1978 Somali coup d'état attempt, Aftermath
One of the plotters, Lieutenant Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, escaped to Ethiopia and founded an anti-Siad Barre organization initially called the Somali Salvation Front (SSF; later the Somali Salvation Democratic Front, SSDF), initiating the Somali Rebellion and eventually the Somali Civil War.


1978 Somali coup d'état attempt, Allegation of Eastern Bloc involvement
Barre blamed the coup attempt on the Eastern Bloc, namely Soviet Union and Cuba, countries that supported Ethiopia in the Ogaden War, calling them "new imperialists". The CIA determined that the Soviet Union was not behind the coup attempt, but were seeking to remove Barre. Immediately following the coup, Somalia began receiving foreign aid from the People's Republic of China.


1978 South African Grand Prix
The 1978 South African Grand Prix (formally the XXIV Citizen and Asseng Grand Prix of South Africa) was a Formula One motor race held on 4 March 1978 at Kyalami. It was the third round of the 1978 Formula One season and the 300th World Championship Grand Prix held since the championship began in 1950. This was the debut race of the future world champion Keke Rosberg.


1978 South African Grand Prix
Both the Ferrari (312T3) and Brabham (BT46) teams had new cars in Kyalami for the race. The event also saw the return of Renault with their unique turbocharged car.


1978 South African Grand Prix, Summary
Ronnie Peterson, in the Lotus 78 with its Colin Chapman-inspired ground effect aerodynamics, battled Patrick Depailler in his Tyrrell on the last lap to take a dramatic victory. John Watson finished third for Brabham. Young Italian, Riccardo Patrese got his Arrows into the lead before retiring with a blown engine. Pole sitter and reigning world champion Niki Lauda, in his first season with Brabham, retired with engine failure and the Ferraris of Carlos Reutemann and Gilles Villeneuve exited on lap 55. James Hunt, who had qualified third on the grid in his McLaren M26, only lasted five laps when his engine failed, whilst his new teammate Patrick Tambay, who qualified fourth, crashed out mid race.


1978 South African Open (tennis)
The 1978 South African Open was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts in Johannesburg, South Africa that was part of the 1978 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix. It was the 75th edition of the tournament and was held from 27 November through 4 December 1978. Tim Gullikson won the singles title.


1978 South African Open (tennis), Finals, Singles
Tim Gullikson defeated  Harold Solomon 2–6, 7–6, 7–6, 6–7, 6–4


1978 South African Open (tennis), Finals, Doubles
Peter Fleming /  Ray Moore defeated  Bob Hewitt /  Frew McMillan 6–3, 7–6


1978 South African presidential election
Following the death of State President Nicolaas Diederichs on August 21, 1978, a new election for the South African head of state was held which pitted former Prime Minister John Vorster, backed by the then-ruling National Party, against former United Party leader De Villiers Graaff supported by the New Republic Party, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand, Guerino Bozzoli, supported by the Progressive Federal Party. In accordance with the South African Constitution of 1961, the ceremonial State President was elected by a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament for a seven-year term. John Vorster won the election with 173 votes in his favor and 31 going to the other candidates, beginning his term on October 10, 1978.


1978 South American Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 1978 South American Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Lima, Peru, November 22–26, 1978. This was the fourth edition of the South American Artistic Gymnastics Championships.


1978 South American Championships (tennis)
The 1978 South American Championships was a men's Grand Prix tennis circuit tournament held in Buenos Aires, Argentina and played on outdoor clay courts. The event was held from 20 November through 26 November 1978. Fourth-seeded José Luis Clerc won the singles title.


1978 South American Championships (tennis), Finals, Doubles
Chris Lewis /  Van Winitsky defeated  José Luis Clerc /  Belus Prajoux 6–4, 3–6, 6–0


1978 South American Championships – Singles
Guillermo Vilas was the defending champion but did not compete that year.


1978 South American Championships – Singles
José Luis Clerc won in the final 6–4, 6–4 against Víctor Pecci.


1978 South American Championships – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1978 South American Junior Championships in Athletics
The 12th South American Junior Championships in Athletics were held in São Paulo, Brazil, between December 15–17, 1978.


1978 South American Junior Championships in Athletics, Participation (unofficial)
Detailed result lists can be found on the "World Junior Athletics History" website. An unofficial count yields the number of about 178 athletes from about 8 countries:  Argentina (33), Bolivia (6), Brazil (53), Chile (42), Colombia (13), Paraguay (8), Peru (9), Uruguay (14).


1978 South American Junior Championships in Athletics, Medal summary
Medal winners are published for men and womenComplete results can be found on the "World Junior Athletics History" website.


1978 South American Youth Championships in Athletics
The 5th South American Youth Championships in Athletics were held in Montevideo, Uruguay from November 11–13, 1978.


1978 South American Youth Championships in Athletics, Medal summary
Medal winners are published for boys and girls. Complete results can be found on the "World Junior Athletics History" website.


1978 South American Youth Championships in Athletics, Participation (unofficial)
Detailed result lists can be found on the "World Junior Athletics History" website. An unofficial count yields the number of about 179 athletes from about 7 countries:


1978 South Carolina Gamecocks football team
The 1978 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as an independent team in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Gamecocks would finish the season 5–5–1 overall.


1978 South Carolina gubernatorial election
The 1978 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Richard Riley, the Democratic nominee, defeated Republican Edward Lunn Young and became the 111th governor of South Carolina.


1978 South Carolina gubernatorial election, Democratic primary
The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for governor on June 13, featuring three high tier candidates. Richard Riley, a former member of the General Assembly, emerged as the winner of the runoff election over Lieutenant Governor W. Brantley Harvey, Jr. on June 27.


1978 South Carolina gubernatorial election, Republican primary
The South Carolina Republican Party held their primary for governor on June 13. The race between Edward Lunn Young and Raymon Finch drew little interest compared to the Democratic primary and turnout for the Republican was less than that of 1974. Young defeated Finch in a close contest and earned the right to face Riley in the general election.


1978 South Carolina gubernatorial election, General election
The general election was held on November 7, 1978 and Richard Riley was elected as the next governor of South Carolina. Turnout was higher than the previous gubernatorial election because of the increasingly competitive nature of the race between the two parties.


1978 South Dakota gubernatorial election
The 1978 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978, to elect a Governor of South Dakota. Republican nominee Bill Janklow was elected, defeating Democratic nominee Roger D.  McKellips.


1978 South Korean legislative election
Legislative elections were held in South Korea on 12 December 1978.


1978 South Korean legislative election
The result was a victory for the ruling Democratic Republican Party, which won 68 of the 154 elected seats in the National Assembly, despite winning fewer popular votes than the opposition New Democratic Party.


1978 South Korean legislative election
With one-third of seats appointed by President Park Chung-hee, the ruling party had a supermajority. Voter turnout was 77.1%.


1978 South Korean presidential election
Presidential elections were held in South Korea on 6 July 1978, the second elections held under the Restoration Constitution, which gave the members of the National Conference for Unification the power to elect the president.


1978 South Korean presidential election
The National Conference for Unification was elected on 18 May, and the newly sworn-in delegates proceeded to elect the president on 6 July. As in 1972, incumbent President Park Chung-hee was the only candidate. He was duly re-elected with the support of 2,577 of the 2,581 members. Park Chung Hee would continue in office for just over a year before his assassination on 26 October 1979 and the subsequent collapse of the Yushin regime.


1978 South Korean presidential election, National Conference for Unification election
The 2,583 members of the second National Conference for Unification were elected on 18 May 1978, with a voter turnout of 79%.


1978 South Korean presidential election, Presidential election
By the time of the presidential election, one delegate had resigned and another had died, meaning there were a total of 2,581 delegates at the Conference on the day of the presidential election.


1978 South Korean presidential election, Presidential election
In order to be elected, a candidate had to receive the vote of over 50% of the incumbent members. With 2,581 delegates in office, Park had to receive at least 1,291 votes to be elected. He received 2,577 votes, 99.85% of the total possible.


1978 South Korean presidential election, Presidential election
As there was only one candidate registered, the only ways the delegates could express opposition to Park was by either abstaining or casting invalid ballots. The only delegate who cast a protest vote was Park Seung-guk of Daegu-2 District.


1978 South Lebanon conflict
The 1978 South Lebanon conflict (code-named Operation Litani by Israel) was an invasion by Israel of southern Lebanon up to the Litani River in March 1978 in response to the Coastal Road massacre. The conflict resulted in the deaths of 1,100–2,000 Lebanese and Palestinians, 20 Israelis, and the internal displacement of 100,000 to 250,000 people in Lebanon. Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) forces retreating north of the Litani River. The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolutions 425 and 426 on 19 March 1978 calling on Israel to withdraw immediately from Lebanon and established the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).


