| 1980 New York Giants season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Timothy J. Mara Wellington Mara |
| General manager | George Young |
| Head coach | Ray Perkins |
| Home stadium | Giants Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–12 |
| Division place | 5thNFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | LBBrad Van Pelt PDave Jennings |
The1980 New York Giants season was thefranchise's 56th season in theNational Football League.[1] TheGiants finished in last place in theNational Football Conference East Division with a 4–12 record.[2]
In the1980 NFL draft, the Giants selected defensive backMark Haynes with their first-round pick, which was eighth overall.[3] New York won its opening game of the season against theSt. Louis Cardinals, 41–35, behind a five-touchdown performance by quarterbackPhil Simms. Four of those touchdown passes were toEarnest Gray, who set a single-game franchise record for touchdown receptions.[4] The Giants lost the following game toWashington by two points, the start of an eight-game losing streak. A Week 10 win over theDallas Cowboys snapped the streak; a subsequent win over theGreen Bay Packers was followed by a pair of defeats.[5] A shoulder injury caused Simms to miss the last three games of the season. Scott Brunner took over as the starting quarterback for those games, during which the Giants went 1–2.[6]
Simms threw for 2,321 yards in his 13 appearances, and had 15 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions. Brunner threw for four touchdowns and had six interceptions. New York's leading rusher wasBilly Taylor, who ran for 580 yards and four touchdowns. Gray had a team-leading 10 touchdown receptions during the season, and caught 52 passes for 777 yards. On defense,Mike Dennis led the Giants with five interceptions.[2] Two Giants players,Dave Jennings andBrad Van Pelt, were selected for the1981 Pro Bowl.[7]
| 1980 New York Giants draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Mark Haynes * | Cornerback | Colorado | |
| 3 | 64 | Myron Lapka | Nose tackle | USC | |
| 4 | 90 | Danny Pittman | Wide receiver | Wyoming | |
| 5 | 118 | Tony Blount | Defensive back | Virginia | |
| 6 | 145 | Scott Brunner | Quarterback | Delaware | |
| 7 | 179 | Bud Hebert | Defensive back | Oklahoma | |
| 7 | 181 | Chris Linnin | Defensive end | Washington | |
| 8 | 200 | Ken Harris | Running back | Alabama | |
| 9 | 229 | Otis Wonsley | Running back | Alcorn State | |
| 10 | 256 | Joe Sanford | Tackle | Washington | |
| 11 | 285 | Steve Bernish | Defensive end | South Carolina | |
| 12 | 312 | Mike Lansford | Kicker | Washington | |
| Made roster * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | W 41–35 | 1–0 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 49,122 |
| 2 | September 14 | Washington Redskins | L 21–23 | 1–1 | Giants Stadium | 73,343 |
| 3 | September 22 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | L 3–35 | 1–2 | Veterans Stadium | 70,767 |
| 4 | September 28 | Los Angeles Rams | L 7–28 | 1–3 | Giants Stadium | 73,414 |
| 5 | October 5 | atDallas Cowboys | L 3–24 | 1–4 | Texas Stadium | 59,126 |
| 6 | October 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 16–31 | 1–5 | Giants Stadium | 71,051 |
| 7 | October 19 | atSan Diego Chargers | L 7–44 | 1–6 | San Diego Stadium | 50,397 |
| 8 | October 26 | Denver Broncos | L 9–14 | 1–7 | Giants Stadium | 67,598 |
| 9 | November 2 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | L 13–30 | 1–8 | Tampa Stadium | 68,256 |
| 10 | November 9 | Dallas Cowboys | W 38–35 | 2–8 | Giants Stadium | 68,343 |
| 11 | November 16 | Green Bay Packers | W 27–21 | 3–8 | Giants Stadium | 76,609 |
| 12 | November 23 | atSan Francisco 49ers | L 0–12 | 3–9 | Candlestick Park | 38,574 |
| 13 | November 30 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 7–23 | 3–10 | Giants Stadium | 65,852 |
| 14 | December 7 | atSeattle Seahawks | W 27–21 | 4–10 | Kingdome | 51,617 |
| 15 | December 13 | atWashington Redskins | L 13–16 | 4–11 | RFK Stadium | 44,443 |
| 16 | December 21 | Oakland Raiders | L 17–33 | 4–12 | Giants Stadium | 61,287 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Giants | 7 | 7 | 17 | 10 | 41 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Q1 | STL | Morris 5 yard run (Little kick) | STL 7–0 | |
| Q1 | NYG | Gray 10 yard pass fromSimms (Danelo kick) | Tie 7–7 | |
| Q2 | NYG | Gray 37 yard pass from Simms (Danelo kick) | NYG 14–7 | |
| Q2 | STL | Morris 9 yard run (Little kick) | Tie 14–14 | |
| Q3 | NYG | Danelo 28 yard field goal | NYG 17–14 | |
| Q3 | STL | Anderson 24 yard run (Little kick) | STL 21–17 | |
| Q3 | NYG | Perkins 58 yard pass from Simms (Danelo kick) | NYG 24–21 | |
| Q3 | NYG | Gray 42 yard pass from Simms (Danelo kick) | NYG 31–21 | |
| Q3 | STL | Marsh 7 yard pass fromHart (Little kick) | NYG 31–28 | |
| Q4 | NYG | Gray 20 yard pass from Simms (Danelo kick) | NYG 38–28 | |
| Q4 | STL | Tilley 42 yard pass from Hart (Little kick) | NYG 38–35 | |
| Q4 | NYG | Danelo 33 yard field goal | NYG 41–35 | |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 7 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 35 |
| Giants | 7 | 21 | 0 | 10 | 38 |
atGiants Stadium,East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Philadelphia Eagles(2) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 384 | 222 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys(4) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 454 | 311 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4–4 | 5–7 | 261 | 293 | W3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–6 | 4–10 | 299 | 350 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–6 | 3–9 | 249 | 425 | L2 |
