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. The winner was Miss Minnesota, Dorothy Benham.[2]
Before the finals, Benham and second runner up Carmen McCollum shared victories of the talent and swimsuit preliminary trophies.[1] Deborah Lipford, Miss Delaware, was the first black contestant to make it to the final 10, and only the sixth to win a state level Miss America contest.[2]
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 11 years later in the NBC TV series Matlock.