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1980 San Francisco 49ers season

{{short description|NFL team season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox NFL team season

| team = San Francisco 49ers

| year = 1980

| record = 6–10

| division_place = 3rd NFC West

| owner = Edward J. DeBartolo Jr.

| general manager = Bill Walsh

| coach = Bill Walsh

| def_coach = Chuck Studley

| stadium = Candlestick Park

| playoffs = Did not qualify

| pro_bowlers = none

| shortnavlink = 49ers seasons

}}

The 1980 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 31st season in the National Football League and their 35th overall. This was the second year with the team for both head coach Bill Walsh and quarterback Joe Montana, who became the starter in week seven,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qe9VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8eEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6117%2C6119965 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=wire service reports |title=Rams, 31-17 |date=October 20, 1980 |page=4B}} replacing Steve DeBerg.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ou9VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8eEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4134%2C3896495

|work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=wire service reports |title=Cowboys, 59-14 |date=October 13, 1980 |page=4B}}

The 49ers looked to improve on their previous output of 2–14 (both of the two previous seasons); despite succeeding in improving their record, having posted a 6–10 record, they failed to make the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/1980.htm 1980 San Francisco 49ers]

On December 7, 1980, the 49ers rallied from down 35–7, scoring 31 unanswered points to defeat the winless New Orleans Saints in overtime.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YlhYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7-EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6670%2C2311310 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=49ers come from 28 behind to win |date=December 8, 1980 |page=3B}}NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, {{ISBN|0-7611-2480-2}}, p. 260[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198012070sfo.htm New Orleans Saints 35 at San Francisco 49ers 38] This was the last full season until 1999 that the 49ers finished with fewer than ten wins.

Offseason

= Draft =

{{main article|1980 NFL draft}}

{{NFL team draft start|year=1980|teamname=San Francisco 49ers}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=1|pick=13|player=Earl Cooper|position=Fullback|college= Rice|notes=from N. Y. Jets |maderoster=yes}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=1|pick=20|player=Jim Stuckey|position=Defensive tackle|college= Clemson|notes=from Denver |maderoster=yes}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=2|pick=39|player=Keena Turner|position=Linebacker|college= Purdue|notes=from Minnesota |probowl=yes |maderoster=yes}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=3|pick=65|player=Jim Miller|position=Punter|college= Ole Miss|notes=from Minnesota |maderoster=yes}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=3|pick=77|player=Craig Puki|position=Linebacker|college= Tennessee|notes= |maderoster=yes}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=4|pick=84|player=Ricky Churchman|position=Safety|college= Texas|notes= |maderoster=yes}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=4|pick=98|player=David Hodge|position=Linebacker|college= Houston|notes= |maderoster=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=5|pick=112|player=Kenneth Times|position=Defensive Tackle|college= Southern|notes= |maderoster=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=6|pick=139|player=Herb Williams|position=Safety|college= Southern|notes= |maderoster=yes}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=8|pick=210|player=Bobby Leopold|position=Linebacker|college= Notre Dame|notes= |maderoster=yes}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=9|pick=237|player=Dan Hartwig|position=Quarterback|college= Cal Lutheran|notes= |maderoster=}}

