1979 Miami Dolphins season
| 1979 Miami Dolphins season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Joe Robbie |
| General manager | Mike Robbie |
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Home field | Miami Orange Bowl |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Steelers) 14–34 |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
The 1979 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's 10th season in the National Football League, the 14th overall, and the 10th under head coach Don Shula. Prior to the start of the season, the Dolphins re-signed Larry Csonka who left to join the WFL after the 1974 season. Despite struggles from Bob Griese all year, the Dolphins finished 10-6 and won their first division title in five years. Among the season highlights were the Dolphins' 19th and 20th consecutive wins over the Buffalo Bills. For the entire decade of the 1970s (1970–79), the Dolphins hold a perfect 20–0 record over the Bills, which contributed to O. J. Simpson never seeing any postseason success in his career. In the Divisional Playoffs, the Dolphins were no match for the Pittsburgh Steelers who jumped out to a 20–0 lead in the 1st Quarter to win 34–14 on their way to their second straight Super Bowl title.
The Dolphins failed to have a Pro Bowler this season.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1979 Miami Dolphins draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jon Giesler | Offensive tackle
|
Michigan | |
| 2 | 53 | Jeff Toews | Guard
|
Washington | |
| 3 | 61 | Tony Nathan * | Running back | Alabama | |
| 3 | 63 | Mel Land | Linebacker | Michigan State | |
| 3 | 65 | Ronnie Lee | Offensive tackle | Baylor | |
| 4 | 107 | Steve Howell | Fullback
|
Baylor | |
| 5 | 134 | Don Bessillieu | Defensive back | Georgia Tech | |
| 6 | 162 | Steve Lindquist | Guard | Nebraska | |
| 7 | 189 | Uwe von Schamann | Placekicker | Oklahoma | |
| 8 | 206 | Jeff Groth | Wide receiver | Bowling Green | |
| 8 | 215 | Glenn Blackwood | Defensive back | Texas | |
| 9 | 244 | Jeff Weston | Offensive tackle | Notre Dame | |
| 10 | 258 | Jerome Stanton | Defensive back | Michigan State | |
| 10 | 272 | Mike Kozlowski | Defensive back | Colorado | |
| 11 | 299 | Mike Blanton | Defensive end | Georgia Tech | |
| 12 | 327 | Larry Fortner | Quarterback | Miami (OH) | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Joel Williams | Linebacker | Wisconsin–La Crosse |
Personnel
Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
|
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
Rookies in italics | ||||||
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2 | at Buffalo Bills | W 9–7 | 1–0 | Rich Stadium
|
Recap | |
| 2 | September 9 | Seattle Seahawks | W 19–10 | 2–0 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap | |
| 3 | September 16 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 27–12 | 3–0 | Metropolitan Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | September 23 | Chicago Bears | W 31–16 | 4–0 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap | |
| 5 | September 30 | at New York Jets | L 27–33 | 4–1 | Shea Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | October 8 | at Oakland Raiders | L 3–13 | 4–2 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | Recap | |
| 7 | October 14 | Buffalo Bills | W 17–7 | 5–2 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap | |
| 8 | October 21 | at New England Patriots | L 13–28 | 5–3 | Schaefer Stadium | Recap | |
| 9 | October 28 | Green Bay Packers | W 27–7 | 6–3 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap | |
| 10 | November 5 | Houston Oilers | L 6–9 | 6–4 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap | |
| 11 | November 11 | Baltimore Colts | W 19–0 | 7–4 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap | |
| 12 | November 18 | at Cleveland Browns | L 24–30 (OT) | 7–5 | Cleveland Stadium | Recap | |
| 13 | November 25 | at Baltimore Colts | W 28–24 | 8–5 | Memorial Stadium
|
Recap | |
| 14 | November 29 | New England Patriots | W 39–24 | 9–5 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap | |
| 15 | December 9 | at Detroit Lions | W 28–10 | 10–5 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap | |
| 16 | December 15 | New York Jets | L 24–27 | 10–6 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Miami Dolphins(3) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 6–6 | 341 | 257 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 411 | 326 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 5–7 | 337 | 383 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–4 | 5–7 | 268 | 279 | L3 |
| Baltimore Colts | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 3–5 | 4–10 | 271 | 351 | W1 |
Playoffs
AFC Divisional Playoff: at Pittsburgh Steelers
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Steelers | 20 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: Sunday December 30, 1979
- Game time: 12:30 pm EST
- Game attendance: 50,214
- Referee: Cal Lepore
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)
| Game information |
|---|
|
Awards and honors
NFL Comeback Player of the Year
.
References
- ^ "1979 Miami Dolphins draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ^ "1979 Miami Dolphins".
External links
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