1979 Dallas Cowboys season
| 1979 Dallas Cowboys season |
|
| Head coach |
Tom Landry |
| Home field |
Texas Stadium |
|
| Results |
| Record |
11–5 |
| Division Place |
1st NFC East |
| Playoff finish |
Lost Division Round |
| Timeline |
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| Previous season |
Next season |
| 1978 |
1980 |
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.[1] 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.
Schedule
| Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Attendance |
| 1 |
September 2, 1979 |
at St. Louis Cardinals |
W 22–21 |
50,855
|
| 2 |
September 9, 1979 |
at San Francisco 49ers |
W 21–13 |
56,728
|
| 3 |
September 16, 1979 |
Chicago Bears |
W 24–20 |
64,056
|
| 4 |
September 24, 1979 |
at Cleveland Browns |
L 26–7 |
80,123
|
| 5 |
September 30, 1979 |
Cincinnati Bengals |
W 38–13 |
63,179
|
| 6 |
October 7, 1979 |
at Minnesota Vikings |
W 36–20 |
47,572
|
| 7 |
October 14, 1979 |
Los Angeles Rams |
W 30–6 |
64,462
|
| 8 |
October 21, 1979 |
St. Louis Cardinals |
W 22–13 |
64,300
|
| 9 |
October 28, 1979 |
at Pittsburgh Steelers |
L 14–3 |
50,199
|
| 10 |
November 4, 1979 |
at New York Giants |
W 16–14 |
76,490
|
| 11 |
November 12, 1979 |
Philadelphia Eagles |
L 31–21 |
62,417
|
| 12 |
November 18, 1979 |
at Washington Redskins |
L 34–20 |
55,031
|
| 13 |
November 22, 1979 |
Houston Oilers |
L 30–24 |
63,897
|
| 14 |
December 2, 1979 |
New York Giants |
W 28–7 |
63,787
|
| 15 |
December 8, 1979 |
at Philadelphia Eagles |
W 24–17 |
71,434
|
| 16 |
December 16, 1979 |
Washington Redskins |
W 35–34 |
62,867
|
Playoffs
| Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Attendance |
| Divisional |
December 30, 1979 |
Los Angeles Rams |
L 21–19 |
64,792
|
Standings
Roster
| Dallas Cowboys 1979 roster |
| Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
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Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
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Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Reserve Lists
Currently vacant
Rookies in italics
45 Active, 0 Inactive
|
Statistics
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 |
[1]
References
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| Super Bowl Appearances (8) |
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| League Championships (5) |
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| Ring of Honor |
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| Seasons |
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| Current League Affiliations |
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