1979 Houston Oilers season

NFL team season November 2013 March 2026 Houston Oilers 1979 11–5 2nd AFC Central Bum Phillips Bud Adams Bum Phillips Astrodome DE Elvin Bethea LB Robert Brazile RB Earl Campbell K Toni Fritsch LT Leon Gray FS Mike Reinfeldt Won Wild Card Playoffs(vs. Broncos) 13–7Won Divisional Playoffs(at Chargers) 17–14Lost AFC Championship(at Steelers) 13–27 Oilers seasons thumb|right|Houston's defensive line blocking a San Diego rushing attempt during the 1979 AFC Divisional Playoff Game. The 1979 Houston Oilers season was the franchise's 20th overall and the tenth in the National Football League. The franchise scored 362 points while the defense gave up 331 points. Their record of 11 wins and 5 losses resulted in a second-place finish in the AFC Central Division. The Oilers appeared once on Monday Night Football on December 10, 1979 where the sports promotion Luv ya Blue was launched and returned to the AFC Championship Game for the second consecutive year. Earl Campbell would lead the NFL in rushing for the second consecutive year and set a franchise record for most touchdowns in a season with 19. The Oilers would make the playoffs again as a wild card. In the wild card game, they beat the Denver Broncos 13–7, and then defeated the San Diego Chargers 17–14 in San Diego to reach their second straight AFC Championship game. The Oilers then played the Pittsburgh Steelers, who a year earlier had eliminated them 34–5 in the previous AFC Championship game. The Oilers lost the game 27–13. The game included a controversial moment in which wide receiver Mike Renfro had a touchdown called back after the referees of the game took a long time to decide the ruling on the field. The call went down as one of the most controversial calls in NFL history. As of , this is the most recent season a Houston-based team has reached the AFC Championship Game. The Oilers franchise would not do so again for twenty seasons, by which time they had re-located and become the Tennessee Titans, while Houston's current NFL team has yet to advance past the divisional round. NFL Films produced a documentary about the team's season entitled Luv Ya Blue, Bum Builds a Winner; it was narrated by John Facenda. Offseason NFL draft 1979 NFL draft 1979 Houston Oilers 2 31 Mike Stensrud Defensive tackle Iowa State yes 2 50 Jesse Baker Defensive end Jacksonville State yes 3 72 Kenny King Running back Oklahoma yes yes 6 143 Daryl Hunt Linebacker Oklahoma yes no 6 159 Mike Murphy Linebacker Missouri State N/A no 7 171 Tim Ries Defensive back Missouri State N/A no 8 214 Carter Hartwig Defensive back USC yes no 9 243 Richard Ellender Wide receiver McNeese State N/A no 11 298 Mike Taylor Offensive tackle Georgia Tech N/A no 12 324 Wayne Wilson Running back Shephard College yes no no https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/oti/1979_draft.htm 1979 Houston Oilers draftees Pro-Football-Reference.com October 22, 2014 Personnel Staff 1979 Houston Oilers President – Bud Adams General Manager – Bum Phillips Senior Vice President/Chief Administrative Officer – Ladd Herzeg Assistant General Manager – Pat Peppler Director of College Scouting – Joe Woolley Head Coach – Bum Phillips Offensive Backs – Andy Bourgeois Receivers – King Hill Offensive Line – Joe Bugel Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Ed Biles Defensive Line – Wade Phillips Defensive Secondary – Bob Gambold Special Teams – John Paul Young Roster 1979 Houston Oilers 14 Gifford Nielsen  7 Dan Pastorini 34 Earl Campbell 26 Rob Carpenter running back 42 Boobie Clark 47 Ronnie Coleman American football 45 Tim Wilson American football 00 Ken Burrough 88 Rich Caster 85 Rich Ellender y 81 Jeff Groth American football y 12 Guido Merkens 82 Mike Renfro 86 Mike Barber tight end 87 Conrad Rucker 58 David Carter offensive lineman C/G 60 Ed Fisher American football G 74 Leon Gray T 70 Conway Hayman G 55 Carl Mauck C 68 Tom Randall American football G 76 Morris Towns T 75 Jesse Baker American football y DE 65 Elvin Bethea DE 78 Curley Culp NT 69 Andy Dorris DE 71 Ken Kennard NT 67 Mike Stensrud y DE 63 Steve Baumgartner OLB 54 Gregg Bingham ILB 52 Robert Brazile OLB 50 Daryl Hunt y ILB 53 Art Stringer ILB 51 Ted Thompson OLB 59 Ted Washington Sr. OLB 19 Willie Alexander American football CB 20 Bill Currier SS 36 Carter Hartwig y CB/FS 21 Charles Jefferson American football y CB 32 Vernon Perry SS 37 Mike