{{NFL team draft end|hof=no}}

Personnel

= Staff / Coaches=

{{NFL final staff

| year = 1980

| team = San Francisco 49ers

| front_office =

| head_coach =

  • Head coach – Bill Walsh

| offensive =

| defensive =

| special_teams =

  • Special teams – Milt Jackson

| strength =

  • Strength and Conditioning – Al Vermeil

}}

= Roster =

{{NFL season roster

| year = 1980

| team = San Francisco 49ers

| quarterbacks =

{{NFLplayer|17|Steve DeBerg}}

{{NFLplayer|19|Gary Huff}}

{{NFLplayer|16|Joe Montana}}

| running_backs =

{{NFLplayer|49|Earl Cooper|d=American football|rookie=y|FB}}

{{NFLplayer|35|Lenvil Elliott}}

{{NFLplayer|38|Bob Ferrell|FB}}

{{NFLplayer|36|Paul Hofer}}

{{NFLplayer|42|Ricky Patton}}

| wide_receivers =

{{NFLplayer|20|Terry Anderson|d=American football}}

{{NFLplayer|87|Dwight Clark}}

{{NFLplayer|89|James Owens|d=American football, born 1955}}

{{NFLplayer|84|Mike Shumann}}

{{NFLplayer|88|Freddie Solomon}}

| tight_ends =

{{NFLplayer|82|Bob Bruer}}

{{NFLplayer|82|Lewis Gilbert|d=American football}}

{{NFLplayer|86|Charle Young}}

| offensive_linemen =

{{NFLplayer|68|John Ayers|G}}

{{NFLplayer|77|Jean Barrett|d=American football|T}}

{{NFLplayer|64|Ken Bungarda|rookie=y|T}}

{{NFLplayer|51|Randy Cross|G}}

{{NFLplayer|62|Walt Downing|G}}

{{NFLplayer|71|Keith Fahnhorst|T}}

{{NFLplayer|56|Fred Quillan|C}}

{{NFLplayer|67|Ron Singleton|T}}

| defensive_linemen =

{{NFLplayer|76|Dwaine Board|DE}}

{{NFLplayer|65|Lawrence Pillers|DE}}

{{NFLplayer|78|Archie Reese|DE}}

{{NFLplayer|79|Jim Stuckey|rookie=y|DE}}

{{NFLplayer|74|Jimmy Webb|d=American football|DT}}

{{NFLplayer|75|Ted Vincent|DT}}

{{NFLplayer|90|George Visger|rookie=y|DT}}

| linebackers =

{{NFLplayer|57|Dan Bunz|MLB}}

{{NFLplayer|55|Scott Hilton|d=American football|OLB}}

{{NFLplayer|59|Willie Harper|OLB}}

{{NFLplayer|52|Bobby Leopold|rookie=y|OLB}}

{{NFLplayer|54|Craig Puki|rookie=y|ILB}}

{{NFLplayer|53|Tom Seabron|OLB}}

{{NFLplayer|50|Terry Tautolo|ILB}}

{{NFLplayer|58|Keena Turner|rookie=y|OLB}}

| defensive_back =

{{NFLplayer|33|Ricky Churchman|rookie=y|SS}}

{{NFLplayer|28|Charles Cornelius|d=gridiron football|CB}}

{{NFLplayer|22|Dwight Hicks|FS}}

{{NFLplayer|44|Charles Johnson|d=cornerback|CB}}

{{NFLplayer|46|Melvin Morgan|CB}}

{{NFLplayer|32|Scott Perry|d=American football|FS}}

{{NFLplayer|26|Ray Rhodes|CB}}

{{NFLplayer|29|Gerald Williams|link=no|CB}}

| special_teams =

{{NFLplayer| 3|Jim Miller|d=punter|rookie=y|P}}

{{NFLplayer|14|Ray Wersching|K}}

| reserve_lists =

{{NFLplayer|48|Phil Francis|FB|IR}}

{{NFLplayer|23|Herb Williams|rookie=y|S|IR}}

| practice_squad =

}}

Preseason

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"| Week

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"| Date

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"| Opponent

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"| Result

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"| Record

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"| Venue

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"| Attendance

style="background:#cfc"

! 1

| {{dow tooltip|August 9, 1980}}

| Oakland Raiders

| W 33–14

| 1–0

| Candlestick Park

| 55,585

style="background:#cfc"

! 2

| {{dow tooltip|August 16, 1980}}

| at San Diego Chargers

| W 17–14

| 2–0

| San Diego Stadium

| 48,836

style="background:#fcc"

! 3

| {{dow tooltip|August 23, 1980}}

| Seattle Seahawks

| L 7–10

| 2–1

| Candlestick Park

| 41,841

style="background:#cfc"

! 4

| {{dow tooltip|August 30, 1980}}

| vs. Kansas City Chiefs

| W 31–21

| 3–1

| Arizona Stadium

| 27,000

{{cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1980nflsf.html|title=1980 San Francisco 49ers (NFL)|publisher=Pro Football Archives|access-date=November 2, 2023}}

Schedule

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"| Week

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"| Date

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"| Opponent

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"| Result

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"| Record

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"| Venue

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"| Attendance

style="background:#cfc"

! 1

| September 7

| at New Orleans Saints

| W 26–23

| 1–0

| Louisiana Superdome

| 58,621

style="background:#cfc"

! 2

| September 14

| St. Louis Cardinals

| W 24–21

| 2–0

| Candlestick Park

| 49,999

style="background:#cfc"

! 3

| September 21

| at New York Jets

| W 37–27

| 3–0

| Shea Stadium

| 50,608

style="background:#fcc"

