1980 New York Giants season

1980 New York Giants season
1980 New York Giants season
Owner	Timothy J. Mara; Wellington Mara
Head coach	Ray Perkins
General manager	George Young
Home field	Giants Stadium
Results
Record	4–12
Division place	5th NFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	LB Brad Van Pelt; P Dave Jennings

The 1980 New York Giants season was the franchise's 56th season in the National Football League.[1] The Giants finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 4–12 record.[2]

In the 1980 NFL Draft, the Giants selected defensive back Mark Haynes with their first-round pick, which was eighth overall.[3] New York won its opening game of the season against the St. Louis Cardinals, 41–35, behind a five-touchdown performance by quarterback Phil Simms. Four of those touchdown passes were to Earnest Gray, who set a single-game franchise record for touchdown receptions.[4] The Giants lost the following game to Washington by two points, the start of an eight-game losing streak. A Week 10 win over the Dallas Cowboys snapped the streak; a subsequent win over the Green 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 was Billy 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 and Brad Van Pelt, were selected for the 1981 Pro Bowl.[7]

Offseason

NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1980 New York Giants draft
1	8	Mark Haynes *	CB	Colorado
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

**1980 New York Giants staff**

	Front office President – Wellington Mara General Manager – George Young Director of Pro Personnel – Jim Trimble Head coaches Head Coach – Ray Perkins Offensive coaches Offensive Backfield – Bob Lord Receivers – Pat Hodgson Offensive Line – Bill Austin Offensive Assistant – Ernie Adams			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Ralph Hawkins Defensive Line – Lamar Leachman Defensive Backfield – Deek Pollard Special teams coaches Special Teams – Bill Belichick

Roster

**1980 New York Giants roster**

	Quarterbacks 12 Scott Brunner 15 Cliff Olander 11 Phil Simms Running backs 25 Alvin Garrett 27 Larry Heater 33 Scott Laidlaw 41 Bo Matthews 30 Leon Perry 34 Nate Rivers 38 Billy Taylor Wide receivers 83 Earnest Gray 84 Nate Johnson 82 Danny Pittman Tight ends 89 Dennis Johnson FB 81 Tom Mullady 87 Gary Shirk		Offensive linemen 60 Brad Benson T 56 Jim Clack C 77 Vernon Holland T 72 Gordon King G 79 Dale Markham T 59 Kelly Saalfeld C 69 Roy Simmons G 65 John Sinnott T 68 J. T. Turner G Defensive linemen 70 Gary Jeter DE 71 Myron Lapka DT 74 Chris Linnin DE 75 George Martin DE 78 George Small DT 80 Phil Tabor DE 73 Jeff Weston DT		Linebackers 62 Ben Apuna 61 Phil Cancik 55 Brian Kelley 52 Joe McLaughlin 66 Kevin Turner 10 Brad Van Pelt 59 Whip Walton 58 Mike Whittington 99 Kervin Wyatt Defensive backs 23 Tony Blount 22 Eric Felton CB 37 Steve Harris 36 Mark Haynes CB 47 Steve Henry 22 Doug Nettles CB 21 Don Patterson 28 Beasley Reece SS 20 Gary Woolford FS Special teams 18 Joe Danelo K 13 Dave Jennings P		Reserve lists 53 Harry Carson LB (IR) 46 Mike Dennis CB (IR) 63 Terry Falcon G (IR) 88 Mike Friede WR (IR) 26 Bud Hebert FS (IR) 24 Terry Jackson CB (IR) 44 Doug Kotar RB (IR) 51 Frank Marion LB (IR) 76 Curtis McGriff DT (IR) 86 Johnny Perkins WR (IR) 57 John Skorupan LB (IR) Practice squad -- Steve Tobin C Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 7	at St. Louis Cardinals	W 41–35	49,122
2	September 14	Washington Redskins	L 21–23	73,343
3	September 22	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 3–35	70,767
4	September 28	Los Angeles Rams	L 7–28	73,414
5	October 5	at Dallas Cowboys	L 3–24	59,126
6	October 12	Philadelphia Eagles	L 16–31	71,051
7	October 19	at San Diego Chargers	L 7–44	50,397
8	October 26	Denver Broncos	L 9–14	67,598
9	November 2	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 13–30	68,256
10	November 9	Dallas Cowboys	W 38–35	68,343
11	November 16	Green Bay Packers	W 27–21	76,609
12	November 23	at San Francisco 49ers	L 0–12	38,574
13	November 30	St. Louis Cardinals	L 7–23	65,852
14	December 7	at Seattle Seahawks	W 27–21	51,617
15	December 13	at Washington Redskins	L 13–16	44,443
16	December 21	Oakland Raiders	L 17–33	61,287