Reinfeldt FS 27 Greg Stemrick CB 33 J. C. Wilson CB 16 Toni Fritsch K 18 Cliff Parsley P 84 Billy Johnson WR (IR) 10px 30 Kenny King running back y RB IR 56 Mike Murphy linebacker y LB IR 64 George Reihner G IR 73 Greg Sampson T NF-Ill. 62 John Schuhmacher G IR 41 Tony Towns y LB IR 38 C. L. Whittington S IR 79 Randy Young G IR -- Steve Young tightend TE IR https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/oti/1979_roster.htm 1979 Houston Oilers starters and roster Pro-Football-Reference.com November 10, 2014 Preseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Time TV Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 August 2, 1979 St. Louis Cardinals 7:30p.m. CDT KPRC-TV W 9–7 1–0 Astrodome 46,252 2 August 12 New York Jets 12:30p.m. CDT NBC L 14–26 1–1 Astrodome 43,350 3 August 18, 1979 at Dallas Cowboys 8:00p.m. CDT ABC L 13–16 1–2 Texas Stadium 62,803 4 August 24, 1979 at New Orleans Saints 7:00p.m. CDT KPRC-TV L 7–10 1–3 Louisiana Superdome 54,469 Week P3 (Saturday, August 18, 1979): at Dallas Cowboys Houston Oilers 1979 2; text-align:center collapsed Week P3: Houston Oilers 13 at Dallas Cowboys 16 – Game summary August 18, 1979 8:00 p.m. CDT Oilers (1–2) 3 3 7 0 Cowboys (2–2) 0 0 7 9 Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas 62,803 ABC Frank Gifford (play–by–play), Howard Cosell (color commentator) and Fran Tarkenton (color commentator) right Houston Oilers HOU Dallas Cowboys DAL HOU DAL collapsed 13 16 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: OilersGame statisticsCowboys First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Week P4 (Friday, August 24, 1979): at New Orleans Saints Houston Oilers 1979 2; text-align:center collapsed Week P4: Houston Oilers 7 at New Orleans Saints 10 – Game summary August 24, 1979 7:00 p.m. CDT Oilers (1–3) 7 0 0 0 Saints (1–3) 0 0 0 10 Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana 54,469 Indoors (dome) KPRC-TV right Houston Oilers HOU New Orleans Saints NO HOU NO collapsed 7 10 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: OilersGame statisticsSaints First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 2, 1979 at Washington Redskins W 29–27 1–0 RFK Stadium 54,582 Recap 2 September 9, 1979 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 7–38 1–1 Three Rivers Stadium 49,792 Recap 3 September 16 Kansas City Chiefs W 20–6 2–1 Astrodome 45,684 Recap 4 September 23 at Cincinnati Bengals W 30–27 3–1 Riverfront Stadium 45,615 Recap 5 September 30 Cleveland Browns W 31–10 4–1 Astrodome 48,915 Recap 6 October 7 St. Louis Cardinals L 17–24 4–2 Astrodome 53,043 Recap 7 October 14 at Baltimore Colts W 28–16 5–2 Memorial Stadium 45,021 Recap 8 October 21 at Seattle Seahawks L 14–34 5–3 Kingdome 60,705 Recap 9 October 28 New York Jets W 27–24 6–3 Astrodome 45,825 Recap 10 November 5, 1979 at Miami Dolphins W 9–6 7–3 Miami Orange Bowl 70,273 Recap 11 November 11 Oakland Raiders W 31–17 8–3 Astrodome 48,614 Recap 12 November 18 Cincinnati Bengals W 42–21 9–3 Astrodome 49,829 Recap 13 November 22, 1979 at Dallas Cowboys W 30–24 10–3 Texas Stadium 63,897 Recap 14 December 2 at Cleveland Browns L 7–14 10–4 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 69,112 Recap 15 December 10, 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers W 20–17 11–4 Astrodome 55,293 Recap 16 December 16 Philadelphia Eagles L 20–26 11–5 Astrodome 49,407 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Standings Regular season game summaries Week 1 (Sunday, September 2, 1979): at Washington Redskins The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Jan-13. Houston Oilers 1979 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 1: Houston Oilers at Washington Redskins – Game summary September 2, 1979 12:00 p.m. CDT Oilers (1–0) 6 0 7 16 Redskins (0–1) 0 17 7 3 RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C. 54,582 80 °F °C; relative humidity 85%; wind 11 mph on Gordon McCarter NBC Jim Simpson (play–by–play) and John Brodie (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Houston Oilers at Washington Redskins – September 2, 1979 Tennessee Titans 2023 Media Guide Tennessee Titans 375 right Houston Oilers HOU Washington Redskins WSH Dan Pastorini 12/30, 176 YDS, 1 TD, 3 INTs Earl Campbell 32 CAR, 166 YDS, 2 TDs Billy Johnson 4 REC, 76 YDS, 1 TD Joe Theismann 7/14, 123 YDS, 2 TDs, 1 INT Benny Malone 17 CAR, 58 YDS, 1 TD Jean Fugett 3 REC, 