1979 Los Angeles Rams season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Los Angeles Rams 1979 9–7 1st NFC West Ray Malavasi Don Klosterman Georgia Rosenbloom Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Won Divisional Playoffs(at Cowboys) 21–19 Won NFC Championship(at Buccaneers) 9–0Lost Super Bowl XIV(vs. Steelers) 19–31 Rams seasons thumb|right|The Rams ended the 1979 season by making it to Super Bowl XIV, where they lost to the Steelers 31-19 The 1979 season was the Los Angeles Rams' 42nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd overall, and their 34th in the Greater Los Angeles Area. It was the final season for the franchise in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until 2016, as late owner Carroll Rosenbloom previously announced the Rams would move to Anaheim Stadium for the 1980 season.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oIBRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZQgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5548%2C5014225 Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington Associated Press Rams open in 'new' home August 11, 1980 20 The Rams won their seventh-consecutive NFC West title in 1979 and went to the Super Bowl for the first time. It was the team's only Super Bowl appearance during their first stint in Los Angeles, and their first appearance in a league championship game since 1955. It would be the Rams' last division title for six seasons and the last time they would win consecutive division titles until 2017–18. The Rams wouldn't return to the Super Bowl based in Los Angeles until 2018 (their next one as a franchise was in 1999 while based in St. Louis). Their streak of 7 straight division titles stood as an NFL record for 38 years until the New England Patriots won their 8th straight AFC East championship in 2016, a streak that eventually reached 11 straight in 2019. The Kansas City Chiefs have since moved into 2nd place for the most consecutive division titles, having won 9 straight AFC West division titles from 2016 to 2024. The 1979 Rams were the first team in NFL history to have a less than a +50 point differential and make it to the Super Bowl.Football Outsiders: Super Bowl XLVI Preview (The Rams scored only 14 points more than their opponents in 1979.) Thirty-two years later, the 2011 New York Giants, also with a 9–7 record, became the first team to reach the Super Bowl with a negative point differential (−6); unlike the 1979 Rams, the Giants would go on to win the Super Bowl, defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. The 2008 Arizona Cardinals also reached the Super Bowl, but lost in the final moments of Super Bowl XLIII, also to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Because of this, the 1979 Rams are often cited as one of the worst Super Bowl teams of all time. Offseason Owner Caroll Rosenbloom drowned on April 2, 1979, while swimming in the Atlantic Ocean just off of his home in Golden Beach, Florida, leaving the team to his widow, Georgia.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kPYjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Hu4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3760%2C1676112 Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington Associated Press Carroll Rosenbloom drowns in Florida April 3, 1979 21https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0BVWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_eEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6683%2C788363 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon wire reports Rosenbloom remembered fondly by friends and foes April 3, 1979 2B Draft 1979 NFL draft 1979 Los Angeles Rams 1 19 George Andrews Linebacker Nebraska yes 1 26 Kent Hill Guard Georgia Tech yes yes 2 54 Eddie Hill Running back Memphis State yes 3 58 Jeff Moore Wide receiver Tennessee Made roster in 1980 3 81 Mike Wellman Center Kansas 4 99 Derwin Tucker Cornerback Illinois 4 108 Jerry Wilkinson Defensive end Oregon State yes 5 122 Victor Hicks Tight end Oklahoma Made roster in 1980 7 190 Jeff Delaney Safety Pittsburgh Made roster in 1980 9 246 Jeff Rutledge Quarterback Alabama yes 10 273 Grady Ebensbeger Defensive tackle Houston 11 301 Jesse Deramus Defensive tackle Tennessee State 12 328 Drew Hill Wide receiver Georgia Tech yes yes yeshttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/ram/1979_draft.htm 