From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sports season
The 1980 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 48th season in the National Football League .
The Steelers struggled for the first time in many years. The aging defense was not as effective as it had been in the 1978 and '79 seasons, falling from 2nd to 15th in yards allowed. The Steelers also surrendered 313 points, ranked 15th in the league, compared to 262 points (5th in the league) the previous season. The Pittsburgh defense only garnered 18 quarterback sacks .
The offense was still plagued with 42 total turnovers,[ 1] but ranking 6th in total offense, and scoring 352 points.[ 2]
Despite the team's troubles, the Steelers could have again obtained home-field advantage throughout the playoffs had they not lost several close games, including games against Cincinnati and Cleveland in which they lost despite having large leads in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh remained in the playoff hunt until a 28–13 loss to Buffalo in week 12 and then a 6–0 loss to Houston effectively eliminated Pittsburgh from the postseason.
To many, these two losses marked the end of the Steeler Dynasty. Several key players retired after the 1980 season and the team was never the same again. The 1980 season was the first in which the Steelers did not qualify for the playoffs since 1971 .
[ 3]
1980 Pittsburgh Steelers staff
Front office
Chairman of the Board – Arthur J. Rooney
President – Daniel M. Rooney
Vice President – John R. McGinley
Vice President – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr.
Public Relations Director – Ed Kiely
Traveling Secretary – James A. Boston
Publicity Director – Joe Gordon
Assistant Publicity Director – John Evenson
Controller – Dennis P. Thimons
Assistant Controller – James S. Maund
Director of Ticket Sales – Geraldine Glenn
Director of Player Personnel – Dick Haley
Assistant Director of Player Personnel – William Nunn, Jr.
Pro Talent Scout – Tom Modrak
Talent Scout – West Coast – Bob Schmitz
College Talent Scout – Joe Krupa
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
Strength and conditioning
Paul Uram *Mike Walker *Physician, M.D. – Dr. David S. Huber
Physician, M.D. – Dr. Anthony P. Yates
Physician, Orthopedic – Dr. Paul B. Steele, Jr.
Dentist – Dr. George P. Boucek
Ophthalmologist – Dr. Phillip Buzzelli
Trainer – Ralph Berlin
Assistant Trainer – Robert Osborne
Equipment Manager – Anthony Parisi
Field Manager – Bruce J. Lowry
Film Director – Bob McCartney
Photographer – Harry Homa
[ 4]
1980 Pittsburgh Steelers final roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
Practice squad
[ 4]
[ 5]
[ 6]
Rookies in italics
48 active, 7 inactive
Week 1: vs. Houston Oilers [ edit ]
The Steelers sat on a 17-0 first quarter lead and then had to score twice in the final 13 minutes to fight off a Houston comeback as Terry Bradshaw accounted for three of the Steelers four touchdowns. Larry Anderson provided the early fireworks when he returned the opening kickoff for 63 yards. The Steelers went on to score three of the four possessions but realized only three points as a result of four interceptions by Ken Stabler passes the first six times Houston has the ball. The Oilers got the 17 points back in the third quarter. Trailing 17-3, they scored two touchdowns in a span of 97 seconds. Earl Campbell 's first pass, a sidearm wobbler, got the first score and when Theo Bell fumbled the next kickoff, Houston tied the game six plays later. Four Bradshaw passes ate up 72 of the 80-yard drive to get the Steelers back on top. A broken play on which John Stallworth outfought two defenders for a high Bradshaw lob was the final score of the game. Franco Harris passes Jim Taylor to become the third leading rusher in NFL history with 8,609 yards. Mel Blount and Donnie Shell had two interceptions each and Mike Wagner got the fifth.
