1980 New Orleans Saints season
Encyclopedia
The 1980
New Orleans Saints
season was the team's 14th as a member of the National Football League
. They were unable to improve on their previous season
's output of 8-8, winning only one game. The team failed to qualify for 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. Disgruntled fans called their team "the Aints", going so far as to show up to games wearing brown paper bags over their heads. 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. The 1980 Saints continue to hold the worst regular-season record by a team whose stadium hosted the Super Bowl
that season (the Oakland Raiders
went on to become the first wild card team to win the Super Bowl
).
A most notable loss came in Week 14. Playing the San Francisco 49ers
in Candlestick Park, the Saints charged out to a 35-7 lead at halftime, led by 3 Touchdown passes from Archie Manning
and a pair of 1-yard Touchdown runs from Jack Holmes. However, the 49ers would rally behind Quarterback Joe Montana
, who would rush for a Touchdown and pass for two more. The 49ers would tie the game 35-35 on a 4th Quarter Touchdown run by Lenvil Elliot and go 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 greatest comeback in NFL history, and currently remains the greatest comeback in NFL Regular Season history (the 1992 AFC Wildcard game
between the Buffalo Bills
and Houston Oilers is currently #1, with the Bills overcoming a 32-point deficit to win).
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...
New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
season was the team's 14th as a member of the National Football 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...
. They were unable to improve on their previous season
1979 New Orleans Saints season
The 1979 New Orleans Saints season was the Saints 13th season. The Saints finished the season at 8-8, the franchise's first non-losing season. New Orleans was tied for first place with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West with three weeks to play, but the season unraveled in a Monday Night Football...
's output of 8-8, winning only one game. The team failed to qualify for 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. Disgruntled fans called their team "the Aints", going so far as to show up to games wearing brown paper bags over their heads. In embarrassment they called themselves the Unknown Fan (a spinoff from The Unknown Comic
The Unknown Comic
The Unknown Comic is the stage name of Canadian-American actor and stand-up comic Murray Langston , best known for his comic performances on The Gong Show, usually appearing with a paper bag over his head....
) in a practice that would become the trademark of disgruntled fans across various sports in the United States. The 1980 Saints continue to hold the worst regular-season record by a team whose stadium hosted the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
that season (the 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...
went on to become the first wild card team to win the Super Bowl
Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV was an American football game played on January 25, 1981 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1980 regular season...
).
A most notable loss came in Week 14. Playing the 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...
in Candlestick Park, the Saints charged out to a 35-7 lead at halftime, led by 3 Touchdown passes from Archie Manning
Archie Manning
Elisha Archibald "Archie" Manning III is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League, playing for the New Orleans Saints from 1971 to 1982, then for the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings...
and a pair of 1-yard Touchdown runs from Jack Holmes. However, the 49ers would rally behind Quarterback Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
, who would rush for a Touchdown and pass for two more. The 49ers would tie the game 35-35 on a 4th Quarter Touchdown run by Lenvil Elliot and go on to win in overtime, 38-35, on a Ray Wersching
Ray Wersching
Raimund "Ray" Wersching is an Austrian former placekicker in the National Football League . He played in the NFL for a span of 15 years, stretching from 1973 through 1987.-NFL career:...
Field Goal. The 28-point comeback by the 49ers was, at the time, the greatest comeback in NFL history, and currently remains the greatest comeback in NFL Regular Season history (the 1992 AFC Wildcard game
The Comeback (American football)
The Comeback was a NFL playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Oilers played January 3, 1993. It featured the Bills recovering from a 32-point deficit to win in overtime, and it remains the largest comeback in NFL history...
between the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Houston Oilers is currently #1, with the Bills overcoming a 32-point deficit to win).
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7, 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... |
L 26-23 | |
| 2 | September 14, 1980 | at Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 22-3 | |
| 3 | September 21, 1980 | Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 35-26 | |
| 4 | September 28, 1980 | at Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 21-16 | |
| 5 | October 5, 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... |
L 40-7 | |
| 6 | October 12, 1980 | at Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
L 24-13 | |
| 7 | October 19, 1980 | 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... |
L 41-14 | |
| 8 | October 26, 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,... |
L 22-14 | |
| 9 | November 2, 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 45-31 | |
| 10 | November 9, 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... |
L 34-21 | |
| 11 | November 16, 1980 | 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... |
L 31-13 | |
| 12 | November 24, 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,... |
L 27-7 | |
| 13 | November 30, 1980 | Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
L 23-20 | |
| 14 | December 7, 1980 | at 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... |
L 38-35 | |
| 15 | December 14, 1980 | at New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 21-20 | |
| 16 | December 21, 1980 | New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... |
L 38-27 | |