1979 Los Angeles Rams Draftees Pro Football Reference February 13, 2022 Undrafted free agents + 1979 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeKen BeckmanPunterArizona StateDan BierstedtLinebackerSouthwest Texas StateDan BurnsTight endUSCDennis ByrdWide receiverLong Beach StateRalph CarnahanRunning backTennessee StatePhil ChamblissDefensive endSan Diego StateJeff CorbittRunning backMike EvansTackleUNLVRichard ForceLinebackerCal PolyJim Freitas QuarterbackLong Beach StateArmando HerreraKickerCal PolyJames JohnsonDefensive endVirginia TechFrank JordanKickerUSCSid JustinCornerbackLong Beach StateBob KeiperTight endSt. MarysDan KendraQuarterbackWest VirginiaCraig KimballQuarterbackSan Jose StateFloyd LavenderCornerbackCal State FullertonTony MaddocksWide receiverLong Beach StateKeith MyersSafetyUtah StateJohn PaetzGuardFresno StateCurtis PhilyawSafetyWest L. A. CollegeIvory SullySafetyDelawareJimmy TuckerRunning backUNLVBurks WashingtonLinebackerNorth Texas State Personnel Staff / Coaches 1979 Los Angeles Rams Owner/President – Georgia Frontiere Executive Vice President/General Manager – Don Klosterman Vice President of Special Projects - James D. Dooley Director of Player Personnel – John Math Head Coach – Ray Malavasi Offensive Coordinator / Wide Receivers – Lionel Taylor Quarterbacks – Paul Lanham Offensive Backfield / Special Assistant – Jack Faulkner Offensive Line – Dan Radakovich Defensive Coordinator – Bud Carson Defensive Line – LaVern Torgeson Linebackers – Frank Lauterbur Special Teams – Paul Lanham Conditioning – Clyde Evans Final roster 1979 Los Angeles Rams 53 4 15 Vince Ferragamo 19 Bob Lee quarterback  8 Jeff Rutledge y 32 Cullen Bryant 24 Eddie Hill American football y 43 Jim Jodat 30 Lawrence McCutcheon 26 Wendell Tyler 88 Preston Dennard 87 Drew Hill y 84 Ron Smith wide receiver 80 Billy Waddy 83 Terry Nelson American football 86 Charle Young 62 Bill Bain American football G 77 Doug France T 73 Gordon Gravelle T 60 Dennis Harrah G 72 Kent Hill y G 54 Dan Ryczek G/C 61 Rich Saul C 78 Jackie Slater T 90 Larry Brooks American football DT 71 Reggie Doss DE 89 Fred Dryer DE 79 Mike Fanning American football DT 70 Jerry Wilkinson y DE 85 Jack Youngblood DE 52 George Andrews American football y OLB 59 Bob Brudzinski OLB 51 Joe Harris American football MLB 64 Jack Reynolds MLB 57 Greg Westbrooks OLB 53 Jim Youngblood OLB 25 Eddie Brown safety FS 21 Nolan Cromwell FS/CB 28 Ken Ellis American football CB 42 Dave Elmendorf SS 33 Dwayne O'Steen CB 49 Rod Perry American football CB 37 Ivory Sully y CB/S 27 Pat Thomas defensive back CB 20 Jackie Wallace SS 13 Ken Clark punter y P  3 Frank Corral K 22 John Cappelletti RB IR 41 Jeff Delaney y S IR 66 Bill Dunstan DT IR 55 Carl Ekern LB IR 11 Pat Haden QB IR 92 Victor Hicks y TE IR 81 Ron Jessie WR IR 76 Cody Jones DT IR 29 Sid Justin y CB IR 82 Willie Miller American football WR IR 46 Jeff Moore y wide receiver WR IR 34 Elvis Peacock RB IR 48 Bill Simpson S (Ret.) 7px 56 Doug Smith offensive lineman G IR 63 Leon White G (IR) 7px 75 John Williams offensive lineman, born 1945 T IR Preseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance NFL.comrecap 1 August 4, 1979 Oakland Raiders W 20–17 (OT) 1–0 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 54,575 2 August 12 at New England Patriots W 15–3 2–0 Schaefer Stadium 44,955 3 August 18, 1979 Seattle Seahawks W 21–17 3–0 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 46,083 4 August 25, 1979 San Diego Chargers W 23–7 4–0 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 50,089 Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 2 Oakland Raiders L 17–24 0–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 59,000 Recap 2 September 6, 1979 at Denver Broncos W 13–9 1–1 Mile High Stadium 74,884 Recap 3 September 16 San Francisco 49ers W 27–24 2–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 44,303 Recap 4 September 23 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 6–21 2–2 Tampa Stadium 69,497 Recap 5 September 30 St. Louis Cardinals W 21–0 3–2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 48,160 Recap 6 October 7 at New Orleans Saints W 35–17 4–2 Louisiana Superdome 68,986 Recap 7 October 14 at Dallas Cowboys L 6–30 4–3 Texas Stadium 64,462 Recap 8 October 21 San Diego Chargers L 16–40 4–4 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 64,245 Recap 9 October 28 New York Giants L 