1979 Dallas Cowboys season
Encyclopedia
The 1979
Dallas Cowboys
season was their 20th in the league
. The team was unable to improve on their previous output
of 12–4, winning only eleven games. They qualified for the playoffs, but lost in the Divisional round.
The Cowboys still possessed a great offense, but suffered defensive losses as safety Charlie Waters
missed the season with injury, Ed "Too Tall" Jones left the team while he embarked on a professional boxing career (Jones would return in 1980), and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson was cut in November for erratic play and behavior. The season began 8–2 before a three game losing streak placed the season in jeopardy (one of the three being a 30–24 loss to Houston in which Oilers coach Bum Phillips
declared the Oilers as "Texas's Team"). The team rallied to win their final three to finish at 11–5 and gain the number one seed in the NFC.
In the season's final regular season game against the Redskins, with the NFC East Title at issue, Roger Staubach
rallied the Cowboys from a 34–20 deficit in the last four minutes to win, 35–34. It turned out to be Staubach's last win. The Cowboys were upset at home in the divisional playoff by the Rams and Staubach retired after the season.
1979 NFL season
The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams...
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
season was their 20th in the league
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. The team was unable to improve on their previous output
1978 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1978 Dallas Cowboys season was their 19th in the NFL. For the third consecutive season, the Cowboys finished in first place in the NFC East. The Cowboys scored 384 points, which ranked first in the NFC, while the defense only gave up 208 points. Twice, the Cowboys appeared on Monday Night...
of 12–4, winning only eleven games. They qualified for the playoffs, but lost in the Divisional round.
The Cowboys still possessed a great offense, but suffered defensive losses as safety Charlie Waters
Charlie Waters
Charlie Tutan Waters is a former American football safety for the Dallas Cowboys from 1970-1981 in the National Football League...
missed the season with injury, Ed "Too Tall" Jones left the team while he embarked on a professional boxing career (Jones would return in 1980), and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson was cut in November for erratic play and behavior. The season began 8–2 before a three game losing streak placed the season in jeopardy (one of the three being a 30–24 loss to Houston in which Oilers coach Bum Phillips
Bum Phillips
Oail Andrew "Bum" Phillips is a retired American football coach and the father of Wade Phillips, the Defensive Coordinator for the Houston Texans...
declared the Oilers as "Texas's Team"). The team rallied to win their final three to finish at 11–5 and gain the number one seed in the NFC.
In the season's final regular season game against the Redskins, with the NFC East Title at issue, Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
rallied the Cowboys from a 34–20 deficit in the last four minutes to win, 35–34. It turned out to be Staubach's last win. The Cowboys were upset at home in the divisional playoff by the Rams and Staubach retired after the season.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2, 1979 | at St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 22–21 | |
| 2 | September 9, 1979 | at San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
W 21–13 | |
| 3 | September 16, 1979 | Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 24–20 | |
| 4 | September 24, 1979 | at Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 26–7 | |
| 5 | September 30, 1979 | Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL... |
W 38–13 | |
| 6 | October 7, 1979 | at Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
W 36–20 | |
| 7 | October 14, 1979 | Los Angeles Rams St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,... |
W 30–6 | |
| 8 | October 21, 1979 | St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 22–13 | |
| 9 | October 28, 1979 | at Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
L 14–3 | |
| 10 | November 4, 1979 | at New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 16–14 | |
| 11 | November 12, 1979 | Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 31–21 | |
| 12 | November 18, 1979 | at Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
L 34–20 | |
| 13 | November 22, 1979 | Houston Oilers Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter... |
L 30–24 | |
| 14 | December 2, 1979 | New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 28–7 | |
| 15 | December 8, 1979 | at Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 24–17 | |
| 16 | December 16, 1979 | Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
W 35–34 | |
Playoffs
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 30, 1979 | Los Angeles Rams St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,... |
L 21–19 | |
Standings
| NFC East NFC East The NFC East is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins.... |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Dallas Cowboys | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 371 | 313 | W-3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles 1979 Philadelphia Eagles season The 1979 Philadelphia Eagles season resulted in an appearance in the postseason for the second consecutive year, a feat the team had not achieved for three decades... |
11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 339 | 282 | W-1 |
| Washington Redskins 1979 Washington Redskins season The 1979 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 8-8 record from 1978. While the Redskins were able to improve their record; finishing 10-6, the Redskins were eliminated from playoff contention on the final week of the season when, facing the Dallas Cowboys with the NFC... |
10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 348 | 295 | L-1 |
| New York Giants 1979 New York Giants season The 1979 New York Giants season was the 55th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants had a 6–10 record in 1979 and finished in fourth place in the National Football Conference East Division.-Offseason:... |
6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 237 | 323 | L-3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals 1979 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season -Schedule:-Standings:-References:**... |
5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 307 | 358 | L-1 |
Roster
| Dallas Cowboys 1979 roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Jim Cooper James Hayes Shofner "Jim" Cooper is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the Blue Dog Coalition. He previously represented from 1983 to 1995.... T/C Andy Frederick Andrew Brian Frederick is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and the Chicago Bears. He played college football at the University of New Mexico and was drafted in the fifth round of the 1977 NFL Draft.... T Burton Lawless Richard Burton Lawless is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League for six seasons during the 1970s and 1980s... G Tom Rafferty Thomas Michael Rafferty is a former American football offensive lineman in the NFL. He attended Fayetteville-Manlius High School in Manlius, New York, and went on to start four years for coach Joe Paterno at Penn State University earning All-American honors in 1975.-Early years:Rafferty attended... G Herbert Scott Herbert Carnell Scott is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League... G Robert Shaw (American football) Robert Leslie Shaw is a retired American football center in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys from 1979 to 1981. He played college football at the University of Tennessee. Mr. Shaw suffered a knee injury and had to stop playing football... C Rayfield Wright Larry Rayfield Wright is a former American football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.-High school and college years:... T Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Bob Breunig Robert Paul Breunig is a former American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League from 1975 to 1984... MLB Mike Hegman Michael William Hegman is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League who played for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Tennessee State University.... OLB Bruce Huther Bruce Albert Huther is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, the Cleveland Browns, and the Chicago Bears. He played college football at the University of New Hampshire.Huther played high school football at Manchester Regional High School in... MLB Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Reserve Lists
Currently vacant Rookies in italics 45 Active, 0 Inactive |
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Passing
| Player | Comp | Att | Yards | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Staubach | 267 | 461 | 3,586 | 27 | 11 |
Rushing
| Player | Att | Yards | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Dorsett | 250 | 1,107 | 6 |
| Drew Pearson | 3 | 27 | |
| Tony Hill | 2 | 18 |
Receiving
| Player | Rec | Yards | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Hill | 60 | 1,062 | 10 |
| Drew Pearson | 55 | 1,026 | 8 |
| Tony Dorsett | 45 | 375 | 1 |
| Billy Joe Dupree | 29 | 324 | 5 |