55 YDS, 2 TDs HOU WSH collapsed 1 Oilers FG 41 Fritsch 3 0 1 Oilers FG 46 Fritsch 6 0 2 Redskins FG 27 Moseley 6 3 2 Redskins RecTD Fugett Theismann 8 good Moseley 6 10 2 Redskins RushTD Malone 1 good Moseley 6 17 3 Oilers RushTD Campbell 13 good Fritsch 13 17 3 Redskins RecTD Fugett Theismann 30 good Moseley 13 24 4 Redskins FG 39 Moseley 13 27 4 Oilers RecTD Johnson Pastorini 14 no good Fritsch 19 27 4 Oilers FG 26 Fritsch 22 27 4 Oilers RushTD Campbell 3 good Fritsch 29 27 29 27 Point spread: Oilers –4 Over/under: 33.0 (over) Time of game: OilersGame statisticsRedskins21 First downs 1445–199 Rushes–yards 34–142176 Passing yards 12312–30–3 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 7–14–11–10 Sacked–yards 2–19166 Net passing yards 104365 Total yards 24699 Return yards 2153–45.7 Punts Number–Average yardage 4–36.51–0 Fumbles–lost 2–25–44 Penalties–yards 6–55 Time of Possession Individual stats Oilers Passing C/ATT1YdsTDINTSkYdsLG3RatePastorini12/30176131103531.4 Oilers Rushing Car2YdsTDLG3Campbell32166218Wilson422015Carpenter51506Barber1–20–2Pastorini3–203 Oilers ReceivingRec4YdsTDLG3Johnson476129Burrough366035Rucker225016Campbell2204Wilson1707 Oilers Kick ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngJohnson4379.300King11717.000Merkens199.000 Oilers Punt ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngJohnson11616.000Merkens100.000 Oilers PuntingPntYdsY/PLngBlckParsley313745.7 Oilers KickingFGM–FGAXPM–XPAFritsch3–32–3 Oilers InterceptionsIntYdsTDLGPDReinfeldt1200200 Starting Lineups Position Starting Lineups at Washington Offense WR Ken Burrough LT Leon Gray LG Conway Hayman C Carl Mauck RG Ed Fisher RT Morris Towns TE Mike Barber WR Billy Johnson QB Dan Pastorini RB Earl Campbell FB Tim Wilson Defense LDE Andy Dorris NT Curley Culp RDE Elvin Bethea LOLB Ted Washington LILB Gregg Bingham RILB Art Stringer ROLB Robert Brazile LCB J. C. Wilson RCB Greg Stemrick SS Vernon Perry FS Mike Reinfeldt Week 2 (Sunday, September 9, 1979): at Pittsburgh Steelers The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Oct-31. Houston Oilers 1979 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 2: Houston Oilers 7 at Pittsburgh Steelers 38 – Game summary September 9, 1979 12:00 p.m. CDT Oilers (1–1) 0 0 0 7 Steelers (2–0) 7 3 14 14 Three Rivers Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 49,792 55 F; relative humidity 69%; wind 7 mph on Pat Haggerty NBC Dick Enberg (play–by–play) and Merlin Olsen (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Houston Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers – September 9, 1979 Tennessee Titans 2023 Media Guide Tennessee Titans 375 right Houston Oilers HOU Pittsburgh Steelers PIT Gifford Nielsen 4/11, 41 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs Earl Campbell 16 CAR, 38 YDS Billy Johnson 2 REC, 32 YDS Terry Bradshaw 12/29, 198 YDS, 2 TDs, 2 INTs Franco Harris 14 CAR, 42 YDS Lynn Swann 5 REC, 95 YDS HOU PIT collapsed 1 Steelers RushTD Thornton 1 good Bahr 0 7 2 Steelers FG 45 Bahr 0 10 3 Steelers RecTD Thornton Bradshaw 16 good Bahr 0 17 3 Steelers RushTD Hawthorne 8 good Bahr 0 24 4 Steelers RecTD Smith Bradshaw 18 good Bahr 0 31 4 Steelers – – – IntTD Winston 41 good Bahr 0 38 4 Oilers RecTD Merkens Nielsen 9 good Fritsch 7 38 7 38 Point spread: Oilers +6 Over/under: 37.0 (over) Time of game: OilersGame statisticsSteelers12 First downs 1739–102 Rushes–yards 29–8257 Passing yards 1988–27–5 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 12–29–25–35 Sacked–yards 3–2422 Net passing yards 174124 Total yards 256155 Return yards 1609–46.1 Punts Number–Average yardage 7–40.14–1 Fumbles–lost 5–010–64 Penalties–yards 8–74 Time of possession Individual stats Oilers Passing C/ATT1YdsTDINTSkYdsLG3RateNielsen4/114112001338.6Pastorini4/161603535250.0 Oilers Rushing Car2YdsTDLG3Campbell1638012Coleman72209Wilson71907Clark51507Carpenter4804 Oilers ReceivingRec4YdsTDLG3Johnson232025Rucker113013Renfro112012Merkens1919Earl Campbell1404Carpenter1–30–3Wilson1–100–10 Oilers Kick ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngColeman48822.000Wilson23015.000Merkens11313.000 Oilers Punt ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngJohnson310.300 Oilers PuntingPntYdsY/PLngBlckParsley941546.1 Oilers KickingFGM–FGAXPM–XPAFritsch1–1 Oilers SacksSacksDorris2.0Culp1.0 Oilers InterceptionsIntYdsTDLGPDReinfeldt1230230Stringer10000 Starting Lineups Position