1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season | |
---|---|
Owner | Art Rooney |
General manager | Dick Haley |
Head coach | Chuck Noll |
Home field | Three Rivers Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 12–4 |
Division place | 1st AFC Central |
Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Dolphins) 34–14 Won AFC Championship (vs. Oilers) 27–13 Won Super Bowl XIV (vs. Rams) 31–19 |
Pro Bowlers | 10 |
AP All-Pros | 6
|
Team MVP | John Stallworth |
The 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 47th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Steelers successfully defended their Super Bowl Championship from the previous year, despite not improving on their 14–2 record from last year with a 12–4 record. They went on to defeat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV. The Steelers started out to a 4–0 record. Adding to the previous season, the Steelers had won 12 in a row. They finished the regular season at 12–4. In six of those games the opponents were held to a touchdown or less. In the playoffs Pittsburgh defeated Miami, 34–14 and then for the second consecutive season beat Houston 27–13, in the AFC championship game. The Steelers ended the decade by defeating the Los Angeles Rams 31–19 in Super Bowl XIV. Despite them and the San Diego Chargers having 12–4 records, the Chargers were awarded the top seed in the AFC because of their victory over the Steelers.
With the win, and the Pittsburgh Pirates win in the 1979 World Series, Pittsburgh would be the last city to claim Super Bowl and World Series wins in the same year until 1986 when the New York Mets won the World Series in 7 games over the Boston Red Sox, and the New York Giants won Super Bowl XXI 39–20 over the Denver Broncos.
On February 23, 2007, NFL Network aired America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, the 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers, with team commentary from John Banaszak, L. C. Greenwood and John Stallworth, and narrated by Ed Harris. They are the last team to win a Super Bowl featuring players that had never played for another team; 40 original draft picks and six free agents out of college. The records for most points scored per game as well as in the regular season overall for the Steelers belonged to the 1979 squad, until they scored 436, amounting to 27.3 per game in 2014, the all-time franchise record in both categories.
Offseason
[edit]NFL draft
[edit]1979 Pittsburgh Steelers draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 28 | Greg Hawthorne | Running back | Baylor | |
2 | 56 | Zack Valentine | Linebacker | East Carolina | |
4 | 86 | Russell Davis | Running back | Michigan | |
4 | 110 | Calvin Sweeney | Wide receiver | USC | |
5 | 137 | Dwaine Board | Defensive end | North Carolina A&T | |
6 | 157 | Bill Murrell | Tight end | Winston-Salem State | |
6 | 161 | Dwayne Woodruff | Defensive back | Louisville | |
6 | 165 | Matt Bahr | Kicker | Penn State | |
7 | 192 | Bruce Kimball | Offensive guard | UMass | |
8 | 220 | Tom Graves | Linebacker | Michigan State | |
9 | 248 | Rick Kirk | Defensive end | Denison | |
10 | 275 | Tod Thompson | Tight end | BYU | |
11 | 303 | Charlie Moore | Center | Wichita State | |
12 | 322 | Ed Smith | Linebacker | Vanderbilt | |
12 | 330 | Mike Almond | Wide receiver | Northwest Louisiana | |
Made roster |
Personnel
[edit]Staff
[edit]
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
[edit]Preseason
[edit]Schedule
[edit]Week | Date | Opponent | Kickoff | TV | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 4 | at Buffalo Bills | 6:00 p.m. EDT | WIIC | W 15–7 | 1–0 | Rich Stadium | 34,370
|
|
2 | August 11 | New York Giants | 6:00 p.m. EDT | WIIC | W 10–3 | 2–0 | Three Rivers Stadium | 46,624
|
|
3 | August 17 | at New York Jets | 8:00 p.m. EDT | WIIC | W 27–14 | 3–0 | Giants Stadium | 46,159
|
|
4 | August 25 | at Dallas Cowboys | 9:00 p.m. EDT | NBC | L 14–16 | 3–1 | Texas Stadium | 64.543
|
Notes:
Regular season
[edit]Schedule
[edit]Week | Date | Opponent | Kickoff | TV | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 3 | at New England Patriots | 9:00 p.m. EDT | ABC | W 16–13 (OT) | 1–0 | Schaefer Stadium | 60,978
|
Recap |
2 | September 9 | Houston Oilers | 1:00 p.m. EDT | NBC | W 38–7 | 2–0 | Three Rivers Stadium | 49,792
|
Recap |
3 | September 16 | at St. Louis Cardinals | 4:00 p.m. EDT | NBC | W 24–21 | 3–0 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 50,416
|
Recap |
4 | September 23 | Baltimore Colts | 1:00 p.m. EDT | NBC | W 17–13 | 4–0 | Three Rivers Stadium | 49,483
|
Recap |
5 | September 30 | at Philadelphia Eagles | 1:00 p.m. EDT | NBC | L 14–17 | 4–1 | Veterans Stadium | 70,352
|
Recap |
6 | October 7 | at Cleveland Browns | 4:00 p.m. EDT | NBC | W 51–35 | 5–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 81,260
|
Recap |
7 | October 14 | at Cincinnati Bengals | 1:00 p.m. EDT | NBC | L 10–34 | 5–2 | Riverfront Stadium | 52,381
|
Recap |
8 | October 22 | Denver Broncos | 9:00 p.m. EDT | ABC | W 42–7 | 6–2 | Three Rivers Stadium | 49,699
|
Recap |
9 | October 28 | Dallas Cowboys | 1:00 p.m. EST | CBS | W 14–3 | 7–2 | Three Rivers Stadium | 50,199
|
Recap |
10 | November 4 | Washington Redskins | 1:00 p.m. EST | CBS | W 38–7 | 8–2 | Three Rivers Stadium | 49,462
|
Recap |
11 | November 11 | at Kansas City Chiefs | 1:00 p.m. EST | NBC | W 30–3 | 9–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | 70,132
|
Recap |