14–20 4–5 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 43,376 Recap 10 November 4 at Seattle Seahawks W 24–0 5–5 Kingdome 62,048 Recap 11 November 11 at Chicago Bears L 23–27 5–6 Soldier Field 51,483 Recap 12 November 19, 1979 Atlanta Falcons W 20–14 6–6 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 54,097 Recap 13 November 25 at San Francisco 49ers W 26–20 7–6 Candlestick Park 49,282 Recap 14 December 2 Minnesota Vikings W 27–21 (OT) 8–6 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 56,700 Recap 15 December 9 at Atlanta Falcons W 34–13 9–6 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 49,236 Recap 16 December 16 New Orleans Saints L 14–29 9–7 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 53,879 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Notes: time a aAll times are PDT/PST (UTC–7 and UTC–8 starting October 28) Season summary Week 1 Raiders 0 10 14 0 Rams 7 10 0 0 September 2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Cal Lepore The Rams jumped out to an early 14–0 lead, but a failure to protect the punter led to two blocks and 10 Raiders points before halftime. The Raiders also intercepted three second-half passes and turned two into Ken Stabler-to-Raymond Chester touchdown passes. The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Week 2 Rams 6 0 0 7 Broncos 2 0 0 7 September 6 Mile High Stadium Gordon McCarter Rams tackle John Williams held Bronco LB Larry Evans in the end zone in the first quarter for a safety. The Rams appeared on verge of going 0–2 until, late in the fourth, safety Dave Elmendorf laid a hit on QB Craig Morton and LB Jack Reynolds picked up the fumble and reached the end zone for the winning score. The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Week 3 49ers 10 0 0 14 Rams 0 14 7 6 September 16 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Red Cashion Vin Scully and George Allen CBS After spotting the 49ers 10 points, the Rams scored 24 unanswered, Pat Haden passing for two touchdowns and Cullen Bryant rushing for 106 yards and another to secure the win. Week 4 Rams 6 0 0 0 Buccaneers 0 21 0 0 September 23 Tampa Stadium Jerry Markbreit Vin Scully and George Allen CBS Jim Youngblood put the Rams on the board early with an interception return touchdown, but from then on it was all Buccaneers as Doug Williams tossed two touchdowns in the second quarter and the Tampa Bay defense shut down the Rams. The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Week 5 Cardinals 0 0 0 0 Rams 7 7 0 7 September 30 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Jerry Seeman The Rams bounced back with a shutout. Speedy Wendell Tyler started at running back and scored a touchdown.The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Week 6 Rams 0 28 0 7 Saints 7 0 3 7 October 7 Louisiana Superdome Indoors (dome) Bob Frederic Haden threw for three touchdowns in the blowout, but WR Ron Jessie was injured and lost for the remainder of the season along with fellow WR Willie Miller. The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Week 7 Rams 0 6 0 0 Cowboys 6 7 17 0 October 14 Texas Stadium Fred Wyant Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and Fran Tarkenton ABC In a dominating performance by the Cowboys, Roger Staubach passed for three touchdowns and Tony Dorsett ran for 103 and a touchdown.The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Week 8 Chargers 7 7 17 9 Rams 7 0 0 9 October 21 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Gordon McCarter Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen NBC The Chargers forced eight turnovers, including four interceptions and four fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown), with five sacks and numerous hits on Haden. Dan Fouts passed for 326 yards and two touchdowns.The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Week 9 Giants 3 7 3 7 Rams 0 0 7 7 October 28 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Fred Silva Vin Scully, George Allen CBS Haden passed for 282 yards and two touchdowns but also threw four more interceptions and had trouble making big plays. Giants rookie QB Phil Simms found success running and passing. The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Week 10 Rams 14 7 3 0 Seahawks 0 0 0 0 November 4 Kingdome Indoors (dome) Pat Haggerty Vin Scully and George Allen CBS The Rams defense turned in a record-setting