1979 New Orleans Saints season
1979 New Orleans Saints season | |
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Head coach | Dick Nolan |
Home field | Louisiana Superdome |
Results | |
Record | 8–8 |
Division place | 2nd NFC West |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | 5
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![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/New_Orleans_Saints_%281967_-_1999%29.png/112px-New_Orleans_Saints_%281967_-_1999%29.png)
The 1979 New Orleans Saints season was the team's thirteenth season in the National Football League. The Saints finished the season at 8–8, the franchise's first non-losing season. After starting 0–3, New Orleans won seven of its next 10 and was tied for first place with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West with three weeks to play, but the season unraveled in a Monday Night Football contest at home vs. the Oakland Raiders, when the Saints squandered a 35–14 lead and lost, 42–35. The Raiders returned to the Superdome a little over a year later and won Super Bowl XV.
The Saints were eliminated from playoff contention in week 15 when they were blown out 35–0 at home by the San Diego Chargers, but defeated the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams in the regular season finale in what was the Rams' last game in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until 2016. While the Rams went on to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XIV, the Saints ended their season with a record of 8-8, the first time in the history of the franchise that the team finished with a non-losing record. Not counting the 1976 expansion Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans was one of three franchises which failed to make the playoffs in the 1970s, joined by the Giants and the Jets (the other 1976 expansion team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, won the NFC Central Division in 1979).
Following the season, running back Chuck Muncie was named Most Valuable Player of the ensuing Pro Bowl.
Offseason
[edit]NFL draft
[edit]1979 New Orleans Saints draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 | Russell Erxleben | Punter | Texas | |
2 | 38 | Reggie Mathis | Linebacker | Oklahoma | |
4 | 93 | Jim Kovach | Linebacker | Kentucky | |
5 | 120 | Harlan Huckleby | Linebacker | Michigan | |
6 | 146 | Ricky Ray | Cornerback | Norfolk State | |
7 | 176 | Stan Sytsma | Linebacker | Minnesota | |
8 | 202 | Doug Panfil | Guard | Tulsa | |
11 | 285 | David Hall | Wide receiver | Missouri-Rolla | |
12 | 311 | Kelsey Finch | Running back | Tennessee | |
Made roster |
Personnel
[edit]Staff
[edit]
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Roster
[edit]Regular season
[edit]Schedule
[edit]Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 2 | Atlanta Falcons | L 34–40 | 0–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 70,940 |
2 | September 9 | at Green Bay Packers | L 19–28 | 0-2 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 53,184 |
3 | September 16 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–26 | 0-3 | Louisiana Superdome | 54,212 |
4 | September 23 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 30–21 | 1-3 | Candlestick Park | 39,727 |
5 | September 30 | New York Giants | W 24–14 | 2-3 | Louisiana Superdome | 51,543 |
6 | October 7 | Los Angeles Rams | L 17–35 | 2-4 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,986 |
7 | October 14 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 42–14 | 3-4 | Tampa Stadium | 67,640 |
8 | October 21 | Detroit Lions | W 17–7 | 4-4 | Louisiana Superdome | 57,428 |
9 | October 28 | at Washington Redskins | W 14–10 | 5–4 | RFK Stadium | 52,133 |
10 | November 4 | at Denver Broncos | L 3–10 | 5–5 | Mile High Stadium | 74,482 |
11 | November 11 | San Francisco 49ers | W 31–20 | 6–5 | Louisiana Superdome | 65,551 |
12 | November 18 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 24–38 | 6–6 | Kingdome | 60,055 |
13 | November 25 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 37–6 | 7–6 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 42,815 |
14 | December 3 | Oakland Raiders | L 35–42 | 7–7 | Louisiana Superdome | 65,541 |
15 | December 9 | San Diego Chargers | L 0–35 | 7–8 | Louisiana Superdome | 61,059 |
16 | December 16 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 29–14 | 8–8 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 53,879 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
Standings
[edit]NFC West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Los Angeles Rams(3) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 7–5 | 323 | 309 | L1 |
New Orleans Saints | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 370 | 360 | W1 |
Atlanta Falcons | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 300 | 388 | W1 |
San Francisco 49ers | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 1–5 | 2–10 | 308 | 416 | L1 |
Season summary
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 0 | 13 | 14 | 3 | 30 |
49ers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California
- Date: September 23
- Game time: 4:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C)
- Game attendance: 39,727
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information | ||
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Week 14
[edit]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raiders | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 42 |
Saints | 0 | 28 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: December 3, 1979
- Game time: 8:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Indoors (dome)
- Game attendance: 71,323
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information | ||
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Awards and records
[edit]- Chuck Muncie, Pro Bowl Most Valuable Player [3]
References
[edit]- ^ "1979 New Orleans Saints draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
- ^ "All-Time Roster". NewOrleansSaints.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 368
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Franchise | |
Stadiums | |
Culture | |
Lore | |
Rivalries | |
Wild card berths (5) | |
Division championships (9) | |
Conference championships (1) | |
League championships (1) | |
Retired numbers | |
Ring of Honor | |
Current league affiliations |
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