1979 Dallas Cowboys season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Dallas Cowboys 1979 11–5 1st NFC East Tom Landry Tex Schramm Clint Murchison Jr. Texas Stadium Lost Divisional Playoffs(vs. Rams) 19–21 Cowboys seasons The 1979 Dallas Cowboys season was their 20th in the National Football League (NFL). The team was unable to improve on their previous output of 12–4, winning eleven games.https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/1979.htm 1979 Dallas Cowboys 2016-01-14 Pro-Football-Reference.com They qualified for the playoffs, but lost in the divisional round. The Cowboys still possessed a great offense, but suffered defensive losses as defensive tackle Jethro Pugh retired, safety Charlie Waters missed the season with injury, Ed "Too Tall" Jones left the team while he embarked on a professional boxing career (Jones would return in 1980), and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson was cut in November for erratic play and behavior. The season began 8–2 before a three-game losing streak placed the season in jeopardy (one of the three being a 30–24 loss to Houston in which Oilers coach Bum Phillips declared the Oilers as "Texas's Team"). The team rallied to win their final three to finish at 11–5 and gain the number one seed in the NFC. Playing in his final season, Roger Staubach proceeded to have the best year of his career completing 267 passes out of 461 attempts for 3,586 yards and 27 touchdowns with only 11 interceptions with a passer rating of 92.3 and a completion percentage of 57.9. In the season's final regular season game against the Washington Redskins, with the NFC East Title at issue, Staubach rallied the Cowboys from a 34–21 deficit in the last four minutes to win, 35–34. It turned out to be Staubach's last win. The Cowboys were upset at home in the divisional playoff by the Los Angeles Rams 21–19 and Staubach retired after the season. The last remaining active member of the 1979 Dallas Cowboys was offensive lineman Tom Rafferty, who retired after the 1989 season. Offseason NFL draft 1979 NFL draft 1979 Dallas Cowboys 1 27 Robert Shaw C Tennessee no yes 2 55 Aaron Mitchell CB UNLV no yes 3 76 Doug Cosbie TE Santa Clara yes yes 4 109 Ralph DeLoach DE California no no 5 121 Bob Hukill OG North Carolina no no 5 128 Curtis Anderson DE Central State no no 5 136 Ron Springs RB Ohio State no yes 6 155 Tim Lavender DB USC no no 6 160 Mike Salzano OG North Carolina no no 6 164 Chris DeFrance WR Arizona State no no 7 191 Greg Fitzpatrick LB Youngstown State no no 8 219 Bruce Thornton DE Illinois no yes 9 247 Garry Cobb LB USC Made the team in 1988 no yes 10 274 Mike Calhoun DT Notre Dame no no 12 329 Quentin Lowry LB Youngstown State no no Undrafted free agents + 1979 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeRon BrownLinebackerBrownTom FlynnDefensive backNotre DameSteve GibbsLinebackerClemsonKevin HillWide ReceiverUTEPSteve KrausQuarterbackWestminsterJon LazarRunning backIowaBill MillerTackleMinnesotaNate PeteWide receiverNew Mexico StateAl PittsGuardMichigan StateMark SnyderQuarterbackRicePaul SuheyLinebackerPenn StateBrad WindWide ReceiverNorthern MichiganWill WintersLinebackerUtah State Roster Dallas Cowboys 1979 roster Quarterbacks 18 Glenn Carano 12 Roger Staubach 11 Danny White P Running backs 36 Larry Brinson 33 Tony Dorsett 35 Scott Laidlaw 44 Robert Newhouse 26 Preston Pearson 20 Ron Springs Wide receivers 80 Tony Hill 86 Butch Johnson 88 Drew Pearson 81 Steve Wilson Tight ends 84 Doug Cosbie 89 Billy Joe DuPree 87 Jay Saldi Offensive linemen 61 Jim Cooper T 67 Pat Donovan T 62 John Fitzgerald C 71 Andy Frederick T 66 Burton Lawless G 64 Tom Rafferty G 68 Herbert Scott G 52 Robert Shaw C 70 Rayfield Wright T Defensive linemen 76 Larry Bethea DT 63 Larry Cole DE/DT 78 John Dutton DE 79 Harvey Martin DE 65 Dave Stalls DT 77 Bruce Thornton DE 54 Randy White DTLinebackers 53 Bob Breunig