1980 New Orleans Saints season

NFL team season (1st 1–15 season) August 2023 March 2026 New Orleans Saints 1980 1–15 4th NFC West Dick Nolan (fired Nov. 26; 0–12 record)Dick Stanfel (interim; 1–3 record) Steve Rosenbloom Louisiana Superdome Did not qualify None Saints seasons thumb|right|Archie Manning attempting a pass for the Saints during a game against the Los Angeles Rams in 1980. The 1980 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 14th as a member of the National Football League (NFL). The Saints failed to improve on the previous season's record of 8–8, instead winning only one game.1980 New Orleans Saints The team missed the playoffs for the fourteenth consecutive season and had the dubious distinction not only of winning only a single game, but winning it by a single point against the New York Jets, who like the Saints had widely been predicted before the season to advance to the playoffs, but struggled instead. The main culprit of the Saints' collapse was the defense, which ranked last in yards and points (487) allowed.Finney Jr., Peter; “Saints Near Record”; in The Bryan Times; December 12, 1980; p. 13 The team's only bright spot was tenth-year quarterback Archie Manning, who proceeded to have the best year of his career, throwing for 3,716 yards, 23 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. Season summary Disgruntled fans called their team “the Aints”, going so far as to show up to games wearing brown paper bags over their heads after their team was 0–12Litzky, Frank; “Dick Nolan, 75, N.F.L. Coach and Player, Is Dead”; The New York Times, November 24, 2007 and playing the Los Angeles Rams, to whom they lost 27–7 on Monday Night Football. In embarrassment, they called themselves the Unknown Fan (a spinoff from The Unknown Comic) in a practice that would become the trademark of disgruntled fans across various sports in the United States. Coach Dick Nolan was fired after this game, and replaced by Dick Stanfel. In Week 14, playing the San Francisco 49ers in Candlestick Park, the Saints charged out to a 35–7 lead at halftime, led by three touchdown passes from Archie Manning and a pair of one-yard touchdown runs from Jack Holmes. However, the 49ers rallied behind quarterback Joe Montana, who rushed for a touchdown and passed for two more. The 49ers tied the game 35–35 on a fourth-quarter touchdown run by Lenvil Elliott and went on to win in overtime, 38–35, on a Ray Wersching field goal. The 28-point comeback by the 49ers was, at the time, the largest comeback in NFL history, and was the largest comeback in regular season history until it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Minnesota Vikings, who rallied from a 33-0 halftime deficit vs. the Indianapolis Colts to win 39–36 in overtime.http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/09000d5d8112f98e/article/top-10-greatest-comebacks-in-nfl-history Top 10 greatest comebacks in NFL history National Football League 2009-01-07 2013-01-03January 2021 The current source is outdated. After equaling the 1976 Buccaneers’ record single-season 14-game losing streak and looking likely to become the first team to finish 0–16 when down 7–13 after three quarters against the New York Jets on a day of 46 mph km/h 0 winds and a wind chill-adjusted temperature of 5 F C,“Saints Finally Snare a Victory”; in St. Petersburg Times; December 15, 1980; p. 7C quarterback Archie Manning threw a touchdown pass into the gale to Tony Galbreath to go ahead 14–13 and then another to win 21–20.“Finally: Saints Claim First Victory”; Palm Beach Post; December 15, 1980; p. 52 The 2013 Houston Texans matched the 14-game losing streak of both the 1980 Saints and the 1976 Buccaneers after starting 2–0. The 1980 Saints were the first team to end the season at 1–15.September 2016 The 1989 Dallas Cowboys, 1990 New England Patriots, 1991 Indianapolis Colts, 1996 New York Jets, 2000 San Diego Chargers, 2001 Carolina Panthers, 2007 Miami Dolphins, 2009 St. Louis Rams, 2016 Cleveland Browns, and 2020 Jacksonville Jaguars later matched the 1980 Saints by finishing 1–15, but the 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns both exceeded it by finishing with an 0–16 record. The 1991 Colts (vs. Jets) and 2000 Chargers (vs. Chiefs) also won their lone games by a single point. With the NFL extending to a 17-game season beginning in 2021, NFL teams can no longer have the possibility to finish a season 1-15. Offseason NFL draft 1980 NFL draft 1980 New Orleans Saints 1 12 Stan Brock Offensive tackle Colorado yes 2 41 Dave Waymer Safety Notre Dame yes yes 4 96 Mike Jolly Cornerback Michigan 6 150 