1978 South Lebanon conflict, Background
Though it took the form of an Israeli military incursion into Southern Lebanon, Operation Litani arose from the long-running Israeli–Palestinian conflict. After 1968, the PLO, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other Palestinian groups established a quasi-state in southern Lebanon, using it as a base for raids on civilian targets in northern Israel, as well as terror attacks on Israeli and other targets worldwide. This was exacerbated by an influx of 3,000 PLO militants fleeing a defeat in the Jordanian civil war and regrouping in southern Lebanon. Israel responded with damaging attacks against PLO bases.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, Background
During Israeli raids from 1968 to 1977, some of the Palestinian towns and camps in the area were totally leveled. It has been estimated that by October 1977 about 300,000 refugees, mainly Shiite Muslims, fled southern Lebanon. The PLO-Israeli conflict increased political tensions between Maronite Christians and Druze on the one hand and Muslims on the other, adding to the factors behind the 1975–1990 Lebanese Civil War.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, Background
In November 1977, an exchange of fire led to the death of several people on both sides of the border and led to Israeli bombing of targets in southern Lebanon that killed 70 people, mainly Lebanese.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, Background
The proximate cause of the Israeli invasion was the Coastal Road massacre that took place on 11 March 1978. On that day, 11 Fatah members led by the 18-year-old female Dalal Mughrabi travelled from Lebanon, killed an American tourist on the beach, hijacked a bus on the Coastal Road near Haifa, and en route to Tel Aviv commandeered a second bus. After a lengthy chase and shootout, 38 Israeli civilians, including 13 children, were killed and 76 wounded.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, Course of fighting
On 14 March 1978, Israel launched Operation Litani, after the Coastal Road Massacre. Its stated goals were to push Palestinian militant groups, particularly the PLO, away from the border with Israel, and to bolster Israel's ally at the time, the South Lebanon Army, because of the attacks against Lebanese Christians and Jews and because of the relentless shelling into northern Israel. The area south of the Litani River, excepting Tyre, was invaded and occupied in a week long offensive.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, Course of fighting
The operation began with air, artillery, and naval bombardment, after which IDF infantry and armor forces, comprising about 25,000 soldiers, entered south Lebanon. The Israelis first captured a belt of land approximately 10 kilometers deep, by launching a ground attack on all PLO positions along the Lebanese border with Israel. The ground forces were led by two division commanders, and attacked simultaneously along the entire front. Paratroopers landed from helicopters to capture all the bridges on the Litani River, cutting off the possibility of retreat by the PLO, and later expanded north to the Litani River.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, Course of fighting
The IDF did not succeed in engaging large numbers of PLO forces, who retreated to the north. Many Lebanese civilians were killed by heavy Israeli shelling and air strikes, which also caused extensive property damage and internal displacement. According to Augustus Richard Norton, professor of international relations at Boston University, the IDF military operation killed approximately 1,100 people, most of them Palestinian and Lebanese. According to IDF reporting and internal investigation, at least 550 of the casualties were Palestinian militants initially holding the front line and killed by the IDF ground operation. According to other sources about 2000 Lebanese and Palestinian were killed.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, Course of fighting
Estimates for the number of people displaced by the military operations range from at least 100,000 to 250,000. Syrian troops deployed inside Lebanon, some of which were within visual range of the IDF, but did not take part in the fighting. The PLO retreated north of the Litani River, continuing to fire at the Israelis. The IDF used cluster bombs provided by the United States. According to U.S. President Jimmy Carter, this use of the cluster bombs violated the legal agreement between Israel and the U.S. because the weapons had been provided for defensive purposes against an attack on Israel.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, Course of fighting
Israel also transferred American weapons to Saad Haddad's Lebanese militia, a violation of American law. Carter's administration prepared to notify Congress that American weapons were being used illegally, which would have resulted in military aid to Israel being cut off. The American consul in Jerusalem informed the Israeli government of their plans and, according to Carter, Prime Minister Begin said that the operation was over.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, UNSC Resolution 425
In response to the invasion, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 425 and Resolution 426 calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon were both adopted on 19 March 1978. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was created to enforce this mandate, specifically "for the purpose of confirming the withdrawal of Israeli forces, restoring international peace and security and assisting the Government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area". UNIFIL forces arrived in Lebanon on 23 March 1978, setting up headquarters in Naqoura.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, UNSC Resolution 425
Resolution 425 didn't result in an immediate end to hostilities. The Israelis continued military operations for 2 more days until they ordered a ceasefire. The PLO's initial reaction was that the resolution didn't apply to them because it didn't mention the PLO. The PLO leadership finally ordered a ceasefire on 28 March 1978, after a meeting between UNIFIL commander General Emmanual Erskine and Yasser Arafat in Beirut. Helena Cobban has described the agreement as "a turning-point in the history of the Palestinian resistance moment" because it was the first open acceptance of a ceasefire agreement with Israel that was endorsed by all official PLO bodies.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, UNSC Resolution 425
Parts of the Palestinian resistance movement opposed the agreement and tried to violate the ceasefire. In April 1978, second-level Fatah leader Mohammad Daoud Oudeh (Abu Daoud) organized cells of about 70 to 80 fighters with the intention of breaking the ceasefire. Arafat and Khalil Wazir ordered the arrest of all involved and Abu Daoud was later accused of collaborating with Fatah renegade Abu Nidal to break the ceasefire.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, UNSC Resolution 425
Israeli forces withdrew later in 1978, turning over positions inside Lebanon to their ally, the South Lebanon Army (SLA) militia under the leadership of Maj. Saad Haddad. On 19 April 1978, the SLA shelled UNIFIL headquarters, killing 8 UN soldiers. (Fisk, 138). In April 1980, three Irish UN soldiers (Privates Barrett, Smallhorne and O'Mahoney) were kidnapped and two of them murdered by Christian gunmen.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, UNSC Resolution 425
Private O'Mahoney survived (being shot by a sub-machine gun during the incident) in SLA territory; in a separate incident another Irish soldier, Private S. Griffin, was shot by Haddad's men, and was evacuated to Israel where he subsequently died during medical treatment. The Israeli press at the time, particularly The Jerusalem Post, accused the Irish of pro-PLO bias. (Fisk, 152–154).


1978 South Lebanon conflict, UNSC Resolution 425
Palestinian factions also attacked UNIFIL, kidnapping an Irish UNIFIL soldier in 1981 and continuing to occupy areas in southern Lebanon.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, UNSC Resolution 425
Hostilities continued as the Lebanese civil war escalated as fighting intensified in the south. Continued attacks in Israel from the Lebanese based PLO culminated in a second Israeli invasion in 1982 resulting in a flare-up that persisted over the next decade.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, Israeli withdrawal
In 2000, the UN Security Council concluded that, as of 16 June 2000, Israel had withdrawn its forces from Lebanon in accordance with Resolution 425.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, Israeli withdrawal
Lebanon has not extended control over south Lebanon, though it was called on to do so by Resolution 1391 of 2002 and urged by Resolution 1496. Israel has lodged multiple complaints regarding Lebanon's conduct.


1978 South Lebanon conflict, Israeli withdrawal
Hezbollah's claim that Israel has not fully withdrawn (see Shebaa Farms) was explicitly rejected by the UN's Secretary-General's report which led to Resolution 1583. The Syrian occupation of Lebanon led to UN Security Council Resolution 1559 demanding the remaining 14,000 (of 50,000 originally) Syrian troop withdrawal and the dismantling of Hezbollah and Palestinian militias. On 26 April 2005, after 29 years of Syrian military presence in Lebanon, the last of the Syrian troops withdrew in accordance with the resolution.


1978 South Pacific Championships
The 1978 South Pacific Championships was an Association of Tennis Professionals men's tournament held on outdoor grass courts at the Milton Courts in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia that was part of the  1978 Grand Prix tennis circuit. It was the fifth edition of the tournament and was held from 9 October until 16 October 1978. The final was postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain. Unseeded Mark Edmondson won the singles title, his second at the event after 1976.


1978 South Pacific Championships, Finals, Doubles
Phil Dent /  John Alexander defeated  Syd Ball /  Allan Stone 6–3, 7–6


1978 South West African legislative election
Parliamentary elections were held in South West Africa between 4 and 8 December 1978. These first elections conducted under universal adult suffrage—all previous elections had been Whites-only—were won by the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance, which claimed 41 of the 50 seats. The elections were conducted without United Nations (UN) supervision, and in defiance of the 1972 United Nations General Assembly's recognition of the militant South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) as the "sole representative of Namibia's people". The UN henceforth declared the elections null and void. The resulting government, dependent on South African approval for all its legislation, was in power until its dissolution in 1983.


1978 South West African legislative election, Background
The elections were a direct outcome of the 1975–1977 Turnhalle Constitutional Conference, a controversial conference in Windhoek that developed a draft constitution for a semi-autonomous South West Africa. Representatives of 11 South West African ethnic groups were invited, selected by the South African government. Existing political parties were not considered.


1978 South West African legislative election, Background
As a result of the conference, the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) was founded, mainly from the attending ethnic groups and smaller, ethnically based parties. This was done to form a counterbalance to SWAPO. The Turnhalle Conference developed a draft constitution called the Turnhalle Plan for the territory. The constitution was approved in a Whites-only referendum in 1977 but never enacted, due to pressure by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). However, the planned elections under general adult suffrage were still held.


1978 South West African legislative election, Conduct
The 1978 legislative elections were the first multi-racial elections in the territory of South West Africa, all previous elections were only for Whites. Even though the elections excluded the Namibia National Front, SWAPO Democrats and SWAPO, who in turn called for a boycott, voter turnout was surprisingly high at 80%. The presence of South African troops, particularly in the north of Namibia, might have been a reason for both high turnout and the DTA result, and there were several charges of coercion levelled at major South West African employers and the South African security forces.


1978 South West African legislative election, Conduct
However, the level of support of SWAPO's political programme and war effort within the general population was unclear, which cast some doubt on the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 1972 decision to accept SWAPO as the "sole representative of Namibia's people". There was a general perception that eligible voters who abstained from participating were SWAPO supporters. Encouraged by a voter turnout that high, the DTA subsequently claimed that it enjoyed a greater degree of popular support than SWAPO.


1978 South West African legislative election, Results
The interim government consisted of a National Assembly and a Council of Ministers. The DTA won the elections by a landslide, gaining 41 of the 50 seats in the National Assembly and the chairmanship of the ministerial council, to which Dirk Mudge was appointed. Johannes Skrywer became speaker of the National Assembly. The UNSC declared the election "null and void", and the subsequent interim government illegitimate.


1978 South West African legislative election, Aftermath
The interim government was dissolved on 18 January 1983 when South Africa again assumed full administrative authority over South West Africa after the Council of Ministers had resigned in the face of South African interference.


