1976 New England Patriots Season
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1976 New England Patriots Season
The 1976 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 7th season in the National Football League and 17th overall. After a nine-year stretch in which they posted just one non-losing season amid eight losing years, the Patriots turned around their fortunes, going 11–3. It marked their first winning season as an NFL team (their last winning season came in 1966, when the team was still in the AFL). The team had gone just 3–11 the previous season, and was considered a " Cinderella team" in 1976. Coach Chuck Fairbanks was named NFL Coach of the Year, and cornerback Mike Haynes was named NFL Rookie of the Year. The 1976 Patriots rushed for a total of 2,957 yards (averaging five yards per carry) and scored 376 points, both second-best in the league. The 2,957 yards rushing were the fifth-highest total in NFL history at the time. The team's 5.0 yards per carry was the best in the NFL and remains higher than all Super Bowl champions except the 1973 Miami Dolphins whose own run ...
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AFC East
The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in the division: the Buffalo Bills (based in Orchard Park (town), New York, Orchard Park, New York); the Miami Dolphins (based in Miami Gardens, Florida); the New England Patriots (based in Foxborough, Massachusetts); and the New York Jets (based in East Rutherford, New Jersey). All four members of the AFC East were previously members of the Eastern Division of the American Football League (AFL). Both perfect regular seasons in professional football since the adoption of a 14-game schedule 1960 American Football League season, in the inaugural AFL season and 1961 NFL season, by the NFL in 1961 have been achieved by teams in this division – 1972 Miami Dolphins season, the 1972 Dolphins, who completed the only perfect season in professional footba ...
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Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game is played on the second Sunday in February. Prior Super Bowls were played on Sundays in early to mid-January from 1967 to 1978, late January from 1979 to 2003, and the first Sunday of February from 2004 to 2021. Winning teams are awarded the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for the coach who won the first two Super Bowls. Due to the NFL restricting use of its "Super Bowl" trademark, it is frequently referred to as the "big game" or other generic terms by non-sponsoring corporations. The day the game is played is often referred to as "Super Bowl Sunday" or simply "Super Sunday". The game was created as part of a 1966 merger agreement between the NFL and the competing American Football League (AFL) to have their best teams compete for a champi ...
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Jim Valek
James Joseph Valek (January 25, 1928 – September 4, 2005) was an American football player, coach, and executive. He served as the head football coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1967 to 1970, compiling a record of 8–32. Valek also coached the New York Knights, of the Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ..., to a 2–10 record in 1988. Head coaching record College References 1928 births 2005 deaths American football ends Arena Football League coaches Army Black Knights football coaches Dallas Cowboys scouts Illinois Fighting Illini football coaches Illinois Fighting Illini football players New England Patriots coaches New England Patriots executives South Carolina Gamecocks football coaches ...
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Chuck Sullivan
Chuck is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet * Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV producer * Chuck Berry (1926–2017), American rock and roll musician * Chuck Brown (1936–2012), American guitarist and singer * Chuck Close (born 1940), American painter and photographer * Chuck Comeau (born 1979), Canadian drummer * Chuck D (born 1960), stage name of Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, American rapper * Chuck Garric, rock bassist of Alice Cooper * Charlton Heston, "Chuck", (1923–2008), American actor and political activist * Chuck Holmes (entrepreneur) (1945–2000), American entrepreneur and philanthropist, founded Falcon Studios * Chuck Jones (1912–2002), American animator, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films * Chuck Leavell (born 1952), American pianist and keyboardist * Chuck Lorre (born 1952), American television ...
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Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1977 season. The Cowboys defeated the Broncos 27–10 to win their second Super Bowl. The game was played on January 15, 1978, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. This was the first Super Bowl in a domed stadium, and the first time that the game was played in prime time in the Eastern United States. The game pitted Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach against their former quarterback, Craig Morton. Led by Staubach and the Doomsday Defense, Dallas advanced to its fourth Super Bowl after posting a 12–2 record in the regular season and home playoff victories over the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings. The Broncos, led by Morton and the Orange Crush Defense, made their first-ever postseason appearance after a franchise-best 12–2 re ...