Starting Lineups at Pittsburgh Offense WR Ken Burrough LT Leon Gray LG Conway Hayman C Carl Mauck RG Ed Fisher RT Morris Towns TE Mike Barber WR Billy Johnson QB Dan Pastorini RB Earl Campbell FB Tim Wilson Defense LDE Andy Dorris NT Curley Culp RDE Elvin Bethea LOLB Ted Washington LILB Gregg Bingham RILB Art Stringer ROLB Robert Brazile LCB J. C. Wilson RCB Greg Stemrick SS Vernon Perry FS Mike Reinfeldt Week 3 vs. Kansas City Chiefs Week 4 at Cincinnati Bengals Week 5 vs. Cleveland Browns Week 6 (Sunday, October 7, 1979): vs. St. Louis Cardinals The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Jan-15. Houston Oilers 1979 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 6: St. Louis Cardinals 24 at Houston Oilers 17 – Game summary October 7, 1979 1:00 p.m. CDT Cardinals (2–4) 0 7 3 14 Oilers (4–2) 0 14 0 3 Astrodome • Houston, Texas 53,043 Indoors (dome) Fred Silva CBS Frank Glieber (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; St Louis Cardinals at Houston Oilers – October 7, 1979 right St. Louis Cardinals STL Houston Oilers HOU Jim Hart 23/38, 253 YDS, 3 INTs Ottis Anderson 16 CAR, 109 YDS Pat Tilley 6 REC, 69 YDS Dan Pastorini 15/29, 176 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs Earl Campbell 13 CAR, 53 YDS, 1 TD Ken Burrough 5 REC, 62 YDS, 1 TD STL HOU collapsed 2 Cardinals RushTD Brown 2 good Little 7 0 2 Oilers RushTD Campbell 4 good Fritsch 7 7 2 Oilers RecTD Burrough Pastorini 11 good Fritsch 7 14 3 Cardinals FG 24 Little 10 14 4 Oilers FG 51 Fritsch 10 17 4 Cardinals RushTD Morris 1 good Little 17 17 4 Cardinals RushTD Morris 6 good Little 24 17 24 17 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: CardinalsGame statisticsOilers First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of Possession Week 7 at Baltimore Colts Week 8 at Seattle Seahawks Week 9 vs. New York Jets Week 10 (Monday, November 5, 1979): at Miami Dolphins The Football Database. Retrieved 2025-Apr-19. Houston Oilers 1979 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 10: Houston Oilers 9 at Miami Dolphins 6 – Game summary November 5, 1979 8:07 p.m. CST Oilers (7–3) 0 3 6 0 Dolphins (6–4) 3 0 0 3 Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, Florida 70,273 77 °F °C; relative humidity 70%; wind 17 mph on Fred Wyant ABC Frank Gifford (play–by–play), Howard Cosell (color commentator) and Don Meredith (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Houston Oilers at Miami Dolphins – November 5, 1979 right Houston Oilers HOU Miami Dolphins MIA Dan Pastorini 6/10, 25 YDS Earl Campbell 32 CAR, 120 YDS Tim Wilson 2 REC, 4 YDS Bob Griese 14/26, 158 YDS, 2 INTs Gary Davis 16 CAR, 51 YDS Gary Davis 8 REC, 58 YDS HOU MIA collapsed 1 4:55 Dolphins FG 32 von Schamann 0 3 2 14:56 Oilers FG 46 Fritsch 3 3 3 5:05 Oilers FG 48 Fritsch 6 3 3 0:02 Oilers FG 39 Fritsch 9 3 4 12:26 Dolphins FG 51 von Schamann 9 6 9 6 Point spread: Oilers +3 Over/under: 39.0 (under) Time of game: 2 hours, 46 minutes OilersGame statisticsDolphins10 First downs 1346–179 Rushes–yards 26–10225 Passing yards 1586–10–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 14–26–22–14 Sacked–yards 2–2011 Net passing yards 138190 Total yards 240108 Return yards 727–36.9 Punts Number–Average yardage 5–38.80–0 Fumbles–lost 3–28–70 Penalties–yards 4–3531:26 Time of Possession 28:34 Individual stats Oilers Passing C/ATT1YdsTDINTSkYdsLG3RatePastorini6/1025002142464.6 Oilers Rushing Car2YdsTDLG3Campbell32120011Wilson93209Pastorini314014Caster110010Carpenter1303 Oilers ReceivingRec4YdsTDLG3Wilson2403Ken Burrough124024Rob Carpenter1202Conrad Rucker1202Earl Campbell1–70–7 Oilers Kick ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngEllender12727.0027Hartwig11616.0016 Oilers Punt ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngEllender2115.500 Oilers PuntingPntYdsY/PLngBlckParsley725536.40 Oilers KickingFGM–FGAXPM–XPAFritsch3–4 Oilers SacksSacksKennard1.0Washington1.0 Oilers InterceptionsIntYdsTDLGPDBingham154054Perry1000 Missed field goals – Fritsch 48 (wide left) Starting Lineups Position Starting Lineups at Miami Offense WR Ken Burrough LT Leon Gray LG Conway Hayman C Carl Mauck RG Ed Fisher RT Morris Towns TE Mike Barber WR Rich Caster QB Dan Pastorini RB Earl Campbell FB Tim Wilson Defense LDE Andy Dorris NT Curley Culp RDE Elvin Bethea LOLB Ted Washington LILB Gregg Bingham RILB Daryl Hunt ROLB Robert Brazile LCB J. C. Wilson RCB Greg