MLB 59 Guy Brown OLB 58 Mike Hegman OLB 57 Bruce Huther MLB 50 D. D. Lewis OLB Defensive backs 31 Benny Barnes CB 43 Cliff Harris FS 42 Randy Hughes SS 25 Aaron Kyle CB 22 Wade Manning CB 34 Aaron Mitchell CB 32 Dennis Thurman SS Special teams  1 Rafael Septién KReserve lists 75 Rich Grimmett T (IR) 10px 56 Thomas Henderson LB (Ret.)10px 72 Ed Jones DE (Ret.) 10px 41 Charlie Waters FS (IR) 10px Rookies in italics45 active, 4 inactive Preseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Time TV Result Record Game site Attendance NFL.comrecap 1 July 28, 1979 vs. Oakland Raiders(at Canton, Ohio) 2:30p.m. CDT L 13–20 0–1 Fawcett Stadium 2 August 4, 1979 Denver Broncos 8:00p.m. CDT W 7–6 1–1 Texas Stadium 3 August 12, 1979 at Seattle Seahawks 8:00p.m. CDT L 17–27 1–2 Kingdome 4 August 18, 1979 Houston Oilers 8:00p.m. CDT W 16–13 2–2 Texas Stadium 5 August 25, 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers 8:00p.m. CDT W 16–14 3–2 Texas Stadium Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Time TV Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap 1 September 2 at St. Louis Cardinals 1:00p.m. CDT CBS W 22–21 1–0 Busch Memorial Stadium 50,855 Recap 2 September 9 at San Francisco 49ers 3:00p.m. CDT CBS W 21–13 2–0 Candlestick Park 56,728 Recap 3 September 16 Chicago Bears 3:00p.m. CDT CBS W 24–20 3–0 Texas Stadium 64,056 Recap 4 September 24, 1979 at Cleveland Browns 8:00p.m. CDT ABC L 7–26 3–1 Cleveland Stadium 80,123 Recap 5 September 30 Cincinnati Bengals 3:00p.m. CDT NBC W 38–13 4–1 Texas Stadium 63,179 Recap 6 October 7 at Minnesota Vikings 3:00p.m. CDT CBS W 36–20 5–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,572 Recap 7 October 14 Los Angeles Rams 8:00p.m. CDT ABC W 30–6 6–1 Texas Stadium 64,462 Recap 8 October 21 St. Louis Cardinals 1:00p.m. CDT CBS W 22–13 7–1 Texas Stadium 64,300 Recap 9 October 28, 1979 at Pittsburgh Steelers 12Noon CST CBS L 3–14 7–2 Three Rivers Stadium 50,199 Recap 10 November 4 at New York Giants 12Noon CST CBS W 16–14 8–2 Giants Stadium 76,490 Recap 11 November 12, 1979 Philadelphia Eagles 8:00p.m. CST ABC L 21–31 8–3 Texas Stadium 62,417 Recap 12 November 18 at Washington Redskins 12Noon CST CBS L 20–34 8–4 RFK Stadium 55,031 Recap 13 November 22 Houston Oilers 3:00p.m. CST NBC L 24–30 8–5 Texas Stadium 63,897 Recap 14 December 2 New York Giants 3:00p.m. CST CBS W 28–7 9–5 Texas Stadium 63,787 Recap 15 December 8, 1979 at Philadelphia Eagles 11:30a.m. CST CBS W 24–17 10–5 Veterans Stadium 71,434 Recap 16 December 16 Washington Redskins 3:00p.m. CST CBS W 35–34 11–5 Texas Stadium 62,867 Recap Division opponents are in bold text Season summary Week 1 Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed Dallas Cowboys 22 at St. Louis Cardinals 21 Sunday, September 2, 1979 2:00pm(ET) Cowboys (1-0) 3 7 3 9 Cardinals (0-1) 0 7 7 7 Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium 50,855 76 F, relative humidity 73%, wind 7 mph on Fred Wyant CBS Gary Bender and Tom Brookshier Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Odds Vegas Line – Dallas Cowboys -4.0 Over/Under – 37.0(over) Week 2 Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed Dallas Cowboys 21 at San Francisco 49ers 13 Sunday, September 9, 1979 4:00pm(ET) Cowboys (2-0) 3 3 7 8 49ers (0-2) 3 7 0 3 Candlestick Park 65 F, relative humidity 65%, wind 15 mph on Jerry Seeman CBS Vin Scully and George Allen Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal -13.0 Over/Under= 39.0(under) Week 3 Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed Chicago Bears 20 at Dallas Cowboys 24 Sunday, September 16, 1979 4:00pm(ET) Bears (2-1) 7 0 6 7 Cowboys (3-0) 7 3 7 7 Texas Stadium 68 F, relative humidity 41%, wind 8 mph on Pat Haggerty CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal -9.0 Over/Under= 37.0(over) Week 4 Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed Dallas Cowboys 7 at Cleveland Browns 