| 1979 San Diego Chargers season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Don Coryell |
| Home Field | San Diego Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Place | 1st AFC West |
| Playoff Finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Oilers) (17–14) |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1978 | 1980 |
The 1979 San Diego Chargers season was the team's 20th season, and 10th in the National Football League. Their 12-4 record was tied for the best in the league in 1979.
The 1979 Chargers finished in first place in the AFC West after having finished 9–7 in 1978. The Chargers made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts three for more than 4,000 yards, and wide receivers Charlie Joyner and John Jefferson both gained more than 1,000 yards receiving.
The season ended with a playoff loss to the Oilers.
As part of a marketing campaign, the Chargers created their fight song, "San Diego Super Chargers".[1]
The 2006 edition of Pro Football Prospectus [2], listed the 1979 Chargers as one of their "Heartbreak Seasons," in which teams "dominated the entire regular season only to falter in the playoffs, unable to close the deal." Said Pro Football Prospectus of the team, "the creative [head coach] Don Coryell always designed potent offenses, but the San Diego defense didn't catch up until 1979. ... In their first playoff game, the Chargers hosted a Houston Oilers team missing running back Earl Campbell and quarterback Dan Pastorini -- and fell on their faces. Fouts threw five interceptions and no touchdowns, and the Chargers blew a third quarter lead and lost 17-14. The Chargers would never again have the best record in the NFL. They would not have another top ten defense in points allowed until 1989. They would not win 12 games in a season until 2004. Their best shot at glory went horribly awry, thanks to the worst game in the illustrious career of Dan Fouts."
1979 NFL Draft[]
- Main article: 1979 NFL Draft
| 1979 San Diego Chargers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Kellen Winslow * † | Tight end | Missouri | from Cleveland |
| 3 | 73 | Cliff Thrift | Linebacker | East Central (OK) | from Cleveland |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Roster[]
| 1979 San Diego Chargers final roster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
| ||||||
Regular season[]
On opening day in the Kingdome on September 2, the Chargers beat the Seattle Seahawks 33–14. Clarence Williams rushed for 2 touchdwons. Rolf Benirschke kicked 4 field goals, and Dan Fouts passed for 224 yards.
In week 2, Fouts had 3 touchdowns and linebacker Woodrow Lowe returned a Ken Stabler pass 32 yards for a score as San Diego beat the Oakland Raiders 30–10.
The next week, San Diego got a come-from-behind win over the Buffalo Bills as Clarence Williams picked up 157 yards on 18 carries and had a team-record 4 rushing TDs.
In week 4, Chargers lost to the New England Patriots 27–21. Patriot linebacker Steve Nelson preserved the victory with an interception of a Dan Fouts pass on the New England 2-yard line with 1:37 remaining in the game.
Schedule[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2 | at Seattle | W 33–16 | 1-0 | |
| 2 | September 9 | Oakland | W 30–10 | 2-0 | |
| 3 | September 16 | Buffalo | W 27–19 | 3-0 | |
| 4 | September 23 | at New England | L 27–21 | 3-1 | |
| 5 | September 30 | San Francisco | W 31–9 | 4-1 | |
| 6 | October 7 | at Denver | L 7–0 | 4-2 | |
| 7 | October 14 | Seattle | W 20–10 | 5-2 | |
| 8 | October 21 | at Los Angeles | W 40–16 | 6-2 | |
| 9 | October 25 | at Oakland | L 45–12 | 6-3 | |
| 10 | November 4 | at Kansas City | W 20–14 | 7-3 | |
| 11 | November 11 | at Cincinnati | W 26–24 | 8-3 | |
| 12 | November 18 | Pittsburgh | W 35–7 | 9-3 | |
| 13 | November 25 | Kansas City | W 28–7 | 10-3 | |
| 14 | December 2 | Atlanta | L 28–26 | 10-4 | |
| 15 | December 9 | at New Orleans | W 35–0 | 11-4 | |
| 16 | December 17 | Denver | W 17–7 | 12-4 |
Game Summaries[]
Week 5: vs. San Francisco 49ers[]
Week 5: San Francisco 49ers at San Diego Chargers;– Game summary
|
Playoffs[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 29, 1979 | Houston Oilers | L 17–14 |
Standings[]
| AFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 411 | 246 |
| Denver Broncos | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 289 | 262 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 378 | 372 |
| Oakland Raiders | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 365 | 337 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 238 | 262 |
Roster[]
Awards and honors[]
- Sporting News Executive of the Year: John Sanders
- UPI Player of the Year: Dan Fouts
External Links[]
- 1979 San Diego Chargers season article at Wikipedia
- 1979 San Diego Chargers at Pro-Football-Reference.com]
- 1979 San Diego Chargers at jt-sw.com
- 1979 San Diego Chargers at the Football Database (FootballDB.com)
- Houston Oilers at San Diego Chargers - 1979 AFC Playoffs, video of game highlights
References[]
- ↑ Stetz, Michael. "Still a superstar after 27 seasons", January 13, 2007. Retrieved on September 9, 2011. “Or a little song written back in 1979.”
- ↑ Pro Football Prospectus 2006 (ISBN 0761142177), p.73-75