Stemrick SS Vernon Perry FS Mike Reinfeldt Week 11 vs. Oakland Raiders Week 12 vs. Cincinnati Bengals Week 13 (Thursday, November 22, 1979): at Dallas Cowboys NFL on Thanksgiving Day The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Jan-14. Houston Oilers 1979 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 13: Houston Oilers 30 at Dallas Cowboys 24 – Game summary November 22, 1979 3:00 p.m. CST Oilers (10–3) 7 10 6 7 Cowboys (8–5) 14 7 0 3 Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas 63,897 46 F; wind 16 mph on Gordon McCarter NBC Dick Enberg (play–by–play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator) and Mike Adamle (sideline reporter) Pro Football Reference; Houston Oilers at Dallas Cowboys – November 22, 1979 right Houston Oilers HOU Dallas Cowboys DAL Dan Pastorini 9/17, 163 YDS, 2 TDs Earl Campbell 33 CAR, 195 YDS, 2 TDs Ken Burrough 3 REC, 55 YDS, 1 TD Roger Staubach 21/30, 287 YDS, 2 TDs, 2 INTs Tony Dorsett 12 CAR, 54 YDS, 1 TD Tony Dorsett 5 REC, 36 YDS HOU DAL collapsed 1 Cowboys RecTD Pearson Staubach 56 good Septién 0 7 1 Oilers RushTD Campbell 61 good Fritsch 7 7 2 Cowboys RecTD Newhouse Staubach 21 good Septién 7 14 2 Oilers FG 27 Fritsch 10 14 2 Cowboys RushTD Dorsett 1 good Septién 10 21 2 Oilers RushTD Campbell 27 good Fritsch 17 21 3 Oilers RecTD Renfro Pastorini 47 no good Fritsch 23 21 4 Cowboys FG 44 Septién 23 24 4 Oilers RecTD Burrough Pastorini 32 good Fritsch 30 24 30 24 Point spread: Oilers +1 Over/under: 41.0 (over) Time of game: OilersGame statisticsCowboys17 First downs 2041–224 Rushes–yards 30–92163 Passing yards 2879–17–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 21–30–21–9 Sacked–yards 1–8154 Net passing yards 279378 Total yards 371113 Return yards 1244–44.5 Punts Number–Average yardage 3–36.71–0 Fumbles–lost 2–14–45 Penalties–yards 7–42 Time of Possession Individual stats Oilers Passing C/ATT1YdsTDINTSkYdsLG3RatePastorini9/17163201947125.4 Oilers Rushing Car2YdsTDLG3Campbell33195261Wilson41707Carpenter31407Pastorini1–20–2 Oilers ReceivingRec4YdsTDLG3Burrough355132Renfro253147Barber216011Caster129029Carpenter110010 Oilers Kick ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngColeman25125.500Hartwig22814.000Ellender11818.0018 Oilers Punt ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngEllender177.007 Oilers PuntingPntYdsY/PLngBlckParsley417844.50 Oilers KickingFGM–FGAXPM–XPAFritsch1–13–4 Oilers SacksSacksBethea1.0 Oilers InterceptionsIntYdsTDLGPDPerry19090Wilson10000 Starting Lineups Position Starting Lineups at Dallas Offense WR Ken Burrough LT Leon Gray LG Conway Hayman C Carl Mauck RG Ed Fisher RT Morris Towns TE Mike Barber WR Rich Caster QB Dan Pastorini RB Earl Campbell FB Tim Wilson Defense LDE Andy Dorris NT Curley Culp RDE Elvin Bethea LOLB Ted Washington LILB Gregg Bingham RILB Daryl Hunt ROLB Robert Brazile LCB J. C. Wilson RCB Greg Stemrick SS Vernon Perry FS Mike Reinfeldt Week 14 at Cleveland Browns Week 15 (Monday, December 10, 1979): vs. Pittsburgh Steelers The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Oct-31. Houston Oilers 1979 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 15: Pittsburgh Steelers 17 at Houston Oilers 20 – Game summary December 10, 1979 8:00 p.m. CST Steelers (11–4) 0 0 3 14 Oilers (11–4) 0 7 3 10 Astrodome • Houston, Texas 55,293 Indoors (dome) Jerry Markbreit ABC Frank Gifford (play–by–play), Howard Cosell (color commentator) and Fran Tarkenton (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Oilers – December 10, 1979 Tennessee Titans 2023 Media Guide Tennessee Titans 375 right Pittsburgh Steelers PIT Houston Oilers HOU Terry Bradshaw 14/29, 237 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs Franco Harris 12 CAR, 59 YDS Lynn Swann 4 REC, 50 YDS Dan Pastorini 10/16, 170 YDS, 1 TD Earl Campbell 33 CAR, 109 YDS Ken Burrough 3 REC, 48 YDS, 1 TD PIT HOU collapsed 2 Oilers 1 25 RecTD Burrough Pastorini 25 good Fritsch 0 7 3 Steelers FG 37 Bahr 3 7 3 Oilers FG 24 Fritsch 3 10 4 Oilers FG 34 Fritsch 3 13 4 Steelers RushTD Swann 9 good Bahr 10 13 4 Oilers RushTD Carpenter 4 good Fritsch 10 20 4 Steelers RecTD Stallworth Bradshaw 34 good Bahr 17 20 17 20 Point spread: Oilers +3 Over/under: 42.5 (under) Time of game: SteelersGame statisticsOilers15 First downs 2022–120 Rushes–yards 54–190237 Passing yards 17014–29–2 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 10–17–03–19 Sacked–yards 1–10218 