1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season

The 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 47th season in the National Football League. The Steelers successfully defended their Super Bowl Championship from the previous year as they achieved a 12–4 record and 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.

1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season
OwnerArt Rooney
Head coachChuck Noll
General managerDick Haley
Home fieldThree Rivers Stadium
Results
Record12–4
Division place1st AFC Central
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs (Dolphins) 34–14
Won AFC Championship (Oilers) 27–13
Won Super Bowl XIV (Rams) 31–19
Pro Bowlers
AP All-Pros
Team MVPJohn Stallworth

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.

Offseason

NFL draft

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
      Made roster  

Personnel

Staff

1979 Pittsburgh Steelers staff
Front office
  • Chairman of the Board – Arthur J. Rooney
  • President – Daniel M. Rooney
  • Vice President – John R. McGinley
  • Vice President – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr.
  • Public Relations Director – Ed Kiely
  • Traveling Secretary – James A. Boston
  • Publicity Director – Joe Gordon
  • Controller – Dennis P. Thimons
  • Assistant Controller – James S. Maund
  • Director of Ticket Sales – Geraldine Glenn
  • Director of Player Personnel – Dick Haley
  • Assistant Director of Player Personnel – Bill Nunn
  • Director of Professional Scouting – V. Timothy Rooney
  • Talent Scout – West Coast – Bob Schmitz
  • Pro Talent Scout – Tom Modrak
  • College Talent Scout – Joe Krupa

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches


Strength and conditioning

  • Strength – Louis Riecke
  • Flexibility – Paul Uram
  • Physician, M.D. – Dr. David S. Huber
  • Physician, M.D. – Dr. Anthony P. Yates
  • Physician, Orthopedic – Dr. Paul B. Steele, Jr.
  • Dentist – Dr. George P. Boucek
  • Trainer – Ralph Berlin
  • Assistant Trainer – Robert Milie
  • Equipment Manager – Anthony Parisi
  • Field Manager – Jack Hart
  • Film Director – Bob McCartney
  • Photographer – Harry Homa

[1]

Roster

1979 Pittsburgh Steelers final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad [2] [3] [4]


Rookies in italics
46 active, 6 inactive, 0 practice squad

Pre-season

Week Date Kickoff (ET) TV Opponent Result Record Game Site
1 Sat. Aug. 4 6:00 pm WIIC at Buffalo Bills W 15–7 1–0 Rich Stadium
2 Sat. Aug. 11 6:00 pm WIIC New York Giants W 10–3 2–0 Three Rivers Stadium
3 Fri. Aug. 17 8:00 pm WIIC at New York Jets W 27–14 3–0 Giants Stadium
4 Sat. Aug. 25 9:00 pm NBC at Dallas Cowboys L 14–16 3–1 Texas Stadium

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Kickoff (ET) TV Opponent Result Record Game Site
1 Mon. Sep. 3 9:00 p.m. ABC at New England Patriots W 16–13 (OT) 1–0 Schaefer Stadium
2 Sun. Sep. 9 1:00 p.m. NBC Houston Oilers W 38–7 2–0 Three Rivers Stadium
3 Sun. Sep. 16 4:00 p.m. NBC at St. Louis Cardinals W 24–21 3–0 Busch Memorial Stadium
4 Sun. Sep. 23 1:00 p.m. NBC Baltimore Colts W 17–13 4–0 Three Rivers Stadium
5 Sun. Sep. 30 1:00 p.m. NBC at Philadelphia Eagles L 14–17 4–1 Veterans Stadium
6 Sun. Oct. 7 4:00 p.m. NBC at Cleveland Browns W 51–35 5–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium
7 Sun. Oct. 14 1:00 p.m. NBC at Cincinnati Bengals L 10–34 5–2 Riverfront Stadium
8 Mon. Oct. 22 9:00 p.m. ABC Denver Broncos W 42–7 6–2 Three Rivers Stadium
9 Sun. Oct. 28 1:00 p.m. CBS Dallas Cowboys W 14–3 7–2 Three Rivers Stadium
10 Sun. Nov. 4 1:00 p.m. CBS Washington Redskins W 38–7 8–2 Three Rivers Stadium
11 Sun. Nov. 11 1:00 p.m. NBC at Kansas City Chiefs W 30–3 9–2 Arrowhead Stadium
12 Sun. Nov. 18 4:00 p.m. NBC at San Diego Chargers L 7–35 9–3 San Diego Stadium
13 Sun. Nov. 25 1:00 p.m. NBC Cleveland Browns W 33–30 (OT) 10–3 Three Rivers Stadium
14 Sun. Dec. 2 1:00 p.m. NBC Cincinnati Bengals W 37–17 11–3 Three Rivers Stadium
15 Mon. Dec. 10 9:00 p.m. ABC at Houston Oilers L 17–20 11–4 Astrodome
16 Sun. Dec. 16 1:00 p.m. NBC Buffalo Bills W 28–0 12–4 Three Rivers Stadium

Week 1: at New England Patriots

1 2 34OTTotal
Steelers 0 6 07316
Patriots 7 6 00013

at Schaefer Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Week 2: vs. Houston Oilers

1 2 34Total
Oilers 0 0 077
Steelers 7 3 141438

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: Sunday, September 9
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 63°F, (Partly Cloudy) wind 6 mph
  • Game attendance: 49,792
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
  • Box Score

