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1979 Houston Oilers season

NFL team season

Field	Value
team	Houston Oilers
year	1979
record	11–5
division_place	2nd AFC Central
coach	Bum Phillips
owner	Bud Adams
general manager	Bum Phillips
stadium	Astrodome
playoffs	Won [Wild Card Playoffs](1979-80-nfl-playoffs)
(vs. [Broncos](1979-denver-broncos-season)) 13–7
Won [Divisional Playoffs](1979-80-nfl-playoffs)
(at [Chargers](1979-san-diego-chargers-season)) 17–14
Lost [AFC Championship](1979-80-nfl-playoffs)
(at [Steelers](1979-pittsburgh-steelers-season)) 13–27
shortnavlink	Oilers seasons

DE Elvin Bethea
LB Robert Brazile
RB Earl Campbell
K Toni Fritsch
LT Leon Gray
FS Mike Reinfeldt (vs. Broncos) 13–7 Won Divisional Playoffs (at Chargers) 17–14 Lost AFC Championship (at Steelers) 13–27

Houston's defensive line blocking a San Diego rushing attempt during the 1979 AFC Divisional Playoff Game.

The 1979 Houston Oilers season was the franchise's 20th overall and the tenth in the National Football League. The franchise scored 362 points while the defense gave up 331 points. Their record of 11 wins and 5 losses resulted in a second-place finish in the AFC Central Division. The Oilers appeared once on Monday Night Football on December 10, 1979 where the sports promotion Luv ya Blue was launched and returned to the AFC Championship Game for the second consecutive year. Earl Campbell would lead the NFL in rushing for the second consecutive year and set a franchise record for most touchdowns in a season with 19. The Oilers would make the playoffs again as a wild card. In the wild card game, they beat the Denver Broncos 13–7, and then defeated the San Diego Chargers 17–14 in San Diego to reach their second straight AFC Championship game. The Oilers then played the Pittsburgh Steelers, who a year earlier had eliminated them 34–5 in the previous AFC Championship game. The Oilers lost the game 27–13. The game included a controversial moment in which wide receiver Mike Renfro had a touchdown called back after the referees of the game took a long time to decide the ruling on the field. The call went down as one of the most controversial calls in NFL history.

As of , this is the most recent season a Houston-based team has reached the AFC Championship Game. The Oilers franchise would not do so again for twenty seasons, by which time they had re-located and become the Tennessee Titans, while Houston's current NFL team has yet to advance past the divisional round.

NFL Films produced a documentary about the team's season entitled Luv Ya Blue, Bum Builds a Winner; it was narrated by John Facenda.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1979 NFL draft

Personnel

Staff

President – Bud Adams
General Manager – Bum Phillips
Senior Vice President/Chief Administrative Officer – Ladd Herzeg
Assistant General Manager – Pat Peppler
Director of College Scouting – Joe Woolley
Head Coach – Bum Phillips
Offensive Backs – Andy Bourgeois
Receivers – King Hill
Offensive Line – Joe Bugel
Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Ed Biles
Defensive Line – Wade Phillips
Defensive Secondary – Bob Gambold
Special Teams – John Paul Young

Roster

Billy Johnson WR (IR) [[File:Injury icon 2.svg|10px]]

Pre season

Schedule

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Week	Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Date
	[St. Louis Cardinals](1979-st-louis-cardinals-nfl-season)	7:30p.m. CDT	KPRC-TV	W 9–7	1–0	Astrodome	46,252
August 12	[New York Jets](1979-new-york-jets-season)	12:30p.m. CDT	NBC	L 14–26	1–1	Astrodome	43,350
	at [Dallas Cowboys](1979-dallas-cowboys-season)	8:00p.m. CDT	ABC	L 13–16	1–2	Texas Stadium	62,803
	at [New Orleans Saints](1979-new-orleans-saints-season)	7:00p.m. CDT	KPRC-TV	L 7–10	1–3	Louisiana Superdome	54,469

