1979 Houston Oilers season

{{Infobox NFL season

| team = Houston Oilers

| year = 1979

| record = 11–5

| division_place = 2nd AFC Central

| coach = Bum Phillips

| owner = Bud Adams

| general manager = Bum Phillips

| stadium = Astrodome

| pro_bowlers =

| playoffs = Won Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Broncos) 13–7
Won Divisional Playoffs
(at Chargers) 17–14
Lost AFC Championship
(at Steelers) 13–27

| shortnavlink = Oilers seasons

}}

File:1986 Jeno's Pizza - 44 - Elvin Bethea and Carter Hartwig.jpg

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 {{year}}, 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=

{{NFL team draft start

| year = 1979

| teamname = Houston Oilers

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 2

| pick = 31

| player = Mike Stensrud

| position = Defensive tackle

| college = Iowa State

| notes =

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 2

| pick = 50

| player = Jesse Baker

| position = Defensive end

| college = Jacksonville State

| notes =

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 3

| pick = 72

| player = Kenny King

| position = Running back

| college = Oklahoma

| notes =

| maderoster = yes

| probowl = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 6

| pick = 143

| player = Daryl Hunt

| position = Linebacker

| college = Oklahoma

| notes =

| maderoster = yes

| probowl = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 6

| pick = 159

| player = Mike Murphy

| position = Linebacker

| college = Missouri State

| notes =

| maderoster = N/A

| probowl = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 7

| pick = 171

| player = Tim Ries

| position = Defensive back

| college = Missouri State

| notes =

| maderoster = N/A

| probowl = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 8

| pick = 214

| player = Carter Hartwig

| position = Defensive back

| college = USC

| notes =

| maderoster = yes

| probowl = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 9

| pick = 243

| player = Richard Ellender

| position = Wide receiver

| college = McNeese State

| notes =

| maderoster = N/A

| probowl = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 11

| pick = 298

| player = Mike Taylor

| position = Offensive tackle

| college = Georgia Tech

| notes =

| maderoster = N/A

| probowl = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 12

| pick = 324

| player = Wayne Wilson

| position = Running back

| college = Shephard College

| notes =

| maderoster = yes

| probowl = no

}}

{{NFL team draft end

| hof = no

}}

{{cite web |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/oti/1979_draft.htm |title=1979 Houston Oilers draftees |work=Pro-Football-Reference.com |access-date=October 22, 2014 }}

Personnel

=Staff=

{{NFL final staff

| year = 1979

| team = Houston Oilers

| front_office =

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 =

Head Coach – Bum Phillips

| offensive =

Offensive Backs – Andy Bourgeois
Receivers – King Hill
Offensive Line – Joe Bugel

| defensive =

Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Ed Biles
Defensive Line – Wade Phillips
Defensive Secondary – Bob Gambold

| special_teams =

Special Teams – John Paul Young

}}

=Roster=

{{NFL season roster

| year = 1979

| team = Houston Oilers

| quarterbacks =

| running_backs =

| wide_receivers =

| tight_ends =

| offensive_linemen =

| defensive_linemen =

| linebackers =

| defensive_back =

{{NFLplayer|21|Charles Jefferson|d=American football|rookie=y|CB}}

| special_teams =

| reserve_lists =

{{player|84}} Billy Johnson WR (IR) 10px

| practice_squad =

}}

{{cite web |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/oti/1979_roster.htm |title=1979 Houston Oilers starters and roster |work=Pro-Football-Reference.com |access-date=November 10, 2014 }}

Pre season

=Schedule=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Week !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Date !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Opponent !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Time !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| TV !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Result !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Record !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Venue !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Attendance !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Recap
style="background:#cfc" ! 1 \| {{dow tooltip\|August 2, 1979}} \| St. Louis Cardinals \| 7:30{{nbsp}}p.m. CDT \| KPRC-TV \| W 9–7 \| 1–0 \| Astrodome \| 46,252 \|
style="background:#fcc" ! 2 \| August 12 \| New York Jets \| 12:30{{nbsp}}p.m. CDT \| NBC \| L 14–26 \| 1–1 \| Astrodome \| 43,350 \|
style="background:#fcc" ! 3 \| {{dow tooltip\|August 18, 1979}} \| at Dallas Cowboys \| 8:00{{nbsp}}p.m. CDT \| ABC \| L 13–16 \| 1–2 \| Texas Stadium \| 62,803 \|
style="background:#fcc" ! 4 \| {{dow tooltip\|August 24, 1979}} \| at New Orleans Saints \| 7:00{{nbsp}}p.m. CDT \| KPRC-TV \| L 7–10 \| 1–3 \| Louisiana Superdome \| 54,469 \|

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Houston Oilers|year=1979|border=2}}"| Week

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Houston Oilers|year=1979|border=2}}"| Date

