1979 Oakland Raiders season

The 1979 Oakland Raiders season was their 10th in the league, and 20th overall. They matched their previous season's output of 9–7.[1] Oakland started off 1–3, rallied to 6–4, then fell to 6–6 after an upset loss to the Kansas City chiefs. Oakland then went on a three-game winning streak that featured a 14–10 defensive struggle in Denver, a comeback win in New Orleans after trailing 35–14 in the 3rd quarter, and a 19–14 win over the Cleveland Browns. In the season finale the Raiders stood at 9–6 in need of a win at home against the Seattle Seahawks to have a shot at a wildcard playoff spot. However, it was not to be, and Seattle quarterback Jim Zorn's 314 yards and 2 TD passes eliminated the Raiders, 29–24.

1979 Oakland Raiders season
Owner	Al Davis
Head coach	Tom Flores
General manager	Al Davis
Home field	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
Results
Record	9–7
Division place	3rd AFC West
Playoff finish	Did not qualify

The Raiders hosting the Miami Dolphins at the Coliseum in 1979

Offseason

Draft

1979 Oakland Raiders draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
2	42	Willie Jones	DE	Florida State
6	142	Ira Matthews	RB	Wisconsin
6	156	Henry Williams	DB	San Diego State
7	175	Jack Matia	DT	Drake
8	209	Robert Hawkins	RB	Kentucky
9	238	Jim Rourke	OT	Boston College
10	259	Ricky Smith	DB	Tulane
11	294	Bruce Davis	OT	UCLA
12	316	Dirk Abernathy	DB	Bowling Green
12	320	Reggie Kinlaw	DT	Oklahoma
Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[2]

Roster

1979 Oakland Raiders roster

	Quarterbacks 11 David Humm 16 Jim Plunkett 12 Ken Stabler Running backs 26 Clarence Hawkins 31 Derrick Jensen 43 Ira Matthews 34 Booker Russell 30 Mark van Eeghen FB 22 Arthur Whittington Wide receivers 21 Cliff Branch 82 Larry Brunson 89 Rich Martini 80 Joe Stewart Tight ends 87 Dave Casper 88 Raymond Chester 46 Todd Christensen 84 Derrick Ramsey		Offensive linemen 50 Dave Dalby C 79 Bruce Davis T 70 Henry Lawrence T 65 Mickey Marvin G 78 Art Shell T 66 Steve Sylvester G 63 Gene Upshaw G 75 John Vella T Defensive linemen 68 Joe Bell DE 73 Dave Browning DE 90 Willie Jones DE 62 Reggie Kinlaw DT 72 John Matuszak DE 74 Dave Pear DT 67 Pat Toomay DE		Linebackers 83 Ted Hendricks 57 John Huddleston 58 Monte Johnson 53 Rod Martin 41 Phil Villapiano Defensive backs 38 Rufus Bess CB 36 Mike Davis SS 37 Lester Hayes CB 42 Monte Jackson 47 Charlie Phillips SS 32 Jack Tatum FS 45 Henry Williams CB Special teams  5 Jim Breech K  8 Ray Guy P		Reserve lists 81 Morris Bradshaw WR (IR) -- Jim Rourke T (IR) Practice squad Rookies in italics

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	4:00 p.m.	at Rams	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles		W 24–17	59,000
September 9		at Chargers	San Diego Stadium San Diego		L 10–30	50,255
September 16		at Seahawks	Kingdome Seattle, WA		L 10–27	61,602
September 23		at Chiefs	Arrowhead Stadium Kansas City, Missouri		L 7–35	67,821
September 30		Broncos	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Oakland, California		W 27–3	52,632
October 8		Dolphins	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Oakland, California		W 13–3	52,419
October 14		Falcons	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Oakland, California		W 50–19	52,900
October 21		at Jets	Shea Stadium Queens, New York		L 19–28	55,802
October 25		Chargers	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Oakland, California		W 45–22	53,709
November 4		49ers	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Oakland, California		W 23–10	52,764
November 11		at Oilers	Astrodome Houston		L 17–31	48,614
November 18		Chiefs	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Oakland, California		L 21–24	53,596
November 25	4:00 p.m.	at Broncos	Mile High Stadium Denver, Colorado		W 14–10	74,186
December 3	9:00 p.m.	at Saints	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans	ABC	W 42–35	65,541
December 9		Browns	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Oakland, California		W 19–14	52,641
December 16		Seahawks	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Oakland, California		L 24–29	53,177
All times are in Eastern time