26 Monday, September 24, 1979 9:00pm(ET) Cowboys (3-1) 7 0 0 0 Browns (4-0) 20 0 0 6 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 80,123 56 F, relative humidity 68%, wind 8 mph on Cal Lepore ABC Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford, Don Meredith Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal -3.0 Over/Under= 40.0(under) Week 5 Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed Cincinnati Bengals 13 at Dallas Cowboys 38 Sunday, September 30, 1979 4:00pm(ET) Bengals (0-5) 3 3 7 0 Cowboys (4-1) 7 14 10 7 Texas Stadium 63,179 79 F, relative humidity 54%, wind 5 mph on Fred Silva NBC Sam Nover and Bob Trumpy Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal -10.0 Over/Under= 40.0(over) Week 6 Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed Dallas Cowboys 36 at Minnesota Vikings 20 Sunday, October 7, 1979 4:00pm(ET) Cowboys (5-1) 3 20 7 6 Vikings (3-3) 7 3 10 0 Metropolitan Stadium 43 F, relative humidity 65%, wind 5 mph on Chuck Heberling CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal -7.0 Over/Under= 39.0(over) Week 7 Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed Los Angeles Rams 6 at Dallas Cowboys 30 Sunday, October 14, 1979 9:00pm(ET) Los Angeles Rams (4-3) 0 6 0 0 Cowboys (6-1) 6 7 17 0 Texas Stadium 64,462 67 F, relative humidity 41%, wind 10 mph on Fred Wyant ABC Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and Fran Tarkenton Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal -3.0 Over/Under= 39.0(under) Week 8 Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed St. Louis Cardinals 13 at Dallas Cowboys 22 Sunday, October 21, 1979 2:00pm(ET) Cardinals (2-6) 6 7 0 0 Cowboys (7-1) 3 14 2 3 Texas Stadium 81 F, relative humidity 63%, wind 24 mph on CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal -10.0 Over/Under= 39.0(under) Week 9 (Sunday, October 28, 1979): at Pittsburgh Steelers Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed Week 9: Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary Sunday, October 28, 1979 12:00 Noon CST Cowboys (7–2) 0 3 0 0 Steelers (7–2) 0 7 7 0 Three Rivers Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 50,199 51 F, relative humidity 60%, wind 12 mph on Dick Jorgensen CBS Pat Summerall (play–by–play) and Tom Brookshier (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers – October 28, 1979 right Dallas Cowboys DAL Pittsburgh Steelers PIT DAL PIT collapsed 2 Steelers RushTD Harris 1 good Bahr 0 7 2 Cowboys FG 32 Septién 3 7 3 Steelers RushTD Harris 48 good Bahr 3 14 3 14 Point spread: Cowboys +3 Over/under: 39.0 (under) Time of game: CowboysGame statisticsSteelers 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 10 Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed Dallas Cowboys 16 at New York Giants 14 Sunday, November 4, 1979 1:00pm(ET) Cowboys (8-2) 3 0 3 10 Giants (4-6) 0 7 0 7 Giants Stadium 76,490 47 F, relative humidity 61%, wind 13 mph on Jerry Markbreit CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dallas Cowboys -8.0 Over/Under= 38.0 (under) Week 11 Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed Philadelphia Eagles 31 at Dallas Cowboys 21 Monday, November 12, 1979 9:00pm(ET) Eagles (7-4) 7 10 7 7 Cowboys (8-3) 7 0 0 14 Texas Stadium 62,417 45 F, relative humidity 65%, wind 5 mph on Gene Barth ABC Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford, Don Meredith Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal -10.0 Over/Under= 38.0(over) Week 12 Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed Dallas Cowboys 20 at Washington Redskins 34 Sunday, November 18, 1979 1:00pm(ET) Cowboys (8-4) 0 3 3 14 Redskins (8-4) 7 7 10 10 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium 55,031 56 F, relative humidity 59%, wind 7 mph on Cal Lepore CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal -4.0 Over/Under= 37.0(over) Week 13 NFL on Thanksgiving