1978 South West African legislative election, Aftermath
The subsequent void was filled by South African administrators. In September 1983 the Multi-Party Conference (MPC) was established. It consisted of 19 "internal" (that is, South West African) parties but again excluded SWAPO. The MPC suggested in its April 1985 Bill of Fundamental Rights and Objectives the establishment of a Transitional Government of National Unity (TNGU). South Africa followed this suggestion three months later. This interim government was again rejected by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 566.


1978 South Yemeni parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in South Yemen between 16 and 18 December 1978. The first elections since independence in 1967, they saw 175 candidates (all affiliated with the Yemeni Socialist Party, the sole legal party) contest the 111 seats. Voter turnout was reported to be 91.27%.


1978 South Yemeni parliamentary election, Electoral system
The 111 Members of Parliament were elected by plurality in eighty constituencies, with voters having the same number of votes as the number of seats available in their constituency.


1978 Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament
The 1978 Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament was held at Perry Field in Gainesville, FL from May 12th through May 15th. Auburn won the tournament and earned the Southeastern Conference's automatic bid to the 1978 NCAA Tournament.


1978 Southern 500
The 1978 Southern 500, the 29th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 4, 1978, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.


1978 Southern 500, Background
Darlington Raceway, nicknamed by many NASCAR fans and drivers as "The Lady in Black" or "The Track Too Tough to Tame" and advertised as a "NASCAR Tradition", is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends.


1978 Southern 500, Background
The track is a four-turn 1.366 miles (2.198 km) oval. The track's first two turns are banked at twenty-five degrees, while the final two turns are banked two degrees lower at twenty-three degrees. The front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the back stretch are banked at six degrees. Darlington Raceway can seat up to 60,000 people.


1978 Southern 500, Background
Darlington has something of a legendary quality among drivers and older fans; this is probably due to its long track length relative to other NASCAR speedways of its era and hence the first venue where many of them became cognizant of the truly high speeds that stock cars could achieve on a long track. The track allegedly earned the moniker The Lady in Black because the night before the race the track maintenance crew would cover the entire track with fresh asphalt sealant, in the early years of the speedway, thus making the racing surface dark black.


1978 Southern 500, Background
Darlington is also known as "The Track Too Tough to Tame" because drivers can run lap after lap without a problem and then bounce off of the wall the following lap. Racers will frequently explain that they have to race the racetrack, not their competition. Drivers hitting the wall are considered to have received their "Darlington Stripe" thanks to the missing paint on the right side of the car.


1978 Southern 500, Race report
40 competitors competed in this 367-lap race. A crowd of 65000  fans cheered them on for four hours and seventeen minutes. Nine cautions slowed the race for 72 laps; 21 changes for first-place position were made. The race leader remained unchanged for long periods of time; including Cale Yarborough's 69-lap lead which lasted from lap 118 to lap 186 and his late-race streak where he would take over the lead on lap 261 and would never relinquish it.


1978 Southern 500, Race report
Cale Yarborough would defeat future NASCAR on Fox personality Darrell Waltrip by three seconds while Richard Petty, rookie driver Terry Labonte, and Bobby Allison would round out the top five finishers. Yarborough's win would become his fourth at the Southern 500. Terry Labonte would make an impressive Winston Cup debut at this race. He was 11 laps down at the end, but finished fourth.


1978 Southern 500, Race report
Yarborough would retain the lead in championship points after this race. Bruce Hill would finish in last place on lap 80 due to a problem with his vehicle's rear end. David Pearson would get the pole position with a speed of 153.685 miles per hour (247.332 km/h). D. K. Ulrich was cited for nitrous oxide in his vehicle and lost the rest of the 1978 Winston Cup Series season. Neil Bonnett had the most unfortunate incident by hitting the telephone wires while exiting pit road; nobody was injured.


1978 Southern 500, Race report
Notable crew chiefs who participated in the race were Darrell Bryant, Junie Donlavey, Buddy Parrott, Jake Elder, Joey Arrington, Kirk Shelmerdine, Dale Inman and Bud Moore.


1978 Southern 500, Race report
The total purse of the race was $200,170 ($794,246 when considering inflation); Yarborough received $30,175 for winning the race. ($119,730 when considering inflation).


1978 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1978 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament took place from February 25–March 4, 1978. The quarterfinal round was hosted at campus sites, while the semifinals and finals were hosted at the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia. The Furman Paladins, led by head coach Joe Williams, won their fifth Southern Conference title and received the automatic berth to the 1978 NCAA Tournament.


1978 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
All of the conference's eight members were eligible for the tournament. Teams were seeded based on conference winning percentage. The tournament used a preset bracket consisting of three rounds.


1978 Southern Cross Games
The I Southern Cross Games (Spanish: Juegos Cruz del Sur) were a multi-sport event held from November 3 to November 12, 1978, in La Paz, Bolivia, with some events in Cochabamba  and Santa Cruz de la Sierra.


1978 Southern Cross Games
La Paz already organized last year's Bolivarian Games and,  with the necessary infrastructure already being present, hosted the majority of the events. Cochabamba hosted men's basketball, judo, tennis, and men's volleyball, and Santa Cruz de la Sierra, hosted equestrian, fencing, women's volleyball, and weightlifting.


1978 Southern Cross Games
This was the first edition of what would later be the South American Games, organized by the South American Sports Organization (ODESUR). An appraisal of the games and detailed medal lists were published elsewhere,  emphasizing the results of the Argentinian teams. There is a further publication emphasizing on the Bolivian athletes.


1978 Southern Cross Games
The South American Torch was lit by Bolivian athletes Roberto Prado in La Paz, Isabel Alemán in Cochabamba, and José Ernesto Roca in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The Athlete's Oath was sworn by cyclist Edgar Cueto in La Paz, by judoka Ladislao Moravek in Cochabamba, and by fencer Luís Darío Vásquez in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.


1978 Southern Cross Games, Medal count
The medal count for these Games is tabulated below. This table is sorted by the number of gold medals earned by each country. The number of silver medals is taken into consideration next, and then the number of bronze medals.


1978 Southern Cross Games, Sports
A total number of 480 athletes competed for medals in sixteen sports:


1978 Southern Cross Games, Sports
Note:†  One source only references 15 events with no indication for baseball in the medal lists.


1978 Southern Cross Rally
The 1978 Southern Cross Rally, officially the Southern Cross International Rally was the thirteenth running of the Southern Cross Rally and the fifteenth round of the 1978 FIA Cup for Rally Drivers. The rally took place between the 14th and the 18th of October 1978. The event covered 2,727 kilometres from Sydney to Port Macquarie. It was won by George Fury and Monty Suffern, driving a Datsun Stanza.


1978 Southern Illinois Salukis football team
The 1978 Southern Illinois Salukis football team was an American football team that represented Southern Illinois University (now known as Southern Illinois University Carbondale) in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. Under third-year head coach Rey Dempsey, the team compiled a 7–4 record. The team played its home games at McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.


1978 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team
The 1978 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southern Mississippi as an independent during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth year under head coach Bobby Collins, the team compiled a 7–4 record.


1978 Southwark London Borough Council election
Elections to Southwark Council were held in May 1978. The whole council was up for election with a 28.7% turnout. There are 25 wards rather than the previous 23 and 64 councillors rather than 70.


1978 Southwark London Borough Council election, By-Elections
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. Siah Cox


1978 Southwark London Borough Council election, By-Elections
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. Peter Flower


1978 Southwark London Borough Council election, By-Elections
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. Enid Boxall


1978 Southwark London Borough Council election, By-Elections
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr. Frank Brean


1978 Southwest Conference Baseball Tournament
The 1978 Southwest Conference Baseball Tournament was the league's annual postseason tournament used to determine the Southwest Conference's (SWC) automatic bid to the 1978 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. The tournament was held from May 12 through May 14 at Disch–Falk Field on the campus of The University of Texas in Austin, TX.


1978 Southwest Conference Baseball Tournament
The number 3 seed Baylor Bears went 3-0 to win the team's 2nd SWC Tournament under head coach Mickey Sullivan.


1978 Southwest Conference Baseball Tournament, Format and seeding
The tournament featured the top four finishers of the SWC's 9 teams in a double-elimination tournament.


1978 Southwest Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1978 Southwest Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held March 2–4, 1978, at The Summit in Houston, Texas. The first round took place on February 25 at the higher-seeded campus sites.


1978 Southwest Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Number 3 seed Houston defeated 1 seed Texas 92–90 to win their 1st championship and receive the conference's automatic bid to the 1978 NCAA Tournament.


1978 Southwest Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format and Seeding
The tournament consisted of 9 teams, seeds 2-8 played in an 8 team single-elimination tournament with the winner playing the top seeded team in the tournament final.


1978 Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team
The 1978 Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) in the Southland Conference during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth year under head coach Augie Tammariello, the team compiled a 3–8 record.


1978 Soviet Cup
The 1978 Soviet Cup was an association football cup competition of the Soviet Union. The winner of the competition, Dinamo Kiev qualified for the continental tournament.


1978 Soviet First League
The 1978 Soviet First League was the eighth season of the Soviet First League and the 38th season of the Soviet second tier league competition.


1978 Soviet Second League
1978 Soviet Second League was a Soviet competition in the Soviet Second League.


1978 Soviet Second League, Zone 2
The 1978 Football Championship of Ukrainian SSR was the 48th season of association football competition of the Ukrainian SSR, which was part of the Soviet Second League in Zone 2. The season started on 2 April 1978.


1978 Soviet Second League, Zone 2
The 1978 Football Championship of Ukrainian SSR was won by Metalist Kharkiv.


1978 Soviet Second League, Zone 2
The "Ruby Cup" of Molod Ukrayiny newspaper (for the most scored goals) was received by SKA Kiev.


