Miss America 1977

Miss America 1977, the 50th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 11, 1976 on NBC Network.

Pageant winner Dorothy Benham became a singer, appearing often on the Crystal Cathedral religious-themed program Hour of Power.

Among the other contestants in 1977 was Miss Florida, actress Nancy Stafford, who would co-star with Andy Griffith in the TV series Matlock, and actress Karen Kopins, who was Miss Connecticut. Another was Patsy Paugh, entered as Miss West Virginia, who was the mother of ill-fated Jon Benet Ramsey.