Lester Boyd Linebacker Kentucky 7 177 Mike Morucci Running back Bloomsburg 8 206 Chuck Evans Linebacker Stanford yes 9 233 Frank Mordica Running back Vanderbilt 10 262 Tanya Webb Defensive end Michigan State 11 289 George Woodard Running back Texas A&M 12 318 Kiser Lewis Linebacker Florida A&M no https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nor/1980_draft.htm 1980 New Orleans Saints draftees Pro-Football-Reference.com November 10, 2014 Undrafted free agents + 1980 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeAllen AndersonDefensive backNorthern IllinoisEric AndersonQuarterbackCaliforniaJohn ArbeznikGuardMichiganMike ArmandCornerbackNew Mexico StateMike AugustyniakFullbackPurdueGordon BanksWide receiverStanfordRon BarnesSafetyHoustonSteve EnsmimgerQuarterbackLSU Personnel Staff 1980 New Orleans Saints President – John W. Mecom, Jr. Head Coach – Dick Nolan Offensive Coordinator – Ed Hughes Quarterbacks/Receivers – Lamar McHan Offensive Backfield – Nick Nicolau Offensive Line – Dick Stanfel Defensive Coordinator – Ed Beard Defensive Line – Tom Pratt Defensive Backfield – Fred Glick Special Teams – Whitey Campbell Strength – Lou Riecke All-Time Roster http://www.neworleanssaints.com/team/history/all-time-roster.html NewOrleansSaints.com November 5, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20120618110940/http://www.neworleanssaints.com/team/history/all-time-roster.html 2012-06-18 dead Roster 1980 New Orleans Saints  7 Guy Benjamin  8 Archie Manning 12 Bobby Scott American football 43 Larry Collins American football 34 Tony Galbreath 45 Jack Holmes American football 41 Jimmy Rogers running back 30 Wayne Wilson American football 80 Gordon Banks American football y 89 Wes Chandler 86 Tom Donovan American football y 82 Ike Harris 49 Artie Owens 85 Henry Childs 87 Larry Hardy American football 67 Stan Brock American football y T 62 John Hill American football C 64 Dave Lafary T 76 Jim Pietrzak C 68 Fred Sturt G 65 Robert Woods offensive tackle G/T 79 Emanuel Zanders G 63 Barry Bennett DT 72 Mike Fultz DT 78 Elois Grooms DE 53 Tommy Hart DE 74 Derland Moore DT 96 Steve Parker defensive end, born 1956 y DE 75 Elex Price DT 50 Ken Bordelon OLB 59 Chuck Evans linebacker y MLB 58 Joe Federspiel MLB 51 Stan Holloway y OLB 56 Reggie Mathis OLB 55 Dave Washington OLB 27 Ray Brown safety SS 23 Jim Marshall defensive back CB 26 Guido Merkens FS 37 Tom Myers safety FS 22 Ricky Ray defensive back CB 48 Don Schwartz SS 47 Mike Spivey American football CB 44 Dave Waymer y CB 14 Russell Erxleben P  1 Benny Ricardo K 54 Lester Boyd y no LB IR 52 Jim Kovach LB IR 84 Rich Mauti WR IR 83 Tinker Owens WR IR -- Dan Pensick y no DT IR 60 Don Reese DE Susp. 71 J. T. Taylor American football T IR 88 Brooks Williams American football TE IR Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 7 San Francisco 49ers L 23–26 0–1 Louisiana Superdome 58,621https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198009070nor.htm San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints - September 7th, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 2 September 14 at Chicago Bears L 3–22 0–2 Soldier Field 62,523https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198009140chi.htm New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears - September 14th, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 3 September 21 Buffalo Bills L 26–35 0–3 Louisiana Superdome 51,154https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198009210nor.htm Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints - September 21st, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 4 September 28 at Miami Dolphins L 16–21 0–4 Miami Orange Bowl 40,946https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198009280mia.htm New Orleans Saints at Miami Dolphins - September 28th, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 5 October 5 St. Louis Cardinals L 7–40 0–5 Louisiana Superdome 45,388https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198010050nor.htm St. Louis Cardinals at New Orleans Saints - October 5th, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 6 October 12 at Detroit Lions L 13–24 0–6 Pontiac Silverdome 78,147https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198010120det.htm New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions - October 12th, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 7 October 19 Atlanta Falcons L 14–41 0–7 Louisiana Superdome 62,651https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198010190nor.htm Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints - October 