! 4

| September 28

| Atlanta Falcons

| L 17–20

| 3–1

| Candlestick Park

| 56,518

style="background:#fcc"

! 5

| October 5

| at Los Angeles Rams

| L 26–48

| 3–2

| Anaheim Stadium

| 62,188

style="background:#fcc"

! 6

| October 12

| at Dallas Cowboys

| L 14–59

| 3–3

| Texas Stadium

| 63,399

style="background:#fcc"

! 7

| October 19

| Los Angeles Rams

| L 17–31

| 3–4

| Candlestick Park

| 55,360

style="background:#fcc"

! 8

| October 26

| Tampa Bay Buccaneers

| L 23–24

| 3–5

| Candlestick Park

| 51,925

style="background:#fcc"

! 9

| November 2

| at Detroit Lions

| L 13–17

| 3–6

| Pontiac Silverdome

| 78,845

style="background:#fcc"

! 10

| November 9

| at Green Bay Packers

| L 16–23

| 3–7

| Milwaukee County Stadium

| 54,475

style="background:#fcc"

! 11

| November 16

| at Miami Dolphins

| L 13–17

| 3–8

| Miami Orange Bowl

| 45,135

style="background:#cfc"

! 12

| November 23

| New York Giants

| W 12–0

| 4–8

| Candlestick Park

| 38,574

style="background:#cfc"

! 13

| November 30

| New England Patriots

| W 21–17

| 5–8

| Candlestick Park

| 45,254

style="background:#cfc"

! 14

| December 7

| New Orleans Saints

| W 38–35

| 6–8

| Candlestick Park

| 37,949

style="background:#fcc"

! 15

| December 14

| at Atlanta Falcons

| L 10–35

| 6–9

| Atlanta Fulton County Stadium

| 55,767

style="background:#fcc"

! 16

| December 21

| Buffalo Bills

| L 13–18

| 6–10

| Candlestick Park

| 37,476

style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}}"

|colspan="8"| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

= Game summaries =

== Week 14: vs. New Orleans Saints ==

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle={{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1980|border=2}};text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|title=Week 14: New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

|date=Sunday, December 7

|time=1:00 p.m.

|road=Saints

|R1=14 |R2=21 |R3=0 |R4=0 |R5=0

|home=49ers

|H1=0 |H2=7 |H3=14 |H4=14 |H5=3

|stadium=Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

|attendance=

|weather={{convert|48|°F|1|disp=or}}, wind {{convert|12|mph|km/h knots}}

|referee=Dick Jorgensen

|TV=CBS

|TVAnnouncers=Jim Kelly & Jim Hill

|reference=[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198012070sfo.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]

|scoring=

First quarter

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) – Tie 35–35

Overtime

  • SF – Ray Wersching 36-yard field goal – 49ers 38–35

|stats=

Saints

  • Archie Manning
    24/38, 377 Yds, 3 TD, INT
  • Tony Galbreath
    16 Rush, 86 Yds
  • Henry Childs
    8 Rec, 144 Yds, TD

49ers

  • Joe Montana
    24/36, 285 Yds, 2 TD
  • Lenvil Elliott
    25 Rush, 125 Yds, TD
  • Dwight Clark
    6 Rec, 155 Yds, TD

}}

The 49ers fought back from a 28-point deficit in the second half to win in overtime 38–35. The game was named as #8 on NFL Top 10 on Top Ten Comebacks.{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/09000d5d8112f98e/article/top-10-greatest-comebacks-in-nfl-history|title=Top 10 greatest comebacks in NFL history|work=National Football League|date=2009-01-07|access-date=2013-01-03}}

==Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills==

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Bills

|V1=6 |V2=7 |V3= 5|V4=0

|Host=49ers

|H1=6 |H2=0 |H3=7 |H4=0

|Date=December 21

|Location=Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

|StartTime=1:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=

|Weather={{convert|53|°F|°C|1|disp=or}}, wind {{convert|6|mph|km/h knots}} RAIN

|Referee=Ben Dreith

|TVAnnouncers=Don Criqui and Mike Haffner

|TVStation=NBC

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198012210sfo.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]

{{Clear}}

Standings

{{1980 NFC West standings}}

References

{{Reflist|2}}

{{San Francisco 49ers}}

{{San Francisco 49ers seasons}}

{{1980 NFL season by team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1980 San Francisco 49ers Season}}

Category:San Francisco 49ers seasons

San Francisco

Category:1980 in San Francisco

San

{{Americanfootball-season-stub}}