Net passing yards 160338 Total yards 350114 Return yards 1134–46.0 Punts Number–Average yardage 5–34.81–0 Fumbles–lost 1–010–79 Penalties–yards 4–28 Time of possession Individual stats Oilers Passing C/ATT1YdsTDINTSkYdsLG3RatePastorini10/161701011025119.3Nielsen0/100000039.6 Oilers Rushing Car2YdsTDLG3Campbell33109031Wilson1047010Carpenter72517Barber1606Caster1501Clark1000Pastorini1–20–2 Oilers ReceivingRec4YdsTDLG3Burrough348125Campbell222016Renfro125025Caster124024Barber117017Carpenter112012 Oilers Kick ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngColeman23718.500Hartwig12323.000 Oilers Punt ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngEllender263.000 Oilers PuntingPntYdsY/PLngBlckParsley517434.8 Oilers KickingFGM–FGAXPM–XPAMFGFritsch2–32–244 Oilers SacksSacksBaker1.0Stensrud1.0Dorris0.5Perry0.5 Oilers InterceptionsIntYdsTDLGPDBrazile1260260Stringer1210210 Starting Lineups Position Starting Lineups vs. Pittsburgh Offense WR Ken Burrough LT Leon Gray LG Conway Hayman C Carl Mauck RG Ed Fisher RT Morris Towns TE Mike Barber WR Rich Caster QB Dan Pastorini RB Earl Campbell FB Tim Wilson Defense LDE Andy Dorris NT Curley Culp RDE Elvin Bethea LOLB Ted Washington LILB Gregg Bingham RILB Art Stringer ROLB Robert Brazile LCB J. C. Wilson RCB Greg Stemrick SS Vernon Perry FS Mike Reinfeldt Week 16 (Sunday, December 16, 1979): vs. Philadelphia Eagles The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Jan-15. Houston Oilers 1979 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 16: Philadelphia Eagles 26 at Houston Oilers 20 – Game summary December 16, 1979 3:00 p.m. CST Eagles (11–5) 9 3 7 7 Oilers (11–5) 0 10 0 10 Astrodome • Houston, Texas 49,407 Indoors (dome) Red Cashion CBS Gary Bender (play–by–play) and Sonny Jurgenson (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Philadelphia Eagles at Houston Oilers – December 16, 1979 right Philadelphia Eagles PHI Houston Oilers HOU Ron Jaworski 12/21, 163 YDS Billy Campfield 7 CAR, 68 YDS Wilbert Montgomery 5 REC, 51 YDS Dan Pastorini 7/14, 85 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs Earl Campbell 16 CAR, 134 YDS, 1 TD Mike Renfro 3 REC, 67 YDS, 1 TD PHI HOU collapsed 1 9:36 Eagles 4 34 1:08 RushTD Jaworski 4 good Franklin 6 0 1 3:06 Eagles 6 39 1:44 FG 22 Franklin 9 0 2 3:47 Oilers 5 22 1:56 RushTD Campbell 6 good Fritsch 9 7 2 0:33 Eagles 12 61 3:14 FG 41 Franklin 12 7 2 0:00 Oilers 4 44 0:33 FG 44 Fritsch 12 10 3 5:10 Eagles 9 76 5:22 RushTD Harris 1 good Franklin 19 10 4 14:55 Oilers 9 78 5:15 RecTD Renfro Pastorini 7 good Fritsch 19 17 4 11:57 Eagles 7 72 2:58 RecTD Fitzkee Walton 7 good Franklin 26 17 4 4:23 Oilers 9 46 3:41 FG 37 Fritsch 26 20 26 20 Point spread: Oilers –4 Over/under: 39.0 (over) Time of game: 3 hours, 15 minutes EaglesGame statisticsOilers20 First downs 1931–168 Rushes–yards 40–235202 Passing yards 13716–29–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 12–27–30–0 Sacked–yards 4–33202 Net passing yards 104370 Total yards 339156 Return yards 1435–42.6 Punts Number–Average yardage 5–42.01–1 Fumbles–lost 0–05–40 Penalties–yards 8–4926:59 Time of Possession 33:01 Individual stats Oilers Passing C/ATT1YdsTDINTSkYdsLG3RatePastorini7/148512174953.3Nielsen5/1352013262018.7 Oilers Rushing Car2YdsTDLG3Campbell16134137Carpenter1045012Coleman527010Wilson51405Caster1606Pastorini1505Clark2404 Oilers ReceivingRec4YdsTDLG3Renfro367149Merkens235020Caster217012Wilson1707Groth1606Campbell1404Carpenter1101Clark1000 Oilers Kick ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngEllender613021.700 Oilers Punt ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngEllender3134.300 Oilers PuntingPntYdsY/PLngBlckParsley521042.00 Oilers KickingFGM–FGAXPM–XPAFritsch2–22–2 Starting Lineups Position Starting Lineups vs. Philadelphia Offense WR Ken Burrough LT Leon Gray LG Conway Hayman C Carl Mauck RG Ed Fisher RT Morris Towns TE Mike Barber WR Rich Caster QB Dan Pastorini RB Earl Campbell FB Tim Wilson Defense LDE Andy Dorris NT Curley Culp RDE Elvin Bethea LOLB Ted Washington LILB Gregg Bingham RILB Art Stringer ROLB Robert Brazile LCB J. C. Wilson RCB Greg Stemrick SS Vernon Perry FS Mike Reinfeldt Postseason 1979–80 NFL playoffs Playoffs Round Date Opponent Time TV Result Venue Attendance Recap Wild Card December 23, 1979 (5) Denver Broncos 3:00p.m. CST NBC W 13–7 Astrodome 48,776 Recap Divisional December 29, 1979 at (1) San Diego Chargers 