Day Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed Houston Oilers 30 at Dallas Cowboys 24 Thursday, November 22, 1979 4:00pm(ET) Oilers (10-3) 7 10 6 7 Cowboys (8-5) 14 7 0 3 Texas Stadium 63,897 46 F, relative humidity 44%, wind 16 mph on Gordon McCarter NBC Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal -1.0 Over/Under= 41.0(over) Week 14 Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed New York Giants 7 at Dallas Cowboys 28 Sunday, December 2, 1979 4:00pm(ET) Giants (6-8) 7 0 0 0 Cowboys (9-5) 0 7 14 7 Texas Stadium 63,787 41 F, relative humidity 39%, wind 7 mph on Jerry Markbreit CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal -11.0 Over/Under= 38.0(under) Week 15 Dallas Cowboys 1979 2;text-align:center; collapsed Dallas Cowboys 24 at Philadelphia Eagles 17 Saturday, December 8, 1979 12:30pm(ET) Cowboys (10-5) 10 0 7 7 Eagles (10-5) 3 7 0 7 Veterans Stadium 71,434 44 F, relative humidity 56%, wind 21 mph on Jim Tunney CBS Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Pro-Football-Reference.com Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal -3.0 Over/Under= 40.0(over) Week 16 (Sunday, December 16, 1979): vs. Washington Redskins Dallas Cowboys 1979 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 16: Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary Sunday, December 16, 1979 3:00 p.m. CST Redskins (10–6) 10 7 0 17 Cowboys (11–5) 0 14 7 14 Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas 62,867 40 F C Bob Frederic CBS Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and Tom Brookshier (color commentator) Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys – December 16, 1979 Left Washington Redskins WAS Dallas Cowboys DAL Joe Theismann 12/23, 200 YDS, 1 TD John Riggins 22 CAR, 151 YDS, 2 TD Benny Malone 1 REC, 55 YDS, 1 TD Roger Staubach 24/42, 326 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT Ron Springs 20 CAR, 79 YDS, 1 TD Tony Hill 8 REC, 113 YDS, 1 TD WAS DAL collapsed 1 Redskins FG 24 Moseley 3 0 1 Redskins RushTD Theismann 1 good Moseley 10 0 2 Redskins RecTD Malone Thiesmann 55 good Moseley 17 0 2 Cowboys RushTD Springs 1 good Septién 17 7 2 Cowboys RecTD Pearson Staubach 26 good Septién 17 14 3 Cowboys RushTD Newhouse 2 good Septién 17 21 4 Redskins FG 24 Moseley 20 21 4 Redskins RushTD Riggins 1 good Moseley 27 21 4 6:54 Redskins RushTD Riggins 66 good Moseley 34 21 4 Cowboys RecTD Springs Staubach 26 good Septién 34 28 4 0:39 Cowboys RecTD Hill Staubach 8 good Septién 34 35 34 35 It was December 16, 1979, when the Washington Redskins came to Texas Stadium tied with the Cowboys for first place in the NFC East with 10–5 records. This game would turn out to be one of Roger Staubach's finest moments as well as his last great comeback in his Cowboys career. The NFC East showdown between these heated rivals did not start out the way the Cowboys had wanted. On the Cowboys' first two possessions of the game they fumbled and the Redskins took full advantage of the recoveries. It took only two plays on the Cowboys' first possession before rookie Ron Springs fumbled at the Cowboys' 34-yard line. The Redskins took over and drove to the Cowboys' three-yard line. On third and goal Larry Cole sacked Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann and forced the Redskins to kick a field goal by Mark Mosley for an early 3–0 lead. On the Cowboys' second possession they once again fumbled the ball away. This time it was Robert Newhouse who gave the ball to the Redskins on the Cowboys' 45-yard line. The Redskins drove to the Cowboys' one-yard line, but this time Theismann made sure there would be no field goal attempt as he scored himself, giving the Redskins a 10–0 lead. With the Redskins leading 10–0 going into the second quarter and the Cowboys' offense showing no signs of life, the Redskins' offense went back to work with an 80-yard, 7-play drive. They finished the drive