Week P3 (Saturday, August 18, 1979): at [[1979 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]]

Point spread:
Over/under:
Time of game:

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Oilers	Game statistics	Dallas Cowboys	year=1979	border=2}}"	Cowboys	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Sacked–yards	Net passing yards	Total yards	Return yards	Punts	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards	Time of possession

Week P4 (Friday, August 24, 1979): at [[1979 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]]

Point spread:
Over/under:
Time of game:

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Oilers	Game statistics	New Orleans Saints	year=1979	border=2}}"	Saints	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Sacked–yards	Net passing yards	Total yards	Return yards	Punts	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards	Time of possession

Regular season

Schedule

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Week	Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"
	at [Washington Redskins](1979-washington-redskins-season)	W 29–27	1–0	RFK Stadium	54,582	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197909020was.htm)
	at [Pittsburgh Steelers](1979-pittsburgh-steelers-season)	L 7–38	1–1	Three Rivers Stadium	49,792	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197909090pit.htm)
September 16	[Kansas City Chiefs](1979-kansas-city-chiefs-season)	W 20–6	2–1	Astrodome	45,684	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197909160oti.htm)
September 23	at [Cincinnati Bengals](1979-cincinnati-bengals-season)	W 30–27	3–1	Riverfront Stadium	45,615	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197909230cin.htm)
September 30	[Cleveland Browns](1979-cleveland-browns-season)	W 31–10	4–1	Astrodome	48,915	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197909300oti.htm)
October 7	[St. Louis Cardinals](1979-st-louis-cardinals-nfl-season)	L 17–24	4–2	Astrodome	53,043	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197910070oti.htm)
October 14	at [Baltimore Colts](1979-baltimore-colts-season)	W 28–16	5–2	Memorial Stadium	45,021	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197910140clt.htm)
October 21	at [Seattle Seahawks](1979-seattle-seahawks-season)	L 14–34	5–3	Kingdome	60,705	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197910210sea.htm)
October 28	[New York Jets](1979-new-york-jets-season)	W 27–24	6–3	Astrodome	45,825	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197910280oti.htm)
	at [Miami Dolphins](1979-miami-dolphins-season)	W 9–6	7–3	Miami Orange Bowl	70,273	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197911050mia.htm)
November 11	[Oakland Raiders](1979-oakland-raiders-season)	W 31–17	8–3	Astrodome	48,614	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197911110oti.htm)
November 18	[Cincinnati Bengals](1979-cincinnati-bengals-season)	W 42–21	9–3	Astrodome	49,829	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197911180oti.htm)
	at [Dallas Cowboys](1979-dallas-cowboys-season)	W 30–24	10–3	Texas Stadium	63,897	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197911220dal.htm)
December 2	at [Cleveland Browns](1979-cleveland-browns-season)	L 7–14	10–4	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	69,112	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197912020cle.htm)
	[Pittsburgh Steelers](1979-pittsburgh-steelers-season)	W 20–17	11–4	Astrodome	55,293	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197912100oti.htm)
December 16	[Philadelphia Eagles](1979-philadelphia-eagles-season)	L 20–26	11–5	Astrodome	49,407	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197912160oti.htm)
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

Regular Season Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday, September 2, 1979): at [[1979 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]]

Point spread: Oilers –4
Over/under: 33.0 (over)
Time of game:

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Oilers	Game statistics	Washington Redskins	year=1979	border=2}}"	Redskins	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Sacked–yards	Net passing yards	Total yards	Return yards	Punts	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards	Time of Possession
21	14
45–199	34–142
176	123
12–30–3	7–14–1
1–10	2–19
166	104
365	246
99	215
3–45.7	4–36.5
1–0	2–2
5–44	6–55

Individual stats

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Passing	C/ATT1	Yds	TD	INT	Sk	Yds	LG3	Rate
Pastorini	12/30	176	1	3	1	10	35	31.4