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Season summary

Week 1: at St. Louis Cardinals

Phil Simms 16/31, 280 Yds[8]
Earnest Gray 9 Rec, 174 Yds[8]

Week 10 vs Cowboys

Week Ten: Dallas Cowboys (7–2) at New York Giants (1–8)

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

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Date: November 9
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C)
Game attendance: 68,343
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

NYG – Earnest Gray 25-yard pass from Phil Simms (Joe Danelo kick). Giants 7–0.
DAL – Tony Dorsett 1-yard run (Rafael Septien kick). Tie 7–7.

Second quarter

NYG – Larry Heater 1-yard run (Joe Danelo kick). Giants 14–7.
DAL – Robert Newhouse 1-yard run (Rafael Septien kick). Tie 14–14.
NYG – George Martin 4-yard pass from Phil Simms (Joe Danelo kick). Giants 21–14.
NYG – Leon Perry 1-yard run (Joe Danelo kick). Giants 28–14.
DAL – Ron Springs 58-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septien kick). Giants 28–21.

Third quarter

DAL – Robert Newhouse 29-yard run (Rafael Septien kick). Tie 28–28.
DAL – Tony Dorsett 13-yard run (Rafael Septien kick). Cowboys 35–28.

Fourth quarter

NYG – Tom Mullady 20-yard pass from Phil Simms (Joe Danelo kick). Tie 35–35.
NYG – Joe Danelo 27-yard field goal, 0:27. Giants 38–35.

Top passers

DAL – Danny White – 10/23, 155 yards, TD, 5 INT
NYG – Phil Simms – 18/33, 351 yards, 3 TD, INT

Top rushers

DAL – Tony Dorsett – 24 rushes, 183 yards, 2 TD
NYG – Larry Heater – 24 rushes, 69 yards, TD

Top receivers

DAL – Ron Springs – 1 reception, 58 yards, TD
NYG – Mike Friede – 7 receptions, 137 yards

Giants' first win against Dallas since 1974[9]

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
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

References

"New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
"1980 New York Giants". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
"1980 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 191. ISBN 1-57243-641-7.
"1980 New York Giants Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
Whittingham, pp. 191–192.
"1980 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
"New York Giants at St. Louis Cardinals – September 7th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
"All Matchups, New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

[pfr-2] "1980 New York Giants". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.

[3] "1980 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 26, 2021.

[4] Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 191. ISBN 1-57243-641-7.

[5] "1980 New York Giants Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 26, 2021.

[6] Whittingham, pp. 191–192.

[7] "1980 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 26, 2021.

[September7th-8] "New York Giants at St. Louis Cardinals – September 7th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.

[9] "All Matchups, New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.

New York Giants
Founded in 1925 Based and headquartered in East Rutherford, New Jersey
Franchise	Franchise Seasons Coaches Players First-round draft picks Quarterbacks
History	1925–1978 1979–1993 1994–present Financial history
Stadiums	Polo Grounds Yankee Stadium Yale Bowl Shea Stadium Giants Stadium MetLife Stadium
Culture	Cleveland Bulldogs The Duke Crunch Bunch Gatorade shower Big Blue Wrecking Crew I'm going to Disney World! Little Giants "New York Groove" "We Fly High" "The Masseuse" (Seinfeld episode) Big Fan Bob Sheppard Jim Hall Yankee Stadium Legacy License Plate Guy The Best Man Holiday
Lore	Sneakers Game The Greatest Game Ever Played The Fumble Wide Right Snowball Game 2007 game vs. New England Patriots Helmet Catch Miracle at the New Meadowlands
Rivalries	Chicago Bears Dallas Cowboys Green Bay Packers New England Patriots New York Jets Philadelphia Eagles San Francisco 49ers Washington Commanders
Key personnel	Owners: John Mara & Steve Tisch General manager: Joe Schoen Head coach: Brian Daboll
Division championships (22)	1933 1934 1935 1938 1939 1941 1944 1946 1956 1958 1959 1961 1962 1963 1986 1989 1990 1997 2000 2005 2008 2011
Conference championships (11)	1956 1958 1959 1961 1962 1963 1986 1990 2000 2007 2011
League championships (8)	1927 1934 1938 1956 1986 (XXI) 1990 (XXV) 2007 (XLII) 2011 (XLVI)
Media	Broadcasters Radio network Bob Papa Carl Banks Howard Cross
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: East Division