Lionbackers.com

1977
A complete off-season change in the coaching staff brought Edmonton assistant Vic Rapp in as the 10th Head Coach. A revamped lineup included rookies Leon Bright, John Blain, Ken Hinton, and Jerry Tagge, and several newly acquired veterans. The Lions last-minute heroics earned them the label ‘the Cardiac Kids'. Their 10-6 record vaulted them to second place (the first time higher than third since ‘64), and a playoff upset over Winnipeg before losing the final in Edmonton. Bright captured the Schenley Rookie award and Wilson wins the Schenley Outstanding Offensive Lineman award, the first Lion to do so.

Western Football Conference Team GP W L T PF PA Pts
Edmonton Eskimos 16 10 6 0 412 320 20
British Columbia Lions 16 10 6 0 369 326 20
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 16 10 6 0 382 336 20
Saskatchewan Roughriders 16 8 8 0 330 389 16
Calgary Stampeders 16 4 12 0 241 327 8

Eastern Football Conference Team GP W L T PF PA Pts
Montreal Alouettes 16 11 5 0 311 245 22
Ottawa Rough Riders 16 8 8 0 368 344 16
Toronto Argonauts 16 6 10 0 251 266 12
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 16 5 11 0 283 394 10

Semi-Finals - B.C. 33 - Winnipeg 32
Semi-Finals - Ottawa 21 - Toronto 16

Finals - Edmonton 38 - B.C. 1
Finals - Montreal 21 - Ottawa 18

Grey Cup - Montreal 41 - Edmonton 6

one of the most exciting years of all time!!

it really was a helluva a year ..... lots of fantastic finishes

And the beginning of some not so great things too like easing off in a game because you didn't want to be "Running up the score" and other things. He laid a good foundation for the teams of the 80's but there were more than a few that were not broken up to see him go either.

Here are some shots from Empire Stadium that year. Certainly, quarterback Jerry Tagge was instrumental in turning around the club's fortunes. He was the Shenley finalist that year for the Most Outstanding Player.





DH

Good pictures, David. It looks like Jerry Tagge had the privilege of playing with a pair of great receivers in 1977 in the form of Jim Young and Leon Bright while getting a lot of protection from Al Wilson and Layne McDowell. That said, unfortunately Tagge is still one of the lesser known BC Lions QB's.

It also looks like he faced alcohol problems throught his career:
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/63625577.html

And after his football career he had a successful financial career forming financial investment and life insurance firm in Omaha, Nebraska:
http://www.tagge-rutherford.com/new/tag ... 072#Gerald