1978 Soviet Top League, Overview
It was contested by 16 teams, and Dinamo Tbilisi won the championship.


1978 Soviet Top League, Overview
Introduction of draw limit, a number of games tied during a season.


1978 Soviet nuclear tests
The Soviet Union's 1978 nuclear test series was a group of 31 nuclear tests conducted in 1978. These tests  followed the 1977 Soviet nuclear tests series and preceded the 1979 Soviet nuclear tests series.


1978 Spanish Grand Prix
The 1978 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 4 June 1978 at Jarama. It was the seventh race of the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors. The 75-lap race was won from pole position by Mario Andretti, driving a Lotus-Ford, with teammate Ronnie Peterson second and Jacques Laffite third in a Ligier-Matra.


1978 Spanish Grand Prix, Report
Once again the new Lotus 79 demonstrated its speed, with Mario Andretti on pole and Ronnie Peterson alongside him on the front row, the Swede driving the 79 for the first time. Carlos Reutemann was third in his Ferrari, with James Hunt fourth in his McLaren.


1978 Spanish Grand Prix, Report
On race day, Hunt made a fast start to lead into the first corner from Andretti and Reutemann, with Peterson dropping to ninth. Andretti re-passed Hunt on lap 6 and then started to pull away. Reutemann ran third until he had to pit for tyres, and so John Watson inherited third until he was passed by Jacques Laffite, but soon the recovering Peterson passed both of them. Hunt now suffered from tyre problems and he also began to drop back, and so Peterson moved into second with Laffite third.


1978 Spanish Grand Prix, Report
This was how it stayed to the end, Andretti winning from Peterson in another Lotus 1–2, and Laffite taking the final spot on the podium. Reutemann had a huge accident on lap 58 when his Ferrari flew 8 feet in the air, cleared the barrier and landed in the debris fencing.


1978 Spanish constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Spain on Wednesday, 6 December 1978, to gauge support for either the ratification or repealing of the Spanish Constitution which had been approved by the Cortes Generales on 31 October 1978. The question asked was "Do you approve of the Constitution Bill?" (Spanish: ¿Aprueba el Proyecto de Constitución?). The referendum resulted in 91.8% of valid votes in support of the bill on a turnout of 67.1%.


1978 Spanish constitutional referendum, Purpose
The new constitution was intended to replace the many constitutional laws of the Franco era, the Fundamental Laws of the Realm, and turn Spain into a constitutional monarchy by removing many of the King's powers. The feat of creating a democratic system without breaking the structures of power of the state was made possible by the approval of the Political Reform Act of 1977, passed by the Francoist Cortes as the last Fundamental Law.


1978 Spanish constitutional referendum, Purpose
It had been drafted by the President of the Cortes Españolas, Torcuato Fernández-Miranda (including changes that would replace the Cortes Españolas with a Cortes Generales), and supported by Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez and King Juan Carlos. The law provided for the legalization of political parties and a democratic election to Constituent Cortes, a committee of which then drafted the Constitution.


1978 Spanish constitutional referendum, Issues
Some Spanish media found up to 30% of irregularities in the census in certain provinces, with many people allegedly being unable to vote while others voted twice. Adolfo Suárez's government had lowered voting age from 21 to 18 only three weeks before the referendum, which resulted in a made-up electoral register increasing by over 3 million people compared to the 1977 general election amid technical, administrative and logistical issues. Interior Ministry officials acknowledged deviations of up to 5.1 per 100 in the electoral census—roughly 1.5 million people according to the National Institute of Statistics—resulting from the absence of an official electoral register and in an overreliance on data from municipal registers.


1978 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix
The 1978 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix was the second round of the 1978 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 14–16 April 1978 at the Circuito Permanente del Jarama.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections
Elections of trade union representatives were held across Spain in the first months of 1978. These were the first democratic union elections in 40 years. According to the state news agency EFE, elections were held in 29,918 companies for a total of 124,579 representative posts during the first three months of 1978 (these figures did however exclude the two largest companies in the country, the railways RENFE and Telefonica). The newly elected company committees (comités de empresa) replaced the former jurados de empresa of the Franco era as the recognized employees' representatives.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Contenders
Two national trade union centres, CC.OO. (linked to the Communist Party of Spain) and UGT (linked to the Spanish Socialist Workers Party), dominated the polls.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Contenders
UGT had the largest campaign budget. They had sought a 300 million peseta loan from Germany, but this credit had been denied. In the end (according to their own estimation) UGT had a campaign budget on the national level of 100 million peseta. The organization opened a large campaign office in Madrid and produced key-chains, posters, stickers and an audio cassette. In their campaign UGT actively sought to highlight their socialist profile.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Contenders
A third force was Unión Sindical Obrera. It received some support from the Popular Socialist Party and the Carlist Party. The campaign slogan of USO was "Trabajador, la USO sólo pacta contigo" ('Worker, USO only makes pact with you'). The slogan was a reference to the Moncloa Pact.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Contenders
Prior to the election, the two groups that constituted the 'Minority Tendency' in CC.OO. had broken away and formed their own union centres, CSUT linked to the Party of Labour of Spain and Sindicato Unitario linked to the Workers Revolutionary Organization. The campaign slogan of CSUT was "La CSUT, el sindicato que habla claro, da soluciones a los problemas y jamás se vende" ('CSUT, the trade union that speaks out, gives solution to the problems and never sells out'). SU had the slogan "Un frente común por el pan, el trabajo y la libertad" ('A common front for bread, work and freedom').


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Contenders
USO claimed that they had a budget of 30 million peseta and CC.OO. 15 million. CSUT claimed to have a campaign budget of two million peseta.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Contenders
The historical anarcho-syndicalist CNT called for a boycott of the polls. Their slogan was "si nadie trabaja por tí, nadie debe decidir por tí" ('if no-one works for you, no-one should decide in your name').


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Outcome
Two national trade union centres, CC.OO. (linked to the Communist Party of Spain) and UGT (linked to the Spanish Socialist Workers Party), dominated the polls. UGT emerged as the leading force in 23 provinces (and in Ceuta and Melilla) whilst CC.OO. came to dominate 21 provinces. The election clarified the dominance of CC.OO. and UGT on the national level over the 'alphabet soup' of smaller unions. USO became somewhat marginalized as a result of the polls.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Outcome
However, the fact that a sizeable share of the seats were won by independents can be seen as a sign that still there were many companies (with a combined workforce of around two million) where the organized unions had yet to reach after the fall of the dictatorship. In subsequent elections, the share of independent representatives decreased sharply.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Electoral system
Ahead of the polls CC.OO. and UGT had agreed on the principles of voluntary and secret vote. However, UGT called for the usage of closed lists whilst CC.OO. wanted to have open lists. Although the underlying motives of the choice of different approaches to the electoral system are not entirely clear, one assumption is that CC.OO. favoured open lists as they would be benefitted by their superior number of organized cadres whilst UGT would have hoped that their connection to the Socialist Party could be better utilized with closed lists. In the end the Ministry of Labour adopted a mixed system. The polls in companies with less than 250 employees were held with open lists, in other companies closed lists were used.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Results as of March 28, 1978
These polls were held just before the creation of the present Autonomous Communities. The results are here listed by these regions, but in fact they did not exist as political entities at the time.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Andalusia
In Málaga province elections were held in 46 companies. CC.OO. won 128 seats, UGT 96, independents 22, CSUT 16 and USO only one delegate.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Asturias
The polls in La Camocha mine were won by CC.OO.. La Camocha had been the birthplace of CC.OO.. CC.OO. got 637 votes (14 seats) against 376 for UGT (8 seats). The Socialist Party general secretary Felipe González visited La Camocha during the election campaign.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Basque Country
In the Basque Country, the nationalist union ELA-STV emerged as the largest force with 23.3% of the delegate seats. UGT won 16.9% of the seats in the region and CC.OO. 16.3%.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Basque Country
In Navarre the majority that had been active in CC.OO. had left to found SU. SU was a major force in the province in the elections. According to the official count, 2,614 delegates had been elected in 887 companies. The independents had been the largest group with 473 delegates. Amongst the trade union centres, SU had won 269 delegates whilst CC.OO. had got 268. However, a count made by Diario de Navarra presented different numbers. According to this count, elections were held for 2,837 delegates in 867 companies. CC.OO. got 488 seats (17.21%), SU 432 (15.23%), UGT 14.46% (410), CSUT 305 (10.75%), USO 173 (6.1%), ELA-STV 120 (4.23%), LAB 95 (3.32%), CGCM 27 (0.95%), STE 13 (0.56%), other trade unions (generally unions found in only one or two companies) 16 (0.66%) and various independents 752 (26.50%).


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Castilla y León
In Castilla y León the elections were won by UGT, that became the largest force in six out of nine provinces. UGT got 3,041 delegates (31.65%), CC.OO. 2,559 (26.63%), CSUT 3.83%, USO 3.6%, SU 0.98% and 33.28% for various independents.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Catalonia
The elections in Catalonia were won by CC.OO., which had a strong backing in areas dominated by heavy industry. UGT, on the other hand, won support in small and medium-sized companies.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Catalonia
In the company committee at SEAT in Barcelona, CC.OO. obtained 21 seats, UGT 19, CSUT 5 and CGCM 3.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Madrid
SU won the election at the conservative newspaper ABC in Madrid. At the Barajas printing centre, SU won 7 out of the 13 committee seats. At the calle Serrano editorial and administrative office, SU won 7 out of 22 seats.


1978 Spanish trade union representative elections, Railways
In RENFE elections were held on April 14, 1978. The railway workers polls were won by CC.OO., which gathered a majority of seats. It got around 49% of the votes, followed by 34% for UGT. In total there were 2,069 seats up for grab. CC.OO. got 976 delegates, UGT 680, USO 79, SICRE 56, CGT 10, SUF 70, CSUT 2, CDT 5, ELA-STV 1, INCA 2 and independents 188.


