1980 Dallas Cowboys season

1980 Dallas Cowboys season
1980 Dallas Cowboys season
Owner	Clint Murchison, Jr.
General manager	Tex Schramm
Head coach	Tom Landry
Home stadium	Texas Stadium
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	2nd NFC East
Playoffs	Won Wild Card Playoffs; (vs. Rams) 34–13; Won Divisional Playoffs; (at Falcons) 30–27; Lost NFC Championship; (at Eagles) 7–20

The 1980 Dallas Cowboys season was their 21st in the league. The team improved to 12-4 following Roger Staubach's retirement after the 1979 season.^[1] They qualified for the 1980 NFL postseason as an NFC Wild Card, yet ultimately lost in the Conference Championship game.

Going into the final week of the season, Dallas (11–4) played Philadelphia (12–3) at Texas Stadium. Under that season's NFL tiebreakers, Dallas had to beat the Eagles by 25 points or greater to win the NFC East, entering the NFC postseason as the number two seed while Philadelphia would be a wildcard team. The Eagles win NFC East should the Cowboys lose, tie or win by 24 points or fewer.

Dallas was leading the final regular season game 35–10 in the fourth quarter; however, the Eagles scored 17 unanswered points to pull within 35–27. Dallas had to play an extra week in the Wild Card round and as visitors in the following week road game in Atlanta in the Divisional Round. Dallas lost at Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Games

Offseason

NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1980 Dallas Cowboys draft
3	78	Bill Roe	LB	Colorado
3	80	James Jones	RB	Mississippi State
4	105	Kurt Petersen	OG	Missouri
5	133	Gary Hogeboom	QB	Central Michigan
6	162	Timmy Newsome	FB	Winston-Salem State
7	189	Lester Brown	RB	Clemson
8	216	Larry Savage	LB	Michigan State
9	246	Jackie Flowers	WR	Florida State
10	273	Matthew Teague	LB	Prairie View A&M
11	300	Gary Padjen	LB	Arizona State
12	330	Norm Wells	DE	Northwestern
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents

1980 undrafted free agents of note
Player	Position	College
Mike Brock	Offensive Line	Alabama
Dextor Clinkscale	Safety	South Carolina State
Roy Dean	Wide receiver	Alabama
Anthony Dickerson	Linebacker	SMU
Mike Glenn	Offensive Line	Utah State
Richard Grimmett	Offensive tackle	Illinois
Jim Himic	Offensive Line	West Virginia
Jay Howlett	Defensive Line	Holy Cross
Kevin Kelly	Offensive Line	Duke
Bill Leer	Offensive Line	Colorado State
Mike Mancuso	Quarterback	Nebraska–Omaha
Don Smerek	Defensive end	Nevada
Roosevelt Smith	Running back	Michigan

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game Site	Attendance	Recap
1	September 8	at Washington Redskins	W 17–3	1–0	RFK Stadium	55,045	Recap
2	September 14	at Denver Broncos	L 20–41	1–1	Mile High Stadium	74,919	Recap
3	September 21	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 28–17	2–1	Texas Stadium	62,750	Recap
4	September 28	at Green Bay Packers	W 28–7	3–1	Milwaukee County Stadium	54,776	Recap
5	October 5	New York Giants	W 24–3	4–1	Texas Stadium	59,126	Recap
6	October 12	San Francisco 49ers	W 59–14	5–1	Texas Stadium	63,399	Recap
7	October 19	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 10–17	5–2	Veterans Stadium	70,696	Recap
8	October 26	San Diego Chargers	W 42–31	6–2	Texas Stadium	60,639	Recap
9	November 2	at St. Louis Cardinals	W 27–24	7–2	Busch Memorial Stadium	50,701	Recap
10	November 9	at New York Giants	L 35–38	7–3	Giants Stadium	68,343	Recap
11	November 16	St. Louis Cardinals	W 31–21	8–3	Texas Stadium	52,567	Recap
12	November 23	Washington Redskins	W 14–10	9–3	Texas Stadium	58,809	Recap
13	November 27	Seattle Seahawks	W 51–7	10–3	Texas Stadium	57,540	Recap
14	December 7	at Oakland Raiders	W 19–13	11–3	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	53,194	Recap
15	December 15	at Los Angeles Rams	L 14–38	11–4	Anaheim Stadium	65,154	Recap
16	December 21	Philadelphia Eagles	W 35–27	12–4	Texas Stadium	62,548	Recap

Division opponents are in bold text

Game summaries

Week 1 at Redskins

Week One: Dallas Cowboys (0–0) at Washington Redskins (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	3	0	7	17
Redskins	0	0	0	3	3

at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.