3:00p.m. CST NBC W 17–14 San Diego Stadium 51,192 Recap AFC Championship January 6, 1980 at (2) Pittsburgh Steelers 12Noon CST NBC L 13–27 Three Rivers Stadium 50,475 Recap 1979 AFC Wild Card Playoffs (Sunday, December 23, 1979): vs. (A5) Denver Broncos The Football Database. Retrieved 2025-May-2. Houston Oilers 1979 2; text-align:center collapsed 1979 AFC Wild Card Playoffs: Denver Broncos 7 at Houston Oilers 13 – Game summary December 23, 1979 3:00 p.m. CST Broncos (0–1) 7 0 0 0 Oilers (1–0) 3 7 0 3 Astrodome • Houston, Texas 48,776 Indoors (dome) Gene Barth NBC Charlie Jones (play–by–play), Len Dawson (color commentator) and Mike Adamle (sideline reporter) Pro Football Reference; 1979 AFC Wild Card Playoffs – Denver Broncos at Houston Oilers – December 23, 1979 right Denver Broncos DEN Houston Oilers HOU DEN HOU collapsed 1 10:02 Oilers FG 31 Fritsch 0 3 1 3:27 Broncos RecTD Preston Morton 7 good Turner 7 3 2 0:46 Oilers RushTD Campbell 3 good Fritsch 7 10 4 4:18 Oilers FG 20 Fritsch 7 13 7 13 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: BroncosGame statisticsOilers First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession The Oilers managed to shut down the Broncos offense for most of the game en route to a 13–7 win. 1979 AFC Divisional Playoffs (Saturday, December 29, 1979): at (A1) San Diego Chargers The Football Database. Retrieved 2025-Apr-20. Houston Oilers 1979 2; text-align:center collapsed 1979 AFC Divisional Playoffs: Houston Oilers 17 at San Diego Chargers 14 – Game summary December 29, 1979 3:00 p.m. CST Oilers (2–0) 0 10 7 0 Chargers (0–1) 7 0 7 0 San Diego Stadium • San Diego, California 51,192 60 °F °C; relative humidity 37%; wind 8 mph on; sunny Ben Dreith NBC Dick Enberg (play–by–play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator) and Mike Adamle (sideline reporter) Pro Football Reference; 1979 AFC Divisional Playoffs – Houston Oilers at San Diego Chargers – December 29, 1979 right Houston Oilers HOU San Diego Chargers SD Gifford Nielsen 11/19, 111 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Rob Carpenter 18 CAR, 67 YDS Rob Carpenter 4 REC, 23 YDS Dan Fouts 25/47, 333 YDS, 5 INTs Lydell Mitchell 8 CAR, 33 YDS Bob Klein 5 REC, 41 YDS HOU SD collapsed 1 4:49 Chargers RushTD Williams 1 good Wood 0 7 2 4:02 Oilers FG 26 Fritsch 3 7 2 0:19 Oilers RushTD Clark 1 good Fritsch 10 7 3 13:08 Chargers RushTD Mitchell 8 good Wood 10 14 3 2:05 Oilers RecTD Renfro Nielsen 47 good Fritsch 17 14 17 14 Point spread: Oilers +8 Over/under: Time of game: OilersGame statisticsChargers15 First downs 2540–148 Rushes–yards 19–63111 Passing yards 33311–19–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 25–47–50–0 Sacked–yards 2–16111 Net passing yards 317259 Total yards 38089 Return yards 1136–40.7 Punts Number–Average yardage 2–32.00–0 Fumbles–lost 0–05–45 Penalties–yards 6–3030:06 Time of possession 29:54 Individual stats Oilers Passing C/ATT1YdsTDINTSkYdsLG3RateNielsen11/1911111004765.9 Oilers Rushing Car2YdsTDLG3Carpenter1867011Wilson1139014Clark930111Nielsen212014 Oilers ReceivingRec4YdsTDLG3Carpenter42307Wilson316010Renfro147147Coleman113013Barber112012 Oilers Kick ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngHartwig23718.5024Ellender11616.0016 Oilers Punt ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngEllender12525.0025 Oilers PuntingPntYdsY/PLngBlckParsley624440.750 Oilers KickingFGM–FGAXPM–XPAFritsch1–12–2 Oilers SacksSacksBethea1.0Dorris1.0 Oilers InterceptionsIntYdsTDLGPDPerry40000Wilson13030Reinfeldt08080 Starting Lineups Position Starting Lineups 1979 AFC Divisional Playoffs at San Diego Offense WR Mike Renfro LT Leon Gray LG David Carter C Carl Mauck RG Ed Fisher RT Conway Hayman TE Mike Barber WR Rich Caster QB Gifford Nielsen RB Rob Carpenter FB Tim Wilson Defense LDE Andy Dorris NT Curley Culp RDE Elvin Bethea LOLB Ted Washington LILB Gregg Bingham RILB Art Stringer ROLB Robert Brazile LCB J. C. Wilson RCB Greg Stemrick SS Vernon Perry FS Mike Reinfeldt The Oilers offense, playing without starting quarterback Dan Pastorini, receiver Ken Burrough, and running back Earl Campbell, could only generate 259 yards compared to San Diego's 380. But they still won the game, largely due to the effort of rookie safety Vernon Perry, who set a playoff record with 4 interceptions as the Oilers defeated the Chargers, 17–14. In his first career playoff game, Chargers future Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts threw for 333 yards, but was intercepted 5 times. 