1978 Special Honours (New Zealand)
The 1978 Special Honours in New Zealand were two Special Honours Lists: in the first, dated 11 February 1978, two judges received knighthoods; and in the second, dated 20 April 1978, six people were awarded the Polar Medal, for good services as members of New Zealand expeditions to Antarctica in recent years.


1978 Speedway World Pairs Championship
The 1978 Speedway World Pairs Championship was the ninth FIM Speedway World Pairs Championship. The final took place in Chorzów, Poland. The championship was won by England who beat New Zealand after Run-Off (both 24 points). Bronze medal was won by Denmark (21 points).


1978 Speedway World Pairs Championship, World final
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fellns - non-starter • nc - non-classify


1978 Speedway World Team Cup
The 1978 Speedway World Team Cup was the 19th edition of the FIM Speedway World Team Cup to determine the team world champions.


1978 Speedway World Team Cup
The final took place at the Stadion Ellermühle in Landshut, West Germany. Denmark won their first title defeating defending champions England, who finished in second place.


1978 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, Round 1
M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


1978 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, Round 4
M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


1978 Speedway World Team Cup, Tournament, Continental Semifinal
M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


1978 Speedway World Team Cup, Tournament, Continental Final
M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


1978 Speedway World Team Cup, Tournament, Intercontinental Final
M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


1978 Speedway World Team Cup, Tournament, World Final
M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell


1978 Sri Lanka cyclone
The 1978 Sri Lanka Cyclone (JTWC designation: 04B) was the 2nd strongest Super Cyclonic Storm to strike Sri Lanka's Eastern province since modern records began. The cyclone formed on November 20, 1978, and attained peak intensity on November 23, 1978, right before making landfall in Batticaloa. Sri Lanka's eastern province was heavily affected by the cyclone.


1978 Sri Lanka cyclone, Meteorological history
The storm formed on 19 November over the southwest Bay of Bengal. It intensified gradually, reaching Super Cyclonic Storm status Category 4 equal cyclone (IMD analysis) on 23 November, and equivalent to a Category 2 equivalent cyclone on the Saffir–Simpson scale with windspeed of 220 kmph and 175 kmph respectively. The cyclone made landfall in Batticaloa at its peak intensity by the same night. It emerged over the Gulf of Mannar on the 24th. That same evening, the storm made its second landfall in Kilakkarai in Tamil Nadu as Severe Cyclonic Storm with winds of 65mph(100Kmph). The storm then moved back into the ocean around the Kerala coast. It spent its remaining days over Arabian Sea, eventually dissipating on 29 November.


1978 Sri Lanka cyclone, Impact
The cyclone had devastating impacts in Sri Lanka, killing about 915 people. An estimated more than one million people were affected, with over 250,000 buildings damaged, and one fifth of Batticaloa's fishing fleet destroyed. 9 of the 11 paddy stores were destroyed and 90 percent of the coconut plantation (28,000 odd acres of coconut plantation) in the Batticaloa district had been destroyed. The Sri Lankan government spent over 600 million Sri Lankan rupees in relief efforts in the aftermath of the disaster. A tropical cyclone report noted that over 130 electrical lines were downed and many of religious buildings were reduced to rubble. The cyclone resulted in a substantial number of people being left without electricity and water. Many houses suffered severe structural damage due to its high wind speeds.


1978 Sri Lanka cyclone, Impact
The impact of the storm in India was minimal. The storm brought some damage to the province of Nadu. In the Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin districts nearly 5000 huts were damaged, and damages in Indian Rupees were estimated to be 5 crores. The storm brought rainfall over Kerala and the Lakshadweep Islands.


1978 St. John's Redmen baseball team
The 1978 St. John's Redmen baseball team represented the St. John's University in the 1978 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Redmen played their home games at Redman Field. The team was coached by Joe Russo in his 5th year at St. John's.


1978 St. John's Redmen baseball team
The Redmen won the Northeast Regional to advance to the College World Series, where they were defeated by the North Carolina Tar Heels.


1978 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season
The 1978 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 59th year with the National Football League and the 19th season in St. Louis. The controversial recruitment of 62-year-old former Oklahoma Sooners coach Bud Wilkinson was a failure, as the team, already affected by becoming the first opponent team to lose visiting the expansion Buccaneers, failed to maintain the standard of the previous four seasons. The team lost its first eight games to be out of the running for the playoffs by midseason, and even a sequence of six wins in eight games failed to move the team beyond equal last in its division.


1978 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season
The last of the Cardinals’ initial eight consecutive losses was the final time they played the New York Jets until 1996, by which time the franchise was based in Phoenix and provided a notorious Jets’ team with the win needed to avoid the first 0–16 record in NFL history. The reason for this is that before the admission of the Texans in 2002, NFL scheduling formulas for games outside a team's division were much more influenced by table position during the previous season.


1978 St. Louis Cardinals season
The 1978 St. Louis Cardinals  season was the team's 97th season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 87th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 69-93 during the season and finished fifth in the National League East, 21 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies.


1978 St. Louis Cardinals season, Regular season
In late April, the Cardinals fired manager Vern Rapp, who had started at 7-11. He was briefly replaced by coach Jack Krol for two games (1-1) before giving the job on a permanent basis to their former MVP third-baseman Ken Boyer, who went 61-81 the rest of the way.


1978 St. Louis Cardinals season, Regular season
On June 16, Tom Seaver of the Cincinnati Reds made history by pitching a no-hitter against the Cardinals. It would be the only no-hitter of his career.


1978 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1978 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1978 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1978 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1978 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1978 Stanford Cardinals football team
The 1978 Stanford Cardinals football team represented Stanford University in the Pacific-10 Conference during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by second-year head coach Bill Walsh, the Cardinals were 7–4 in the regular season (4–3 in Pac-10, tied for fourth) and played their home games on campus at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California. Their four losses were by a combined total of sixteen points.


1978 Stanford Cardinals football team
In the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl on New Year's Eve, Stanford rallied from a 22-point deficit in the second half to defeat #11 Georgia 25–22. and finished with an 8–4 record and a top twenty ranking.


1978 Stanford Cardinals football team
Less than two weeks later, Walsh departed for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, and receivers coach Rod Dowhower was promoted. Walsh won three Super Bowls in ten seasons with the Niners, took three years off, and returned to Stanford as head coach in 1992.


1978 Stanford Cardinals football team, All-conference
Two sophomores were named to the All-Pac-10 team, halfback Darrin Nelson and wide receiver Ken Margerum, along with senior linebacker Gordy Ceresino.


1978 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1978 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1977–78 season, and the culmination of the 1978 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Boston Bruins and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens, making their third straight appearance in the Finals. The series was a rematch of the 1977 Stanley Cup Finals. The Canadiens won the best-of-seven series, four games to two, to win their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship.


1978 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals
Montreal defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4–1 and the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–0 to advance to the final.


1978 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals
Boston defeated the Chicago Black Hawks 4–0 and the Philadelphia Flyers 4–1 to make it to the final.


1978 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries
Defenceman Larry Robinson of Montreal led all players with 17 assists, and finished tied with teammate Guy Lafleur with 21 points, to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.


1978 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving
The 1978 Stanley Cup was presented to Canadiens captain Yvan Cournoyer by NHL President John Ziegler following the Canadiens 4–1 win over the Bruins in game six.


1978 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving
The following Canadiens players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup


1978 Star World Championships
The 1978 Star World Championships were held in San Francisco, United States in 1978.


1978 Star World Championships, Results
Legend: DNF – Did not finish; DNS – Did not start; DSQ – Disqualified; WDR – Withdrew;


1978 State of the Union Address
The 1978 State of the Union address was given by President Jimmy Carter to a joint session of the 95th United States Congress on January 19, 1978.


1978 State of the Union Address
The speech lasted 46 minutes and 4 seconds. and contained 4580 words.


1978 State of the Union Address
The Republican Party response was delivered by Senator Howard Baker Jr. (TN) and Representative John Rhodes (AZ).


1978 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards
The 1978 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards were released by the Hastings Bad Cinema Society in 1979 to honour the worst the film industry had to offer in 1978. The ballot was later revisited and the expanded version was released in the summer of 2003. Listed as follows are the original ballot's picks for Worst Picture and its dishonourable mentions, which are films that were considered for Worst Picture but ultimately failed to make the final ballot (15 total), and all nominees included in the expanded ballot. All winners are highlighted.


1978 Stockholm Open
The 1978 Stockholm Open was a men's tennis tournament played on hard courts and part of the 1978 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix and took place at the Kungliga tennishallen in Stockholm, Sweden. The tournament was held from 6 November through 12 November 1978. Third-seeded John McEnroe won the singles title.


1978 Stockholm Open, Finals, Doubles
Wojciech Fibak /  Tom Okker defeated  Bob Lutz /  Stan Smith, 6–3, 6–2


1978 Stockholm Open – Doubles
Fibak and Okker successfully defended their title, defeating Bob Lutz and Stan Smith 6–3, 6–2 in the final.


1978 Stockholm Open – Singles
Sandy Mayer was the defending champion, but lost in the third round this year.


1978 Stockholm Open – Singles
McEnroe successfully defended his title, defeating Tim Gullikson 6–2, 6–2 in the final.


1978 Stockholm Open – Singles
The tournament featured the first ever meeting of John McEnroe and Björn Borg, in the semifinals.


1978 Strathclyde Regional Council election
An election to Strathclyde Regional Council was held on Tuesday 2 May 1978, alongside regional elections across Scotland. All 103 of the councils seats were up for election.