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Rushing	Car2
Campbell	32	166	2	18
Wilson	4	22	0	15
Carpenter	5	15	0	6
Barber	1	–2	0	–2
Pastorini	3	–2	0	3

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Receiving	Rec4
Johnson	4	76	1	29
Burrough	3	66	0	35
Rucker	2	25	0	16
Campbell	2	2	0	4
Wilson	1	7	0	7

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kick Returns
Johnson	4	37	9.3
King	1	17	17.0
Merkens	1	9	9.0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punt Returns	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
Johnson	1	16	16.0	0	0
Merkens	1	0	0.0	0	0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punting	Pnt	Yds	Y/P	Lng	Blck
Parsley	3	137	45.7

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kicking	FGM–FGA	XPM–XPA
Fritsch	3–3	2–3

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Interceptions	Int	Yds	TD	LG	PD
Reinfeldt	1	20	0	20	0

Starting Lineups

Position	Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Starting Lineups at Washington
Offense
WR	Ken Burrough
LT	Leon Gray
LG	Conway Hayman
C	Carl Mauck
RG	Ed Fisher
RT	Morris Towns
TE	Mike Barber
WR	Billy Johnson
QB	Dan Pastorini
RB	Earl Campbell
FB	Tim Wilson
Defense
LDE	Andy Dorris
NT	Curley Culp
RDE	Elvin Bethea
LOLB	Ted Washington
LILB	Gregg Bingham
RILB	Art Stringer
ROLB	Robert Brazile
LCB	J. C. Wilson
RCB	Greg Stemrick
SS	Vernon Perry
FS	Mike Reinfeldt

Week 2 (Sunday, September 9, 1979): at [[1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]]

Point spread: Oilers +6
Over/under: 37.0 (over)
Time of game:

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Oilers	Game statistics	Pittsburgh Steelers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Steelers	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Sacked–yards	Net passing yards	Total yards	Return yards	Punts	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards	Time of possession
12	17
39–102	29–82
57	198
8–27–5	12–29–2
5–35	3–24
22	174
124	256
155	160
9–46.1	7–40.1
4–1	5–0
10–64	8–74

Individual stats

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Passing	C/ATT1	Yds	TD	INT	Sk	Yds	LG3	Rate
Nielsen	4/11	41	1	2	0	0	13	38.6
Pastorini	4/16	16	0	3	5	35	25	0.0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Car2
Campbell	16	38	12
Coleman	7	22	9
Wilson	7	19	7
Clark	5	15	7
Carpenter	4	8	4

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Receiving	Rec4
Johnson	2	32	0	25
Rucker	1	13	0	13
Renfro	1	12	0	12
Merkens	1	9	1	9
Earl Campbell	1	4	0	4
Carpenter	1	–3	0	–3
Wilson	1	–10	0	–10

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kick Returns
Coleman	4	88	22.0
Wilson	2	30	15.0
Merkens	1	13	13.0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punt Returns	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
Johnson	3	1	0.3	0	0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punting	Pnt	Yds	Y/P	Lng	Blck
Parsley	9	415	46.1

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kicking	FGM–FGA	XPM–XPA
Fritsch		1–1

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Sacks	Sacks
Dorris	2.0
Culp	1.0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Interceptions	Int	Yds	TD	LG	PD
Reinfeldt	1	23	0	23	0
Stringer	1	0	0	0	0

Starting Lineups

Position	Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Starting Lineups at Pittsburgh
Offense
WR	Ken Burrough
LT	Leon Gray
LG	Conway Hayman
C	Carl Mauck
RG	Ed Fisher
RT	Morris Towns
TE	Mike Barber
WR	Billy Johnson
QB	Dan Pastorini
RB	Earl Campbell
FB	Tim Wilson
Defense
LDE	Andy Dorris
NT	Curley Culp
RDE	Elvin Bethea
LOLB	Ted Washington
LILB	Gregg Bingham
RILB	Art Stringer
ROLB	Robert Brazile
LCB	J. C. Wilson
RCB	Greg Stemrick
SS	Vernon Perry
FS	Mike Reinfeldt