1979 AFC Championship Game (Sunday, January 6, 1980): at (A2) Pittsburgh Steelers The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Oct-31. Houston Oilers 1979 2; text-align:center collapsed 1979 AFC Championship Game: Houston Oilers 13 at Pittsburgh Steelers 27 – Game summary January 6, 1980 12:00 Noon CST Oilers (2–1) 7 3 0 3 Steelers (2–0) 3 14 0 10 Three Rivers Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 50,475 18 °F °C; relative humidity 66%; wind 11 mph on; wind chill 3 °F °C; cloudy Jim Tunney NBC Dick Enberg (play–by–play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator) and Sam Nover (sideline reporter) Pro Football Reference; 1979 AFC Championship Game – Houston Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers – January 6, 1980 Tennessee Titans 2023 Media Guide Tennessee Titans 375 right Houston Oilers HOU Pittsburgh Steelers PIT Dan Pastorini 19/28, 203 YDS, 1 INT Earl Campbell 17 CAR, 15 YDS Tim Wilson 7 REC, 60 YDS Terry Bradshaw 18/30, 219 YDS, 2 TDs, 1 INT Franco Harris 21 CAR, 85 YDS Franco Harris 6 REC, 50 YDS HOU PIT collapsed 1 12:30 Oilers – – – IntTD Perry 75 good Fritsch 7 0 1 3:55 Steelers FG 21 Bahr 7 3 2 14:12 Oilers FG 21 Fritsch 10 3 2 9:33 Steelers RecTD Cunningham Bradshaw 16 good Bahr 10 10 2 2:34 Steelers RecTD Stallworth Bradshaw 20 good Bahr 10 17 4 14:57 Oilers FG 23 Fritsch 13 17 4 9:50 Steelers FG 39 Bahe 13 20 4 0:54 Steelers RushTD Bleier 4 good Bahr 13 27 13 27 Point spread: Oilers +9½ Over/under: Time of game: OilersGame statisticsSteelers11 First downs 2222–24 Rushes–yards 36–161212 Passing yards 21920–29–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 18–30–11–9 Sacked–yards 3–22203 Net passing yards 197227 Total yards 358147 Return yards 904–30.0 Punts Number–Average yardage 3–51.04–2 Fumbles–lost 1–12–10 Penalties–yards 5–3427:06 Time of possession 32:54 Individual stats Oilers Passing C/ATT1YdsTDINTSkYdsLG3RatePastorini19/2820301194174.0Nielsen1/1900009104.2 Oilers Rushing Car2YdsTDLG3Campbell171507Wilson4905Caster1000 Oilers ReceivingRec4YdsTDLG3Wilson760041Carpenter523014Renfro352019Coleman246032Merkens112012Campbell111011Barber1808 Oilers Kick ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngEllender44711.8019Hartwig11313.0013Carpenter144.004 Oilers Punt ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngEllender382.705 Oilers PuntingPntYdsY/PLngBlckParsley412030.0 Oilers KickingFGM–FGAXPM–XPAFritsch2–21–1 Oilers SacksSacksBethea1.0Dorris1.0Stensrud1.0 Oilers InterceptionsIntYdsTDLGPDPerry1751750 Starting Lineups Position Starting Lineups 1979 AFC Championship Game at Pittsburgh Offense WR Ken Burrough LT Leon Gray LG David Carter C Carl Mauck RG Ed Fisher RT Conway Hayman TE Mike Barber WR Rich Caster QB Dan Pastorini RB Earl Campbell FB Tim Wilson Defense LDE Andy Dorris NT Curley Culp RDE Elvin Bethea LOLB Ted Washington LILB Gregg Bingham RILB Art Stringer ROLB Robert Brazile LCB J. C. Wilson RCB Greg Stemrick SS Vernon Perry FS Mike Reinfeldt The Steelers held the Oilers to only 24 rushing yards, but were also aided by a controversial non-touchdown call on Mike Renfro to come away with a 27–13 win. This was the last time an NFL team based in Houston reached the AFC Championship Game, and the closest any franchise in Houston got to going to the Super Bowl. Awards and records Earl Campbell, NFL Rushing Leader, (1,697) Earl Campbell, 1979 NFL MVP Earl Campbell, PFWA NFL MVP (1979) Earl Campbell, Pro Bowl selection 1979 Earl Campbell, All-Pro selection 1979 Earl Campbell, NEA NFL MVP (1979) Earl Campbell, NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1979) Earl Campbell, 1979 Bert Bell Awardhttp://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/content/awards/bell/past_bell.htm Maxwell Football Club - Bert Bell Award Past Recipients 2010-06-28 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090619081037/http://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/content/awards/bell/past_bell.htm June 19, 2009 mdy Earl Campbell, Houston Oilers record, Most Touchdowns in a Season (19) Mike Reinfeldt, NFL Interception Leader, 12 Milestones Earl Campbell, 2nd 1,000 yard rushing season Earl Campbell, 2nd NFL Rushing Title References External links 1979 Houston Oilers at Pro-Football-Reference.com Houston Oilers Category:Houston Oilers seasons Houston