1978 Sudanese parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Sudan between 2 and 11 February 1978. The People's Assembly had been increased from 250 to 304 seats, of which 274 were elected and 30 were appointed by President Gaafar Nimeiry.


1978 Sudanese parliamentary election
At the time, the Sudanese Socialist Union was the sole legal party, and it won all 274 seats.


1978 Sugar Bowl
The 1978 Sugar Bowl  was the 44th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Monday, January 2. Part of the 1977–78 bowl game season, it matched the third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the #9 Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference.


1978 Sugar Bowl
The teams were led by their respective hall of fame head coaches, Bear Bryant and Woody Hayes, who were the winningest active coaches. Slightly favored, Alabama won in a rout, 35–6.


1978 Sugar Bowl
New Year's Day was on Sunday in 1978, and the major college bowl games were played the following day.


1978 Sugar Bowl, Teams, Alabama
Alabama finished the regular season as SEC champions with a record of 10–1; the only loss was at Nebraska (31–24) in week two. On November 19, bowl officials announced that Alabama would face Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. The appearance marked the eighth for Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, and their 31st overall bowl appearance. It was the Tide's second game against a Big Ten opponent, the first was at Wisconsin in the 1928 regular season.


1978 Sugar Bowl, Teams, Ohio State
Ohio State finished the regular season as co-champions of the Big Ten with a record of 9–2. Their only defeats were to Oklahoma by a point (29–28) on a disputed late field goal in week three and at rival Michigan Wolverines (14–6) to close the regular season. On November 19, bowl officials announced that Michigan would play in the Rose Bowl and that Ohio State would face Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.


1978 Sugar Bowl, Teams, Ohio State
The appearance marked the first for Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl, and their 12th overall bowl appearance. It was the Buckeyes' first game against an SEC team since 1935, when they defeated Kentucky in the season opener.


1978 Sugar Bowl, Game summary
The game kicked off at around 1 pm CST, as did the Cotton Bowl.


1978 Sugar Bowl, Game summary
After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama scored on a one-yard Tony Nathan touchdown run to cap a 10-play, 76-yard drive. On their next offensive possession, Bama scored again on a 27-yard Jeff Rutledge touchdown pass to Bruce Bolton to take a 13–0 lead at the half.


1978 Sugar Bowl, Game summary
In the third quarter, Rutledge had his second touchdown on a 3-yard pass to Rick Neal. Following a successful two-point conversion pass to Nathan, Alabama led 21–0, the score at the quarter's end. The Buckeyes scored their only points of the game early in the fourth when Rod Gerald threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jim Harrell, but failed on the two-point try and the score was 21–6. Bama closed the game with a pair of touchdown runs, the first from one yard by Major Ogilvie, and the second by Johnny Davis on a seven-yard run to make the final score 35–6.


1978 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
While #3 Alabama won easily, top-ranked Texas and #2 Oklahoma were both upset by large margins in their bowl games. Fifth-ranked Notre Dame's 38–10 rout of #1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl gained them the top spot in both final polls; Alabama was the runner-up and Orange Bowl winner Arkansas was third.


1978 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
Alabama returned to the Sugar Bowl the following year and won the national championship.


1978 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
This was the final major bowl game for Woody Hayes; Ohio State played in the Gator Bowl in December 1978, his last game as head coach.


1978 Suisse Open Gstaad
The 1978 Suisse Open Gstaad was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Gstaad, Switzerland. It was the 33rd edition of the tournament and was held from 10 July through 16 July 1978. The tournament was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit with a total prize money available of $75,000. First-seeded Guillermo Vilas won the singles title, his second at the tournament after 1974.


1978 Suisse Open Gstaad, Finals, Doubles
Mark Edmondson /  Tom Okker defeated  Bob Hewitt /  Kim Warwick 6–4, 1–6, 6–1, 6–4


1978 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1978 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held February 24–26 at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.


1978 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
New Orleans defeated South Alabama in the championship game, 22–20, to win their first Sun Belt men's basketball tournament.


1978 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
However, no Sun Belt teams were invited to the 1978 NCAA Tournament.


1978 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
All six of the conference's members participated in the tournament field. They were seeded based on regular season conference records with the top two teams earning byes to the semifinal round.


1978 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
The tournament was played at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.


1978 Sun Bowl
The 1978 Sun Bowl was a college football bowl game that featured the Texas Longhorns and the Maryland Terrapins.


1978 Sun Bowl, Background
The Longhorns went from being one game away from a title the previous year to finishing second in the Southwest Conference. The Terrapins finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference and made their sixth straight bowl appearance. This was the first Sun Bowl for both teams.


1978 Sun Bowl, Game summary
The Longhorns had almost as much rushing yards as Maryland had in total yards, demolishing the Terrapin defense and leading 28–0 at halftime. Lam Jones and A.J. Jones (no relation) traded rushing touchdowns, and Mark McBaeth threw a touchdown pass to Lam to make it 21–0 by the time the first quarter ended, in part due to the 33 yard average on the three punts Maryland did in the quarter. A fumbled kickoff return by Maryland gave the ball to Texas early in the second quarter, and McBaeth added a touchdown run of his own to make it 28–0.


1978 Sun Bowl, Game summary
In the third quarter, a 16-yard punt by the Terrapins set up another Longhorn opportunity. A.J. Jones added in his second touchdown of the day to make it 35–0. A Johnnie Johnson interception gave the ball back to the Longhorns again. Ham Jones scored from 35 yards out to make it 42–0 two plays later. After that, the scoring stopped, as the Longhorns cruised to victory.


1978 Sun Bowl, Aftermath
The Terps returned to the Sun Bowl in 1984, while the Longhorns returned in 1979.


1978 Sutton London Borough Council election
The 1978 Sutton Council election took place on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Sutton London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council.


1978 Svenska Cupen Final
The 1978 Svenska Cupen final took place on 4 November 1978 at Strandängens IP in Bromölla. The match was contested by Allsvenskan sides Malmö FF and Kalmar FF. Kalmar FF played their first cup final ever, Malmö FF played their first final since 1975 and their 12th final in total. Malmö FF won their 10th title with a 2–0 victory after extra time.


1978 Swazi general election
General elections were held in Swaziland on 27 October 1978. The elections was held using the Tinkhundla system, in which voters elected 80 members (out of the 160 candidates) to an electoral college, who then selected 40 non-party candidates for the Parliament, whilst the King appointed a further ten. The new system strengthened the position of the country's traditionalists.


1978 Swazi general election
The number of seats had been increased from 24 (at the last election in 1972) to 50 due to a significant population increase. There was no voter registration and chiefs were required to ensure that only Swazi citizens could vote.


1978 Swedish Grand Prix
The 1978 Swedish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 17 June 1978 at the Scandinavian Raceway. It was the eighth race of the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors, and the last Formula One Swedish Grand Prix to date.


1978 Swedish Grand Prix
The 70-lap race was the only race to feature the Brabham BT46B "fan car", with which Niki Lauda took a commanding victory. Riccardo Patrese finished second in an Arrows, with Ronnie Peterson third in a Lotus.


1978 Swedish Grand Prix, Race summary
Responsible for the Brabham win was clever thinking by Brabham's Gordon Murray, who was trying to eclipse Colin Chapman's ground effect invention on the Lotus 79, the skirted car that had swept the front row since its debut at Zolder. Center of the new Brabham BT46B concept was a large fan which drew air through the engine water radiator which was mounted horizontally over the engine. The fan also took ground effect to a higher level (at least engineering-wise) by sucking air from under the car, creating a partial vacuum and creating an enormous amount of downforce. The car appeared to contravene a rule which stated that moving aerodynamic devices were not allowed, but Brabham argued that the rules had been worded to ban devices whose primary function was aerodynamic. As the fan also cooled the engine, Brabham claimed that this, not aerodynamics, was its primary function.


1978 Swedish Grand Prix, Race summary
Its legality was soon protested, but it was allowed to race, John Watson and Niki Lauda qualifying 2nd and 3rd behind the Lotus 79 of Mario Andretti (the two drivers did this as to not draw attention to the remarkable advantage that the fan would provide, qualifying on full tanks and in the words of Lauda 'doing our best to avoid pole').


1978 Swedish Grand Prix, Race summary
At the start Andretti retained the first place, while Lauda got ahead of Watson; on the second lap he was passed by a fast Riccardo Patrese in the Arrows, and on the third he was passed by the other Lotus of Ronnie Peterson too; the Swede also passed Patrese, but had later to back off due to a tyre puncture. The order then remained the same until lap 20, when Watson was forced to retire by a throttle problem.


1978 Swedish Grand Prix, Race summary
At the front, Lauda and Andretti were battling for first place, until the American made an error and was forced to let the Austrian through, and eventually dropped out due to a broken valve on his engine. Once a back-marker dropped oil onto the track, the Brabham was in a race of its own, seemingly unaffected by the slippery surface.


1978 Swedish Grand Prix, Race summary
In Lauda's biography, To Hell And Back, he wrote that, whilst other cars had to reduce speed to drive carefully over the oil, the Brabhams could simply accelerate (as the fan was activated by the gearbox to get around regulations, this meant that higher speed produced much higher grip) through the affected parts of the track. Lauda went on to win by a huge 34.6 seconds despite according to Lauda 'trying not to show how dominant the car really was', followed by Patrese and Peterson in a close finish; the remaining points went to Patrick Tambay, Clay Regazzoni and Emerson Fittipaldi.


1978 Swedish Grand Prix, Race summary
After the race, the stewards deemed the car legal. Later, the FIA investigated the car, and corroborated Brabham's claim that the fan's primary effect was to cool the car, meeting the letter, if not the spirit, of the rules. The car was judged to have been legal as raced and the Brabham victory stood, but the car never raced again. It is popularly thought that it was banned, but it was actually voluntarily withdrawn by Brabham. This was arguably done by team owner Bernie Ecclestone to avoid a conflict with the other privately owned teams, whose support he needed.