Date: September 8
Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C)
Game attendance: 55,045
Referee: Gene Barth
TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

DAL – Tony Dorsett 6-yard run (Rafael Septién kick). Cowboys 7–0. Drive:

Second quarter

DAL – Rafael Septién 19-yard field goal. Cowboys 10–0. Drive:

Third quarter

No scoring

Fourth quarter

WSH – Mark Moseley 45-yard field goal. Cowboys 10–3. Drive:
DAL – Ron Springs 4-yard run (Rafael Septién kick). Cowboys 17–3. Drive:

Top passers

DAL – Danny White – 10/18, 107 yards, 2 INT
WSH – Joe Theismann – 19/34, 190 yards, INT

Top rushers

DAL – Tony Dorsett – 17 rushes, 66 yards, TD
WSH – Clarence Harmon – 7 rushes, 39 yards

Top receivers

DAL – Tony Hill – 3 receptions, 69 yards
WSH – Clarence Harmon – 7 receptions, 67 yards

Week 2

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	10	3	7	20
• Broncos	7	17	14	3	41

Date: September 14, 1980
Location: Mile High Stadium
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 74,919
Game weather: Sunny; 67 °F (19 °C)
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers (CBS): Lindsey Nelson and Sonny Jurgensen

Week 3

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bucs	7	10	0	0	17
• Cowboys	7	7	7	7	28

Date: Sunday Sept 21, 1980
Location: Texas Stadium
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Sunny; 86 °F (30 °C)
Referee: Chuck Heberling
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier

Week 4

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	7	7	7	7	28
Packers	0	7	0	0	7

Date: Sunday Sept 28, 1980
Location: Milwaukee County Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C); Wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
Referee: Fred Silva

Week 5

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Giants	0	0	0	3	3
• Cowboys	3	14	0	7	24

Date: Sunday Oct 5, 1980
Location: Texas Stadium
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C)

Week 6

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	0	7	0	7	14
• Cowboys	14	24	14	7	59

Date: Sunday Oct 12, 1980
Location: Texas Stadium
Game start: 2:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Sunny; 86 °F (30 °C)
Referee: Pat Haggerty
Television network: CBS

Week 7

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	3	0	0	10
• Eagles	0	10	0	7	17

Date: October 19
Location: Veterans Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 70,696
Game weather: Sunny; 69 °F (21 °C)
Referee: Cal Lepore
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier

Week 8

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	3	21	0	7	31
• Cowboys	7	7	21	7	42

Date: Sunday Oct 26, 1980
Location: Texas Stadium
Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Clear; 55 °F (13 °C)
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
Television network: ABC

Week 9

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	0	10	3	14	27
Cardinals	7	3	7	7	24

Date: Sunday Nov 2, 1980
Location: Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium
Game start: 2:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Clear; 49 °F (9 °C), wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Roger Staubach

Week 10

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	14	14	0	35
• Giants	7	21	0	10	38

Date: Sunday Nov 9, 1980
Location: Giants Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Overcast; 44 °F (7 °C), wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
Referee: Ben Dreith
TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Roger Staubach

Week 11

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	14	7	0	0	21
• Cowboys	7	10	7	7	31

Date: Sunday Nov 16, 1980
Location: Texas Stadium
Game start: 2:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C), wind 18 mph (29 km/h)
TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Roger Staubach

Week 12

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	3	0	7	10
• Cowboys	7	0	0	7	14

Date: Sunday Nov 23, 1980
Location: Texas Stadium
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C), wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
Referee: Fred Silva
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier

Week 13

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Seahawks	0	0	0	7	7
• Cowboys	9	21	0	21	51

Date: Thursday Nov 27, 1980
Location: Texas Stadium
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C), wind 14 mph (23 km/h)
Referee: Pat Haggerty
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

Week 14

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	7	9	3	0	19
Raiders	7	3	3	0	13

Date: December 7
Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game start: 1:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 53,194
Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier

Week 15

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	0	0	14	14
• Rams	7	21	10	0	38

Date: Monday December 15, 1980
Location: Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, CA
Game start: 9:00 p.m.
Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), wind 5 mph (8.0 km/h)
Referee: Gene Barth
TV announcers (ABC): Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and Don Meredith

Week 16

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	0	10	17	27
• Cowboys	7	14	7	7	35

Date: December 21
Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Game start: 3:00 p.m.
Game weather: 28 °F (−2 °C), wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier

^[2]

Playoffs

Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Game Site	Attendance	Recap
Wild Card	December 28, 1980	Los Angeles Rams (5)	W 34–13	Texas Stadium	64,533	Recap
Divisional	January 4, 1981	at Atlanta Falcons (1)	W 30–27	Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium	60,022	Recap
NFC Championship	January 11, 1981	at Philadelphia Eagles (2)	L 7–20	Veterans Stadium	70,696	Recap

Wildcard Round

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	6	7	0	0	13
• Cowboys	3	10	14	7	34