Houston Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers
1
2 3 4 Total
Oilers
0
0 17 0
17
• Steelers
17
0 0 14
31
Scoring summary 1 Steelers Sidney Thornton 29-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 7–0
1 Steelers Franco Harris 1-yard run (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 14–0
1 Steelers Matt Bahr 27-yard field goal Steelers 17–0
3 Oilers Toni Fritsch 31-yard field goalSteelers 17–3
3 Oilers Billy Johnson 57-yard pass from Earl Campbell (Toni Fritsch kick)Steelers 17–10
3 Oilers Earl Campbell 1-yard run (Toni Fritsch kick) Tie 17–17
4 Steelers Terry Bradshaw 1-yard run (Matt Bahr kick) Steelers 24–17
4 Steelers John Stallworth 50-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 31–17
Week 2: at Baltimore Colts [ edit ]
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Colts
1
2 3 4 Total
• Steelers
3
10 0 7
20
Colts
0
7 10 0
17
Scoring summary 1 Steelers Matt Bahr 25-yard field goalSteelers 3–0
2 Steelers Matt Bahr 29-yard field goal Steelers 6–0
2 Colts Sanders Shiver 34-yard interception return (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)Colts 7–6
2 Steelers Franco Harris 10-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 13–7
3 Colts Ray Butler 15-yard pass from Bert Jones (Steve Mike-Mayer kick)Colts 14–13
3 Colts Steve Mike-Mayer 20-yard field goal Colts 17–13
4 Steelers Jim Smith 24-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 20–17
Week 3: at Cincinnati Bengals [ edit ]
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
1
2 3 4 Total
Steelers
0
14 7 7
28
• Bengals
10
3 0 17
30
Scoring summary 1 Bengals Ray Griffin 28-yard interception return (Ian Sunter kick)Bengals 7–0
1 Bengals Ian Sunter 27-yard field goal Bengals 10–0
2 Steelers Jim Smith 45-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Bengals 10–7
2 Steelers Lynn Swann 14-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 14–10
2 Bengals Ian Sunter 42-yard field goal Steelers 14–13
3 Steelers Lynn Swann 68-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick) Steelers 21–13
4 Bengals Isaac Curtis 18-yard pass from Jack Thompson (Ian Sunter kick)Steelers 21–20
4 Steelers Greg Hawthorne 4-yard run (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 28–20
4 Bengals Don Bass 22-yard pass from Jack Thompson (Ian Sunter kick)Steelers 28–27
4 Bengals Ian Sunter 21-yard field goal Bengals 30–28
Week 4: vs. Chicago Bears [ edit ]
Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers
1
2 3 4 Total
Bears
3
0 0 0
3
• Steelers
7
17 7 7
38
Date: Sunday, September 28Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 53,987Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C), wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)Referee: Jerry Seeman TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Roger Staubach
Scoring summary 1 Bears Bob Thomas 28-yard field goalBears 3–0
1 Steelers Jim Smith 21-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 7–3
2 Steelers Matt Bahr 20-yard field goal Steelers 10–3
2 Steelers Jim Smith 29-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick) Steelers 17–3
2 Steelers Jim Smith 23-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick) Steelers 24–3
3 Steelers Bennie Cunningham 2-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 31–3
4 Steelers Franco Harris 9-yard pass from Cliff Stoudt (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 38–3
Week 5: at Minnesota Vikings [ edit ]
Pittsburgh Steelers at Minnesota Vikings
1
2 3 4 Total
• Steelers
6
10 7 0
23
Vikings
3
0 0 14
17
Scoring summary 1 Steelers Calvin Sweeney 21-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (kick failed)Steelers 6–0
1 Vikings Rick Danmeier 35-yard field goalSteelers 6–3
2 Steelers Franco Harris 4-yard run (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 13–3
2 Steelers Matt Bahr 28-yard field goal Steelers 16–3
3 Steelers Terry Bradshaw 2-yard run (Matt Bahr kick) Steelers 23–3
4 Vikings Sammy White 21-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick)Steelers 23–10