Week 3 vs. [[1979 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]]

Week 4 at [[1979 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals]]

Week 5 vs. [[1979 Cleveland Browns season|Cleveland Browns]]

Week 6 (Sunday, October 7, 1979): vs. [[1979 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season|St. Louis Cardinals]]

Point spread:
Over/under:
Time of game:

Cardinals	Game statistics	Oilers	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Sacked–yards	Net passing yards	Total yards	Return yards	Punts	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards	Time of Possession

Week 7 at [[1979 Baltimore Colts season|Baltimore Colts]]

Week 8 at [[1979 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks]]

Week 9 vs. [[1979 New York Jets season|New York Jets]]

Week 10 (Monday, November 5, 1979): at [[1979 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]]

Point spread: Oilers +3
Over/under: 39.0 (under)
Time of game: 2 hours, 46 minutes

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Oilers	Game statistics	Miami Dolphins	year=1979	border=2}}"	Dolphins	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Sacked–yards	Net passing yards	Total yards	Return yards	Punts	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards	Time of Possession
10	13
46–179	26–102
25	158
6–10–0	14–26–2
2–14	2–20
11	138
190	240
108	72
7–36.9	5–38.8
0–0	3–2
8–70	4–35
31:26	28:34

Individual stats

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Passing	C/ATT1	Yds	TD	INT	Sk	Yds	LG3	Rate
Pastorini	6/10	25	0	0	2	14	24	64.6

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Car2
Campbell	32	120	11
Wilson	9	32	9
Pastorini	3	14	14
Caster	1	10	10
Carpenter	1	3	3

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Rec4
Wilson	2	4	3
Ken Burrough	1	24	24
Rob Carpenter	1	2	2
Conrad Rucker	1	2	2
Earl Campbell	1	–7	–7

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kick Returns	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
Ellender	1	27	27.0	0	27
Hartwig	1	16	16.0	0	16

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punt Returns	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
Ellender	2	11	5.5	0	0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punting	Pnt	Yds	Y/P	Lng	Blck
Parsley	7	255	36.4	0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kicking	FGM–FGA	XPM–XPA
Fritsch	3–4

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Sacks	Sacks
Kennard	1.0
Washington	1.0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Interceptions	Int	Yds	TD	LG	PD
Bingham	1	54	0	54
Perry	1	0	0	0

Missed field goals – Fritsch 48 (wide left)

Starting Lineups

Position	Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Starting Lineups at Miami
Offense
WR	Ken Burrough
LT	Leon Gray
LG	Conway Hayman
C	Carl Mauck
RG	Ed Fisher
RT	Morris Towns
TE	Mike Barber
WR	Rich Caster
QB	Dan Pastorini
RB	Earl Campbell
FB	Tim Wilson
Defense
LDE	Andy Dorris
NT	Curley Culp
RDE	Elvin Bethea
LOLB	Ted Washington
LILB	Gregg Bingham
RILB	Daryl Hunt
ROLB	Robert Brazile
LCB	J. C. Wilson
RCB	Greg Stemrick
SS	Vernon Perry
FS	Mike Reinfeldt

Week 11 vs. [[1979 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders]]

Week 12 vs. [[1979 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals]]

Week 13 (Thursday, November 22, 1979): at [[1979 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]]

Main article: NFL on Thanksgiving Day

Point spread: Oilers +1
Over/under: 41.0 (over)
Time of game:

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Oilers	Game statistics	Dallas Cowboys	year=1979	border=2}}"	Cowboys	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Sacked–yards	Net passing yards	Total yards	Return yards	Punts	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards	Time of Possession
17	20
41–224	30–92
163	287
9–17–0	21–30–2
1–9	1–8
154	279
378	371
113	124
4–44.5	3–36.7
1–0	2–1
4–45	7–42

