1980 Chicago Bears season
NFL team season
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The 1980 season was the Chicago Bears' 61st in the National Football League, and their third under head coach Neill Armstrong. The team failed to improve from their 10–6 record from 1979 to finish at 7–9, and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1978.
| 1980 Chicago Bears season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | George Halas |
| General manager | Jim Finks |
| Head coach | Neill Armstrong |
| Home stadium | Soldier Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–9 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC Central |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
One of the victories was on Thanksgiving at Detroit; Chicago entered the Thursday game at 4–8, last place in the NFC Central division, and were trailing 17–3 after three quarters. With no time left in regulation, Bears quarterback Vince Evans scored a game-tying touchdown that sent the game into overtime. Then, before a national television audience on CBS, Dave Williams returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown on the first play of overtime for a 23–17 victory over the stunned Lions.[1][2]
Running back Walter Payton once again led the NFC in rushing for the fifth straight year with 1,460 yards; he also had the league's highest annual salary at $475,000.[3]
Offseason
Draft
| 1980 Chicago Bears draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Otis Wilson * | Linebacker | Louisville | |
| 2 | 46 | Matt Suhey | Running back | Penn State | |
| 4 | 103 | Arland Thompson | Guard | Baylor | |
| 5 | 130 | Paul Tabor | Center | Oklahoma | |
| 6 | 156 | Mike Guess | Defensive back | Ohio State | |
| 7 | 183 | Emanuel Tolbert | Wide receiver | SMU | |
| 8 | 215 | Randy Clark | Center | Northern Illinois | |
| 9 | 242 | Turk Schonert | Quarterback | Stanford | |
| 10 | 269 | Willie Stephens | Defensive back | Texas Tech | |
| 11 | 296 | Chris Judge | Defensive back | TCU | |
| 12 | 323 | Bob Fisher | Tight end | SMU | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
- Source:[4]
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Vincent Allen | Running Back | Indiana State |
| Rennie Buckner | Tackle | Boise State |
| Mike Harris | Wide receiver | Purdue |
| Larry Jamieson | Linebacker | Jackson State |
| Chuck Mate | Kicker | Notre Dame |
| Rick Nash | Wide Receiver | Idaho State |
| Mike Wright | Quarterback | Bowling Green |
Roster
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | at Green Bay Packers | L 6–12 (OT) | 0–1 | Lambeau Field | 54,381 | |
| 2 | September 14 | New Orleans Saints | W 22–3 | 1–1 | Soldier Field | 62,523 | |
| 3 | September 21 | Minnesota Vikings | L 14–34 | 1–2 | Soldier Field | 59,983 | |
| 4 | September 28 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 3–38 | 1–3 | Three Rivers Stadium | 53,987 | |
| 5 | October 6 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 23–0 | 2–3 | Soldier Field | 61,350 | |
| 6 | October 12 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 7–13 | 2–4 | Metropolitan Stadium | 46,751 | |
| 7 | October 19 | Detroit Lions | W 24–7 | 3–4 | Soldier Field | 58,508 | |
| 8 | October 26 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–17 | 3–5 | Veterans Stadium | 68,752 | |
| 9 | November 3 | at Cleveland Browns | L 21–27 | 3–6 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 84,225 | |
| 10 | November 9 | Washington Redskins | W 35–21 | 4–6 | Soldier Field | 57,159 | |
| 11 | November 16 | Houston Oilers | L 6–10 | 4–7 | Soldier Field | 59,390 | |
| 12 | November 23 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 17–28 | 4–8 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 49,156 | |
| 13 | November 27 | at Detroit Lions | W 23–17 (OT) | 5–8 | Pontiac Silverdome | 75,397 | |
| 14 | December 7 | Green Bay Packers | W 61–7 | 6–8 | Soldier Field | 57,176 | |
| 15 | December 14 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 14–17 (OT) | 6–9 | Soldier Field | 48,808 | |
| 16 | December 20 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 14–13 | 7–9 | Tampa Stadium | 55,298 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Season summary
Week 1: at Green Bay Packers
Week 1: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Packers | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Date: September 7, 1980
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Overcast, 65 °F (18 °C)
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (CBS): Lindsey Nelson and Sonny Jurgensen
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter
|
Week 2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| • Bears | 10 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 22 |
- Date: September 14
- Location: Soldier Field
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris