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Houston Oilers|year=1979|border=2}}"| Opponent

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Houston Oilers|year=1979|border=2}}"| Time

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Houston Oilers|year=1979|border=2}}"| TV

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Houston Oilers|year=1979|border=2}}"| Result

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Houston Oilers|year=1979|border=2}}"| Record

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Houston Oilers|year=1979|border=2}}"| Venue

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Houston Oilers|year=1979|border=2}}"| Attendance

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Houston Oilers|year=1979|border=2}}"| Recap

style="background:#cfc"

! 1

| {{dow tooltip|August 2, 1979}}

| St. Louis Cardinals

| 7:30{{nbsp}}p.m. CDT

| KPRC-TV

| W 9–7

| 1–0

| Astrodome

| 46,252

style="background:#fcc"

! 2

| August 12

| New York Jets

| 12:30{{nbsp}}p.m. CDT

| NBC

| L 14–26

| 1–1

| Astrodome

| 43,350

style="background:#fcc"

! 3

| {{dow tooltip|August 18, 1979}}

| at Dallas Cowboys

| 8:00{{nbsp}}p.m. CDT

| ABC

| L 13–16

| 1–2

| Texas Stadium

| 62,803

style="background:#fcc"

! 4

| {{dow tooltip|August 24, 1979}}

| at New Orleans Saints

| 7:00{{nbsp}}p.m. CDT

| KPRC-TV

| L 7–10

| 1–3

| Louisiana Superdome

| 54,469

=Week P3 (Saturday, August 18, 1979): at [[1979 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]]=

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|title=Week P3: Houston Oilers 13 at Dallas Cowboys 16 – Game summary

|date=August 18, 1979

|time=8:00 p.m. CDT

|road=Oilers (1–2)

|R1=3 |R2=3 |R3=7 |R4=0

|home=Cowboys (2–2)

|H1=0 |H2=0 |H3=7 |H4=9

|stadium=Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas

|attendance=62,803

|weather=

|referee=

|TV=ABC

|TVAnnouncers=Frank Gifford (play–by–play), Howard Cosell (color commentator) and Fran Tarkenton (color commentator)

|reference=

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| Home = Dallas Cowboys

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Point spread:
Over/Under:
Time of Game:

class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
style="width:30%;" style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\|Oilers ! style="width:40%;"\|Game Statistics ! style="width:30%;" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Dallas Cowboys\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\|Cowboys
style="text-align:right;"\| ! First downs \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Rushes–yards \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Passing yards \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! {{Abbr\|Passes\|Completions–Attempts–Interceptions}} \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Sacked–yards \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Net passing yards \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Total yards \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Return yards \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! {{Abbr\|Punts\|Number–Average yardage}} \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Fumbles–lost \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Penalties–yards \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Time of possession \|

class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"

style="width:30%;" style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Houston Oilers|year=1979|border=2}}"|Oilers

! style="width:40%;"|Game Statistics

! style="width:30%;" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1979|border=2}}"|Cowboys

style="text-align:right;"|

! First downs

style="text-align:right;"|

! Rushes–yards

style="text-align:right;"|

! Passing yards

style="text-align:right;"|

! {{Abbr|Passes|Completions–Attempts–Interceptions}}

style="text-align:right;"|

! Sacked–yards

style="text-align:right;"|

! Net passing yards

style="text-align:right;"|

! Total yards

style="text-align:right;"|

! Return yards

style="text-align:right;"|

! {{Abbr|Punts|Number–Average yardage}}

style="text-align:right;"|

! Fumbles–lost

style="text-align:right;"|

! Penalties–yards

style="text-align:right;"|

! Time of possession

=Week P4 (Friday, August 24, 1979): at [[1979 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]]=

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|bg2=

|titlestyle={{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Houston Oilers|year=1979|border=2}}; text-align:center

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|title=Week P4: Houston Oilers 7 at New Orleans Saints 10 – Game summary

|date=August 24, 1979

|time=7:00 p.m. CDT

|road=Oilers (1–3)

|R1=7 |R2=0 |R3=0 |R4=0

|home=Saints (1–3)

|H1=0 |H2=0 |H3=0 |H4=10

|stadium=Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana

|attendance=54,469

|weather=Indoors (dome)

|referee=

|TV=KPRC-TV

|TVAnnouncers=

|reference=

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| Float = right

| Visitor = Houston Oilers

| VisitorDisplay = HOU

| Home = New Orleans Saints

| HomeDisplay = NO

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| VisReceivingStats =

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| HomePassStats =

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| HomeRushStats =

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| HomeReceivingStats =

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{{AmFootballScoreSummaryStart|VisitorName=HOU|HomeName=NO|state=collapsed}}