1978 Swedish Grand Prix, Race summary
1978 was the year that Ecclestone became chief executive of the Formula One Constructors' Association and led it through the FISA–FOCA war that would lead to the downfall of FISA and give FOCA the right to negotiate television contracts for the Grands Prix, effectively giving Ecclestone commercial control of Formula One which continued for several decades.


1978 Swedish Open
The 1978 Swedish Open was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts held in Båstad, Sweden. It was part of the 1978 Grand Prix circuit. It was the 31st edition of the tournament and was held from 17 July through 23 July 1978. First-seeded Björn Borg won the singles title, his second at the event after 1974.


1978 Swedish Open, Finals, Doubles
Bob Carmichael /  Mark Edmondson defeated  Péter Szőke /  Balázs Taróczy 7–5, 6–4


1978 Swedish motorcycle Grand Prix
The 1978 Swedish motorcycle Grand Prix was the eighth round of the 1978 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on 23 July 1978 at Karlskoga Motorstadion. This was the 300th race to contribute to the Grand Prix motorcycle racing championship.


1978 Swiss Indoors
The 1978 Swiss Indoors was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland that was part of the 1978 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix. It was the 10th edition of the tournament and was held from 24 October through 29 October 1978. First-seeded Guillermo Vilas won the singles title.


1978 Swiss Indoors, Finals, Doubles
John McEnroe /  Wojciech Fibak defeated  Bruce Manson /  Andrew Pattison 7–6, 7–5


1978 Swiss referendums
Fourteen referendums were held in Switzerland in 1978. The first four were held on 26 February on a popular initiative "for more co-decisions of the Federal Assembly and the People on national road making" (rejected), an amendment to the federal law on aged and bereaved insurance (approved), a popular initiative to lower the retirement age (rejected) and amending the article on the economic cycle in the Swiss Federal Constitution (approved).


1978 Swiss referendums
The next five referendums were held on 28 May on a law on time (rejected), an amendment to the tariff law (approved), a new federal law banning abortion (rejected), a federal law on promoting research and universities (rejected) and a popular initiative "for 12 Sundays a year free from motor vehicles" (rejected).


1978 Swiss referendums
A tenth referendum was held on 24 September on creating a new canton named Jura, which was approved. The final set of referendums were held on 3 December on a resolution on dairy farming (approved), an animal protection law (approved), a federal law on security (rejected) and a federal law on vocational education (approved).


1978 Syracuse Orangemen football team
The 1978 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by fifth-year head coach Frank Maloney and played their home games at Archbold Stadium in Syracuse, New York. This was the last year that football was played at Archbold Stadium before it was demolished and replaced by the Carrier Dome. The Orangemen finished the season with a record of 3–8.


1978 Syrian presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Syria on 8 February 1978. There was only one candidate, Hafez al-Assad, with voters asked to approve or reject his candidacy. A reported 99.9% of voters voted in favour, with a turnout of 97%.


1978 São Paulo FC season
The 1978 season was São Paulo's 49th season since club's existence.


1978 TAA Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series
The 1978 TAA Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series was an Australian motor racing competition for Formula Ford racing cars. It was the ninth national series for Formula Fords to be held in Australia.


1978 TAA Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series
The series was won by John Wright driving a Bowin P4.


1978 TANFL season
The 1978 Tasmanian Australian National Football League (TANFL) premiership season was an Australian rules football competition staged in Hobart, Tasmania over twenty (20) roster rounds and four (4) finals series matches between 1 April and 16 September 1978. The competition's major sponsor for the 1978 season was Hitachi.


1978 TANFL season, 1978 TANFL Ladder, Round 4
(Saturday, 22 April. Sunday, 23 April & Tuesday, 25 April 1978)


1978 TANFL season, 1978 TANFL Ladder, Round 7
Note: Clarence captain-coach Eric Pascoe controversially calls for a head-count during the final quarter in order to stop Hobart's momentum.


1978 TANFL season, 1978 TANFL Ladder, Round 20
Note: Peter Hudson held goalless for the only time in his TFL career and Clarence wear their traditional Maroon and white V playing jumper for the final time.


1978 TANFL season, 1978 TANFL Ladder, Grand Final
Source: All scores and statistics courtesy of the Hobart Mercury, Saturday Evening Mercury (SEM) and North West Advocate publications.


1978 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 1978 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University (TCU) in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Horned Frogs finished the season 2–9 overall and 0–8 in the Southwest Conference. The team was coached by F. A. Dry, in his second year as head coach. The Frogs played their home games in Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on campus in Fort Worth, Texas.


1978 Tabas earthquake
The 1978 Tabas earthquake occurred on September 16 at 19:05:55 local time in central Iran. The shock measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX+ (Violent). The death toll was in the range of 15,000–25,000, with severe damage occurring in the town of Tabas.


1978 Tabas earthquake
Eighty percent of the human deaths occurred in Tabas, but a total of 85 villages were also affected. This seismic force was felt in Tehran, about 610 kilometers (380 mi) away. About 55–85 km (34–53 mi) of ground deformation was observed, with about 1.7 meters (5 ft 7 in) of maximum slip. Only one significant M5 aftershock occurred.


1978 Taiwanese presidential election
Indirect elections were held for the presidency and vice-presidency of the government of the Republic of China on Taiwan on March 21, 1978. The vote took place at the Chung-Shan Building in Yangmingshan, Taipei. Premier Chiang Ching-kuo, son of former President Chiang Kai-shek, was elected as the President with Governor of Taiwan Province Hsieh Tung-min who became the first Taiwan-born Vice President.


1978 Taiwanese presidential election
Incumbent President Yen Chia-kan who succeeded Chiang Kai-shek who died in office in the capacity of Vice President in 1975 decided not to seek for re-election to make way for Chiang King-kuo, son of Chiang Kai-shek and the then premier and chairman of the Kuomintang.


1978 Taiwanese presidential election, Electors
The election was conducted by the National Assembly in its meeting place Chung-Shan Building in Yangmingshan, Taipei. According to the Temporary Provisions against the Communist Rebellion, National Assembly delegates elected in the following elections were eligible to vote:


1978 Taiwanese presidential election, Electors
In total, there were 1,220 delegates reported to the secretariat to attend this sixth session of the first National Assembly.


1978 Talladega 500
The 1978 Talladega 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on August 6, 1978, at Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Alabama.


1978 Talladega 500, Background
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.


1978 Talladega 500, Race report
Four cautions were waved for seventeen laps; making the race last almost three hours in length, 67 lead changes the race. James Hylton finished last due to a transmission issue on the first lap of this 188-lap race. Lennie Pond became the third driver whose only career victory was at the summer Talladega race (Richard Brickhouse in 1969 and Dick Brooks in 1973). He would defeat Donnie Allison by two car lengths in front of 60,000 spectators. Yarborough lost half a lap near the end of the race, losing the leaders because he missed the pit entry and made his stop on lap 181.


1978 Talladega 500, Race report
Because he would get fired at the end of 1978, Waddell Wilson kept changing the setup on the car without telling Lennie. He would end up sleeping in his car so that Waddell wouldn't be able to change the setup on his vehicle without him knowing about it. Pond still got fired from Ranier's team in the end; making Ranier an owner/driver again because Darrell Waltrip's contract with DiGard Motorsports was too strong to be broken with negotiations.


1978 Talladega 500, Race report
There was one foreigner in the 41-car lineup: Claude Ballot-Léna from Paris, France. Cale Yarborough would earn the pole position with a speed of 192.717 miles per hour (310.148 km/h) while the average speed of the race was 174.7 miles per hour (281.2 km/h). It was a 500 mile world's record in 1978. Bill Elliott would break that record at the 1985 Winston 500 with an average of 186.288 miles per hour (299.801 km/h). Female driver Janet Guthrie was also a part of the grid; finishing in 29th place due to a crash on lap 129. Country music star and part-time NASCAR driver Marty Robbins made his only start of the season and comes home in the top-20 driving his Dodge Magnum vehicle.


