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1979 Miami Dolphins season

14th season in franchise history

14th season in franchise history

FieldValue
teamMiami Dolphins
year1979
record10–6
division_place1st AFC East
coachDon Shula
ownerJoe Robbie
general managerMike Robbie
stadiumMiami Orange Bowl
playoffsLost Divisional Playoffs
(at Steelers) 14–34
pro bowlers None
shortnavlinkDolphins seasons

(at Steelers) 14–34

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

Main article: 1979 NFL draft

PlayerPositionCollege
Joel WilliamsLinebackerWisconsin–La Crosse

Personnel

Coaches / Staff

  • President – Joe Robbie

  • Executive vice president/general manager – Mike Robbie

  • Vice president – Don Shula

  • Director of player personnel – Chuck Connor

  • Head coach – Don Shula

  • Quarterbacks/receivers – Dan Henning

  • Offensive backs – Carl Taseff

  • Offensive line/running game – John Sandusky

  • Assistant head coach/defense – Bill Arnsparger

  • Defensive line/run defense – Mike Scarry

  • Defensive backs – Tom Keane

  • Special teams – Steve Crosby, Carl Taseff

  • Punting – Tom Keane

Roster

Regular season

Schedule

Miami Dolphinsyear=1979border=2}}"WeekMiami Dolphinsyear=1979border=2}}"DateMiami Dolphinsyear=1979border=2}}"OpponentMiami Dolphinsyear=1979border=2}}"ResultMiami Dolphinsyear=1979border=2}}"RecordMiami Dolphinsyear=1979border=2}}"VenueMiami Dolphinsyear=1979border=2}}"Recap12345678910111213141516
September 2at Buffalo BillsW 9–71–0Rich StadiumRecap
September 9Seattle SeahawksW 19–102–0Miami Orange BowlRecap
September 16at Minnesota VikingsW 27–123–0Metropolitan StadiumRecap
September 23Chicago BearsW 31–164–0Miami Orange BowlRecap
September 30at New York JetsL 27–334–1Shea StadiumRecap
at Oakland RaidersL 3–134–2Oakland-Alameda County ColiseumRecap
October 14Buffalo BillsW 17–75–2Miami Orange BowlRecap
October 21at New England PatriotsL 13–285–3Schaefer StadiumRecap
October 28Green Bay PackersW 27–76–3Miami Orange BowlRecap
Houston OilersL 6–96–4Miami Orange BowlRecap
November 11Baltimore ColtsW 19–07–4Miami Orange BowlRecap
November 18at Cleveland BrownsL 24–30 (OT)7–5Cleveland StadiumRecap
November 25at Baltimore ColtsW 28–248–5Memorial StadiumRecap
New England PatriotsW 39–249–5Miami Orange BowlRecap
December 9at Detroit LionsW 28–1010–5Pontiac SilverdomeRecap
New York JetsL 24–2710–6Miami Orange BowlRecap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

Playoffs

AFC Divisional Playoff: at Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Pittsburgh – Thornton 1 run (Bahr kick)
  • Pittsburgh – Stallworth 17 pass from Bradshaw (kick blocked)
  • Pittsburgh – Swann 20 pass from Bradshaw (Bahr kick)
  • Miami – Harris 7 pass from Griese (von Schamann kick)
  • Pittsburgh – Bleier 1 run (Bahr kick)
  • Pittsburgh – Harris 5 run (Bahr kick)
  • Miami – Csonka 1 run (von Schamann kick)

Awards and honors

Larry Csonka returned to the Dolphins in 1979 for one last season before retiring, after leaving in 1975 for the World Football League and spending the next three seasons after with the New York Giants. He led the team with 837 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, in addition to one receiving touchdown. His return led to him being named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

References

References

  1. "1979 Miami Dolphins draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  2. "1979 Miami Dolphins".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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