4 Vikings Tommy Kramer 4-yard run (Rick Danmeier kick) Steelers 23–17
Week 6: vs. Cincinnati Bengals [ edit ]
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
1
2 3 4 Total
• Bengals
10
7 0 0
17
Steelers
0
0 16 0
16
Date: Sunday, October 12Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 53,668Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C), wind 13 mph (21 km/h)Referee: Fred Silva TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover and Bob Trumpy
Week 7 : vs. Oakland Raiders [ edit ]
Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers
1
2 3 4 Total
• Raiders
7
21 7 10
45
Steelers
10
14 10 0
34
Date: Monday, October 20Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame start: 9:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 53,940Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C), wind 12 mph (19 km/h)Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford , Howard Cosell , and Don Meredith
Scoring summary 1 11:59 Steelers Jim Smith 19-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 7–0
1 9:27 Steelers Matt Bahr 18-yard field goal Steelers 10–0
1 7:22 Raiders Kenny King 27-yard run (Chris Bahr kick)Steelers 10–7
2 Steelers Terry Hawthorne 1-yard run (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 17–7
2 5:22 Raiders Mark van Eeghen 1-yard run (Chris Bahr kick)Steelers 17–14
2 3:05 Raiders Rod Martin 34-yard fumble return (Chris Bahr kick)Raiders 21–17
2 1:22 Raiders Morris Bradshaw 45-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Chris Bahr kick)Raiders 28–17
2 0:10 Steelers Jim Smith 13-yard pass from Cliff Stoudt (Matt Bahr kick) Raiders 28–24
3 12:36 Raiders Cliff Branch 56-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Chris Bahr kick)Raiders 35–24
3 Steelers Theo Bell 36-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Raiders 35–31
3 Steelers Matt Bahr 32-yard field goal Raiders 35–34
4 Raiders Cliff Branch 34-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Chris Bahr kick) OAK 42–34
4 0:58 Raiders Chris Bahr 36-yard field goal Raiders 45–34
Week 8: at Cleveland Browns [ edit ]
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns
1
2 3 4 Total
Steelers
10
3 13 0
26
• Browns
0
7 7 13
27
Date: Sunday, October 26Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium , Cleveland, Ohio Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 79,095Game weather: 37 °F (3 °C), wind 25 mph (40 km/h)Referee: Bob FredericTV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and John Brodie
Scoring summary 1 Steelers Greg Hawthorne 1-yard run (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 7–0
1 Steelers Matt Bahr 27-yard field goal Steelers 10–0
2 Browns Calvin Hill 5-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick)Steelers 10–7
2 Steelers Matt Bahr 22-yard field goal Steelers 13–7
3 Steelers Greg Hawthorne 2-yard run (Matt Bahr kick) Steelers 20–7
3 Browns Greg Pruitt 6-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick)Steelers 20–14
3 Steelers Sidney Thornton 2-yard run (kick failed)Steelers 26–14
4 Browns Greg Pruitt 7-yard pass from Brian Sipe (kick failed) Steelers 26–20
4 Browns Ozzie Newsome 18-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick)Browns 27–26
Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers [ edit ]
Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers
1
2 3 4 Total
Packers
7
7 0 6
20
• Steelers
2
7 6 7
22
Date: Sunday, November 2Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 52,165Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C), wind 7 mph (11 km/h)Referee: Ben Dreith TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
Scoring summary 1 Steelers Safety, ball snapped out of end zone Steelers 2–0
1 Packers Gerry Ellis 7-yard pass from Lynn Dickey (Thomas Birney kick)Packers 7–2
2 Steelers Lynn Swann 7-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 9–7
2 Packers Gerry Ellis 69-yard pass from Lynn Dickey (Thomas Birney kick) Packers 14–9
3 Steelers Matt Bahr 27-yard field goal Packers 14–12
3 Steelers Matt Bahr 18-yard field goal Steelers 15–14
