1979 Washington Redskins season
NFL team season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1979 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 48th season in the National Football League. The team improved on their 8–8 record from 1978, finishing 10–6. Although the Redskins were able to improve their record, they were eliminated from playoff contention on the final week of the season after facing the Dallas Cowboys with the NFC East title on the line. Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach led a last-minute comeback to defeat Washington 35–34 to win the division, which, combined with the Chicago Bears defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 42–6, resulted in the Redskins losing a points tiebreaker for the final wild-card slot.
OwnerJack Kent Cooke
PresidentEdward Bennett Williams
| 1979 Washington Redskins season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jack Kent Cooke |
| General manager | Bobby Beathard |
| President | Edward Bennett Williams |
| Head coach | Jack Pardee |
| Offensive coordinator | Joe Walton |
| Defensive coordinator | Doc Urich |
| Home stadium | RFK Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
The Redskins adopted new uniforms this season, retiring the gold pants in favor of separate burgundy and white pants to be worn with the white and burgundy jerseys, respectively. Smaller changes were made to the jerseys and socks as well.[1] This uniform set would be worn for all three of the franchise's Super Bowl victories to date and were relatively unchanged until the team changed its name for the 2020 season.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1979 Washington Redskins draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 103 | Don Warren | Tight end | San Diego State | |
| 7 | 182 | Rich Milot | Linebacker | Penn State | |
| 9 | 233 | Kris Haines | Wide receiver | Notre Dame | |
| 11 | 289 | Monte Coleman | Linebacker | Central Arkansas | |
| 11 | 300 | Tony Hall | Wide receiver | Knoxville | |
| Made roster | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Willie Banks | Linebacker | Penn State |
| Willie Blasher | linebacker | Oregon |
| Charley Bloxsom | Guard | Miami (FL) |
| James Willie Brown | Tackle | Louisville |
| Antonio Castle | Wide receiver | Eastern New Mexico |
| Ronnie Cullins | Cornerback | Colorado |
| Darryl Drake | Wide receiver | Western Kentucky |
| Phil DuBois | Tight End | San Diego State |
| Ricky Dunaway | Safety | Tulane |
| Keith Ellis | Wide receiver | New Mexico |
| Tony Hernandez | Defensive back | BYU |
| Neal Olkewicz | Linebacker | Maryland |
| Louis Orlando III | Center | Yale |
| Pedro Posadas | Kicker | Louisville |
| Jonathan Sutton | Safety | New Mexico |
| Ray Waddy | Cornerback | Texas A&I |
| Jimmy Jaye Wells | Center | Wisconsin–Superior |
| Dale White | Defensive tackle | Arkansas |
| Anthony Young | Safety | Jackson State |
Personnel
Staff
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
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Roster
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 4 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 9–7 | 1–0 | Tampa Stadium | 64,493 |
| 2 | August 11 | at Denver Broncos | L 6–13 | 1–1 | Mile High Stadium | 58,799 |
| 3 | August 18 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 16–6 | 2–1 | Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium | 52,478 |
| 4 | August 24 | Cleveland Browns | L 9–21 | 2–2 | RFK Stadium | 40,039 |
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2 | Houston Oilers | L 27–29 | 0–1 | RFK Stadium | 54,582 | Recap |
| 2 | September 9 | at Detroit Lions | W 27–24 | 1–1 | Pontiac Silverdome | 54,991 | Recap |
| 3 | September 17 | New York Giants | W 27–0 | 2–1 | RFK Stadium | 54,672 | Recap |
| 4 | September 23 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 17–7 | 3–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 50,680 | Recap |
| 5 | September 30 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 16–7 | 4–1 | Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium | 56,819 | Recap |
| 6 | October 7 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–28 | 4–2 | Veterans Stadium | 69,142 | Recap |
| 7 | October 14 | at Cleveland Browns | W 13–9 | 5–2 | Cleveland Stadium | 63,323 | Recap |
| 8 | October 21 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 17–7 | 6–2 | RFK Stadium | 54,442 | Recap |
| 9 | October 28 | New Orleans Saints | L 10–14 | 6–3 | RFK Stadium | 52,133 | Recap |
| 10 | November 4 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 7–38 | 6–4 | Three Rivers Stadium | 49,462 | Recap |
| 11 | November 11 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 30–28 | 7–4 | RFK Stadium | 50,868 | Recap |
| 12 | November 18 | Dallas Cowboys | W 34–20 | 8–4 | RFK Stadium | 55,031 | Recap |
| 13 | November 25 | at New York Giants | L 6–14 | 8–5 | Giants Stadium | 72,641 | Recap |
| 14 | December 2 | Green Bay Packers | W 38–21 | 9–5 | RFK Stadium | 51,682 | Recap |
| 15 | December 9 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 28–14 | 10–5 | RFK Stadium | 52,882 | Recap |
| 16 | December 16 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 34–35 | 10–6 | Texas Stadium | 62,867 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Houston Oilers
Week 1: Houston Oilers at Washington Redskins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oilers | 6 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 29 |
| Redskins | 0 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.