Season summary

Week 1

1 2 3 4 Total • Raiders 0 10 14 0 24 Rams 7 10 0 0 17 Date: September 2 Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game attendance: 59,000 Game weather: 70°F; wind 10

Scoring summary Q1 LA Tyler 1 yard run (Corral kick) LA 7–0 Q2 LA Miller 17 yard pass from Haden (Corral kick) LA 14–0 Q2 OAK Breech 38 yard field goal LA 14–3 Q2 OAK Ramsey 1 yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick) LA 14–10 Q2 LA Corral 46 yard field goal LA 17–10 Q3 OAK Chester 27 yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick) Tie 17–17 Q3 OAK Chester 4 yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick) OAK 24–17

[3]

Week 2

1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 0 3 7 0 10 • Chargers 14 7 2 7 30 Date: September 9 Location: San Diego Stadium

Week 3

1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 0 0 7 3 10 • Seahawks 7 3 10 7 27 Date: September 16 Location: Kingdome Game weather: Indoors (dome) Referee: Gordon McCarter TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Mike Haffner

Week 4

1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 0 0 0 7 7 • Chiefs 14 0 7 14 35 Date: September 23 Location: Arrowhead Stadium

Week 5

1 2 3 4 Total Broncos 0 3 0 0 3 • Raiders 7 7 0 13 27 Date: September 30 Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game weather: 64°F; wind 8

Scoring summary Q1 OAK Casper 28 yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick) OAK 7–0 Q2 DEN Turner 19 yard field goal OAK 7–3 Q2 OAK van Eeghen 1 yard run (Breech kick) OAK 14–3 Q4 OAK Breech 27 yard field goal OAK 17–3 Q4 OAK Breech 21 yard field goal OAK 20–3 Q4 OAK Johnson recovered fumble in end zone (Breech kick) OAK 27–3

[4]

Week 6

1 2 3 4 Total Dolphins 0 0 3 0 3 • Raiders 0 0 13 0 13 Date: October 8 Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 63°F; wind 12 Referee: Dick Jorgensen TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford and Don Meredith

Scoring summary Q3 OAK Chester 14 yard pass from Stabler (kick failed) OAK 6–0 Q3 OAK Hendricks 23 yard interception return (Breech kick) OAK 13–0 Q3 MIA von Schamann 23 yard field goal OAK 13–3

[5]

Week 7

1 2 3 4 Total Falcons 0 0 12 7 19 • Raiders 10 9 10 21 50 Date: October 14 Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game attendance: 52,900 Game weather: 68°F; wind 9

Scoring summary Q1 OAK Breech 40 yard field goal OAK 3–0 Q1 OAK van Eeghen 1 yard run (Breech kick) OAK 10–0 Q2 OAK Breech 30 yard field goal OAK 13–0 Q2 OAK Hawkins 20 yard pass from Stabler (kick failed) OAK 19–0 Q3 OAK van Eeghen 6 yard run (Breech kick) OAK 26–0 Q3 ATL Cain 26 yard pass from Bartkowski (kick failed) OAK 26–6 Q3 OAK Breech 47 yard field goal OAK 29–6 Q3 ATL Cain 18 yard pass from Bartkowski (kick failed) OAK 29–12 Q4 OAK Brunson 8 yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick) OAK 36–12 Q4 OAK Hayes 51 yard interception return (Breech kick) OAK 43–12 Q4 OAK van Eeghen 1 yard run (Breech kick) OAK 50–12 Q4 ATL Cain 3 yard run (Mazzetti kick) OAK 50–19

[6]

Week 8

1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 0 10 3 6 19 • Jets 7 0 7 14 28 Date: October 21 Location: Shea Stadium

Week 9

1 2 3 4 Total Chargers 0 6 16 0 22 • Raiders 14 10 7 14 45 Date: October 25 Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California Game start: 6:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 66°F, wind 17 mph Referee: Ben Dreith Television network: ABC Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Scoring summary 1 Raiders Raymond Chester 34-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick) Raiders 7–0 1 Raiders Booker Russell 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick) Raiders 14–0 2 Raiders Mark van Eeghen 4-yard run (Jim Breech kick) Raiders 21–0 2 Chargers John Jefferson 57-yard pass from Dan Fouts (kick failed) Raiders 21–6 2 Raiders Jim Breech 38-yard field goal Raiders 24–6 3 Chargers Mike Wood 28-yard field goal Raiders 24–9 3 Chargers Dan Fouts 1-yard run (kick failed) Raiders 24–15 3 Raiders Ira Matthews 104-yard kickoff return (Jim Breech kick) Raiders 31–15 3 Chargers Bob Klein 7-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Mike Wood kick) Raiders 31–22 4 Raiders Booker Russell 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick) Raiders 38–22 4 Raiders Booker Russell 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick) Raiders 45–22

