| Season: | 1977–78 |
| Chairman: | Ljubo Španjol, Zvonko Poščić |
| Chrtitle: | Chairman |
| League Result: | 5th |
| Cup1 Result: | Winners |
| League Topscorer: | Miodrag Kustudić (17) |
| Season Topscorer: | Miodrag Kustudić (20) |
| Highest Attendance: | 13,000 vs Hajduk Split (16 October 1977 - Yugoslav First League) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 2,000 vs Čelik (9 October 1977 - Yugoslav First League) |
| Average Attendance: | 5,676 |
| Nextseason: | 1978–79 |
The 1977–78 season was the 32nd season in Rijeka’s history and their 16th season in the Yugoslav First League. Their 5th place finish in the 1976–77 season meant it was their fourth successive season playing in the Yugoslav First League.
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Yugoslav First League | 14 August 1977 | 28 May 1978 | Matchday 1 | 5th | ||||||||
| Yugoslav Cup | 7 September 1977 | 24 May 1978 | First round | Winner | ||||||||
| Total | ||||||||||||
See main article: 1977–78 Yugoslav First League.
| Round | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Attendance | Rijeka Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Aug | H | Osijek | 1 – 2 | 10,000 | Durkalić | |
| 2 | 21 Aug | A | Sarajevo | 0 – 0 | 8,000 | ||
| 3 | 28 Aug | H | Olimpija | 1 – 0 | 5,000 | Kustudić | |
| 4 | 31 Aug | A | Zagreb | 1 – 2 | 6,500 | Šaran | |
| 5 | 4 Sep | H | Partizan | 1 – 1 | 10,000 | Desnica | |
| 7 | 18 Sep | H | Radnički Niš | 1 – 0 | 3,000 | Kustudić | |
| 8 | 22 Sep | H | Sloboda | 0 – 0 | 3,000 | ||
| 9 | 25 Sep | A | Velež | 1 – 4 | 3,000 | o.g. | |
| 10 | 9 Oct | H | Čelik | 2 – 1 | 2,000 | Radović, Kustudić | |
| 11 | 12 Oct | A | Budućnost | 1 – 1 | 12,000 | Cukrov | |
| 12 | 16 Oct | H | Hajduk Split | 2 – 0 | 13,000 | Kustudić, Hrstić | |
| 13 | 23 Oct | A | Dinamo Zagreb | 2 – 2 | 15,000 | Desnica, Mijač | |
| 14 | 30 Oct | H | OFK Beograd | 3 – 1 | 4,000 | Radović, Desnica, Kustudić | |
| 15 | 5 Nov | A | Red Star | 0 – 4 | 5,000 | ||
| 16 | 20 Nov | H | Trepča | 3 – 0 | 3,000 | Kustudić (2), Desnica | |
| 17 | 4 Dec | A | Vojvodina | 0 – 0 | 2,000 | ||
| 18 | 11 Dec | A | Osijek | 1 – 1 | 4,000 | Radović | |
| 19 | 5 Mar | H | Sarajevo | 2 – 2 | 9,000 | Kustudić (2) | |
| 20 | 12 Mar | A | Olimpija | 0 – 1 | 5,000 | ||
| 21 | 19 Mar | H | Zagreb | 3 – 3 | 3,500 | Durkalić, Kustudić (2) | |
| 22 | 25 Mar | A | Partizan | 1 – 3 | 15,000 | Radović | |
| 23 | 2 Apr | H | Borac Banja Luka | 2 – 0 | 5,000 | Kustudić (2) | |
| 24 | 9 Apr | A | Radnički Niš | 1 – 0 | 3,000 | Radović | |
| 25 | 12 Apr | A | Sloboda | 0 – 2 | 4,000 | ||
| 26 | 16 Apr | H | Velež | 2 – 0 | 4,000 | Kustudić, Radović | |
| 6 | 19 Apr | A | Borac Banja Luka | 0 – 0 | 6,000 | ||
| 27 | 23 Apr | A | Čelik | 2 – 2 | 7,000 | Radović, Durkalić | |
| 28 | 26 Apr | H | Budućnost | 1 – 1 | 2,500 | Radović | |
| 29 | 30 Apr | A | Hajduk Split | 2 – 2 | 7,000 | Radin, Radović | |
| 30 | 6 May | H | Dinamo Zagreb | 4 – 0 | 4,500 | Durkalić (2), Kustudić (2) | |
| 31 | 11 May | A | OFK Beograd | 2 – 3 | 3,000 | Durkalić, Radović | |
| 32 | 14 May | H | Red Star | 0 – 1 | 10,000 | ||
| 33 | 20 May | A | Trepča | 2 – 1 | 3,000 | Fegic, Radović | |
| 34 | 28 May | H | Vojvodina | 3 – 2 | 5,000 | Radović, Kustudić, Durkalić |
See main article: 1977–78 Yugoslav Cup.
| Round | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Rijeka Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 7 Sep | H | Partizan | 1 – 0 | Kustudić | |
| R2 | 26 Oct | A | Dinamo Vinkovci | 1 – 0 | Radović | |
| QF | 26 Feb | A | Hajduk Split | 1 – 0 | Kustudić (p) | |
| SF | 29 Mar | H | Velež | 3 – 1 | Kustudić, Desnica (p), Ružić | |
| F | 24 May | N | Trepča | 1 – 0 | Radović |
Competitive matches only.
| Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Cup | Total | ||||
| +0 | 0 | +0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| +3 | 0 | +1 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| +0 | 1 | +0 | 0 | 35 | 1 | |
| +0 | 0 | +0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| +0 | 1 | +0 | 0 | 36 | 1 | |
| +0 | 1 | +1 | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| +2 | 0 | +0 | 1 | 33 | 1 | |
| +2 | 17 | +0 | 3 | 32 | 20 | |
| +0 | 0 | +0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| +0 | 12 | +0 | 2 | 35 | 14 | |
| +3 | 4 | +0 | 1 | 36 | 5 | |
| +9 | 7 | +0 | 0 | 37 | 7 | |
| +7 | 0 | +2 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| +3 | 1 | +0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | |
| +3 | 1 | +0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| +3 | 0 | +1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| +6 | 0 | +1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| +5 | 0 | +0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| +8 | 0 | +1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| +0 | 0 | +0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
 | +2 | 0 | +0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| +1 | 0 | +0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| +1 | 0 | +0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| +1 | 1 | +0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |