1979 Seattle Seahawks season
The 1979 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's fourth season in the National Football League. The Seahawks had a winning record for the second consecutive year, matching their 9–7 record from 1978.
1979 Seattle Seahawks season | |
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Head coach | Jack Patera |
Home field | Kingdome |
Results | |
Record | 9–7 |
Division place | T-3rd AFC West |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | WR Steve Largent |
AP All-Pros | WR Steve Largent (2nd team) |
Starting off the season with a 1–4 record, the Seahawks rallied to finish 9–7. Season highlights included a sweep of the Oakland Raiders for the second straight year, and winning both of their Monday Night Football contests in Atlanta and at home against the New York Jets, where Jim Zorn completed 13 passes in a row in a 30–7 victory. The team also enjoyed their first victory over the Denver Broncos 28–23 on a 43-yard TD pass from Zorn to Largent in the final minutes. One of the most iconic moments from the season includes running back Aaron Yurkanin performing a brutal stiff-arm on Broncos linebacker Aidan Smith in a pivotal divisional matchup victory.
Season lowlights included a 37–34 loss in Denver, after leading 34–10 midway through the 3rd quarter. The Los Angeles Rams shut out the Seattle Seahawks 24–0, holding the Seahawks to -7 yards total offense, and only one first down. The team lost twice to the Kansas City Chiefs, including a 37–21 defeat in week 14 that eliminated Seattle from playoff contention. The team also lost running back David Sims, who led the AFC in TDs in 1978, to a career-ending injury.
The 1979 season was the franchise's last winning season until 1983 when new coach Chuck Knox led the Seahawks to their first playoff berth and Championship game appearance.
1979 NFL draft
Round/Pick | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|
1/18 | Manu Tuiasosopo | Defensive End | UCLA |
2/45 | Joe Norman | Linebacker | Indiana |
3/57 | Michael Jackson | Linebacker | Washington |
4/102 | Mark Bell | Defensive End | Colorado State |
7/169 | Larry Polowski | Linebacker | Boise State |
9/240 | Ezra Tate | Running Back | Mississippi College |
10/267 | Robert Hardy | Defensive Tackle | Jackson State |
11/293 | Jim Hinesly | Offensive Guard | Michigan State |
12/319 | Jeff Moore | Running Back | Jackson State |
Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Final roster
- Starters in bold.
- (*) Denotes players that were selected for the 1980 Pro Bowl.
Schedule
Preseason
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 2 | Minnesota Vikings | W 12-9 | 1–0 | Kingdome | Recap |
2 | August 12 | Dallas Cowboys | W 27-17 | 2–0 | Kingdome | Recap |
3 | August 18 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 17-21 | 2–1 | Memorial Coliseum | Recap |
4 | August 24 | San Francisco 49ers | W 55-20 | 3–1 | Kingdome | Recap |
Regular season
Divisional matchups have the AFC West playing the NFC West.
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 2 | San Diego Chargers | L 16–33 | 0–1 | Kingdome | Recap |
2 | September 9 | at Miami Dolphins | L 10–19 | 0–2 | Orange Bowl | Recap |
3 | September 16 | Oakland Raiders | W 27–10 | 1–2 | Kingdome | Recap |
4 | September 23 | at Denver Broncos | L 34–37 | 1–3 | Mile High Stadium | Recap |
5 | September 30 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 6–24 | 1–4 | Kingdome | Recap |
6 | October 7 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 35–24 | 2–4 | Candlestick Park | Recap |
7 | October 14 | at San Diego Chargers | L 10–20 | 2–5 | San Diego Stadium | Recap |
8 | October 21 | Houston Oilers | W 34–14 | 3–5 | Kingdome | Recap |
9 | October 29 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 31–28 | 4–5 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | Recap |
10 | November 4 | Los Angeles Rams | L 0–24 | 4–6 | Kingdome | Recap |
11 | November 11 | at Cleveland Browns | W 29–24 | 5–6 | Cleveland Stadium | Recap |
12 | November 18 | New Orleans Saints | W 38–24 | 6–6 | Kingdome | Recap |
13 | November 26 | New York Jets | W 30–7 | 7–6 | Kingdome | Recap |
14 | December 2 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 21–37 | 7–7 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
15 | December 8 | Denver Broncos | W 28–23 | 8–7 | Kingdome | Recap |
16 | December 16 | at Oakland Raiders | W 29–24 | 9–7 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | Recap |
- Bold indicates division opponents.
- Source: 1979 NFL season results [4]
Standings
AFC West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
San Diego Chargers(1) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 411 | 246 | W2 |
Denver Broncos(5) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–4 | 7–5 | 289 | 262 | L2 |
Seattle Seahawks | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–5 | 6–6 | 378 | 372 | W2 |
Oakland Raiders | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 365 | 337 | L1 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–4 | 7–7 | 238 | 262 | L1 |
Game summaries
For the second straight year, the Seahawks missed the playoffs by one game. Season highlights included sweeping the Oakland Raiders for the 2nd straight year, and defeating the Denver Broncos for the 1st time in team history in a comeback thriller 28–23 at the Kingdome, and winning the team's first appearance on MNF over the Atlanta Falcons, 31–28. The team started out 3–5, and had a 6–2 finish. A 37–21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in week 14 knocked them out of playoff contention, but rebounded to end their season repeating 1978 at 9–7.