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1977–78 NFL Playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 1977 season began on December 24, 1977. The postseason tournament concluded with the Dallas Cowboys defeating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII, 27–10, on January 15, 1978, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This was also the last season that the NFL used an eight-team playoff tournament. Participants Bracket Schedule Due to Christmas falling on a Sunday, the Divisional Round games were held in a span of three days. The AFC playoff games were played on Saturday December 24, while the NFC games were held on Monday, December 26. It also marked the only year since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970 that one conference held both of its divisional playoff games on one day and the other conference held both of its games on the other day. This was done to ensure the teams in each conference championship game had the same amount of rest (eight days for the AFC and six days for the NFC). In every other season since 1970, ...
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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 ...
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Red Miller
Robert "Red" Miller (October 31, 1927 – September 27, 2017) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1977 to 1980. In his first year as Denver's head coach, he led the 1977 Broncos to Super Bowl XII, where they lost to the Dallas Cowboys. Miller was also the head coach of the Denver Gold of the United States Football League (USFL) for one season, in 1983. Early life and career Born and raised in Macomb, Illinois, Miller attended Macomb Public Schools and Western Illinois University, where he was later a star player and coach for the Leathernecks football team. He began his coaching career at high schools in Astoria and Canton, Illinois, and at Carthage College. Assistant coach Miller was an assistant coach with Lou Saban at Western Illinois in the late 1950s before joining Saban with the Boston Patriots of the newly-formed American Football League (AFL) in 1960. He also was an assistant wit ...
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1976 Detroit Lions Season
The 1976 Detroit Lions season was the 47th season in franchise history. After the first four games of the season, Rick Forzano resigned under pressure of owner William Clay Ford, and was replaced by one time Brigham Young University head coach and Lions assistant Tommy Hudspeth. In spite of a stellar season by quarterback Greg Landry, that year's NFL Comeback Player Of The Year, the team was still mired in mediocrity, finishing 6–8. NFL Draft Notes * Detroit were awarded a first-round pick (8th) from Los Angeles as compensation for the Rams signing Lions free agent WR Ron Jessie. During the draft, Detroit traded this 8th pick to Chicago in exchange for the Bears' first- and third-round picks (10th and 68th). * Detroit were awarded a second-round pick (46th) from San Diego as compensation for the Chargers signing Lions free agent C Ed Flanagan. * Detroit traded its fourth-round pick (108th) to Miami in exchange for LB Larry Ball and the Dolphins' fift ...
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Bill Belichick
William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patriots' football operations, effectively making him the team's general manager as well. Widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time, he holds numerous coaching records, including the record of most Super Bowl wins (six) as a head coach, all with the Patriots, along with two more during his time as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, for the record of eight combined total Super Bowl victories as coach and coordinator. Belichick is often referred to as a "student of the game", with a deep knowledge of the intricacies of each player position, as well as a renowned American football historian. Under his tenure with the Patriots, he was a central figure as the head coach as well as the chief executive during the franc ...
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2004 New England Patriots Season
The 2004 season was the New England Patriots' 35th in the National Football League (NFL), their 45th overall and their fifth under head coach Bill Belichick. They finished with their second consecutive 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXIX, their third Super Bowl victory in four years, and their last until 2014. They are, as of 2022, the most recent team to repeat as NFL Champions and only the second to win 3 Super Bowls in a 4-year span (the other being the Dallas Cowboys from the 1992 to 1995 seasons). Following a Super Bowl win in 2003, the Patriots looked to improve their running game in the offseason. They replaced Antowain Smith with longtime but disgruntled Cincinnati Bengals running back Corey Dillon, who was acquired in a trade days before the 2004 NFL Draft; Dillon would rush for a career-high 1,635 yards in 2004. Winning their first six games of the season, the Patriots set the NFL record for consecutive regular season victories (18), which ...
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Ray Hamilton
Ray "Sugar Bear" Hamilton (born January 20, 1951) is a former American football player from 1973 through 1981 for the New England Patriots. He also coached for the Patriots as an assistant defensive line coach in Super Bowl XX. Hamilton got his first shot as a defensive line coach for the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons. Hamilton was an All Big 8 defensive tackle for the Oklahoma Sooners, being named to the first team in 1971 and 1972. Hamilton is best known for an incident in the 1976 NFL playoffs in a first-round game against the Oakland Raiders, when Oakland's Ken Stabler threw an incompletion after Hamilton tipped the ball as he threw. Stabler fell backwards after little or no contact from Hamilton, and the play would have resulted in a fourth down and 18 yards to go. Ben Dreith, the referee, gave the Raiders a first down on a penalty of roughing the passer. Hamilton later was a defensive line coach for nine NFL teams, including the Patriots and Raiders. Before ...
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