Week 3: at St. Louis Cardinals

1 2 34Total
Steelers 7 0 01724
Cardinals 9 6 6021

at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri

Week 4: vs. Baltimore Colts

1 2 34Total
Colts 10 0 3013
Steelers 7 3 0717

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: Sunday, September 23
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 66°F, (Sunny) wind 10 mph
  • Game attendance: 49,483
  • Referee: Gordon McCarter
  • TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
  • Box Score

Week 5: at Philadelphia Eagles

1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 7 0714
Eagles 0 7 10017

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia

  • Date: Sunday, September 30
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 68 F, wind 12 mph
  • Game attendance: 70,352
  • Referee: Cal Lepore
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones (play by play), Len Dawson (color commentator)
  • Box Score

Week 6: at Cleveland Browns

1 2 34Total
Steelers 21 9 71451
Browns 0 14 71435

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

  • Date: Sunday, October 7
  • Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 48 F, wind 17 mph
  • Game attendance: 81,260
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)
  • Box Score

Week 7: at Cincinnati Bengals

1 2 34Total
Steelers 3 0 0710
Bengals 7 20 0734

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati

  • Date: Sunday, October 14
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 40 F, wind 7 mph
  • Game attendance: 52,381
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
  • Box Score

Week 8: vs. Denver Broncos

1 2 34Total
Broncos 7 0 007
Steelers 7 21 01442

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Week 9: vs. Dallas Cowboys

1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 3 003
Steelers 0 7 7014

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Week 10: vs. Washington Redskins

1 2 34Total
Redskins 0 7 007
Steelers 7 17 7738

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: Sunday, November 4
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 53°F, (Sunny) wind 7 mph
  • Game attendance: 49,462
  • Referee: Gordon McCarter
  • TV announcers (CBS): Curt Gowdy (play by play), Hank Stram (color commentator)
  • Box Score

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

1 2 34Total
Steelers 10 10 01030
Chiefs 0 0 303

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: Sunday, November 11
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 34 F, wind 15 mph
  • Game attendance: 70,132
  • Referee: Fred Wyant
  • TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)
  • Box Score

Week 12: at San Diego Chargers

1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 0 707
Chargers 7 14 7735

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

Week 13: vs. Cleveland Browns

1 2 34OTTotal
Browns 10 10 73030
Steelers 3 10 017333

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: Sunday, November 25
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 62°F, (Cloudy) wind 6 mph
  • Game attendance: 48,773
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones (play by play), Len Dawson (color commentator)
  • Box Score

Week 14: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

1 2 34Total
Bengals 0 10 7017
Steelers 10 14 10337

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: Sunday, December 2
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 33°F, (Cloudy) wind 12 mph
  • Game attendance: 46,251
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
  • Box Score

Week 15: at Houston Oilers

1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 0 31417
Oilers 0 7 31020

at Astrodome, Houston, Texas

Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills

1 2 34Total
Bills 0 0 000
Steelers 7 7 7728

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: Sunday, December 16
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 48°F, (Cloudy) wind 13 mph
  • Game attendance: 48,002
  • Referee: Fred Silva
  • TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)
  • Box Score

Standings

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

Passing

Rushing

Receiving

Kicking

Punting

Kick Return

Punt Return

Defense & Fumbles

Scoring Summary

Team

Quarter-by-quarter

Quarter-by-quarter
1234OTT
Steelers89114621456416
Opponents5710453480262

Postseason

Schedule

Week Date Kickoff (ET) TV Opponent Result Game Site
Divisional Sun. Dec. 30 12:30 pm NBC Miami Dolphins W 34–14 Three Rivers Stadium
AFC Championship Sun. Jan. 6 1:00 pm NBC Houston Oilers W 27–13 Three Rivers Stadium
Super Bowl XIV Sun. Jan. 20 6:15 pm CBS vs. Los Angeles Rams W 31–19 Rose Bowl

AFC Divisional Playoff: vs. Miami Dolphins

1 2 34Total
Dolphins 0 0 7714
Steelers 20 0 7734

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: Sunday, December 30
  • Game time: 12:30 pm EST
  • Game weather: 28°F (Fog)
  • Game attendance: 50,214
  • Referee: Cal Lepore
  • TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)
  • Box Score

AFC Championship: vs. Houston Oilers

1 2 34Total
Oilers 7 3 0313
Steelers 3 14 01027

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: Sunday, January 6
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 27°F, (Light Freezing Rain) wind 18 mph
  • Game attendance: 50,475
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentators)
  • Box Score

Super Bowl XIV: vs. Los Angeles Rams

1 2 34Total
Rams 7 6 6019
Steelers 3 7 71431

at Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California

Statistics

Passing

PlayerCompAttYardsTDINT
Terry Bradshaw2594723,7242625

Rushing

PlayerAttYardsTD
Franco Harris2671,18611
Sidney Thornton1185856
Rocky Bleier924344
Terry Bradshaw2183
Lynn Swann19

Receiving

PlayerRecYardsTD
John Stallworth701,1838
Lynn Swann418085
Bennie Cunningham365124
Franco Harris362911
Rocky Bleier31277
Sidney Thornton162314

[5]

Honors and awards

References

  1. 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
  2. 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
  3. 1980 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
  4. "1979 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  5. Pro-Football-Reference.com
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