performance, holding the Seahawks to minus-7 yards of total offense and one first down. Haden threw two touchdowns on 21-of-24 passing and set a team record with 13 straight completions, but fractured his right pinky finger and would be lost for the rest of the season. The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Week 11 Rams 9 7 7 0 Bears 0 7 7 13 November 11 Soldier Field Dick Jorgensen Vin Scully and George Allen CBS With both Haden and backup Vince Ferragamo out, the Rams turned to quarterback Jeff Rutledge, who threw for a touchdown and helped the Rams to a 23–14 lead after three quarters, but the defense faltered. The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Week 12 Falcons 0 0 7 7 Rams 7 7 0 6 November 19 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Jerry Markbreit ABC Ferragamo made his first start of the season in this Monday night game and showed his big-play capability, completing long touchdown passes to young speedsters Preston Dennard and Billy Waddy. The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Week 13 Rams 3 10 13 0 49ers 7 10 0 3 November 25 Candlestick Park Cal Lepore Lindsey Nelson and Paul Hornung CBS An unexpectedly tough game against the 1–11 49ers featured many significant plays, including an 80-yard blocked field-goal return touchdown by Rams CB Sid Justin and a 71-yard touchdown pass from Ferragamo to Tyler.The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Week 14 Vikings 7 7 0 7 0 Rams 7 7 7 0 6 December 2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Ben Dreith Curt Gowdy and Hank Stram CBS After the Rams gained only 44 yards in the first half, Malavasi benched Ferragamo in favor of backup Bob Lee after halftime. In overtime, the Rams ran a fake field goal and holder Nolan Cromwell scored on a five-yard touchdown run to lift the Rams into first place in the NFC West. The Rams took sole possession of the division lead the next night when the Saints lost.The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Week 15 Rams 0 28 3 3 Falcons 0 6 0 7 December 9 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Bob Frederic Vin Scully and George Allen CBS Scoring 28 points in the second quarter and forcing five Falcons turnovers, the Rams clinched their seventh straight NFC West division title, an NFL record. Tyler gained 150 yards from scrimmage in the win. The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Week 16 Saints 0 14 6 9 Rams 7 0 0 7 December 16 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Pat Haggerty Vin Scully, George Allen CBS Having clinched the division the previous week, the Rams played a sloppy game, committing six turnovers and allowing 422 yards to the Saints. Tyler rushed for 141 yards and a first-quarter touchdown, but New Orleans scored the next 27 points. This was the Rams' final home game at the Los Angeles Coliseum before their relocation to Anaheim Stadium. The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17. Standings Playoffs 1979–80 NFL playoffs Round Date Opponent Kickoff TV Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap Wild Card First Round Bye Divisional December 30 at Dallas Cowboys (1) 1:00 p.m. PST CBS W 21–19 1–0 Texas Stadium 64,792 Recap NFC Championship January 6 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2) 2:00 p.m. PST CBS W 9–0 2–0 Tampa Stadium 72,033 Recap Super Bowl XIV January 20 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (A2) 3:00 p.m. PST CBS L 19–31 2–1 Rose Bowl 103,985 Recap Notes: time a a All times are PACIFIC time. NFC Divisional Playoffs (Sunday, December 30, 1979): at (1) Dallas Cowboys Los Angeles Rams 1979 2; text-align:center collapsed NFC Divisional Playoffs: Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys December 30, 1979 1:00 p.m. PST Rams 0 14 0 7 Cowboys 2 3 7 7 Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas 64,792 43 degrees, relative humidity 71%, wind 12 mph Jerry Markbreit CBS Vin Scully (play-by-play) and George Allen (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Odds Vegas Line=LA +8.5 (Won) Rams Cowboys Game Length Time of Game: LA DAL collapsed 1 Cowboys — — — SafetyOther −2-yard loss, Ferragamo tackled in end zone by White for a safety 0 2 2 Rams RecTD Tyler Ferragamo 32 good Corral run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 2 2 Cowboys FG 33 Septién 7 5 2 Rams RecTD Smith Ferragamo 43 good Corral run/pass