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1979 Minnesota Vikings season

NFL team season

NFL team season

FieldValue
teamMinnesota Vikings
year1979
record7–9
division_place3rd NFC Central
coachBud Grant
general managerMike Lynn
stadiumMetropolitan Stadium
playoffsDid not qualify
pro bowlersLB Matt Blair
WR Ahmad Rashad
uniformFile:Vikings1975-86.png
shortnavlinkVikings seasons

WR Ahmad Rashad The 1979 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 19th in the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a 7–9 record, their first losing season since 1967, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1972.

The loss of Fran Tarkenton to retirement in the off-season meant third-year quarterback Tommy Kramer became the starter. The season also marked the end of an era as the last remaining original Viking, longtime defensive end Jim Marshall, retired after 19 seasons with the Vikings and 20 in the NFL, having set league records for most consecutive games played (282) and consecutive starts (270). Counting playoff games, he had started in every one of the 289 games in Vikings history. Safety Paul Krause also retired after the season ended; he holds the league record with 81 career interceptions.

Offseason

1979 draft

Main article: 1979 NFL draft

Pro Bowler
Minnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"1979 Minnesota Vikings DraftMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"Draft orderMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"Player nameMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"PositionMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"CollegeMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"NotesMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"RoundMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"Selection11624337249751296152718182079236102631129112317
Ted BrownRunning backNC State
Dave HuffmanCenterNotre Dame
* Selection forfeited due to illegal tryout*
Steve DilsQuarterbackStanford
Jerry MeterLinebackerMichigan
Joe SenserTight endWest Chester
Bob WinkelDefensive tackleKentucky
*Traded to the Baltimore Colts*
Billy DiggsWide receiverWinston-Salem State
*Traded to the New York Jets*
Brian NelsonWide receiverTexas Tech
David StephensLinebackerKentucky

Notes

Roster

Preseason

Minnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"WeekMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"DateMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"OpponentMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"ResultMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"RecordMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"VenueMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"Attendance1234
August 2at Seattle SeahawksL 9–120–1Kingdome60,881
August 11at San Diego ChargersL 0–190–2San Diego Stadium49,037
August 18Miami DolphinsL 10–210–3Metropolitan Stadium45,790
August 23Kansas City ChiefsL 0–250–4Metropolitan Stadium39,578

Regular season

Schedule

Minnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"WeekMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"DateMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"OpponentMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"ResultMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"RecordMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"VenueMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"Attendance12345678910111213141516
September 2San Francisco 49ersW 28–221–0Metropolitan Stadium46,539
September 9at Chicago BearsL 7–261–1Soldier Field53,231
September 16Miami DolphinsL 12–271–2Metropolitan Stadium46,187
September 23Green Bay PackersW 27–21 (OT)2–2Metropolitan Stadium46,524
September 30at Detroit LionsW 13–103–2Silverdome75,295
October 7Dallas CowboysL 20–363–3Metropolitan Stadium47,572
October 15at New York JetsL 7–143–4Shea Stadium54,479
October 21Chicago BearsW 30–274–4Metropolitan Stadium41,164
October 28Tampa Bay BuccaneersL 10–124–5Metropolitan Stadium46,906
November 4at St. Louis CardinalsL 7–374–6Busch Memorial Stadium47,213
November 11at Green Bay PackersL 7–194–7Milwaukee County Stadium52,706
November 18Detroit LionsW 14–75–7Metropolitan Stadium43,650
November 25at Tampa Bay BuccaneersW 23–226–7Tampa Stadium70,039
December 2at Los Angeles RamsL 21–27 (OT)6–8Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum56,700
December 9Buffalo BillsW 10–37–8Metropolitan Stadium42,239
December 16at New England PatriotsL 23–277–9Schaefer Stadium54,719

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

Awards and records

  • On September 2, WR Ahmad Rashad caught four touchdown passes, which remains a Vikings single-game record.
  • On November 25, the team blocked four kicks – two extra point attempts, a field goal attempt and a punt by Tom Blanchard – against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This remains a franchise record.
  • On December 16, RB Rickey Young caught 15 passes, a single-game franchise record.

Statistics

Team leaders

Minnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"CategoryMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"Player(s)Minnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"Value
Passing yardsTommy Kramer3,397
Passing touchdownsTommy Kramer23
Rushing yardsRickey Young708
Rushing touchdownsRickey Young3
Receiving yardsAhmad Rashad1,156
Receiving touchdownsAhmad Rashad9
PointsRick Danmeier67
Kickoff return yardsJimmy Edwards1,103
Punt return yardsJimmy Edwards186
InterceptionsTommy Hannon
Nate Wright4

League rankings

Minnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"CategoryMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"Total yardsMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"Yards per gameMinnesota Vikingsyear=1979border=2}}"NFL rank
(out of 28)Total offense4,903306.419thTotal defense5,223326.418th
Passing offense3,139196.212th
Rushing offense1,764110.323rd
Passing defense2,697168.611th
Rushing defense2,526157.926th

References

References

  1. "1979 Minnesota Vikings (NFL) - Pro Football Archives".
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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