Date: December 28, 1980
Location: Texas Stadium
Game start: 1:30 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 64,533
Game weather: Sunny; 49 °F (9 °C)
Referee: Pat Haggerty
TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender and John Madden

Divisional Round

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	3	7	0	20	30
Falcons	10	7	7	3	27

Date: Sunday Jan 4, 1981
Location: Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 60,022
Game weather: Sunny; 40 °F (4 °C)
Referee: Fred Silva
TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and George Allen

Conference Championship

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	7	0	0	7
• Eagles	7	0	10	3	20

Date: January 11, 1981
Location: Veterans Stadium
Game start: 12:30 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 70,696
Game weather: Sunny; 17 °F (−8 °C)
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier

Standings

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
⁽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

Roster

Dallas Cowboys 1980 roster

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

76 Larry Bethea DT
63 Larry Cole DT
78 John Dutton DT
72 Ed Jones DE
79 Harvey Martin DE
77 Bruce Thornton DE
54 Randy White DT

Linebackers

53 Bob Breunig MLB
59 Guy Brown OLB
51 Anthony Dickerson OLB
58 Mike Hegman OLB
57 Bruce Huther MLB
50 D. D. Lewis OLB
56 Bill Roe OLB

Defensive backs

Special teams

1 Rafael Septién K

Reserve lists

75 Rich Grimmett T (IR)
22 Wade Manning CB (IR)
60 Don Smerek DE (IR)
66 Norm Wells G (IR)

Rookies in italics
45 active, 4 inactive

References

[1] 1980 Dallas Cowboys

[2] Pro-Football-Reference.com

[1]

[2]


Q1	DAL	Hegman recovered fumble in end zone (Septién kick)	DAL 7–0

Q2	PHI	Franklin 35 yard field goal	DAL 7–3

Q2	PHI	Carmichael 5 yard pass from Jaworski (Franklin kick)	PHI 10–7

Q2	DAL	Septién 33 yard field goal	Tie 10–10

Q4	PHI	Smith 15 yard pass from Jaworski (Franklin kick)	PHI 17–10


Q1	OAK	Raymond Chester 6 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Chris Bahr kick)	OAK 7–0

Q1	DAL	Tony Dorsett 20 yard rush (Rafael Septién kick)	TIE 7–7

Q2	DAL	Rafael Septién 52 yard field goal	DAL 7–10

Q2	DAL	Ron Springs 2 yard rush	DAL 7–16

Q2	OAK	Chris Bahr 22 yard field goal	DAL 10–16

Q3	DAL	Rafael Septién 34 yard field goal	DAL 10–19

Q3	OAK	Chris Bahr 38 yard field goal	DAL 13–19


1	DAL	Danny White 1 yard run (Rafael Septién kick)	Cowboys 7–0

2	DAL	Tony Hill 36 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick)	Cowboys 14–0

2	DAL	Preston Pearson 9 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick)	Cowboys 21–0

3	PHI	Louie Giammona 1 yard run (Tony Franklin kick)	Cowboys 21–7

3	DAL	Drew Pearson 11 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick)	Cowboys 28–7

3	PHI	Tony Franklin 29 yard field goal	Cowboys 28–10

4	DAL	Billy Joe DuPree 15 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick)	Cowboys 35–10

4	PHI	Rodney Parker 30 yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick)	Cowboys 35–17

4	PHI	Tony Franklin 19 yard field goal	Cowboys 35–20

4	PHI	Wilbert Montgomery 6 yard run (Tony Franklin kick)	Cowboys 35–27


Q1	ATL	Tim Mazzetti 38 yard field goal	ATL 7–0

Q1	ATL	Alfred Jenkins 60 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Tim Mazzetti kick)	ATL 10-0

Q1	Dal	Rafael Septién 38 yard field goal	ATL 10-3

Q2	DAL	Billy Joe DuPree 5 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick)	Tie 10-10

Q2	ATL	Lynn Cain 1 yard rush (Tim Mazzetti kick)	ATL 17-10

Q3	ATL	William Andrews 12 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Tim Mazzetti kick)	ATL 24-10

Q4	DAL	Robert Newhouse 1 yard rush (Rafael Septién kick)	ATL 24-17

Q4	ATL	Tim Mazzetti 34 yard field goal	ATL 27-17

Q4	DAL	Drew Pearson 14 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick)	ATL 27-24

Q4	DAL	Drew Pearson 23 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick)	DAL 30-27


Q1	PHI	Montgomery 42 yard run (Franklin kick)	PHI 7–0

Q2	DAL	Dorsett 3 yard run (Septién kick)	Tie 7–7

Q3	PHI	Franklin 26 yard field goal	PHI 10–7

Q3	PHI	Harris 9 yard run (Franklin kick)	PHI 17–7

Q4	PHI	Franklin 20 yard field goal	PHI 20–7