Point spread:
Over/Under:
Time of Game:

class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
style="width:30%;" style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\|Oilers ! style="width:40%;"\|Game Statistics ! style="width:30%;" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|New Orleans Saints\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\|Saints
style="text-align:right;"\| ! First downs \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Rushes–yards \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Passing yards \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! {{Abbr\|Passes\|Completions–Attempts–Interceptions}} \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Sacked–yards \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Net passing yards \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Total yards \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Return yards \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! {{Abbr\|Punts\|Number–Average yardage}} \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Fumbles–lost \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Penalties–yards \|
style="text-align:right;"\| ! Time of possession \|

class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"

style="width:30%;" style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Houston Oilers|year=1979|border=2}}"|Oilers

! style="width:40%;"|Game Statistics

! style="width:30%;" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|New Orleans Saints|year=1979|border=2}}"|Saints

style="text-align:right;"|

! First downs

style="text-align:right;"|

! Rushes–yards

style="text-align:right;"|

! Passing yards

style="text-align:right;"|

! {{Abbr|Passes|Completions–Attempts–Interceptions}}

style="text-align:right;"|

! Sacked–yards

style="text-align:right;"|

! Net passing yards

style="text-align:right;"|

! Total yards

style="text-align:right;"|

! Return yards

style="text-align:right;"|

! {{Abbr|Punts|Number–Average yardage}}

style="text-align:right;"|

! Fumbles–lost

style="text-align:right;"|

! Penalties–yards

style="text-align:right;"|

! Time of possession

Regular season

=Schedule=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Week !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Date !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Opponent !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Result !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Record !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Venue !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Attendance !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}"\| Recap
style="background:#cfc" ! 1 \| {{dow tooltip\|September 2, 1979}} \| at Washington Redskins \| W 29–27 \| 1–0 \| RFK Stadium \| 54,582 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197909020was.htm Recap]
style="background:#fcc" ! 2 \| {{dow tooltip\|September 9, 1979}} \| at Pittsburgh Steelers \| L 7–38 \| 1–1 \| Three Rivers Stadium \| 49,792 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197909090pit.htm Recap]
style="background:#cfc" ! 3 \| September 16 \| Kansas City Chiefs \| W 20–6 \| 2–1 \| Astrodome \| 45,684 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197909160oti.htm Recap]
style="background:#cfc" ! 4 \| September 23 \| at Cincinnati Bengals \| W 30–27 \| 3–1 \| Riverfront Stadium \| 45,615 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197909230cin.htm Recap]
style="background:#cfc" ! 5 \| September 30 \| Cleveland Browns \| W 31–10 \| 4–1 \| Astrodome \| 48,915 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197909300oti.htm Recap]
style="background:#fcc" ! 6 \| October 7 \| St. Louis Cardinals \| L 17–24 \| 4–2 \| Astrodome \| 53,043 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197910070oti.htm Recap]
style="background:#cfc" ! 7 \| October 14 \| at Baltimore Colts \| W 28–16 \| 5–2 \| Memorial Stadium \| 45,021 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197910140clt.htm Recap]
style="background:#fcc" ! 8 \| October 21 \| at Seattle Seahawks \| L 14–34 \| 5–3 \| Kingdome \| 60,705 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197910210sea.htm Recap]
style="background:#cfc" ! 9 \| October 28 \| New York Jets \| W 27–24 \| 6–3 \| Astrodome \| 45,825 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197910280oti.htm Recap]
style="background:#cfc" ! 10 \| {{dow tooltip\|November 5, 1979}} \| at Miami Dolphins \| W 9–6 \| 7–3 \| Miami Orange Bowl \| 70,273 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197911050mia.htm Recap]
style="background:#cfc" ! 11 \| November 11 \| Oakland Raiders \| W 31–17 \| 8–3 \| Astrodome \| 48,614 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197911110oti.htm Recap]
style="background:#cfc" ! 12 \| November 18 \| Cincinnati Bengals \| W 42–21 \| 9–3 \| Astrodome \| 49,829 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197911180oti.htm Recap]
style="background:#cfc" ! 13 \| {{dow tooltip\|November 22, 1979}} \| at Dallas Cowboys \| W 30–24 \| 10–3 \| Texas Stadium \| 63,897 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197911220dal.htm Recap]
style="background:#fcc" ! 14 \| December 2 \| at Cleveland Browns \| L 7–14 \| 10–4 \| Cleveland Municipal Stadium \| 69,112 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197912020cle.htm Recap]
style="background:#cfc" ! 15 \| {{dow tooltip\|December 10, 1979}} \| Pittsburgh Steelers \| W 20–17 \| 11–4 \| Astrodome \| 55,293 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197912100oti.htm Recap]
style="background:#fcc" ! 16 \| December 16 \| Philadelphia Eagles \| L 20–26 \| 11–5 \| Astrodome \| 49,407 \| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197912160oti.htm Recap]
style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle\|Houston Oilers\|year=1979\|border=2}}" \|colspan="11"\| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.