12 | November 18 | at San Diego Chargers | 4:00 p.m. EST | NBC | L 7–35 | 9–3 | San Diego Stadium | 52,426
|
Recap |
13 | November 25 | Cleveland Browns | 1:00 p.m. EST | NBC | W 33–30 (OT) | 10–3 | Three Rivers Stadium | 48,773
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Recap |
14 | December 2 | Cincinnati Bengals | 1:00 p.m. EST | NBC | W 37–17 | 11–3 | Three Rivers Stadium | 46,521
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Recap |
15 | December 10 | at Houston Oilers | 9:00 p.m. EST | ABC | L 17–20 | 11–4 | Astrodome | 55,293
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Recap |
16 | December 16 | Buffalo Bills | 1:00 p.m. EST | NBC | W 28–0 | 12–4 | Three Rivers Stadium | 48,002
|
Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Notes:
Game summaries
[edit]Week 1: at New England Patriots
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 16 |
Patriots | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Schaefer Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Date: Monday, September 3
- Game time: 9:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C), wind 13 mph (21 km/h)
- Game attendance: 60,978
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford (play by play), Don Meredith & Howard Cosell (color commentators)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 2: vs. Houston Oilers
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oilers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Steelers | 7 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 38 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: Sunday, September 9
- Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C), (Partly Cloudy) wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
- Game attendance: 49,792
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 3: at St. Louis Cardinals
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 24 |
Cardinals | 9 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 21 |
at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
- Date: Sunday, September 16
- Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C), wind 5 mph (8.0 km/h)
- Game attendance: 50,416
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 4: vs. Baltimore Colts
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
Steelers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: Sunday, September 23
- Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C), (Sunny) wind 10 mph (16 km/h)
- Game attendance: 49,483
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 5: at Philadelphia Eagles
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Eagles | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia
- Date: Sunday, September 30
- Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
- Game attendance: 70,352
- Referee: Cal Lepore
- TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones (play by play), Len Dawson (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 6: at Cleveland Browns
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 21 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 51 |
Browns | 0 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: Sunday, October 7
- Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), wind 17 mph (27 km/h)
- Game attendance: 81,260
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 7: at Cincinnati Bengals
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
Bengals | 7 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 34 |
at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati
- Date: Sunday, October 14
- Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C), wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
- Game attendance: 52,381
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 8: vs. Denver Broncos
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Broncos | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Steelers | 7 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 42 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: Monday, October 22
- Game time: 9:00 pm EDT
- Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), (Clear) wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
- Game attendance: 49,699
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford (play by play), Don Meredith & Howard Cosell (color commentators)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 9: vs. Dallas Cowboys
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Steelers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: Sunday, October 28
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), (Partly Cloudy) wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
- Game attendance: 50,199
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play by play), Tom Brookshier (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 10: vs. Washington Redskins
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Redskins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Steelers | 7 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: Sunday, November 4
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- 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 (play by play), Hank Stram (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
In that game. Franco Harris became the 5th man to rush for 8,000 career rushing yards, and it was also Chuck Noll's 95th win as a head coach, the same number that Vince Lombardi won during his career.