19th, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 8 October 26 at Washington Redskins L 14–22 0–8 RFK Stadium 51,375https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198010260was.htm New Orleans Saints at Washington Redskins - October 26th, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 9 November 2 at Los Angeles Rams L 31–45 0–9 Anaheim Stadium 59,909https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198011020ram.htm New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams - November 2nd, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 10 November 9 Philadelphia Eagles L 21–34 0–10 Louisiana Superdome 44,340https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198011090nor.htm Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints - November 9th, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 11 November 16 at Atlanta Falcons L 13–31 0–11 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 53,871https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198011160atl.htm New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons - November 16th, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 12 November 24, 1980 Los Angeles Rams L 7–27 0–12 Louisiana Superdome 53,448https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198011240nor.htm Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints - November 24th, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 13 November 30 Minnesota Vikings L 20–23 0–13 Louisiana Superdome 30,936https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198011300nor.htm Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints - November 30th, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 14 December 7 at San Francisco 49ers L 35–38 (OT) 0–14 Candlestick Park 37,949https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198012070sfo.htm New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers - December 7th, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 15 December 14 at New York Jets W 21–20 1–14 Shea Stadium 38,077https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198012140nyj.htm New Orleans Saints at New York Jets - December 14th, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 16 December 21 New England Patriots L 27–38 1–15 Louisiana Superdome 38,277https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198012210nor.htm New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints - December 21st, 1980 Pro-Football-Reference.com October 23, 2025 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers New Orleans Saints 1980 2; text-align:center collapsed Week One: San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints September 7 12:00 p.m. CDT 49ers 0 14 6 6 Saints 0 7 6 10 Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana 58,621 None (played indoors) Box score First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter NO – Tony Galbreath 1-yard run (Russell Erxleben kick). Saints 7–0. SF – Earl Cooper 1-yard run (Ray Wersching kick). Tied 7–7. SF – Earl Cooper 6-yard run (Ray Wersching kick). 49ers 14–7. Third quarter SF – Paul Hofer 27-yard pass from Steve DeBerg (kick failed). 49ers 20–7. NO – Chuck Muncie 7-yard run (run failed). 49ers 20–13. Fourth quarter SF – Ray Wersching 37-yard field goal. 49ers 23–13. NO – Wes Chandler 49-yard pass from Archie Manning (Russell Erxleben kick). 49ers 23–20. NO – Russell Erxleben 37-yard field goal. Tied 23–23. SF – Ray Wersching 38-yard field goal. 49ers 26–23. Top passers SF – Steve DeBerg – 21/29, 223 yards, TD, INT NO – Archie Manning – 25/40, 314 yards, TD Top rushers SF – Earl Cooper – 17 rushes, 77 yards, 2 TD NO – Chuck Muncie – 12 rushes, 57 yards, TD Top receivers SF – Paul Hofer – 7 receptions, 114 yards, TD NO – Larry Hardy – 6 receptions, 103 yards Week 2: at Chicago Bears New Orleans Saints 1980 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Two: New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears September 14 1:00 p.m. CDT Saints 3 0 0 0 Bears 10 3 2 7 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois 62,523 Cloudy, 67 F C Bob McElwee CBS Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris Box score First quarter CHI – Bob Thomas 37-yard field goal. Bears 3–0. NO – Russell Erxleben 26-yard field goal. Tied 3–3. CHI – Bob Fisher 56-yard pass from Mike Phipps (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 10–3. Second quarter CHI – Bob Thomas 35-yard field goal. Bears 13–3. Third quarter CHI – Archie Manning sacked in own end zone by Alan Page. Bears 15–3. Fourth quarter CHI – Walter Payton 69-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 