during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Joe Yukica, the Eagles compiled a record of 8–3. Boston College opened the year with an upset win over No. 7 Texas, but accumulated three losses to unranked teams and failed to be invited to a bowl game. The team played home games at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Schedule References Boston College Boston College Eagles football seasons Boston College Eagles football Boston College Eagles football The Boston College Eagles football team represents Boston College in the sport of American football. The Eagles compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guard (American And Canadian Football)
In gridiron football, a guard (G), otherwise known as an offensive guard (OG), is a player who lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team on the line of scrimmage used primarily for blocking. Right guards (RG) is the term for the guards on the right of the offensive line, while left guards (LG) are on the left side. Guards are to the right or left of the center. The guard's job is to protect the quarterback from the incoming linemen during pass plays, as well as creating openings (holes) for the running backs to head through. Guards are automatically considered ineligible receivers, so they cannot intentionally touch a forward pass, unless it is to recover a fumble or is first touched by a defender or eligible receiver. Pulling guards Aside from speed blocking, a guard may also "pull"—backing out of his initial position and running behind the other offensive linemen to sprint out in front of a running back to engage a defensive p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