Week 10

1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 0 10 0 0 10 • Raiders 9 7 7 0 23 Date: November 4 Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game weather: 59°F; wind 9 Referee: Chuck Heberling TV announcers (CBS): Bob Costas, Roman Gabriel

Scoring summary Q1 OAK Breech 18 yard field goal OAK 3–0 Q1 OAK Branch 9 yard pass from Stabler (kick failed) OAK 9–0 Q2 SF Wersching 39 yard field goal OAK 9–3 Q2 SF Francis 5 yard run (Wersching kick) SF 10–9 Q2 OAK van Eeghen 1 yard run (Breech kick) OAK 16–10 Q3 OAK Branch 8 yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick) OAK 23–10

[7]

Week 11

1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 7 7 0 3 17 • Oilers 7 7 14 3 31 Date: November 11 Location: Astrodome

Week 12

1 2 3 4 Total • Chiefs 7 3 14 0 24 Raiders 0 7 7 7 21 Date: November 18 Location: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Week 13

1 2 3 4 Total • Raiders 0 7 7 0 14 Broncos 0 0 0 10 10 Date: November 25 Location: Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game weather: 36°F; wind 13

Scoring summary Q2 OAK Casper 3 yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick) OAK 7–0 Q3 OAK Russell 1 yard run (Breech kick) OAK 14–0 Q4 DEN Turner 30 yard field goal OAK 14–3 Q4 DEN Lytle 1 yard run (Turner kick) OAK 14–10

[8]

Week 14

Week Fourteen: Oakland Raiders (7–6) at New Orleans Saints (7–6)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	7	7	7	21	42
Saints	0	28	7	0	35

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Date: December 3, 1979
• Game time: 8:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Indoors (dome)
• Game attendance: 71,323
• Referee: Bob Frederic
• TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter OAK – Raymond Chester 3-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick). – Raiders 7–0. Drive: 15 plays, 78 yards. Second quarter NO – Tony Galbreath 2-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). – Tie 7–7. Drive: 13 plays, 89 yards. NO – Tony Galbreath 17-yard pass from Archie Manning (Garo Yepremian kick). – Saints 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 19 yards. NO – Chuck Muncie 1-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). – Saints 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards. NO – Henry Childs 28-yard pass from Archie Manning (Garo Yepremian kick). – Saints 28–7. Drive: 1 play, 28 yards. OAK – Arthur Whittington 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick). – Saints 28–14. Drive: Third quarter NO – Ken Bordelon 19-yard interception return (Garo Yepremian kick), 6:24. – Saints 35–14. OAK – Mark van Eeghen 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick). – Saints 35–21. Drive: Fourth quarter OAK – Derrick Ramsey 17-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick). – Saints 35–28. Drive: OAK – Cliff Branch 66-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick). – Tie 35–35. Drive: OAK – Cliff Branch 8-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick), 1:54. – Raiders 42–35. Drive: 3 plays, 13 yards. Top passers OAK – Ken Stabler – 26/44, 295 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT NO – Archie Manning – 12/23, 154 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers OAK – Arthur Whittington – 14 rushes, 67 yards, TD NO – Chuck Muncie – 21 rushes, 128 yards, TD Top receivers OAK – Cliff Branch – 7 receptions, 126 yards, 2 TD NO – Tony Galbreath – 7 receptions, 106 yards, TD

Week 15

1 2 3 4 Total Browns 0 0 7 7 14 • Raiders 7 6 0 6 19 Date: December 9 Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game weather: 54°F; wind 6

Scoring summary Q1 OAK Branch 39 yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick) OAK 7–0 Q2 OAK Breech 25 yard field goal OAK 10–0 Q2 OAK Breech 38 yard field goal OAK 13–0 Q3 CLE Pruitt 77 yard run (Cockroft kick) OAK 13–7 Q4 OAK Breech 23 yard field goal OAK 16–7 Q4 CLE Pruitt 2 yard run (Cockroft kick) OAK 16–14 Q4 OAK Breech 45 yard field goal OAK 19–14

[9]

Week 16

1 2 3 4 Total • Seahawks 10 7 9 3 29 Raiders 7 10 0 7 24 Date: December 16 Location: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

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

References

1. "1979 Oakland Raiders Statistics & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com".
2. The Football Database. Retrieved 2015-Dec-16.
3. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-12.
4. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-22.
5. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-23.
6. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-24.
7. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-25.
8. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-26.
9. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-26.