1978 Talladega 500, Race report
Richard Petty would stop racing in Chrysler cars after this race. Only the 1984 Winston 500 would see more lead changes than this event.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's third  season in the National Football League the third  playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the third under head coach John McKay. As their two 1977 victories had been in the last two games of the season, they entered the 1978 season with the longest active winning streak in the NFC Central.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The Buccaneers entered the season with new offensive talent, having selected Doug Williams with the 17th overall pick of the draft. This choice was questioned by many, as there was still an element of society who claimed that a black quarterback was not mentally capable of winning in the NFL, and prejudice is believed to have been a factor in Williams having been drafted as low as seventeenth. According to Buccaneer coach John McKay, "All things being equal, Williams would have gone higher in the draft". Second-year tight end Jimmie Giles, part of the trade that landed Williams, emerged as the Buccaneers’ first receiving threat and still holds several of their scoring records.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Offseason
Offseason coaching changes led to continued accusations of disorganization, as vice-president of operations Ron Wolf resigned, citing only "personal matters". This renewed speculation that head coach John McKay, who replaced Wolf with two of his own longtime assistants, was trying to consolidate front-office power. The coaching staff was reshuffled, with Tom Bass being named defensive coordinator, and offensive coordinator Joe Gibbs hired away from the St. Louis Cardinals. Offensive line coach Jerry Frei left to take the same position with the Chicago Bears.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Offseason
Tight end Bob Moore was traded, along with a 1979 first-round draft pick, for three-time All-Pro Bears defensive end Wally Chambers. The Buccaneers were widely considered to have given up too much in the trade, as Chambers was coming off of major knee surgery and was considered by many to be "damaged merchandise", and the Buccaneers were left with minimal experience at tight end. The trade was also criticized on the grounds that the Buccaneers did not require Chambers to undergo a team physical, despite his injury history. Council Rudolph, the only player who had started in all 28 of the Buccaneers’ games to date, was made expendable by the trade and was dealt to the Miami Dolphins for a draft pick.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Offseason
Preseason speculation ran high about what would happen with the Buccaneers’ first overall choice in the draft, with Houston Oilers’ coach Bum Phillips reportedly stating that the Oilers would better any other team's offer to the Buccaneers. Unlike the previous year, when it was made clear early on that Ricky Bell was to be their choice, the Buccaneers kept quiet about who they might draft, further fueling speculation about a trade. The New York Jets were said to have offered their fourth-overall draft pick, plus any player on their roster other than Richard Todd.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Offseason
Tight end was considered to be the Buccaneers’ single greatest need, with Ken MacAfee of Notre Dame often mentioned as a likely draft target. According to Don Shula, "With John McKay's type of offense, an outstanding tight end is absolutely essential. It cannot go without one". This happened to be one of the positions hit hardest by injury in 1977. With most of their mid-round draft picks traded away, the Buccaneers were looking for a trade that would bring them several draft picks.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Offseason
With no teams willing to give up a starting quarterback as part of a deal, the Buccaneers eventually traded the pick to the Oilers, for tight end Jimmie Giles and the Oilers’ first- and second-round picks in 1978, and their third- and fifth-round picks in 1979. Needing a fullback, the Buccaneers shortly afterward traded Anthony Davis to the Oilers for Don Hardeman.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Offseason, NFL Draft, Draft trades
The Buccaneers' first overall selection in the 1978 draft was traded to the Houston Oilers in exchange for four draft picks and tight end Jimmie Giles. The Oilers used the pick to select running back Earl Campbell. The Buccaneers’ 3rd-, 4th-, and 6th round picks were traded to the Oakland Raiders for guard Dan Medlin, tackle Jeff Winans, and linebacker Rik Bonness, respectively. Their 5th-round pick was traded to the Miami Dolphins for cornerback Jeris White. The Buccaneers received a 6th-round pick from the Los Angeles Rams for center Dan Ryczek. Their 7th-round pick was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in return for kicker Allan Leavitt. Their 11th-round pick, along with a second 10th-rounder obtained from the Raiders, were traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in return for defensive tackle Ernie Holmes.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Offseason, NFL Draft, Draft selections
The Buccaneers had a reduced number of selections in what was considered to have been the weakest draft in a long time. Doug Williams was considered to be the closest thing to a can't-miss quarterback prospect available in the draft. Representatives of several other teams, including Green Bay Packers coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr, called the Buccaneers to congratulate them on his selection. John McKay, in charge of the draft for the first time, stated that with no outstanding quarterbacks expected to be in the following year's draft, the team had to have Williams.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Offseason, NFL Draft, Draft selections
Johnny Davis was a surprise selection, as running back was considered to be one of the team's deepest positions, but Davis was drafted for his blocking ability. McKay pointed out that many of the previous year's quarterback sacks had been the result not of offensive line breakdowns, but of failure of running backs to pick up blitzes. Brett Moritz played half of the 1977 season at Nebraska, after transferring from West Point. He was projected as a backup center.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Offseason, NFL Draft, Draft selections
McKay traded a 10th- and an 11th-round pick, players who would not be expected to make the team anyway, to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Ernie Holmes, at one time an important part of the Steelers’ championship defenses. Holmes, who was once involved in a shotgun standoff with police after an incidence of acute paranoid psychosis, was traded for on the understanding that his personal problems were behind him. Steelers coach Chuck Noll called the trade "a gift". The Buccaneers once again passed on offensive linemen, saying that the existing players would improve with more time together, and that the best linemen were all drafted early. The Buccaneers later traded a future draft choice to the Detroit Lions for veteran tackle Rockne Freitas.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Preseason
Doug Williams’ first preseason pass, a 75-yard incompletion that sailed 10 yards past receiver Isaac Hagins, drew a standing ovation from the Tampa Stadium crowd. He was the first quarterback in Buccaneer history capable of throwing long passes downfield. Miami Dolphins nose tackle Randy Crowder, freshly released from federal prison, was signed as a free agent. Ernie Holmes, who was having trouble adjusting to the Buccaneers’ 3–4 defense, was waived to make room for him. A 1979 3rd-round draft pick was sent to the Dolphins as NFL-ordered compensation.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Preseason
Johnny Davis and Jimmy DuBose performed so well in the preseason that newly acquired fullback Don Hardeman was sent to the Baltimore Colts for a future draft pick. Wins in their first three preseason games, combined with the two wins at the end of the previous season, gave the Buccaneers the longest active NFL win streak going into the final preseason game. That game, a loss to the Dolphins, was the first Buccaneer game to sell out.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Regular season
The Buccaneers opened the season, like the other 1976 expansion team the Seattle Seahawks, 200-to-1 longshots to win the Super Bowl; McKay thought that a 9-7 record would be a reasonable goal for the season. The team's regular-season opener against the New York Giants marked the first time that Las Vegas oddsmakers favored the Buccaneers to win, with Jimmy the Greek naming them as 1-point favorites. A pair of mistake-prone early losses left McKay threatening to release players who cause game-losing errors, a change from the earlier attitude of tolerating mistakes from players who were regarded as having potential.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Regular season
With the defense among the best in the league and the offense sparking behind Doug Williams’ leadership, the Buccaneers began to be respected as a competitive NFL team. Coach McKay's respect for Williams was such that he spoke of eventually letting Williams call his own plays in the huddle. McKay's insistence on calling plays from the sideline had been a source of much conflict between McKay and Steve Spurrier during the 1976 season. Williams led the Buccaneers to a 4–4 start before suffering an injury that required his jaw to be wired shut.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Regular season
Even before Williams’ injury, the Buccaneers again found themselves with an injured reserve list in double digits. At midseason, the Buccaneers had 11 players on injured reserve, not counting waived quarterback Mike Boryla. McKay felt that, with a healthy offense, the team would have finished with at least a 10–6 record. Despite a defense that ranked fourth overall in the NFL, the Buccaneers were only able to win one of their remaining eight games behind backup quarterback Mike Rae. McKay summed up the season with the word "frustration".


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Regular season
The 9–7 record that he predicted the team would finish with would have been enough to win the NFC Central. Nose tackle Dave Pear became the first Buccaneer selected to the Pro Bowl, finishing third in voting among defensive tackles behind Randy White and Larry Brooks. Linebacker Richard Wood's 168 tackles stood for 14 years as a team record.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs New York Giants
The New York Giants scored ten points off of Buccaneer interceptions en route to an upset victory. The Buccaneers rushed for 165 yards, but were held to field goals on drives deep in Giants territory. Doug Williams suffered a badly bruised shoulder when tackled by Gary Jeter in the first quarter, and was replaced by Gary Huff. Terry Jackson returned Williams’ early interception, called by John McKay a "terrible blunder", for a touchdown. Williams completed only one of six passes before leaving with the injury. The Buccaneers took the lead on a 2-yard Jimmy DuBose touchdown and a Neil O'Donoghue field goal, but Joe Pisarcik's 67-yard pass to Johnny Perkins gave the Giants the lead for good.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Game summaries, Week 2: vs Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions held the Buccaneers to 101 yards of total offense, 56 yards of which came on a first-quarter Ricky Bell run. Bell scored the Buccaneers’ only touchdown on a 1-yard plunge. The Buccaneers were hurt by penalties and turnovers, fumbling four times in the first quarter alone. A Lions drive late in the first half was extended twice by Buc penalties, the first when Curtis Jordan ran into punter Tom Skladany, and the second when Dave Pear's late hit on Lions quarterback Greg Landry knocked Landry out of the game.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Game summaries, Week 2: vs Detroit Lions
This penalty nullified a Mike Washington interception, and resulted in one of Benny Ricardo's three field goals. Buc passers were sacked seven times. Mike Boryla started the game for the Buccaneers, but was replaced by Gary Huff. Coming off of the previous season's knee injury, Boryla declared his recovering knee too sore to play on, and went back on injured reserve after the game.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Game summaries, Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings
The Buccaneers took advantage of Minnesota Vikings mistakes to get an upset and their first win of the season. The Buccaneers scored on a 5-yard pass from Doug Williams to Morris Owens, after a live ball that had hit a Viking on a punt return was recovered by Billy Cesare on the Vikings’ 5-yard line. Vikings coach Bud Grant later claimed that returner Kevin Miller never touched the ball, and blamed the loss on the officials.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Game summaries, Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings
Fran Tarkenton completed 23 of 31 passes for 180 yards, but threw two interceptions and was replaced by Tommy Kramer in the final two minutes. Kramer promptly threw an interception to Cecil Johnson. Tarkenton also hit Ahmad Rashād for a 4-yard touchdown to finish a 63-yard first-quarter drive. Later, Jeris White's interception of a Tarkenton pass would lead to a 2-yard Ricky Bell touchdown run.


1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Game summaries, Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings
The Buccaneers’ defense, still steamed over Tarkenton's comments two years earlier that the Buccaneers would be his preferred AFC opponent in the Super Bowl, held the Vikings to 73 yards rushing and sacked Tarkenton four times. They also came through big by holding the Vikings to a field goal, following a bizarre play in which the Vikings recovered a live ball on a failed field goal attempt and returned it for 80 yards. Grant called the game a defensive contest, saying that there were no good offensive plays in the entire match. John McKay said that "when we shut off their running game, we knew we were in the game and could get 'em", and that the Buccaneers should have a 3–0 record. The game left the two teams tied with 1–2 records.