| 1979 New York Giants season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Timothy J. Mara Wellington Mara |
| General manager | George Young |
| Head coach | Ray Perkins |
| Home stadium | Giants Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–10 |
| Division place | 4thNFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | Brad Van Pelt Harry Carson Dave Jennings |
The1979 New York Giants season was thefranchise's 55th season in theNational Football League (NFL). TheGiants had a 6–10 record in 1979 and finished in fourth place in theNational Football Conference East Division.[1]
The Giants were one of three franchises, not including theSeattle Seahawks (anexpansion team that began play in 1976), which did not make the playoffs during any year of the 1970s. The others were theNew York Jets andNew Orleans Saints.[2]
Before the 1979 NFL Draft,Bill Walsh, who was the new coach of theSan Francisco 49ers, flew toMorehead State University with assistant coachSam Wyche to work outquarterbackPhil Simms.[3] Walsh was so impressed with him that he planned to draft Simms, actually preferring him over another young quarterback they scouted and ultimately drafted,Joe Montana.[4] The Giants, however, decided to make Simms their first-round pick to the surprise of many.[5] As Simms acknowledged, "most people have never heard of me."[5] When Simms' name was announced by CommissionerPete Rozelle, his selection was booed loudly by Giants fans.[6] However, he became more popular with his teammates, who jokingly dubbed him "Prince Valiant" in his rookie training camp.[7]
| 1979 New York Giants draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Phil Simms * | QB | Morehead State | |
| 2 | 36 | Earnest Gray | WR | Memphis | |
| 4 | 90 | Phillip Tabor | DE | Oklahoma | |
| 5 | 117 | Cleveland Jackson | TE | UNLV | |
| 6 | 145 | Bob Torrey | RB | Penn State | |
| 6 | 158 | Eddie Hicks | RB | East Carolina | |
| 7 | 172 | Steve Alvers | TE | Miami (FL) | |
| 8 | 200 | D.K. Perry | DB | SMU | |
| 8 | 201 | Roy Simmons | OG | Georgia Tech | |
| 9 | 227 | Tom Rusk | LB | Iowa | |
| 10 | 256 | Dan Fowler | OG | Kentucky | |
| 11 | 282 | Mike Mince | DB | Fresno State | |
| 11 | 284 | Ken Johnson | RB | Miami (FL) | |
| 12 | 310 | Tim Gillespie | OG | NC State | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
|
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB) Special teams(ST) | Reserve
|
Simms won his first four starts in his rookie year.[9] He led the team to a 6–4 record as a starter, throwing for 1,743 yards and 13touchdownpasses, and was named to the NFL All Rookie Team.[10] According to his1981Toppstrading card, he was runner-up in 1979 forRookie of the Year, losing out to future teammateOttis Anderson.[11]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | L 17–23 | 0–1 | 67,366 |
| 2 | September 9 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 14–27 | 0–2 | 71,370 |
| 3 | September 17 | atWashington Redskins | L 0–27 | 0–3 | 54,672 |
| 4 | September 23 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 13–17 | 0–4 | 74,265 |
| 5 | September 30 | atNew Orleans Saints | L 14–24 | 0–5 | 51,543 |
| 6 | October 7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 17–14 | 1–5 | 72,841 |
| 7 | October 14 | San Francisco 49ers | W 32–16 | 2–5 | 70,352 |
| 8 | October 21 | atKansas City Chiefs | W 21–17 | 3–5 | 44,362 |
| 9 | October 28 | atLos Angeles Rams | W 20–14 | 4–5 | 43,376 |
| 10 | November 4 | Dallas Cowboys | L 14–16 | 4–6 | 76,490 |
| 11 | November 11 | Atlanta Falcons | W 24–3 | 5–6 | 60,860 |
| 12 | November 18 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–31 | 5–7 | 70,261 |
| 13 | November 25 | Washington Redskins | W 14–6 | 6–7 | 72,641 |
| 14 | December 2 | atDallas Cowboys | L 7–28 | 6–8 | 63,787 |
| 15 | December 9 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | L 20–29 | 6–9 | 39,802 |
| 16 | December 16 | Baltimore Colts | L 7–31 | 6–10 | 58,711 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Dallas Cowboys(1) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 10–2 | 371 | 313 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles(4) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 339 | 282 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 348 | 295 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 1–7 | 5–9 | 237 | 323 | L3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–6 | 4–8 | 307 | 358 | L1 |