22–3. Top passers NO – Archie Manning – 15/27, 168 yards, 2 INT CHI – Mike Phipps – 7/24, 115 yards, TD Top rushers NO – Chuck Muncie – 13 rushes, 79 yards CHI – Walter Payton – 18 rushes, 183 yards, TD Top receivers NO – Ike Harris – 5 receptions, 75 yards CHI – Bob Fisher – 1 reception, 56 yards, TD Week 3: vs Buffalo Bills New Orleans Saints 1980 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Three: Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints September 21 1:00 p.m. CDT Bills 7 7 7 14 Saints 0 19 0 7 Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana 51,154 None (played indoors) Fred Wyant NBC Jay Rudolph and Gene Washington Box score First quarter BUF – Frank Lewis 12-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 7–0. Second quarter NO – Chuck Muncie 1-yard run (Benny Ricardo kick). Tie 7–7. BUF – Joe Cribbs 12-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 14–7. NO – Ike Harris 44-yard pass from Archie Manning. Bills 14–13. NO – Benny Ricardo 45-yard field goal. Saints 16–14. NO – Benny Ricardo 47-yard field goal. Saints 19–14. Third quarter BUF – Frank Lewis 18-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 21–19. Fourth quarter BUF – Mark Brammer 2-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 28–19. BUF – Joe Cribbs 7-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 35-19. NO – Ike Harris 15-yard pass from Archie Manning (Benny Ricardo kick). Bills 35–26. Top passers BUF – Joe Ferguson – 22/31, 295 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT NO – Archie Manning – 24/34, 285 yards, 2 TD Top rushers BUF – Joe Cribbs – 22 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD NO – Chuck Muncie – 10 rushes, 22 yards Top receivers BUF – Jerry Butler – 5 receptions, 133 yards NO – Brooks Williams – 6 receptions, 89 yards Week 14: at San Francisco 49ers New Orleans Saints 1980 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Fourteen: New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers December 7 3:00 p.m. CST / 1:00 p.m. PST Saints 14 21 0 0 0 49ers 0 7 14 14 3 Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California 37,949 Sunny, 48 F C Dick Jorgensen CBS Jim Kelly and Jim Hill Box score First quarter NO – Ike Harris 33-yard pass from Archie Manning (Benny Ricardo kick). Saints 7–0. NO – Henry Childs 21-yard pass from Archie Manning (Benny Ricardo kick). Saints 14–0. Second quarter NO – Jack Holmes 1-yard run (Benny Ricardo kick). Saints 21–0. SF – Freddie Solomon 57-yard punt return (Ray Wersching kick). Saints 21–7. NO – Jack Holmes 1-yard run (Benny Ricardo kick). Saints 28–7. NO – Ike Harris 41-yard pass from Archie Manning (Benny Ricardo kick). Saints 35–7. Third quarter SF – Joe Montana 1-yard run (Ray Wersching kick). Saints 35–14. SF – Dwight Clark 71-yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick). Saints 35–21. Fourth quarter SF – Freddie Solomon 14-yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick). Saints 35–28. SF – Lenvil Elliott 7-yard run (Ray Wersching kick). Tied 35–35. Overtime SF – Ray Wersching 36-yard field goal. 49ers 38–35. Top passers NO – Archie Manning – 24/38, 377 yards, 3 TD, INT SF – Joe Montana – 24/36, 285 yards, 2 TD Top rushers NO – Tony Galbreath – 16 rushes, 86 yards SF – Lenvil Elliott – 20 rushes, 125 yards, TD Top receivers NO – Henry Childs – 8 receptions, 144 yards, TD SF – Dwight Clark – 6 receptions, 155 yards, TD Week 15: at New York Jets New Orleans Saints 1980 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Fifteen: New Orleans Saints at New York Jets December 14 12:00 p.m. CST / 1:00 p.m. EST Saints 7 0 0 14 Jets 0 13 0 7 Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York 38,077 Partly cloudy, 31 F C Box score First quarter NO – Jack Holmes 14-yard pass from Archie Manning (Benny Ricardo kick). Saints 7–0. Second quarter NYJ – Kevin Long 1-yard run (Pat Leahy kick). Tied 7–7. NYJ – Pat Leahy 27-yard field goal. Jets 10–7. NYJ – Pat Leahy 47-yard field goal. Jets 13–7. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter NO – Tony Galbreath 1-yard run (Benny Ricardo kick). Saints 14–13. NYJ – Richard Todd 31-yard run (Pat Leahy kick). Jets 20–14. NO – Tony Galbreath 1-yard run (Benny Ricardo kick). Saints 21–20. Top passers NO – Archie Manning – 20/30, 198 yards, TD NYJ – Richard Todd – 10/27, 77 yards, 2 INT Top rushers NO – Jimmy Rogers – 8 rushes, 52 yards NYJ – Tom Newton – 23 rushes, 117 yards Top receivers NO – Wes Chandler – 3 receptions, 64 yards NYJ – Bruce Harper – 5 receptions, 34 yards Standings References 30em Category:New Orleans Saints seasons New Orleans New