Week 11: at Kansas City Chiefs
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 10 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 30 |
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: Sunday, November 11
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C), wind 15 mph (24 km/h)
- Game attendance: 70,132
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 12: at San Diego Chargers
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Chargers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
- Date: Sunday, November 18
- Game time: 4:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C), wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
- Game attendance: 51,910
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 13: vs. Cleveland Browns
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Browns | 10 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 30 |
Steelers | 3 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 33 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: Sunday, November 25
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C), (Cloudy) wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
- Game attendance: 48,773
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones (play by play), Len Dawson (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 14: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bengals | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Steelers | 10 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 37 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: Sunday, December 2
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C), (Cloudy) wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
- Game attendance: 46,251
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 15: at Houston Oilers
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 17 |
Oilers | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 20 |
- Date: Monday, December 10
- Game time: 9:00 pm EST
- Game weather: Dome
- Game attendance: 55,923
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford (play by play), Fran Tarkenton & Howard Cosell (color commentators)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Steelers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: Sunday, December 16
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), (Cloudy) wind 13 mph (21 km/h)
- Game attendance: 48,002
- Referee: Fred Silva
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Standings
[edit]AFC Central | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Pittsburgh Steelers(2) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 9–3 | 416 | 262 | W1 |
Houston Oilers(4) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 9–3 | 362 | 331 | L1 |
Cleveland Browns | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 6–6 | 359 | 352 | L2 |
Cincinnati Bengals | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–4 | 2–10 | 337 | 421 | W1 |
Stats
[edit]Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Kicking
Punting
Kick Return
Punt Return
Defense & Fumbles
Scoring Summary
Team
Quarter-by-quarter
Quarter-by-quarter | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | T | |
Steelers | 89 | 114 | 62 | 145 | 6 | 416 |
Opponents | 57 | 104 | 53 | 48 | 0 | 262 |
Postseason
[edit]Schedule
[edit]Round | Date | Opponent | Kickoff | TV | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wild Card | First Round Bye | |||||||||
Divisional | December 30 | Miami Dolphins (3) | 12:30 p.m. EST | NBC | W 34–14 | 1–0 | Three Rivers Stadium | 50,214 | Recap | |
AFC Championship | January 6 | Houston Oilers (4) | 1:00 p.m. EST | NBC | W 27–13 | 2–0 | Three Rivers Stadium | 50,475 | Recap | |
Super Bowl XIV | January 20 | Los Angeles Rams (N3) | 6:00 p.m. EST | CBS | W 31–19 | 3–0 | Rose Bowl | 103,985 | Recap |
Notes:
Game summaries
[edit]AFC Divisional Playoff: vs. Miami Dolphins
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Steelers | 20 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: Sunday, December 30
- Game time: 12:30 pm EST
- Game weather: 28 °F (−2 °C) (Fog)
- Game attendance: 50,214
- Referee: Cal Lepore
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
AFC Championship: vs. Houston Oilers
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oilers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
Steelers | 3 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: Sunday, January 6
- Game time: 1:00 pm EST
- Game weather: 27 °F (−3 °C), (Light Freezing Rain) wind 18 mph (29 km/h)
- Game attendance: 50,475
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentators)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Super Bowl XIV: vs. Los Angeles Rams
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 7 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 19 |
Steelers | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
at Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California
- Date: Sunday, January 20
- Game time: 6:15 pm EST
- Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C) (Sunny), wind 17 mph (27 km/h)
- Game attendance: 103,985
- Referee: Fred Silva
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play by play), Tom Brookshier (color commentator)
- Box Score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Statistics
[edit]Passing
[edit]Player | Comp | Att | Yards | TD | INT |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Terry Bradshaw | 259 | 472 | 3,724 | 26 | 25 |
Rushing
[edit]Player | Att | Yards | TD |
---|---|---|---|
Franco Harris | 267 | 1,186 | 11 |
Sidney Thornton | 118 | 585 | 6 |
Rocky Bleier | 92 | 434 | 4 |
Terry Bradshaw | 21 | 83 | |
Lynn Swann | 1 | 9 |
Receiving
[edit]Player | Rec | Yards | TD |
---|---|---|---|
John Stallworth | 70 | 1,183 | 8 |
Lynn Swann | 41 | 808 | 5 |
Bennie Cunningham | 36 | 512 | 4 |
Franco Harris | 36 | 291 | 1 |
Rocky Bleier | 31 | 277 | |
Sidney Thornton | 16 | 231 | 4 |
Honors and awards
[edit]- Terry Bradshaw, Super Bowl MVP
References
[edit]External links
[edit]- 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season at Profootballreference.com
- 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season statistics at jt-sw.com