good/failed/incomplete 14 5 4 Cowboys RushTD Springs 1 good Septién run/pass good/failed/incomplete 14 12 4 Cowboys RecTD Saldy Staubach 2 good Septién run/pass good/failed/incomplete 14 19 4 Rams RecTD Waddy Ferragamo 50 good Corral run/pass good/failed/incomplete 21 19 21 19 Quarterback Vince Ferragamo led the Rams to a victory by throwing for 3 touchdown passes, the last one with 2:06 left in the game. The Cowboys scored first when defensive tackle Randy White sacked Ferragamo in the end zone for a safety. However, Ferragamo responded by throwing a 32-yard touchdown pass to running back Wendell Tyler. Dallas kicker Rafael Septién kicked a 33-yard field goal with 52 seconds left in the first half, but Ferragamo completed a 43-yard touchdown pass to Ron Smith before time expired to make it a 14–5 halftime lead. The Cowboys, led by quarterback Roger Staubach in what proved to be his last NFL game of his Hall of Fame career, then scored 2 unanswered touchdowns in the second half to take the lead, 19–14. With about 2 minutes left in the game and the Rams at midfield, Ferragamo found wide receiver Billy Waddy on a short crossing route and Waddy sprinted the rest of the way for a game winning 50-yard touchdown. Staubach was unable to engineer a late fourth quarter comeback like the ones that made him famous throughout his career. The Rams defense pressured the Dallas quarterback to throw a pass illegally to an ineligible receiver, guard Herbert Scott, on third down, the last pass of his career to be caught; on fourth down, he overthrew Drew Pearson. Conference Championship Rams 0 6 0 3 Buccaneers 0 0 0 0 January 6 Tampa Stadium Pat Haggerty In a defensive battle in which the Rams squandered numerous scoring opportunities, Rams kicker Frank Corral kicked 3 field goals to win the game. Los Angeles was able to record 369 yards of total offense, while running backs Cullen Bryant and Wendell Tyler rushed for 106 and 86 yards, respectively. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers only had 177 total offensive yards, including 92 rushing yards and 85 passing yards. Most of Tampa Bay's passing yards came from a 42-yard halfback option pass from Jerry Eckwood to wide receiver Larry Mucker in the fourth quarter. During the game, two touchdowns were nullified by penalties, one by each team: A four-yard run by Bryant and a 27-yard reception by Buccaneers' tight end Jimmie Giles. Super Bowl Super Bowl XIV Rams 7 6 6 0 Steelers 3 7 7 14 January 20 Rose Bowl 103,985 Fred Silva Pat Summerall, and Tom Brookshier CBS Though listed as a 10.5-point underdog, the NFC champion Rams were the designated visitors against the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers. After giving up an early field goal, Los Angeles took its first lead when Wendell Tyler's 39-yard run to the Pittsburgh 14 led to a 1-yard touchdown run by fullback Cullen Bryant for a 7–3 advantage. The Steelers responded with a Franco Harris touchdown run from a yard out. Two field goals by kicker Frank Corral put the Rams on top 13–10 at halftime. Pittsburgh went back on top early in the third quarter with wide receiver Lynn Swann catching a 47-yard TD pass from quarterback Terry Bradshaw. But the Rams responded quickly, driving down to the Pittsburgh 24. Taking a pitchout, running back Lawrence McCutcheon pulled up and threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Ron Smith for a 19–17 lead, but Corral missed his PAT attempt. L.A.'s defense kept the Rams in the game, holding the Steelers to just 84 rushing yards while the secondary picked off Bradshaw three times. But the Steelers QB rallied back and his 73-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver John Stallworth gave Pittsburgh the lead for good early in the fourth quarter. The Rams' last chance for victory came late in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Vince Ferragamo, who threw for 212 yards in the game, led L.A. to the Pittsburgh 32 but linebacker Jack Lambert intercepted Ferragamo's pass intended for Smith. The Steelers then finished the scoring as Harris scored his second 1-yard TD of the game for the game's final margin. The Rams were the first team to play in the Super Bowl in their home market. References 30em Category:Los Angeles Rams seasons Los Angeles Rams Category:NFC West championship seasons Category:National Football Conference championship seasons Los Angeles Rams