when Theismann connected with running back Benny Malone who eluded a tackle by D.D. Lewis. Malone raced down the right sideline for a 55-yard touchdown, giving the Redskins a commanding 17–0 lead. The Cowboys' offense seemed to wake up on their next possession. They put together a 13-play, 70-yard drive. From the Redskins' one-yard line, Ron Springs made up for his earlier fumble as he scored the Cowboys' first touchdown of the game. The Redskins now led 17–7 with a little more than four minutes left in the first half. With only 1:48 left in the first half, the Cowboys got the ball back on their own 15-yard line. Staubach went to work as he connected with Tony Hill three times and Drew Pearson once to get to the Redskins' 26-yard line. With only nine seconds remaining, Staubach connected with Preston Pearson for a touchdown as Pearson made a diving catch in the end zone. The Cowboys had fought their way back into the game with two second-quarter touchdowns. They went into the half down 17–14. In the third quarter the Cowboys' defense shut down the Redskins' offense. The Cowboys' offense took advantage and scored the only touchdown of the quarter, which gave them their first lead of the game. After a short Redskins punt the Cowboys took over at their own 48-yard line. They needed only nine plays, which included a Butch Johnson reverse that gained 13 yards. Preston Pearson took a short pass from Staubach and got the Cowboys to the two-yard line. Like Ron Springs in the first half, it was now Newhouse's turn to make up for his earlier fumble. He scored from the two-yard line, giving the Cowboys a 21–17 lead. Early in the fourth quarter the Redskins drove to the Cowboys' 7-yard line where they had to settle for a Mark Mosley 24-yard field goal. That made the score 21–20 Cowboys. Staubach threw his only interception of the game when he went deep over the middle from his own 13-yard line where there was no receiver in sight. Redskins safety Mark Murphy came down with the ball and returned it to the Cowboys' 25-yard line. On the Redskins' first play, Theismann threw into the end zone for receiver Ricky Thompson. Cowboys safety Cliff Harris bumped Thompson and was called for pass interference. The penalty placed the ball at the Cowboys' one-yard line where John Riggins scored to give the lead back to the Redskins, 27–21. With less than seven minutes to play in the game, Riggins seemed to put the game out of reach for the Cowboys. Riggins broke to the outside at his own 34-yard line as he outran Cowboys linebacker Mike Hegman and then broke a tackle by Cliff Harris. Riggins then raced away from Cowboys cornerback Dennis Thurman down the right sideline and scored from 66 yards for a 34–21 Redskins lead. With 3:49 left in the game, Randy White recovered a Redskins fumble. Roger Staubach only needed three plays to get the Cowboys closer as he connected with Ron Springs for a 26-yard touchdown. Springs caught the pass at the five-yard line and dragged Redskins cornerback Ray Waddy into the end zone. The Redskins still had a 34–28 lead with 2:20 left in the game. With time running out and the Redskins facing a third and one, veteran defensive tackle Larry Cole threw Riggins for a two-yard loss and forced the Redskins to punt. The Cowboys stood 75 yards away from an NFC Eastern Division title. Roger Staubach went back to work like he had done so many times in his career. He drove the Cowboys down the field in only seven plays. During the drive he connected with Tony Hill for 20 yards, then to Preston Pearson for 22 yards. With 1:01 left in the game Staubach went back to Preston Pearson for a 25-yard gain to the Redskins' 8-yard line. From there Staubach lofted a pass into the end zone that Tony Hill came down with. The Cowboys won the game 35–34 over the Redskins and also won their 11th Eastern title in the team's 20-year history. The win also gave the Cowboys