- Date: September 2, 1979
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 54,582
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson and John Brodie
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 2: at Detroit Lions
Week 2: Washington Redskins at Detroit Lions
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
| Lions | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 24 |
at Pontiac Silverdome • Pontiac, Michigan
- Date: September 9, 1979
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Indoors (dome)
- Game attendance: 54,991
- Referee: Gene Barth
- TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Sonny Jurgensen
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 3: vs. New York Giants
Week 3: New York Giants at Washington Redskins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Redskins | 3 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.
- Date: September 17, 1979
- Game time: 9:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 54,672
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and Fran Tarkenton
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 4: at St. Louis Cardinals
Week 4: Washington Redskins at St. Louis Cardinals
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 14 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at Busch Memorial Stadium • St. Louis, Missouri
- Date: September 23, 1979
- Game time: 2:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 50,680
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender and Sonny Jurgensen
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 5: at Atlanta Falcons
Week 5: Washington Redskins at Atlanta Falcons
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
| Falcons | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: September 30, 1979
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 56,819
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV announcers (CBS): Curt Gowdy and Hank Stram
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 6: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 6: Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| Eagles | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
at Veterans Stadium • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Date: October 7, 1979
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 69,142
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender and Sonny Jurgensen
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 7: at Cleveland Browns
Week 7: Washington Redskins at Cleveland Browns
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Redskins | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| Browns | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
at Cleveland Stadium • Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: October 14, 1979
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 63,323
- Referee: Jerry Seeman
- TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and George Allen
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 8: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 8: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Redskins | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.
- Date: October 21, 1979
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 54,442
- Referee: Chuck Heberling
- TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and George Allen
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 9: vs. New Orleans Saints
Week 9: New Orleans Saints at Washington Redskins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Redskins | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.
- Date: October 28, 1979
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 55,031
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender and Sonny Jurgensen
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 10: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 10: Washington Redskins at Pittsburgh Steelers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Steelers | 7 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
at Three Rivers Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: November 4, 1979
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C), (Sunny) wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
- Game attendance: 49,462
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (CBS): Curt Gowdy and Hank Stram
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 11: vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Week 11: St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Redskins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 28 |
| Redskins | 7 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.
- Date: November 11, 1979
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 50,868
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender and Sonny Jurgensen
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 12: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 12: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 20 |
| Redskins | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 34 |
at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.
- Date: November 18, 1979
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 55,031
- Referee: Cal Lepore
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 13: at New York Giants
Week 13: Washington Redskins at New York Giants
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Giants | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: November 25, 1979
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 72,641
- Referee: Jerry Seeman
- TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and George Allen
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 14: vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 14: Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Redskins | 7 | 0 | 7 | 24 | 38 |
at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.
- Date: December 2, 1979
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 39 °F or 3.9 °C, relative humidity 55%, wind 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn), wind chill 31 °F or −0.6 °C
- Game attendance: 51,682
- Referee: Chuck Heberling
- TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and George Allen
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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This would prove the last time the Green Bay Packers would ever play at RFK Stadium before its closure in 1997: in fact, the Packers would not play an away game against the Redskins again until 2004.[6] This occurred because between 1978 and the admission of the Texans in 2002, non-division conference matchups had no rotation but were entirely based upon previous season’s standings.
Week 15: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Week 15: Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Redskins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Redskins | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.
- Date: December 9, 1979
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 52,882
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover and Bob Trumpy
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 16: at Dallas Cowboys
Week Sixteen: Washington Redskins (10–5) at Dallas Cowboys (10–5)
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
- Date: December 16, 1979
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C)
- Game attendance: 62,867
- Referee: Bob Frederic
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
- Box Score
The loss knocked the Redskins out of the playoffs.
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | Passing | Joe Theismann | 12/23, 200 Yds, TD |
| Rushing | John Riggins | 22 Rush, 151 Yds, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Benny Malone | 1 Rec, 55 Yds, TD | |
| Cowboys | Passing | Roger Staubach | 24/42, 326 Yds, 3 TD, INT |
| Rushing | Ron Springs | 20 Rush, 79 Yds, TD | |
| Receiving | Tony Hill | 8 Rec, 113 Yds, TD |
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Standings
| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Dallas Cowboys(1) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 10–2 | 371 | 313 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles(4) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 339 | 282 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 348 | 295 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 1–7 | 5–9 | 237 | 323 | L3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–6 | 4–8 | 307 | 358 | L1 |