For those too young to remember, 1977 was a magical year for Lions fans. The franchise had been in the doldrums. You think we had it bad last year? Try 12 years without achieving a better than :500 record. And with the glory days of the team's first Grey Cup in 1964 but a distant memory, fans had bailed. The club had been mired in debt. Just two years earlier (1975), the team had to sell debentures to stay afloat, with Labatt's brewery also agreeing to provide sponsorship money.
Not much was expected in 1977. A new coach arrived on the scene in Vic Rapp, an authoritarian who promptly got everyone's attention by cutting all-star DE Wayne Smith for arriving late to training camp! At that same camp came former Nebraska stand-out QB Jerry Tagge, a first-round NFL bust (Packers). He had a powerful arm but roots for feet. But he resurrected both his career (passing for 2,787 yards and becoming a runner-up for Most Outstanding Player) and hope for Lions fans after an unexpected 10-6 season, including a thrilling win in the West Semi-Final against Winnipeg. Perhaps it was the way in which the team earned those 10 victories that captured the imagination of its fan base.
Four of those 10 victories came in the final minute (JJ has already led this 2016 club to 4 late victories). And, just like Jennings seems to do by finding The Manny Show at key times, Tagge would calmly march the team down the field and typically find Jim Young in the end-zone or would put them in field goal range, earning the nickname Jerry Tagge and "The Cardiac Kids." While JJ is more athletic and Tagge more cerebral, both were unflappable under pressure.
Like Chris Rainey, we even had a dynamic versatile kick returner that year in "Neon" Leon Bright who would bring fans out of their seats with slick moves and blazing speed. It was a fun year!
DH