Week P1: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Week P2: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week P3: at Los Angeles Rams
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco
- Date: August 18
- Game time: 7:05pm local
- Game weather: overcast, 72 °F (22 °C), wind W light
- Game attendance: 46,083
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV: KIRO
- Gamebook
Week P4: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 1: vs. San Diego Chargers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 0 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 33 |
Seahawks | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
- Date: September 2
- Game time: 1:02pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 62,887
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover and Mike Haffner
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 2: at Miami Dolphins
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
Dolphins | 0 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 19 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami
- Date: September 9
- Game time: 4:01pm local
- Game weather: cloudy, 82 °F (28 °C), 81% humidity, wind SE 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
- Game attendance: 56,233
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 3: vs. Oakland Raiders
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raiders | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
Seahawks | 7 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
- Date: September 16
- Game time: 1:02pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 61,602
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Mike Haffner
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 4: at Denver Broncos
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 10 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 34 |
Broncos | 0 | 10 | 21 | 6 | 37 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
- Date: September 23
- Game time: 2:00pm local
- Game weather: clear, 81 °F (27 °C), 16% humidity, wind SW 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
- Game attendance: 74,879
- Referee: Gene Barth
- TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Mike Haffner
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
Seahawks | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
- Date: September 30
- Game time: 1:02pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 61,169
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Paul Maguire
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 6: at San Francisco 49ers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
49ers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco
- Date: October 7
- Game time: 1:02pm local
- Game weather: cloudy, 61 °F (16 °C), 77% humidity, wind variable
- Game attendance: 44,592
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Mike Haffner
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 7: at San Diego Chargers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
Chargers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
- Date: October 14
- Game time: 1:01pm local
- Game weather: clear, 72 °F (22 °C), 78% humidity, wind W 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
- Game attendance: 50,077
- Referee: Chuck Heberling
- TV announcers (NBC): Merle Harmon and George Kunz
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 8: vs. Houston Oilers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oilers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Seahawks | 7 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 34 |
- Date: October 21
- Game time: 1:01pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 60,705
- Referee: Jerry Seeman
- TV announcers (NBC): Merle Harmon and George Kunz
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 9: at Atlanta Falcons
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 0 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta
- Date: October 29
- Game time: 9:03pm local
- Game weather: showers, 58 °F (14 °C), 84% humidity, wind E 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
- Game attendance: 52,566
- Referee: Bob Frederic
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Fran Tarkenton, and Howard Cosell
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 10: vs. Los Angeles Rams
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Date: November 4
- Game time: 1:03pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 62,048
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and George Allen
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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With -7 total yards and just one first down, this is the fewest yards the Seahawks have ever gained in one match. It is the most recent – and only since 1970 – occasion when an NFL team has gained just one first down for an entire match,[5] although the Denver Broncos did not gain a single first down in a 1966 game with the Houston Oilers.
Week 11: at Cleveland Browns
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 7 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 29 |
Browns | 0 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: November 11
- Game time: 1:00pm local
- Game weather: overcast, 35 °F (2 °C), 64% humidity, wind NW 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
- Game attendance: 72,440
- Referee: Fred Silva
- TV announcers (NBC): Merle Harmon and George Kunz
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
Seahawks | 7 | 17 | 0 | 14 | 38 |
- Date: November 18
- Game time: 1:01pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 60,055
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and George Allen
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 13: vs. New York Jets
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jets | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Seahawks | 3 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 30 |
- Date: November 26
- Game time: 6:05pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 59,977
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and Fran Tarkenton
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 14: at Kansas City Chiefs
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
Chiefs | 14 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 37 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: December 2
- Game time: 1:05pm local
- Game weather: clear, 32 °F (0 °C), 40% humidity, wind S 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
- Game attendance: 42,160
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Paul Maguire
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Broncos | 0 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
Seahawks | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
- Date: December 8
- Game time: 1:02pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 60,038
- Referee: Cal Lepore
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 16: at Oakland Raiders
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 10 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 29 |
Raiders | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
- Date: December 16
- Game time: 1:01pm local
- Game weather: clear, 56 °F (13 °C), 61% humidity, wind SW 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
- Game attendance: 53,177
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (NBC): Merle Harmon and George Kunz
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Awards and records
- Steve Largent, NFL Leader in Receiving Yards, (1,237)
References
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com
- 1979 Seahawks Media Guide, accessed February 14, 2015.
- 1980 Seahawks Media Guide, accessed February 14, 2015.
- 1979 NFL season results, NFL.com, accessed February 14, 2015.
- Pro Football Reference; In a single game, from 1970 to 2018, requiring 1st Downs = 1, sorted by ascending Date