Individual stats

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Passing	C/ATT1	Yds	TD	INT	Sk	Yds	LG3	Rate
Pastorini	9/17	163	2	0	1	9	47	125.4

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Rushing	Car2
Campbell	33	195	2	61
Wilson	4	17	0	7
Carpenter	3	14	0	7
Pastorini	1	–2	0	–2

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Receiving	Rec4
Burrough	3	55	1	32
Renfro	2	53	1	47
Barber	2	16	0	11
Caster	1	29	0	29
Carpenter	1	10	0	10

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kick Returns	Yds
Coleman	2	51	25.5	0
Hartwig	2	28	14.0	0
Ellender	1	18	18.0	18

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punt Returns	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
Ellender	1	7	7.0	0	7

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punting	Pnt	Yds	Y/P	Lng	Blck
Parsley	4	178	44.5	0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kicking	FGM–FGA	XPM–XPA
Fritsch	1–1	3–4

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Sacks	Sacks
Bethea	1.0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Interceptions	Int	Yds	TD	LG	PD
Perry	1	9	0	9	0
Wilson	1	0	0	0	0

Starting Lineups

Position	Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Starting Lineups at Dallas
Offense
WR	Ken Burrough
LT	Leon Gray
LG	Conway Hayman
C	Carl Mauck
RG	Ed Fisher
RT	Morris Towns
TE	Mike Barber
WR	Rich Caster
QB	Dan Pastorini
RB	Earl Campbell
FB	Tim Wilson
Defense
LDE	Andy Dorris
NT	Curley Culp
RDE	Elvin Bethea
LOLB	Ted Washington
LILB	Gregg Bingham
RILB	Daryl Hunt
ROLB	Robert Brazile
LCB	J. C. Wilson
RCB	Greg Stemrick
SS	Vernon Perry
FS	Mike Reinfeldt

Week 14 at [[1979 Cleveland Browns season|Cleveland Browns]]

Week 15 (Monday, December 10, 1979): vs. [[1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]]

Point spread: Oilers +3
Over/under: 42.5 (under)
Time of game:

Pittsburgh Steelers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Steelers	Game statistics	Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Oilers	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Sacked–yards	Net passing yards	Total yards	Return yards	Punts	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards	Time of possession
15	20
22–120	54–190
237	170
14–29–2	10–17–0
3–19	1–10
218	160
338	350
114	113
4–46.0	5–34.8
1–0	1–0
10–79	4–28

Individual stats

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Passing	C/ATT1	Yds	TD	INT	Sk	Yds	LG3	Rate
Pastorini	10/16	170	1	0	1	10	25	119.3
Nielsen	0/1	0	0	0	0	0	0	39.6

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Rushing	Car2
Campbell	33	109	0	31
Wilson	10	47	0	10
Carpenter	7	25	1	7
Barber	1	6	0	6
Caster	1	5	0	1
Clark	1	0	0	0
Pastorini	1	–2	0	–2

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Receiving	Rec4
Burrough	3	48	1	25
Campbell	2	22	0	16
Renfro	1	25	0	25
Caster	1	24	0	24
Barber	1	17	0	17
Carpenter	1	12	0	12

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kick Returns	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
Coleman	2	37	18.5	0	0
Hartwig	1	23	23.0	0	0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punt Returns	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
Ellender	2	6	3.0	0	0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punting	Pnt	Yds	Y/P	Lng	Blck
Parsley	5	174	34.8

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kicking	FGM–FGA	XPM–XPA	MFG
Fritsch	2–3	2–2	44

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Sacks	Sacks
Baker	1.0
Stensrud	1.0
Dorris	0.5
Perry	0.5

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Interceptions	Int	Yds	TD	LG	PD
Brazile	1	26	0	26	0
Stringer	1	21	0	21	0

