1980 Dallas Cowboys season
Encyclopedia
The 1980
Dallas Cowboys
season was their 21st in the league
. The team improved their previous output
of 11–5, winning twelve games. They qualified for the playoffs, but lost in the Conference Championship.
The season featured a very unusual end to the regular season. Going into the final week of the season, Dallas (at 11–4) played Philadelphia (12–3) at Texas Stadium. Under the NFL's tiebreaking rules, if Dallas could beat the Eagles by 25 points, they would earn the NFC's number one seed and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. However, if they lost (or won by less than 25) then Philadelphia would get the number one seed and (since they played in the same division) Dallas would be a wildcard team. Dallas led 35–10 in the fourth quarter, but the Eagles rallied to lose only 35–27. This forced Dallas to play an extra week in the playoffs and a road game in Atlanta in the divisional round. Dallas ultimately lost at Philadelphia in the NFC Championship game.
1980 NFL season
The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws...
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
season was their 21st in the league
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. The team improved their previous output
1979 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1979 Dallas Cowboys season was their 20th in the league. The team was unable to improve on their previous output of 12–4, winning only eleven games...
of 11–5, winning twelve games. They qualified for the playoffs, but lost in the Conference Championship.
The season featured a very unusual end to the regular season. Going into the final week of the season, Dallas (at 11–4) played Philadelphia (12–3) at Texas Stadium. Under the NFL's tiebreaking rules, if Dallas could beat the Eagles by 25 points, they would earn the NFC's number one seed and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. However, if they lost (or won by less than 25) then Philadelphia would get the number one seed and (since they played in the same division) Dallas would be a wildcard team. Dallas led 35–10 in the fourth quarter, but the Eagles rallied to lose only 35–27. This forced Dallas to play an extra week in the playoffs and a road game in Atlanta in the divisional round. Dallas ultimately lost at Philadelphia in the NFC Championship game.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8, 1980 | at Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
W 17–3 | |
| 2 | September 14, 1980 | at Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 41–20 | |
| 3 | September 21, 1980 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West... |
W 28–17 | |
| 4 | September 28, 1980 | at Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
W 28–7 | |
| 5 | October 5, 1980 | New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 24–3 | |
| 6 | October 12, 1980 | San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
W 59–14 | |
| 7 | October 19, 1980 | at Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 17–10 | |
| 8 | October 26, 1980 | San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 42–31 | |
| 9 | November 2, 1980 | at St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 27–24 | |
| 10 | November 9, 1980 | at New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 38–35 | |
| 11 | November 16, 1980 | St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 31–21 | |
| 12 | November 23, 1980 | Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
W 14–10 | |
| 13 | November 27, 1980 | Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
W 51–7 | |
| 14 | December 7, 1980 | at Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 19–13 | |
| 15 | December 15, 1980 | at Los Angeles Rams St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,... |
L 38–14 | |
| 16 | December 21, 1980 | Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 35–27 | |
Playoffs
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | December 28, 1980 | Los Angeles Rams St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,... |
W 34–13 | |
| Division | January 4, 1981 | at Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 30–27 | |
| Conference | January 11, 1981 | at Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 20–7 | |
Standings
| NFC East NFC East The NFC East is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins.... |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Philadelphia Eagles 1980 Philadelphia Eagles season The 1980 Philadelphia Eagles season resulted in an appearance in the Super Bowl.-Offseason:After going 11–5 in the 1979 season and making the playoffs again as a wildcard team, the Eagles found themselves looking to improve through the NFL Draft again.... |
12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 384 | 222 | L-1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 454 | 311 | W-1 |
| Washington Redskins 1980 Washington Redskins season The 1980 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 10-6 record from 1979. This was Jack Pardee's last season as Head Coach.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 261 | 293 | W-3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals 1980 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season The 1980 St. Louis Cardinals season was the 61st season the team was in the league. The team matched their previous output of 5-11. The team failed to reach the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 299 | 350 | L-2 |
| New York Giants 1980 New York Giants season The 1980 New York Giants season was the 56th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 4–12 record.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 249 | 425 | L-2 |
Roster
| Dallas Cowboys 1980 roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
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Offensive Linemen
Jim Cooper James Hayes Shofner "Jim" Cooper is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the Blue Dog Coalition. He previously represented from 1983 to 1995.... T/C Andy Frederick Andrew Brian Frederick is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and the Chicago Bears. He played college football at the University of New Mexico and was drafted in the fifth round of the 1977 NFL Draft.... T Kurt Petersen Kurt David Petersen is a former professional American football player who played guard for eight seasons for the Dallas Cowboys.... G Tom Rafferty Thomas Michael Rafferty is a former American football offensive lineman in the NFL. He attended Fayetteville-Manlius High School in Manlius, New York, and went on to start four years for coach Joe Paterno at Penn State University earning All-American honors in 1975.-Early years:Rafferty attended... G Herbert Scott Herbert Carnell Scott is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League... G Robert Shaw (American football) Robert Leslie Shaw is a retired American football center in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys from 1979 to 1981. He played college football at the University of Tennessee. Mr. Shaw suffered a knee injury and had to stop playing football... C Defensive Linemen
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Linebackers
Bob Breunig Robert Paul Breunig is a former American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League from 1975 to 1984... MLB Anthony Dickerson Anthony Charles Dickerson was an American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills... OLB Mike Hegman Michael William Hegman is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League who played for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Tennessee State University.... OLB Bruce Huther Bruce Albert Huther is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, the Cleveland Browns, and the Chicago Bears. He played college football at the University of New Hampshire.Huther played high school football at Manchester Regional High School in... MLB Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Reserve Lists
Currently vacant Rookies in italics 45 Active, 0 Inactive |
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