Week 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Vikings | 14 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 34 |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
- Date: September 21
- Location: Soldier Field
- TV announcers (CBS): Curt Gowdy and George Allen
Week 4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| • Steelers | 7 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
- Date: September 28
- Location: Three Rivers Stadium
- Referee: Jerry Seeman
- TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Roger Staubach
Week 5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Bears | 0 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 23 |
- Date: October 6
- Location: Soldier Field
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- Television network: ABC
Week 6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| • Vikings | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
- Date: October 12
- Location: Metropolitan Stadium
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris
Week 7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| • Bears | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
- Date: October 19
- Location: Soldier Field
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris
Week 8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| • Eagles | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
- Date: October 26
- Location: Veterans Stadium
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
Week 9
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| • Browns | 3 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 27 |
- Date: November 3
- Location: Cleveland Stadium
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- Television network: ABC
Week 10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
| • Bears | 21 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
- Date: November 9
- Location: Soldier Field
- TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and George Allen
Week 11
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Oilers | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Bears | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
- Date: November 16
- Location: Soldier Field
- Referee: Bob Frederic
- Television network: NBC
Week 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| • Falcons | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
- Date: November 23
- Location: Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Week 13
Week Thirteen: Chicago Bears (4–8) at Detroit Lions (7–5)
at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
- Date: November 27, 1980
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Indoors (dome)
- Game attendance: 75,397
- Referee: Fred Silva
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall, Tom Brookshier, and Irv Cross
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Overtime
|
Week 14
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • Bears | 0 | 28 | 13 | 20 | 61 |
- Date: December 7
- Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), wind 10 mph (16 km/h)
- Referee: Chuck Heberling
- TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris
| 2 | CHI | Walter Payton 1 yard run (Bob Thomas kick) | Bears 7–0 | |
| 2 | CHI | Walter Payton 3 yard run (Bob Thomas kick) | Bears 14–0 | |
| 2 | CHI | Roland Harper 1 yard run (Bob Thomas kick) | Bears 21–0 | |
| 2 | GB | James Lofton 15 yard pass from Lynn Dickey (Jan Stenerud kick) | Bears 21–7 | |
| 2 | CHI | Brian Baschnagel 4 yard pass from Vince Evans (Bob Thomas kick) | Bears 28–7 | |
| 3 | CHI | Robin Earl 9 yard pass from Vince Evans (kick failed) | Bears 34–7 | |
| 3 | CHI | Rickey Watts 53 yard pass from Vince Evans (Bob Thomas kick) | Bears 41–7 | |
| 4 | CHI | Walter Payton 14 yard run (Bob Thomas kick) | Bears 48–7 | |
| 4 | CHI | Len Walterscheid 36 yard interception return (Bob Thomas kick) | Bears 55–7 | |
| 4 | CHI | Willie McClendon 1 yard run (kick failed) | Bears 61–7 | |
Week 15
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Bengals | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Bears | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
- Date: December 14
- Location: Soldier Field
Week 16
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Bears | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Buccaneers | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
- Date: December 21
- Location: Tampa Stadium
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (3) Minnesota Vikings | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 317 | 308 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 9–5 | 334 | 272 | W2 |
| Chicago Bears | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 304 | 264 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 10 | 1 | .344 | 1–6–1 | 4–7–1 | 271 | 341 | L3 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5 | 10 | 1 | .344 | 3–4–1 | 4–7–1 | 231 | 371 | L4 |