Starting Lineups

Position	Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Starting Lineups vs. Pittsburgh
Offense
WR	Ken Burrough
LT	Leon Gray
LG	Conway Hayman
C	Carl Mauck
RG	Ed Fisher
RT	Morris Towns
TE	Mike Barber
WR	Rich Caster
QB	Dan Pastorini
RB	Earl Campbell
FB	Tim Wilson
Defense
LDE	Andy Dorris
NT	Curley Culp
RDE	Elvin Bethea
LOLB	Ted Washington
LILB	Gregg Bingham
RILB	Art Stringer
ROLB	Robert Brazile
LCB	J. C. Wilson
RCB	Greg Stemrick
SS	Vernon Perry
FS	Mike Reinfeldt

Week 16 (Sunday, December 16, 1979): vs. [[1979 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]]

Point spread: Oilers –4
Over/under: 39.0 (over)
Time of game: 3 hours, 15 minutes

Philadelphia Eagles	year=1979	border=2}}"	Eagles	Game statistics	Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Oilers	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Sacked–yards	Net passing yards	Total yards	Return yards	Punts	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards	Time of Possession
20	19
31–168	40–235
202	137
16–29–0	12–27–3
0–0	4–33
202	104
370	339
156	143
5–42.6	5–42.0
1–1	0–0
5–40	8–49
26:59	33:01

Individual stats

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Passing	C/ATT1	Yds	TD	INT	Sk	Yds	LG3	Rate
Pastorini	7/14	85	1	2	1	7	49	53.3
Nielsen	5/13	52	0	1	3	26	20	18.7

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Rushing	Car2
Campbell	16	134	1	37
Carpenter	10	45	0	12
Coleman	5	27	0	10
Wilson	5	14	0	5
Caster	1	6	0	6
Pastorini	1	5	0	5
Clark	2	4	0	4

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Receiving	Rec4
Renfro	3	67	1	49
Merkens	2	35	0	20
Caster	2	17	0	12
Wilson	1	7	0	7
Groth	1	6	0	6
Campbell	1	4	0	4
Carpenter	1	1	0	1
Clark	1	0	0	0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kick Returns	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
Ellender	6	130	21.7	0	0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punt Returns	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
Ellender	3	13	4.3	0	0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punting	Pnt	Yds	Y/P	Lng	Blck
Parsley	5	210	42.0	0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kicking	FGM–FGA	XPM–XPA
Fritsch	2–2	2–2

Starting Lineups

Position	Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Starting Lineups vs. Philadelphia
Offense
WR	Ken Burrough
LT	Leon Gray
LG	Conway Hayman
C	Carl Mauck
RG	Ed Fisher
RT	Morris Towns
TE	Mike Barber
WR	Rich Caster
QB	Dan Pastorini
RB	Earl Campbell
FB	Tim Wilson
Defense
LDE	Andy Dorris
NT	Curley Culp
RDE	Elvin Bethea
LOLB	Ted Washington
LILB	Gregg Bingham
RILB	Art Stringer
ROLB	Robert Brazile
LCB	J. C. Wilson
RCB	Greg Stemrick
SS	Vernon Perry
FS	Mike Reinfeldt

Postseason

Main article: 1979–80 NFL playoffs

Playoffs

year=1979	border=2}}"	Round	Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Date
(5) [Denver Broncos](1979-denver-broncos-season)	3:00p.m. CST	NBC	W 13–7	Astrodome	48,776	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197912230oti.htm)
at (1) [San Diego Chargers](1979-san-diego-chargers-season)	3:00p.m. CST	NBC	W 17–14	San Diego Stadium	51,192	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197912290sdg.htm)
at (2) [Pittsburgh Steelers](1979-pittsburgh-steelers-season)	12Noon CST	NBC	L 13–27	Three Rivers Stadium	50,475	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198001060pit.htm)

1979 AFC Wild Card Playoffs (Sunday, December 23, 1979): vs. (A5) [[1979 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]]

Point spread:
Over/under:
Time of game:

Denver Broncos	year=1979	border=2}}"	Broncos	Game statistics	Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Oilers	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Sacked–yards	Net passing yards	Total yards	Return yards	Punts	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards	Time of possession

The Oilers managed to shut down the Broncos offense for most of the game en route to a 13–7 win.

1979 AFC Divisional Playoffs (Saturday, December 29, 1979): at (A1) [[1979 San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers]]

Point spread: Oilers +8
Over/under:
Time of game:

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Oilers	Game statistics	San Diego Chargers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Chargers	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Sacked–yards	Net passing yards	Total yards	Return yards	Punts	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards	Time of possession
15	25
40–148	19–63
111	333
11–19–0	25–47–5
0–0	2–16
111	317
259	380
89	113
6–40.7	2–32.0
0–0	0–0
5–45	6–30
30:06	29:54

Individual stats

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Passing	C/ATT1	Yds	TD	INT	Sk	Yds	LG3	Rate
Nielsen	11/19	111	1	1	0	0	47	65.9

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Rushing	Car2
Carpenter	18	67	0	11
Wilson	11	39	0	14
Clark	9	30	1	11
Nielsen	2	12	0	14

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Receiving	Rec4
Carpenter	4	23	0	7
Wilson	3	16	0	10
Renfro	1	47	1	47
Coleman	1	13	0	13
Barber	1	12	0	12

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kick Returns	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
Hartwig	2	37	18.5	0	24
Ellender	1	16	16.0	0	16

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punt Returns	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
Ellender	1	25	25.0	0	25

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punting	Pnt	Yds	Y/P	Lng	Blck
Parsley	6	244	40.7	50

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kicking	FGM–FGA	XPM–XPA
Fritsch	1–1	2–2

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Sacks	Sacks
Bethea	1.0
Dorris	1.0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Int
Perry	4	0	0
Wilson	1	3	3
Reinfeldt	0	8	8

Starting Lineups

Position	Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Starting Lineups 1979 AFC Divisional Playoffs at San Diego
Offense
WR	Mike Renfro
LT	Leon Gray
LG	David Carter
C	Carl Mauck
RG	Ed Fisher
RT	Conway Hayman
TE	Mike Barber
WR	Rich Caster
QB	Gifford Nielsen
RB	Rob Carpenter
FB	Tim Wilson
Defense
LDE	Andy Dorris
NT	Curley Culp
RDE	Elvin Bethea
LOLB	Ted Washington
LILB	Gregg Bingham
RILB	Art Stringer
ROLB	Robert Brazile
LCB	J. C. Wilson
RCB	Greg Stemrick
SS	Vernon Perry
FS	Mike Reinfeldt

The Oilers offense, playing without starting quarterback Dan Pastorini, receiver Ken Burrough, and running back Earl Campbell, could only generate 259 yards compared to San Diego's 380. But they still won the game, largely due to the effort of rookie safety Vernon Perry, who set a playoff record with 4 interceptions as the Oilers defeated the Chargers, 17–14. In his first career playoff game, Chargers future Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts threw for 333 yards, but was intercepted 5 times.

1979 AFC Championship Game (Sunday, January 6, 1980): at (A2) [[1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]]

Point spread: Oilers +9½
Over/under:
Time of game:

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Oilers	Game statistics	Pittsburgh Steelers	year=1979	border=2}}"	Steelers	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Sacked–yards	Net passing yards	Total yards	Return yards	Punts	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards	Time of possession
11	22
22–24	36–161
212	219
20–29–1	18–30–1
1–9	3–22
203	197
227	358
147	90
4–30.0	3–51.0
4–2	1–1
2–10	5–34
27:06	32:54

Individual stats

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Passing	C/ATT1	Yds	TD	INT	Sk	Yds	LG3	Rate
Pastorini	19/28	203	0	1	1	9	41	74.0
Nielsen	1/1	9	0	0	0	0	9	104.2

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Car2
Campbell	17	15	7
Wilson	4	9	5
Caster	1	0	0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Rec4
Wilson	7	60	41
Carpenter	5	23	14
Renfro	3	52	19
Coleman	2	46	32
Merkens	1	12	12
Campbell	1	11	11
Barber	1	8	8

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kick Returns	Yds
Ellender	4	47	11.8	19
Hartwig	1	13	13.0	13
Carpenter	1	4	4.0	4

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punt Returns	Ret	Yds	Y/Rt	TD	Lng
Ellender	3	8	2.7	0	5

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Punting	Pnt	Yds	Y/P	Lng	Blck
Parsley	4	120	30.0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Kicking	FGM–FGA	XPM–XPA
Fritsch	2–2	1–1

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Sacks	Sacks
Bethea	1.0
Dorris	1.0
Stensrud	1.0

Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Oilers Interceptions	Int	Yds	TD	LG	PD
Perry	1	75	1	75	0

Starting Lineups

Position	Houston Oilers	year=1979	border=2}};"	Starting Lineups 1979 AFC Championship Game at Pittsburgh
Offense
WR	Ken Burrough
LT	Leon Gray
LG	David Carter
C	Carl Mauck
RG	Ed Fisher
RT	Conway Hayman
TE	Mike Barber
WR	Rich Caster
QB	Dan Pastorini
RB	Earl Campbell
FB	Tim Wilson
Defense
LDE	Andy Dorris
NT	Curley Culp
RDE	Elvin Bethea
LOLB	Ted Washington
LILB	Gregg Bingham
RILB	Art Stringer
ROLB	Robert Brazile
LCB	J. C. Wilson
RCB	Greg Stemrick
SS	Vernon Perry
FS	Mike Reinfeldt

The Steelers held the Oilers to only 24 rushing yards, but were also aided by a controversial non-touchdown call on Mike Renfro to come away with a 27–13 win. This was the last time an NFL team based in Houston reached the AFC Championship Game, and the closest any franchise in Houston got to going to the Super Bowl.

Awards and records

Earl Campbell, NFL Rushing Leader, (1,697)
Earl Campbell, 1979 NFL MVP
Earl Campbell, PFWA NFL MVP (1979)
Earl Campbell, Pro Bowl selection 1979
Earl Campbell, All-Pro selection 1979
Earl Campbell, NEA NFL MVP (1979)
Earl Campbell, NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1979)
Earl Campbell, 1979 Bert Bell Award
Earl Campbell, Houston Oilers record, Most Touchdowns in a Season (19)
Mike Reinfeldt, NFL Interception Leader, 12

Milestones

Earl Campbell, 2nd 1,000 yard rushing season
Earl Campbell, 2nd NFL Rushing Title

References

"1979 Houston Oilers draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
"1979 Houston Oilers starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1979090207 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Jan-13.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197909020was.htm Houston Oilers at Washington Redskins – September 2, 1979]
. "Tennessee Titans 2023 Media Guide". *Tennessee Titans*.
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1979090904 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-31.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197909090pit.htm Houston Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers – September 9, 1979]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1979100710 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Jan-15.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197910070oti.htm St Louis Cardinals at Houston Oilers – October 7, 1979]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1979110501 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2025-Apr-19.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197911050mia.htm Houston Oilers at Miami Dolphins – November 5, 1979]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1979112202 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Jan-14.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197911220dal.htm Houston Oilers at Dallas Cowboys – November 22, 1979]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1979121001 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-31.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197912100oti.htm Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Oilers – December 10, 1979]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1979121607 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Jan-15.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197912160oti.htm Philadelphia Eagles at Houston Oilers – December 16, 1979]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1979122302 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2025-May-2.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197912230oti.htm 1979 AFC Wild Card Playoffs – Denver Broncos at Houston Oilers – December 23, 1979]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1979122902 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2025-Apr-20.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197912290sdg.htm 1979 AFC Divisional Playoffs – Houston Oilers at San Diego Chargers – December 29, 1979]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1980010601 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-31.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198001060pit.htm 1979 AFC Championship Game – Houston Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers – January 6, 1980]
"Maxwell Football Club - Bert Bell Award Past Recipients".

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