4 Steelers Rocky Bleier 4-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 22–14
4 Packers Aundra Thompson 14-yard pass from Lynn Dickey (kick blocked)Steelers 22–20
Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers [ edit ]
Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1
2 3 4 Total
• Steelers
10
14 0 0
24
Buccaneers
7
7 7 0
21
Week 11: vs. Cleveland Browns [ edit ]
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
1
2 3 4 Total
Browns
0
13 0 0
13
• Steelers
0
7 0 9
16
Date: Sunday, November 16Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGame start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 54,563Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C), wind 8 mph (13 km/h)Referee: Jerry Markbreit TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
Week 12: at Buffalo Bills [ edit ]
Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills
1
2 3 4 Total
Steelers
7
3 0 3
13
• Bills
7
7 7 7
28
Scoring summary 1 Steelers Franco Harris 2-yard run (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 7–0
1 Bills Jerry Butler 29-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)Tie 7–7
2 Bills Jerry Butler 10-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) Bills 14–7
2 Steelers Matt Bahr 36-yard field goal Bills 14–10
3 Bills Curtis Brown 34-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)Bills 21–10
4 Bills Reuben Gant 2-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)Bills 28–10
4 Steelers Matt Bahr 42-yard field goal Bills 28–13
Week 13: vs. Miami Dolphins [ edit ]
Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers
1
2 3 4 Total
Dolphins
0
3 0 7
10
• Steelers
0
13 3 7
23
Scoring summary 2 Steelers Matt Bahr 32-yard field goalSteelers 3–0
2 Steelers Lynn Swann 30-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 10–0
2 Dolphins Uwe von Schamann 42-yard field goalSteelers 10–3
2 Steelers Matt Bahr 33-yard field goal Steelers 13–3
3 Steelers Matt Bahr 30-yard field goal Steelers 16–3
4 Dolphins Nat Moore 31-yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick)Steelers 16–10
4 Steelers Franco Harris 9-yard run (Matt Bahr kick) Steelers 23–10
Week 14 : at Houston Oilers [ edit ]
Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Oilers
1
2 3 4 Total
Steelers
0
0 0 0
0
• Oilers
0
0 3 3
6
Scoring summary 3 Oilers Toni Fritsch 37-yard field goalOilers 3–0
4 Oilers Toni Fritsch 33-yard field goal Oilers 6–0
Week 15: vs. Kansas City Chiefs [ edit ]
Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers
1
2 3 4 Total
Chiefs
0
3 13 0
16
• Steelers
7
0 0 14
21
Scoring summary 1 Steelers Lynn Swann 9-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 7–0
2 Chiefs Nick Lowery 36-yard field goalSteelers 7–3
3 Chiefs James Hadnot 3-yard run (Nick Lowery kick)Chiefs 10–7
3 Chiefs Nick Lowery 22-yard field goal Chiefs 13–7
3 Chiefs Nick Lowery 50-yard field goal Chiefs 16–7
4 Steelers Theo Bell 13-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Chiefs 16–14
4 Steelers Rocky Bleier 11-yard run (Matt Bahr kick)Steelers 21–16
Week 16: at San Diego Chargers [ edit ]
Pittsburgh Steelers at San Diego Chargers
1
2 3 4 Total
Steelers
0
3 7 7
17
• Chargers
3
6 10 7
26
Scoring summary 1 Chargers Rolf Benirschke 33-yard field goalChargers 3–0
2 Steelers Matt Bahr 32-yard field goalTie 3–3
2 Chargers Rolf Benirschke 26-yard field goal Chargers 6–3
2 Chargers Rolf Benirschke 26-yard field goal Chagers 9–3
3 Chargers Dan Fouts 1-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick)Chargers 16–3
3 Steelers Sidney Thornton 2-yard run (Matt Bahr kick)Chargers 16–10
3 Chargers Rolf Benirschke 33-yard field goal Chargers 19–10
4 Chargers Chuck Muncie 10-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick)Chargers 26–10
4 Steelers Bennie Cunningham 16-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick)Chargers 26–17
Formerly the Pittsburgh Pirates (1933–1939)
Franchise Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Media Division championships (24) Conference championships (8) League championships (6) Retired numbers Hall of Fame members Current league affiliations