a week off and home field advantage in the playoffs. With the win it also knocked the Redskins out of the playoffs. Roger Staubach finished the game with 336 yards passing and three touchdown passes. It was also the 21st time he guided the Cowboys to a fourth-quarter win and the 14th time he turned defeat into victory for the Cowboys in the final two minutes of a game. Tony Hill led all receivers with eight receptions for 113 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Preston Pearson followed Hill with five receptions for 108 yards and one touchdown. Rookie Ron Springs, who started in place of the injured Tony Dorsett, rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown. He also added 58 receiving yards with one touchdown. "What can I say about him?" asked Tom Landry. "Roger is simply super in these kinds of situations. He's done it before and knows he can do it."http://lonestarstruck.com/2010/09/04/flashback-cowboys-vs-redskins-1979/ Flashback, Cowboys vs Redskins - 1979 - Lone Star Struck 2014-07-20 2014-07-26 https://web.archive.org/web/20140726123736/http://lonestarstruck.com/2010/09/04/flashback-cowboys-vs-redskins-1979/ dead Harvey Martin, still in full uniform, threw a wreath that had been sent to the Cowboys' facility before the game (later discovered sent by a Dallas fan but from a florist address in Rockville, Maryland) into the Redskins' locker room right after the comeback victory. https://www.si.com/nfl/commanders/news/ol-rickys-redskins-tales-the-wreath-game Ol' Ricky's Redskins Tales - The Wreath Game Snider Rick May 27, 2020 SI.com December 17, 2022 Playoffs 1979–80 NFL playoffs Round Date Opponent Result Game Site Attendance Recap Wild Card First Round Bye Divisional December 30, 1979 Los Angeles Rams (3) L 19–21 Texas Stadium 64,792 Recap Los Angeles Rams 21 at Dallas Cowboys 19 Los Angeles Rams (10–7) 0 14 0 7 Cowboys (11–6) 2 3 7 7 Sunday, December 30, 1979 Texas Stadium 4:00pm(ET) 43 F, wind 12 mph on Jerry Markbreit CBS Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com yes 1 Dal Safety, Randy White tackled Ferragamo in end zone Cowboys 2–0 2 LA Wendell Tyler 32-yard pass from Vince Ferragamo (Frank Corral kick) Rams 7–2 2 Dal Rafael Septién 33-yard field goal Rams 7–5 2 LA Ron Smith 43-yard pass from Vince Ferragamo (Frank Corral kick) Rams 14–5 3 Dal Ron Springs 1-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) Rams 14–12 4 Dal Jay Saldi 2-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septién kick) Cowboys 19–14 4 LA Billy Waddy 50-yard pass from Vince Ferragamo (Frank Corral kick) Rams 21–19 yes Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal -8.5 The loss to the Rams in 1979 was one of the worst playoff defeats in Cowboys history. Some say the loss had to do with the dramatic game against the Redskins two weeks earlier that put the Cowboys in the playoffs. Others believe that the Cowboys just overlooked the Rams. Whatever the reasons were, the Cowboys' season ended that Sunday in Texas Stadium. The Staubach magic also ended that day: on March 31, 1980, he announced his retirement from the Cowboys and the NFL after 11 seasons and two Super Bowl Championships.http://lonestarstruck.com/2013/09/28/dallas-cowboys-1979-flashback-roger-and-out/ Dallas Cowboys 1979 Flashback: Roger and Out! - Lone Star Struck 2014-07-20 2014-07-26 https://web.archive.org/web/20140726124150/http://lonestarstruck.com/2013/09/28/dallas-cowboys-1979-flashback-roger-and-out/ dead Standings Statistics Passing Player Comp Att Yards TD INT Roger Staubach 267 461 3,586 27 11 Rushing Player Att Yards TD Tony Dorsett 250 1,107 6 Drew Pearson 3 27 Tony Hill 2 18 Receiving Player Rec Yards TD Tony Hill 60 1,062 10 Drew Pearson 55 1,026 8 Tony Dorsett 45 375 1 Billy Joe Dupree 29 324 5 References Category:Dallas Cowboys seasons Category:NFC East championship seasons Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys