1979–80 Mexican Primera División season, Playoff, Semifinal, Group B
Round 5Cruz Azul 1 - 0 NezaTampico Madero 1 - 1 Atlante


1979–80 Mexican Primera División season, Playoff, Semifinal, Group B
Round 6Tampico Madero 1 - 2 NezaAtlante 3 - 1 Cruz Azul


1979–80 Mexican Segunda División season
The 1979–80 Segunda División was the 31st season of the Mexican Segunda División. The season started on 14 July 1979 and concluded on 22 June 1980. It was won by Atletas Campesinos.


1979–80 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
The 1979–80 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at Jenison Field House in East Lansing, Michigan and were members of the Big Ten Conference. They were coached by Jud Heathcote in his fourth year at Michigan State. The Spartans finished the season 12–15, 6–12 in Big Ten play to finish in ninth place in conference.


1979–80 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Previous season
The Spartans finished the 1978–79 season 26–6, 13–5 in Big Ten play to win the Big Ten and ranked No. 3 in the country. The Spartans received a No. 2 seed in the Mideast of the NCAA Tournament. MSU defeated Lamar, Louisiana State, and Notre Dame to advance to the Final Four. In the Final Four, they defeated Penn by 34 points to face overall No. 1 Indiana State. The Spartans won the National Championship as Magic Johnson led MSU over Larry Bird and the Sycamores.


1979–80 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 1979–80 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference. Under the direction of head coach Johnny Orr who was in his final year as coach, the team finished tied for sixth in the Big Ten Conference. The team earned an invitation to the 1980 National Invitation Tournament.


1979–80 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The team was unranked the entire season in the Associated Press Top Twenty Poll, and it also ended the season unranked in the final UPI Coaches' Poll. The team defeated two of the six ranked teams it faced (#2 Ohio State 75–74 at home on January 19, 1980, and #15 Purdue at home 75–64 on February 21). Marty Bodnar earned third team Academic All-American honors. Bodnar and Mark Lozier served as team captains, while Mike McGee earned team MVP honors.


1979–80 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
John Garris set the School record for career blocked shot average with 1.09, which lasted until 1986 when Roy Tarpley ended his career with a 2.06 average. On January 26, 1980, McGee became the first Wolverine to play more than 50 minutes in a single game when he was on the floor for 54 minutes against the Northwestern Wildcats, surpassing Phil Hubbard's 1976 50-minute effort. Mark Bodnar became the first Michigan Wolverines player on record to total 13 assists in a game on December 13, 1980, against the Dayton Flyers. No Wolverine would surpass 13 assists in a game until Gary Grant did so on December 7, 1987. Thad Garner averaged of 36.3 minutes per game, which was a school record, beating Mike McGee who averaged 36.2. He would break his own record two years later.


1979–80 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
In the 32-team National Invitation Tournament, Michigan advanced to the elite eight round by defeating Nebraska Cornhuskers 76–69 and  UTEP Miners 75–65 before losing to Virginia Cavaliers 79–68.


1979–80 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Team players drafted into the NBA
Five players from this team were selected in the NBA Draft.


1979–80 Midland Football Combination
The 1979–80 Midland Football Combination season was the 43rd in the history of Midland Football Combination, a football competition in England.


1979–80 Midland Football Combination, Division One
Division One featured 17 clubs which competed in the division last season along with three new clubs:


1979–80 Midland Football League
The 1979–80 Midland Football League was the 80th in the history of the Midland Football League, a football competition in England.


1979–80 Midland Football League, Premier Division
The Premier Division featured 18 clubs which competed in the previous season, no new clubs joined the division this season.


1979–80 Midland Football League, Division One
Division One featured 12 clubs which competed in the previous season, along with four new clubs:


1979–80 Milwaukee Bucks season
The 1979–80 NBA season was the Bucks' 12th season in the NBA. With 49 wins and 33 losses they won their division and ranked fourth in the Western Conference. In the 1979 NBA Draft, the Bucks drafted guard Sidney Moncrief out of the University of Arkansas. During the season, the Bucks acquired center Bob Lanier from the Detroit Pistons. After a first-round-bye the Bucks faced the defending champions, the Seattle SuperSonics, which were led by Gus Williams and Dennis Johnson. Despite being able to steal two games on the road, the Bucks lost the series in seven games. The 1979-80 season would be the Bucks last season as a Western Conference team as they switched to the Eastern Conference along with the Chicago Bulls.


1979–80 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team
The 1979–80 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represented the University of Minnesota as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Jim Dutcher, the Gophers finished fourth in the Big Ten conference with a record of 10–8, reached the championship game of the 1980 NIT, and finished with an overall record of 21–11.


1979–80 Minnesota North Stars season
The 1979–80 Minnesota North Stars season was the 13th season in North Stars history. The previous year's merger with the Cleveland Barons began to pay off as the North Stars finished with a winning record for the first time in seven years, and finished in third place in the Adams Division with 88 points. Former Baron Al MacAdam led the team in scoring with 93 points and captured the Bill Masterton Trophy. In the playoffs, the North Stars swept the Toronto Maple Leafs in three games in the preliminary round. In the quarterfinals, they shocked the hockey world by eliminating the 4-time Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens in seven games. The upset earned the North Stars a trip to the semi-finals, where their cinderella run came to an end when they fell in five games to the Philadelphia Flyers.


1979–80 Minnesota North Stars season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals againstNote: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1979–80 Minnesota North Stars season, Player statistics, Skaters
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes


1979–80 Minnesota North Stars season, Player statistics, Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average


1979–80 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team
The 1979–80 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Missouri during the 1979–80 NCAA men's basketball season.


1979–80 Montenegrin Republic League
The 1979–80 Montenegrin Republic League was 35th season of Montenegrin Republic League. Season started in August 1979 and finished in May 1980.


1979–80 Montenegrin Republic League, Season
In Montenegrin Republic League 1979-80 participated 14 teams. Among the clubs which didn't play on previous season were Jedinstvo (relegated from Yugoslav Second League) and three best teams from lower tier - Metalac, Ibar and Mornar. The title won Lovćen, with seven points more than Tekstilac


1979–80 Montenegrin Republic League, Higher leagues
On season 1979–80, three Montenegrin teams played in higher leagues of SFR Yugoslavia. Budućnost participated in 1979–80 Yugoslav First League, while two other teams (Sutjeska and OFK Titograd) played in 1979–80 Yugoslav Second League.


1979–80 Montreal Canadiens season
The 1979–80 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 71st season. The Canadiens ended the season with a twenty-game unbeaten streak at the Montreal Forum. By season's end, the franchise was third overall in NHL standings. The season involved being eliminated in the NHL Quarter-finals vs the Minnesota North Stars 4 games to 3.


1979–80 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season
Despite a record of fifteen wins, nine losses and six ties, Geoffrion stepped down as head coach.


1979–80 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against


1979–80 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1979–80 Montreal Canadiens season, Playoffs
The Canadiens swept the Hartford Whalers in the preliminary round 3–0 in games. The Canadiens then faced the Minnesota North Stars in the quarter-final and lost a seven-game series four games to three.


1979–80 Moroccan Throne Cup
The 1979–80 season of the Moroccan Throne Cup was the 24th edition of the competition.


1979–80 Moroccan Throne Cup
Maghreb de Fès won the cup, beating Union de Sidi Kacem 1–0 in the final, played at the stade Roches Noires in Casablanca. Maghreb de Fès won the title for the first time in their history.


1979–80 Moroccan Throne Cup, Tournament, Final
The final took place between the two winning semi-finalists, Maghreb de Fès and Union de Sidi Kacem, on 18 July 1980 at the Stade Roches Noires in Casablanca.


1979–80 NASL Indoor season
The 1979–80 season was the North American Soccer League's first ever full indoor soccer season with playoffs. It began in November 1979, and the championship occurred in March 1980.


1979–80 NASL Indoor season, Overview
Only 10 of the 24 NASL member-teams chose to field a squad for the 12 game regular season and 6 team, 3 round playoffs. The league decided to make several rule modifications from the NASL indoor tournaments and indoor friendlies of previous years. The most obvious change was the goal. No longer 4 by 16 feet (h x w), the goals now measured a more proportionate 6.5 by 12, with a board or plexiglass panel above the cross bar instead of netting.


1979–80 NASL Indoor season, Overview
Rather than being divided into three 20-minute periods (like hockey) as was done previously, or the more recent three 15-minute periods, the game now featured four 15-minute quarters with an extended halftime (similar to American football) and short breaks and the end of the first and third quarters. These modifications were consistent with the rules of the competing Major Indoor Soccer League, which had begun operation in December 1978. Other changes included an extra referee at the bench to keep track of time penalties.


1979–80 NASL Indoor season, Overview
Like most American sports, the clock would count down to 00:00 rather than up to "full time" as was done in association football. As before, (like ice hockey) there would be free substitutions, but players now had to touch the wall by their bench before a substitute player could come onto the playing floor. The floor dimensions remained, more or less 200 by 85 feet. Golden goal/sudden death overtime was used to settle games tied at the end of regulation. In the playoffs, 15-minute mini-games were used to decide series that were tied at one victory apiece. Indeed, two playoff series, including the Championship Final between Tampa Bay and Memphis, would need to be settled by means of a mini-game.


1979–80 NASL Indoor season, Regular season
W = Wins, L = Losses, GB = Games Behind 1st Place, % = Winning Percentage, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Avg Att = Average Home Attendance


1979–80 NASL Indoor season, Regular season statistics, Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals (worth 2 points), A = Assists (worth 1 point), Pts = Points


1979–80 NASL Indoor season, Regular season statistics, Leading goalkeepers
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes Played; Svs = Saves; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins


1979–80 NASL Indoor season, Playoffs, Division Finals
If a playoff series is tied after two games, a 15 minute, tie breaker mini-game is played.


1979–80 NASL Indoor season, Playoffs, Championship Finals
*Memphis Rogues hosted Game 1 (instead of Game 2 and Mini-game) due to scheduling conflicts at the Mid-South Coliseum.


1979–80 NBA season
The 1979–80 NBA season was the 34th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals, and is notable for being the year in which the three-point field goal was adopted.


1979–80 NBA season, Playoffs
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.


1979–80 NBA season, NBA awards
Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on


1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
The 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings was made up of two human polls, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various other preseason polls.


1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings, AP Poll
The final writers' poll was released on Tuesday, March 4.


1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings, UPI Poll
The final coaches' poll was released on Tuesday, March 4.


1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 17, 1979, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1980 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 24, 1980, at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. The Louisville Cardinals won their first NCAA national championship with a 59–54 victory over the UCLA Bruins.


1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Season outlook, Pre-season polls
The top 20 from the AP Poll and UPI Coaches Poll during the pre-season.


1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Regular season, Conference winners and tournaments
Note: From 1975 to 1982, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), a loosely organized sports federation of Northeastern colleges and universities, organized Division I ECAC regional tournaments for those of its members that were independents in basketball. Each 1980 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1980 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did. The ECAC North was a separate, conventional conference.


1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Coaching changes
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after the season ended.


1979–80 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season
The 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began in October 1979 and concluded with the 1980 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on March 29, 1980 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. This was the 33rd season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 85th year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team.


1979–80 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the season.


1979–80 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Scoring leaders
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes


1979–80 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the end of the regular season while playing at least 33% of their team's total minutes.


1979–80 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Leading goaltenders
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average


1979–80 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season
The 1979–80 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season began in November 1979 and concluded on March 15 of the following year. This was the 16th season of second-tier college ice hockey.


1979–80 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season
The 1979–80 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season began in November 1979 and concluded on March of the following year. This was the 7th season of Division III college ice hockey.


1979–80 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 1979 season began on December 23, 1979. The postseason tournament concluded with the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV, 31–19, on January 20, 1980, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Participants
Within each conference, the three division winners and the two wild card teams (the top two non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The three division winners were seeded 1 through 3 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams were seeded 4 and 5. The NFL did not use a fixed bracket playoff system. In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the fourth seed wild card hosted the fifth seed. All three division winners from each conference then received a bye in the first round.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Participants
The second round, the divisional playoffs, had a restriction where two teams from the same division cannot meet: the surviving wild card team visited the division champion outside its own division that had the higher seed, and the remaining two teams from that conference played each other. The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl, the fourth and final round of the playoffs, was played at a neutral site, the designated home team was based on an annual rotation by conference.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Schedule
In the United States, NBC broadcast the AFC playoff games, while CBS televised the NFC games and Super Bowl XIV.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1979, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Chicago Bears 17
In the first NFL postseason game played in Philadelphia since the 1960 NFL Championship Game, Eagles Quarterback Ron Jaworski threw for 204 yards and 3 touchdown passes as Philadelphia overcame a 17–10 Bears halftime lead. The Eagles scored first when Jaworski threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Harold Carmichael. Chicago responded with an 82-yard drive to score on running back Walter Payton's 2-yard rushing touchdown. Then after Philadelphia added a field goal from Tony Franklin, Payton scored again on a 1-yard touchdown run. Later in the second quarter, Bears lineman Alan Page recovered a fumble from Jaworski on the Eagles 16-yard line, leading to Bob Thomas' 30-yard field goal that gave Chicago a 17-10 halftime lead.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1979, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Chicago Bears 17
In the third quarter, Payton ripped off an 84-yard run on his first carry, but it was called back by an illegal motion penalty against receiver Brian Baschnagel. Following a punt, The Eagles tied the game on Jaworski's 29-yard touchdown pass to Carmichael. Chicago responded with a drive to the Philadelphia 9-yard line, but defensive back Bob Howard ended the scoring threat by intercepting Mike Phipps in the end zone. A few plays later, Jaworski threw a 63-yard touchdown to running back Billy Campfield to take the lead for good.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1979, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Chicago Bears 17
Over 12 minutes remained in the game at this point, but the Bears would only manage one first down during this time. With 7:31 left, Philly defensive tackle Jerry Robinson recovered a fumble from Bears receiver Dave Williams that set up Franklin's 34-yard field goal. Chicago got one last change to score when linebacker Gary Campbell recovered a fumble from Eagles running back Wilbert Montgomery on the Philadelphia 28. But their ensuing drive ended with another turnover, this time an interception by defensive back Herm Edwards.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1979, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Chicago Bears 17
Carmichael finished the game with 6 receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1979, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Chicago Bears 17
This was the first postseason meeting between the Bears and Eagles.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1979, AFC: Houston Oilers 13, Denver Broncos 7
The Oilers managed to shut down the Broncos offense for most of the game en route to a 13–7 win, holding the Broncos to 216 yards and recording six sacks.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1979, AFC: Houston Oilers 13, Denver Broncos 7
After Toni Fritsch kicked a 31-yard field goal on Houston's first drive, Denver marched 80 yards in 13 plays to score on quarterback Craig Morton's 7-yard touchdown pass to running back Dave Preston. From that point on, the Oilers controlled the rest of the game. With less than 3 minutes left in the first half, Houston advanced 74 yards to score on running back Earl Campbell's 3-yard touchdown run. Although Campbell and starting quarterback Dan Pastorini both missed the second half with injuries, the Oilers defense continued to dominate. In the fourth quarter, a 15-yard interception return by linebacker Gregg Bingham set up Fritsch's 20-yard field goal with 4:18 left in regulation.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1979, AFC: Houston Oilers 13, Denver Broncos 7
This was the first postseason meeting between the Broncos and Oilers.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 29, 1979, NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, Philadelphia Eagles 17
The Buccaneers won their first playoff game in team history by jumping to a 17–0 lead and holding the Eagles to 48 rushing yards, while running back Ricky Bell recorded 142 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. This would have been an incredible accomplishment by itself, but it was made historic by the fact that the Bucs had gone 0-26 in their first two seasons just two years ago.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 29, 1979, NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, Philadelphia Eagles 17
Tampa Bay marched on an 18-play, 80-yard opening drive that took 9:25 off the clock to score on Bell's 4-yard touchdown run. Philadelphia responded with a drive into scoring range, but their drive ended ugly. First they attempted a fake 47-yard field goal, but they failed to snap the ball before the play clock ran out. Then Tony Franklin's 52-yard field goal was no good. Tampa Bay took the ball back and drove to a 10–0 lead on Neil O'Donohue's 40-yard field goal.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 29, 1979, NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, Philadelphia Eagles 17
Then on the Eagles next drive, running back Wilbert Montgomery lost a fumble that nose tackle Randy Crowder recovered on the Philadelphia 5-yard line. Three plays later, Bell scored on a 1-yard fourth down run, increasing the Bucs lead to 17–0 with 5:12 left in the half. Later on, Eagles linebacker Jerry Robinson intercepted a pass from Doug Williams and returned it 37 yards to set up Ron Jaworski's 11-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Smith, making the score 17–7 by halftime.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 29, 1979, NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, Philadelphia Eagles 17
Philadelphia took the second half kickoff and drove 45 yards to score on Franklin's 42-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 17–10. This would be the last score until 7:08 remained in the game, when Williams threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jimmie Giles. Now down 24–10, Philadelphia made a desperate comeback attempt. First they drove 80 yards in 9 plays and scored on Jaworski's 37-yard bomb to Harold Carmichael. Their defense then forced a punt with 2:11 left in the game, giving them one last chance for a tying touchdown. Jaworski's completions to Carmichael and Smith for gains of 16 and 25 yards moved the ball to the Bucs 45-yard line. But his next four passes were incomplete, enabling Tampa Bay to take over and run out the clock.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 29, 1979, NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, Philadelphia Eagles 17
This was the first postseason meeting between the Eagles and Buccaneers.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 29, 1979, AFC: Houston Oilers 17, San Diego Chargers 14
The Oilers offense, playing without starting quarterback Dan Pastorini, receiver Ken Burrough, and running back Earl Campbell due to injuries, could only generate 259 yards compared to San Diego's 385. But they still won the game, largely due to the effort of rookie safety Vernon Perry, who set a playoff record with 4 interceptions as the Oilers defeated the Chargers 17–14. In his first career playoff game, Chargers future hall of fame quarterback Dan Fouts threw for 333 yards, but was intercepted 5 times. The Chargers' high powered offense scored on their first possession of the game and of the second half but turnovers prevented further scoring.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 29, 1979, AFC: Houston Oilers 17, San Diego Chargers 14
San Diego took the opening kickoff and started out strong, moving the ball 81 yards in 11 plays. Fouts completed a 34-yard pass to tight end Greg McCrary and a 17-yarder to John Jefferson before Clarence Williams' 1-yard rushing touchdown finished the drive. The Chargers threatened to score again on their next drive, but Perry intercepted a pass at the Houston 18-yard line.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 29, 1979, AFC: Houston Oilers 17, San Diego Chargers 14
In the second quarter, Perry blocked a field goal attempt and returned the ball 57 yards to the San Diego 28-yard line, setting up Toni Fritsch's 26-yard field goal. On San Diego's next drive, Perry recorded another interception and lateralled the ball to safety Mike Reinfeldt, who gained 7 yards to the Chargers 38. Three plays later, Oilers quarterback Gifford Nielsen rushed 14 yards to the Chargers 4-yard line.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 29, 1979, AFC: Houston Oilers 17, San Diego Chargers 14
San Diego's defense managed to keep them out of the end zone for three plays, but on Fritch's field goal attempt, they were penalized for having 12 men on the field, moving the ball just inches away from the goal line. On fourth and inches with 19 seconds left in the half, Houston coach Bum Phillips decided to gamble and go for the touchdown, a gamble that paid off when Boobie Clark scored on a sweep left to give the Oilers a 10–7 first half lead.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 29, 1979, AFC: Houston Oilers 17, San Diego Chargers 14
In the third period, Fouts connected with Charlie Joiner for 20 yards and hit tight end Bob Klein for 16, with a roughing the passer penalty turning it into a 31-yard gain. Lydell Mitchell finished the 65-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run to give the Chargers a 14–10 lead. However, Houston defensive back J.C. Wilson's interception later gave Houston the ball at the San Diego 44-yard line. Faced with 3rd and 13 two plays later, Nielsen threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to receiver Mike Renfro, putting the Oilers back in front at 17–14. There were still more than 17 minutes left in regulation, but this would be the final score. Perry recorded two more interceptions as the Oilers defense shut down the Chargers offense for the rest of the game.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 29, 1979, AFC: Houston Oilers 17, San Diego Chargers 14
After the game, it was revealed that the Oilers coaching staff was able to figure out the Chargers' coaches' signs as they signaled the play call from the sideline; this was one reason their defensive backs seemed to always be in the right place at the right time. "We pretty much knew ahead of time when they were going to pass, and where they were going to pass it." said Oilers defensive coordinator Ed Biles. It was a monumental upset against the heavily favored Chargers, who had scored at least 26 points in 10 games during the season and had defeated both eventual Super Bowl teams, the Rams and Steelers, by a combined scoring margin of 75-23.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 29, 1979, AFC: Houston Oilers 17, San Diego Chargers 14
It was the first AFC playoff game that was a rematch of an earlier AFL championship game.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 29, 1979, AFC: Houston Oilers 17, San Diego Chargers 14
This was the third postseason meeting between the Oilers and Chargers. Houston won both meetings when both teams were in the AFL.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 34, Miami Dolphins 14
The Steelers scored 20 points in the first quarter and held the Dolphins to 25 rushing yards. Miami future hall of fame running back Larry Csonka was held to just 20 rushing yards on 10 carries in the final game of his career, while Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw for 230 yards and 2 touchdowns.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 34, Miami Dolphins 14
On the opening drive of the game, Pittsburgh marched 62 yards in 13 plays to score on running back Sidney Thornton's 1-yard touchdown run. On their second possession, the Steelers advanced another 62 yards in 9 plays, 36 of them on carries by Thornton, to score on wide receiver John Stallworth's 17-yard touchdown reception (although the extra point was blocked). And on their third drive, they moved the ball 56 yards to score on wide receiver Lynn Swann's 20-yard touchdown reception.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 34, Miami Dolphins 14
In the second quarter, the Dolphins moved the ball 63 yards to the Pittsburgh 6-yard line, but then lost it when a safety blitz by J. T. Thomas forced quarterback Bob Griese to throw a rushed pass that was intercepted by linebacker Dennis Winston. Miami soon got another chance to score when Larry Gordon recovered Thornton's fumble on the Steelers 5, but all this resulted in was a turnover on downs.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 34, Miami Dolphins 14
Faced with 4th and 2, Griese tried to connect with tight end Bruce Hardy in the end zone, but Hardy collided with receiver Nat Moore and the pass fell incomplete. The Steelers had a chance to increase their lead even more right before halftime when they tackled Dolphins punter George Roberts on the Miami 21 before he could make a kick. But Matt Bahr's 30-yard field goal was eliminated by a Pittsburgh holding penalty, which ran off the final seconds of the half.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 34, Miami Dolphins 14
In the second half, Pittsburgh primarily relied on their rushing game to protect their lead. Despite Miami having the second highest ranked run defense during the season, and an injury that sidelined Thornton in the second half, the Steelers ended up running the ball 40 times during the game, with Franco Harris gaining 83 yards on 21 carries. Miami finally scored in the third quarter after defensive back Don Bessillieu recovered a punt that bounced into the leg of Pittsburgh blocker Dwayne Woodruff on the Steelers 11-yard line, leading to Griese's 7-yard touchdown pass to Duriel Harris. However, the Steelers responded by advancing 69 yards to score on running back Rocky Bleier's 1-yard touchdown. Harris' 5-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 34, Miami Dolphins 14
This was the final NFL game for Csonka, as well as the final playoff game for Griese, who completed just 14 of 26 passes for 118 yards and was sacked 8 times before being replaced by Don Strock with 8:55 left in the fourth quarter. Strock actually ended up with more passing yards, going 8/14 for 125 yards and leading the team 76 yards to their final score on a 1-yard Csonka run.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 34, Miami Dolphins 14
This was the second postseason meeting between the Dolphins and Steelers. Miami won the only prior meeting.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Dallas Cowboys 19
The Cowboys had handled the Rams in the last two meetings between the teams, soundly defeating an injured Los Angeles team during the regular season 30–6 after shutting them out in last season's NFC title game 28–0. Dallas came into this game after an impressive win against the Washington Redskins in the last game of the regular season in which quarterback Roger Staubach, already famous for his fourth quarter comebacks, added one more to his resume by rallying the Cowboys back from a 34–21 fourth quarter deficit to a 35–34 win. But this day belonged to the Rams as quarterback Vince Ferragamo led them to a victory by throwing for three touchdown passes, the last one with 2:06 left in the game.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Dallas Cowboys 19
The game started out as a defensive struggle with Dallas punting on their first three drives and Los Angeles punting on their first two. On the Rams third possession, they started out on their own 12-yard line and a penalty pushed them back 5 yards to the 7. On second, Ferragamo dropped back into the end zone, scrambled forward, then tripped and fell over his own feet still in the end zone, where Randy White fell on him for a safety, giving Dallas a 2–0 lead.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Dallas Cowboys 19
The Cowboys started their next drive with great field position on their own 46-yard line after the free kick, but two plays later, quarterback Staubach's pass was intercepted by defensive back Eddie Brown and returned 21 yards to the Dallas 32. The Rams also proved unable to take advantage of good field position, as their ensuing drive ended with a missed 44-yard field goal attempt by Frank Corral.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Dallas Cowboys 19
The second quarter began with more punting from both teams, but eventually the Rams offense managed to get on track, driving 93 yards to score on Ferragamo's 32-yard touchdown pass to running back Wendell Tyler, making the score 7–2. Dallas struck back with Staubach completing a 17-yard pass to Drew Pearson and a 16-yarder to tight end Billy Joe Dupree, moving the ball close enough for Rafael Septien to kick a 33-yard field goal and cut the score to 7–5. As time was running out in the half, Ferragamo managed to get the Rams to the Cowboys 43-yard line. Just 11 seconds before halftime he fired a pass to Ron Smith in the end zone just before being leveled by White. Smith made a leaping catch between two defenders for a touchdown, giving the Rams a 14–5 lead going into halftime.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Dallas Cowboys 19
Cowboys DB Dennis Thurman gave his team an early second half scoring opportunity, intercepting Ferragamo on the Rams opening drive and returning the ball 18 yards to the Los Angeles 32-yard line. But their offense could not move the ball and ended up with a punt. Once again the "Doomsday Defense" kept the Rams in check, and after a Los Angeles punt, Dallas took the ball back on their own 46. On the next play, Staubach threw to Pearson for a 29-yard gain. Then from the Los Angeles 25, they tried a halfback option play.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Dallas Cowboys 19
It seemed to work at first, with running back Ron Springs throwing a touchdown pass to Tony Hill, but officials ruled he didn't have both feet in bounds before stepping out of the back of the end zone. Then Staubach missed on a pass to Tony Dorsett in the end zone. However, the Rams were flagged for pass interference, moving the ball to the 1-yard line, and Springs ran the ball in for a score on the next play, cutting the score to 14–12. Dallas' situation got even better from there as safety Cliff Harris intercepted a pass from Ferragamo and returned it 22 yards to his 43-yard line.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Dallas Cowboys 19
After the turnover, Dallas scored on Staubach's 2-yard touchdown toss to tight end Jay Saldi, giving the team a 19–14 lead with 12:46 left in regulation. Both teams had some success moving on the ball on the next few drives, but failed to score on each one. The Rams responded with a drive to the Cowboys 32-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs while trying to convert a 4th and 8. On Dallas' first play after that, Tony Dorsett ran the ball 26 yards to the Rams 42. But Dallas could go no further and ended up punting. Then Ferragamo connected with Billy Waddy for a 36-yard completion on the Cowboys 44, only to have a holding penalty two plays later push them back into their own territory and end punting again.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Dallas Cowboys 19
Dallas took the ball back on their own 21 with 2:45 left, needing only to run out the clock to win the game. On first down, Robert Newhouse was dropped for a 1-yard loss. Then they tried a screen pass to Hill, but only gained 1-yard. On a third down pass play, Staubach tried to scramble, but was stuffed for no gain and a punt followed. The Rams had used all their timeouts on the possession, but got the ball back at midfield with 2:16 left in the game. On their first play, Ferragamo threw a pass over the middle to Waddy, who caught the ball at the 28 and took off to the end zone to give the Rams a 21–19 lead.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Dallas Cowboys 19
Although Dorsett rushed for 12 yards on the first play of the Cowboys' ensuing possession, Staubach was unable to engineer a late fourth-quarter comeback like the ones that made him famous throughout his career. After two incompletions, the Rams defense pressured the Dallas quarterback to throw a pass illegally to an ineligible receiver, guard Herbert Scott, on third down, the last pass of his career to be caught. On fourth down, he overthrew Drew Pearson. The Rams got the ball back on the Cowboys 33 with 1:07 left.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Dallas Cowboys 19
Dallas had enough timeouts left to force the Rams into a fourth down situation with just 13 seconds left to go. However, Rams defensive back Nolan Cromwell, who was the holder on special teams, ran 7 yards for a first down on a fake field goal play as time expired in the game.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Dallas Cowboys 19
Ferragamo completed only 9 of 21 passes and was intercepted twice, but still threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Staubach fared no better, finishing his final game 12/28 for 124 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Tyler rushed for 82 yards and caught two passes for 40. Waddy caught 3 passes for 97 yards and a score, and had a 3-yard carry. Dorsett rushed for 87 yards.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 30, 1979, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Dallas Cowboys 19
This was the fifth postseason meeting between the Cowboys and Rams, and second consecutive. Dallas previously won three of the previous four meetings.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 6, 1980, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Houston Oilers 13
The Steelers held the Oilers to only 24 rushing yards, but were also aided by a controversial non-touchdown call to come away with a 27–13 win. Houston jumped to a 7–0 lead with just 2:30 into the game when Vernon Perry returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown. Then after the teams exchanged field goals, Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw completed two touchdown passes, a 16-yarder to tight end Bennie Cunningham and a 20-yard one to wide receiver John Stallworth.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 6, 1980, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Houston Oilers 13
With the Steelers leading 17–10, the controversial play occurred during the last seconds of the third quarter after the Oilers advanced to the Pittsburgh 6-yard line. With a chance to tie the game, Quarterback Dan Pastorini threw a pass to Mike Renfro at the back of the end zone, and Renfro appeared to have caught it for a touchdown with both feet in bounds before he fell out of the end zone. TV replays suggested a catch for a touchdown.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 6, 1980, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Houston Oilers 13
Despite this, the officials ruled the pass incomplete, saying that Renfro did not have complete control of the ball before going out of bounds. The Oilers then had to settle for a 23-yard field goal. The Steelers would then score 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory. A 78-yard drive ended with a field goal and running back Rocky Bleier scored on a 4-yard rushing touchdown. Steelers running back Franco Harris rushed for 85 yards and caught 6 passes for 50 yards. Houston running back Earl Campbell, the NFL's leading rusher during the season, finished the game with just 15 yards on 17 carries.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 6, 1980, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Houston Oilers 13
This was the second postseason meeting between the Oilers and Steelers. Pittsburgh won the only previous meeting last season.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 6, 1980, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 9, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0
This was the first postseason meeting between the Rams and Buccaneers.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 6, 1980, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 9, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0
In a defensive battle in which the Rams squandered numerous scoring opportunities, Rams kicker Frank Corral kicked 3 field goals to win the game. Los Angeles was able to record 369 yards of total offense, while running backs Cullen Bryant and Wendell Tyler rushed for 106 and 86 yards, respectively. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers only had 177 total offensive yards, including 92 rushing yards and 85 passing yards. Tampa Bay starting quarterback Doug Williams completed just 2 of 13 passes before suffering a game-ending torn bicep injury.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 6, 1980, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 9, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0
Most of Tampa Bay's passing yards came from a 42-yard halfback option pass from Jerry Eckwood to wide receiver Larry Mucker in the fourth quarter. During the game, two touchdowns were nullified by penalties, one by each team: a four-yard run by Bryant and a 27-yard reception by Buccaneers' tight end Jimmie Giles.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 6, 1980, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 9, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0
On their second drive of the game, LA drove to the Bucs 18-yard line, but Tyler lost a fumble due to a hit by Wally Chambers and linebacker Richard Wood recovered it. On their next drive, they drove 68 yards, including a 35-yard completion from Vince Ferragamo to Preston Dennard, to the Buccaneers 1-yard line where Corral made a 19-yard field goal. In the second quarter, they drove 58 yards and scored another short Corral field goal to take a 6–0 halftime lead.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 6, 1980, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 9, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0
In the third quarter, the Rams appeared to score on a 20-yard pass, but the reception was ruled incomplete and Corral missed a 37-yard field goal on the next play. In the fourth quarter, Rams safety Eddie Brown's 16-yard punt return to midfield set up a 23-yard field goal from Corral for the final score of the game.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 6, 1980, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 9, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0
This was the first conference championship game in NFL history without a touchdown from either team. This would also stand as the last playoff game overall in which neither team scored a touchdown until the 2006 AFC Divisional playoffs between the Colts and Ravens.


1979–80 NFL playoffs, Super Bowl XIV: Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Los Angeles Rams 19
This was the first Super Bowl meeting between the Rams and Steelers.


1979–80 NHL season
The 1979–80 NHL season was the 63rd season of the National Hockey League. This season saw the addition of four teams from the disbanded World Hockey Association as expansion franchises. The Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, New England Whalers (later renamed "Hartford Whalers" at the insistence of the Boston Bruins), and Quebec Nordiques joined the NHL, bringing the total to 21 teams. The other two WHA teams (Birmingham Bulls and Cincinnati Stingers) were paid to disband.


1979–80 NHL season
The New York Islanders won their first Stanley Cup, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games, in the finals.


1979–80 NHL season
The season also marked the eighth and final season for the Flames in Atlanta before the franchise relocated to Calgary. The NHL would return to the Georgia capital in 1999 with the Thrashers, but that team would ultimately relocate away from Atlanta as well becoming the second (and current) incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets.


1979–80 NHL season
The collapse of the WHA also saw the much hyped super-star rookie Wayne Gretzky come to the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers. Gretzky would tie Marcel Dionne for the scoring lead with 137 points and capture the Hart Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player while Dionne took home the Art Ross Trophy as the leading scorer by virtue of having scored two more goals.


1979–80 NHL season
Gretzky aside, many players made their debut in the NHL this season, both due to the WHA merger and to a change in the rules for the Entry Draft allowing eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds to be drafted for the first time; no fewer than seven Hall of Famers (Gretzky, Ray Bourque, Mark Messier, Mike Gartner, Michel Goulet, Mark Howe, and an undrafted Joe Mullen) debuted this season, along with numerous other perennial stars.


1979–80 NHL season
The big story of the regular season was the record-breaking undefeated streak compiled by the Philadelphia Flyers. After starting the season with a 5–2 win over the New York Islanders and a 9–2 loss to the Atlanta Flames, the Flyers did not lose again for nearly three months, earning at least one point in every game between a 4–3 win over Toronto on October 14, 1979, and a 4–2 win over Buffalo on January 6, 1980, earning a 35 game record of 25–0–10. This stands as the longest undefeated streak in North American professional sports history.


1979–80 NHL season, Regular season
With 21 teams in the league, the regular-season schedule was set without regard to divisional affiliation. Each team played each of the other 20 teams four times in the year, twice at home and twice on the road. As well, a new playoff structure was introduced with the four division winners plus the next 12 teams with the best records qualifying. Division winners were not granted any byes and the divisions were ignored for determining playoff match-up seeding.


1979–80 NHL season, Regular season
Thus the division grouping ensured that if the five worst teams were to be in the same five-team division, the winner of this division would have qualified for the playoffs despite having the 17th best season record. Except for that unlikely possibility, the divisional affiliations were irrelevant and had no effect on playoff qualification or seeding. A few months into the season, the Detroit Red Wings started playing at Joe Louis Arena after having spent all but their first season at the Detroit Olympia.


1979–80 NHL season, Regular season
For the four previous seasons, the Boston Bruins had owned first place in the Adams Division. This season saw the Buffalo Sabres dethrone the Bruins in the Adams. The New York Islanders finished first overall in the NHL the previous season with 116 points, but lost in the playoffs semifinals to the upstart New York Rangers. This season saw them fall considerably in the standings as they finished fifth overall with 91 points, a full 25 points below last year's finish. On the other hand, the Philadelphia Flyers improved by 21 points from the previous season. Their 35-game undefeated streak (25–0–10) propelled them to the best record in the NHL with 116 points.


1979–80 NHL season, Regular season
All four expansion teams finished poorly with records below .500. The Hartford Whalers fared the best with 73 points and the Winnipeg Jets tied the Colorado Rockies for last overall with 51 points. Hartford (14th overall) and Edmonton (16th overall) qualified for the playoffs, but both teams were swept 3 games to 0 in their respective first-round playoff series.


1979–80 NHL season, Regular season, Rule changes
In August 1979, John Ziegler, the NHL president, announced that protective helmets would be made mandatory for all NHL players. "The introduction of the helmet rule will be an additional safety factor", he said. The only exception were for players who signed their pro contracts prior to June 1, 1979. Those players under the exception who chose not to wear a helmet also had to sign a waiver form, if they so desired. At the time of the rule change, about 70% of NHLers were wearing helmets already.


1979–80 NHL season, Regular season, Rule changes
The first player to wear protective headgear on a regular basis was George Owen of the Boston Bruins in 1928. Prior to that, the only time protective headgear was worn was to temporarily protect injuries. Craig MacTavish, while playing for the St. Louis Blues, was the last helmetless player, retiring after the 1996–97 season.


1979–80 NHL season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutesNote: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold


1979–80 NHL season, Playoffs
With the league expansion from 17 to 21 teams, the playoffs were also expanded, from a 12-team tournament to a 16-team tournament. The sixteen teams were composed of the four divisional champions plus the top 12 finishers of the remaining 17 teams. The 16 qualifying teams were then seeded based on regular season points, with divisional rankings ignored. Division leaders no longer received first round byes. The teams were seeded 1 through 16, with the top team playing the 16th team in the first round, and so on.


1979–80 NHL season, Playoffs
In subsequent rounds, matchups were similarly arranged, with the top remaining seed against the lowest remaining seed, and so on. The Preliminary Round was a best-of-five set. The Atlanta Flames played their final playoff games in this postseason, and moved to Calgary soon after. The playoffs returned to Atlanta in 2007.


1979–80 NHL season, Playoffs
The first round saw the higher seeded team win all eight series.


1979–80 NHL season, Playoffs, Playoff seeds
The sixteen teams that qualified for the playoffs are ranked 1–16 based on regular season points.


1979–80 NHL season, Playoffs, Stanley Cup Finals
The story of the playoffs was Mike Bossy and the New York Islanders. After a dismal start for their franchise in the early seventies, the Islanders built a contender for the Stanley Cup and won their first of four in a row by beating the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime of game six of the final. Defenceman Denis Potvin scored a crucial overtime goal in game one and the Cup was won when Bobby Nystrom scored the Cup-winning goal from John Tonelli and Lorne Henning at 7:11 of the first overtime.


1979–80 NHL season, Playoffs, Stanley Cup Finals
Ken Morrow became the first hockey player in history to win an Olympic Gold Medal and the Stanley Cup in the same season. Hall of Fame announcer Dan Kelly was calling the play-by-play for CBS Sports on that day, May 24, 1980. It was the last NHL game to air on American network television for nearly ten years.


1979–80 NHL season, Player statistics, Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points


1979–80 NHL season, Player statistics, Leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts


1979–80 NHL season, Milestones, Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1979–80 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):


1979–80 NHL season, Milestones, Debuts
Players marked with § previously started their major professional career in the World Hockey Association.


1979–80 NHL season, Milestones, Last games
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1979–80 (listed with their last team):


1979–80 NK Hajduk Split season
The 1979–80 season was the 65th season in Hajduk Split’s history and their 34th season in the Yugoslav First League. Their 1st place finish in the 1978–79 season meant it was their 34th successive season playing in the Yugoslav First League.


1979–80 NK Hajduk Split season, Notes
1. On 4 May, the match was abandoned in 41st minute, due to the death of Josip Broz Tito. Therefore, the match was voided and was replayed on 21 May.


1979–80 NK Rijeka season
The 1979–80 season was the 34th season in Rijeka’s history and their 18th season in the Yugoslav First League. Their 10th place finish in the 1978–79 season meant it was their sixth successive season playing in the Yugoslav First League.


1979–80 NTFL season
The 1979/80 NTFL season was the 59th season of the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL).


1979–80 NTFL season
Darwin Buffaloes have won their 21st premiership title while defeating the Nth. Darwin (Palmerston) Magpies in the grand final by 37 points.


1979–80 National Basketball League season
The 1979–80 Rotary Watches National Basketball League season was the eighth season of the National Basketball League.


1979–80 National Basketball League season
The league was sponsored by Rotary Watches for the second consecutive year and Crystal Palace won an unprecedented treble of League, Playoffs and National Cup. Crystal Palace were helped by Alton Byrd, who would become the best known name in British basketball and pick up the season MVP award.


1979–80 National Basketball League season, Team changes
Malcolm Chamberlain, the owner of the London Metros uprooted the team, relocating from London to Kingston upon Thames and the Tolworth Recreation Centre, rebranding as Kingston. With their added sponsorship they would be known as Kelly Girls International Kingston. Guildford Pirates, the NBL Division 2 champions, joined the league and following a sponsorship deal would be Team Talbot, Guildford. Runners-up Hemel Hempstead also joined the league and would be known as Hemel Hempstead Ovaltine playing at Bletchley Leisure Centre. The Blackpool Pacemakers completed the newcomers to the league. The Milton Keynes All-Stars, Loughborough All-Stars, Exeter St Lukes TSB and Bracknell Bullets all dropped out.


1979–80 National Football League (Ireland)
The 1979–80 National Football League was the 49th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.


1979–80 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Titles
Teams in both divisions competed for the National Football League title.


1979–80 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Titles
There was also a separate National Football League Division Two title.


1979–80 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Promotion and Relegation
This was the last season of the present league format. For the 1980–81 season, the 32 counties were divided into four divisions of eight teams. The teams were not placed into the new structure entirely in line with their placings in the 1979–80 league.


1979–80 National Hurling League
The 1979–80 National Hurling League was the 49th season of the National Hurling League (NHL), an annual hurling competition for the GAA county teams. It was won by Cork.


1979–80 National Hurling League, Overview, Structure
The National Hurling League's top division was divided into two groups - 1A and 1B. The top two teams in Division 1A advance to the semi-finals. The third- and fourth-placed teams in 1A, as well as the top two from 1B, play in the quarter-finals. The bottom two teams in 1A are relegated, while the top two teams in 1B are promoted. The bottom team in 1B is relegated, while the Division 2 champions are promoted.


1979–80 National Hurling League, Overview, Division 1
The National Hurling League's top division featured fourteen teams divided into two equal groups - 1A and 1B. Each group consisted of seven teams. The top two teams from Division 1A automatically qualified for the knock-out semi-finals. The third and fourth placed teams, as well as the top two teams from Division 1B, contested two lone quarter-finals. In spite of losing two group games and finishing second in Division 1A, Cork won the league title following a 4-15 to 4-6 defeat of Limerick in a replay of the final.


1979–80 National Hurling League, Overview, Division 1
Down at the other end of the tables, Kilkenny and Clare won just two of their group stage games and were both relegated to Division 1B. They swapped places with Wexford and Waterford who finished in first and second positions respectively in Division 1B. Kildare finished the group stage without a single win and were relegated to Division 2.


1979–80 National Hurling League, Division 1
Tipperary came into the season as defending champions of the 1978-79 season. Kerry entered Division 1 as the promoted team.


1979–80 National Hurling League, Division 1
On 10 May 1980, Cork won the title after a 4-15 to 4-6 win over Limerick in the final. It was their 11th league title overall and their first since 1973-74.


1979–80 National Hurling League, Division 1
Kildare were relegated from Division 1 after losing all of their group stage games.


1979–80 Nationale A season
The 1979–80 Nationale A season was the 59th season of the Nationale A, the top level of ice hockey in France. 10 teams participated in the league, and ASG Tours won their first league title. Français Volants was relegated to the Nationale B.


1979–80 Nationalliga A, Overview
It was contested by 14 teams, and FC Basel won the championship.


1979–80 Nationalliga A season
The 1979–80 Nationalliga A season was the 42nd season of the Nationalliga A, the top level of ice hockey in Switzerland. Eight teams participated in the league, and EHC Arosa won the championship.


1979–80 Nemzeti Bajnokság I, Overview
It was contested by 18 teams, and Budapest Honvéd FC won the championship.


1979–80 New Hampshire Wildcats men's basketball team
The 1979–80 New Hampshire Wildcats men's basketball team  represented the University of New Hampshire during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wildcats, led by eleventh year head coach Gerry Friel, played their home games at Lundholm Gym and were members of the ECAC North, however the conference did not conduct conference play for the 1979–80 season. They finished the season 4–22 to finish in tenth place. They did not qualify for the ECAC North Tournament.


1979–80 New Jersey Nets season
The 1979–80 New Jersey Nets season was the Nets' 4th season in the NBA.


1979–80 New Jersey Nets season, Off-season, Draft picks
Not to be confused with the 1990s basketball player Tony Smith.


1979–80 New York Islanders season
The 1979-80 New York Islanders season was the eighth season in the franchise's history. It involved winning the Stanley Cup. During the season, the Islanders dropped below the 100-point mark for the first time in five years, earning only 91 points.


1979–80 New York Islanders season
Before the playoffs, Torrey made the difficult decision to trade longtime and popular veterans Billy Harris and defenseman Dave Lewis to the Los Angeles Kings for second line center Butch Goring. Goring's is often called the "final piece of the puzzle": a strong two-way player, his presence on the second line ensured that opponents would no longer be able to focus their defensive efforts on the Isles' first line of Bossy, Trottier and Clark Gillies. Contributions from new teammates, such as wingers Duane Sutter and Anders Kallur and stay-at-home defensemen Gord Lane and Ken Morrow (the latter fresh off a gold medal win at the 1980 Olympics), also figured prominently in the Islanders' playoff success.


1979–80 New York Islanders season, Offseason
Clark Gillies resigns the team captaincy and is replaced by defenceman Denis Potvin.


1979–80 New York Islanders season, Regular season, Season standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals againstNote: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1979–80 New York Islanders season, Schedule and results, Regular season
Legend:  Win (2 points)  Loss (0 points)  Tie (1 point)


1979–80 New York Islanders season, Playoffs
After easily disposing of the Los Angeles Kings and the Boston Bruins in the first two rounds, the Isles faced the Buffalo Sabres in the semi-finals, who had finished second overall in the NHL standings. The Isles won the first two games in Buffalo, including a 3–2 victory in Game 2 on Bob Nystrom's goal in double overtime.


1979–80 New York Islanders season, Playoffs
They went on to win the series in six games and reach the finals for the first time in franchise history, where they would face the NHL's regular season champions, the Philadelphia Flyers, who had gone undefeated for 35 straight games (25–0–10) during the regular season. In Game 1 in Philadelphia, the Isles won 4–3 on Denis Potvin's power-play goal in overtime. Leading the series 3–2, they went home to Long Island for Game 6.


1979–80 New York Islanders season, Playoffs
In that game, Bob Nystrom continued his overtime heroics, scoring at 7:11 of the extra frame, on assists by John Tonelli and Lorne Henning, to bring Long Island its first Stanley Cup. It was the Isles' sixth overtime victory of the playoffs. Bryan Trottier won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs. Torrey's strategy of building through the draft turned out very well; nearly all of the major contributors on the 1980 champions were home-grown Islanders or had spent most of their NHL careers in the Islanders organization. The Islanders would become the first NHL team to win a Stanley Cup with Europeans (Stefan Persson, Anders Kallur, Bob Nystrom) on its roster.


1979–80 New York Islanders season, Playoffs, 1980 New York Islanders Stanley Cup Champions
Gord Lane, Jean Potvin, Bob Lorimer, Denis Potvin, Stefan Persson, Ken Morrow, Dave Langevin, Duane Sutter, Garry Howatt, Clark Gillies, Lorne Henning, Wayne Merrick, Bob Bourne, Steve Tambellini, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, Bob Nystrom, John Tonelli, Anders Kallur, Butch Goring, Alex McKendry, Glenn Resch, Billy Smith, Al Arbour(coach), Bill Torrey(general manager), Ron Waske, Jim Pickard(trainers)


1979–80 New York Islanders season, Player statistics
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals      MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts;


1979–80 New York Knicks season
The 1979–80 New York Knicks season was the 34th season for the team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the regular season, the Knicks finished in a tie for third place in the Atlantic Division with a 39–43 win–loss record, and did not qualify for the 1980 NBA Playoffs. Bill Cartwright led the team in scoring (21.7 points per game) and rebounding, while Micheal Ray Richardson led the NBA in assists (10.2 per game) and steals (3.23 per game).


1979–80 New York Knicks season
New York had three first-round picks in the 1979 NBA draft, and selected Cartwright, Larry Demic, and Sly Williams. At the end of the season, the Knicks lost five of their last six games; they followed a three-game losing streak with a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but then lost to the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. In the game against the 76ers, Julius Erving made the winning basket with one second remaining, after the Knicks had committed a turnover on an inbounds pass five seconds earlier with the score tied at 101–101. The Washington Bullets gained the last playoff berth in the Eastern Conference over the Knicks because of a better record against other teams in the conference; the teams' overall win–loss records were identical.


1979–80 New York Rangers season
The 1979–80 New York Rangers season was the 54th season and last full season under coach Fred Shero. The Rangers qualified for the playoffs but bowed out in the second round to Shero's old team, the Philadelphia Flyers. The team's on- and off-ice activities during this campaign was the subject of Larry Sloman's 1982 book Thin Ice: A Season in Hell with the New York Rangers.


1979–80 New York Rangers season, Regular season, Season Standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals againstNote: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1979–80 New York Rangers season, Player statistics, Goaltenders
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Rangers. Stats reflect time with Rangers only. ‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Rangers only.


1979–80 New York Rangers season, Draft picks
New York's picks at the 1979 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.


1979–80 Newport County A.F.C. season
The 1979–80 season was Newport County's 18th consecutive season in the Football League Fourth Division and their 52nd season overall in the Football League.


1979–80 Newport County A.F.C. season
It was one of the most successful seasons in County's history. Finishing in third place in the Fourth Division the club attained promotion to the Football League Third Division for the 1980–81 season. After winning the Welsh Cup this season, County also earned a place in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup for the 1980–81 season.


1979–80 Newport County A.F.C. season, League table
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points


1979–80 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
The 1979–80 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1979–80 college basketball season.


1979–80 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season
The 1979–80 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey team represented the University of North Dakota in college ice hockey. In its 2nd year under head coach John Gasparini the team compiled a 31–8–1 record and reached the NCAA tournament for the eighth time. The Fighting Sioux defeated Northern Michigan 5–2 to win the championship game at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island.


1979–80 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season, Season, Early season
After finishing as the national runner-up in John Gasparini's first year as head coach, North Dakota was hoping to continue their renaissance after a decade of futility. The Fighting Sioux began their season with a four-game home stand and did not look particularly strong, splitting both weekends against Colorado College and Michigan Tech. After taking both road games against a bad Denver team, UND hosted St. Lawrence and won both games to push their record to 6–2.


1979–80 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season, Season, Early season
After splitting a road series against Michigan State, North Dakota hosted Minnesota in a rematch of last year's championship game, winning both games and surging to the top of the WCHA. UND sandwiched an exhibition game against the eventual gold-medalist US National Team between their series against the Golden Gophers and the Bulldogs, though in the later set the Fighting Sioux could only manage a split.


1979–80 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season, Season, Early season
Over the winter break North Dakota played two non-conference series. Up first Ohio State at home where UND dominated the two games. A couple of weeks later the Fighting Sioux found themselves in Marquette to take on Northern Michigan. While North Dakota was distinguishing itself as the class of the WCHA, NMU possessed an even more impressive record at 14–2 and continued to prove they were no fluke by downing North Dakota in both games.


1979–80 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season, Season, Second half
The two losses didn't harm UND that much as they didn't affect the team's top seed in the WCHA. However, just for good measure, the Fighting Sioux swept the next two weekends (both at home) against conference opponents to take a stranglehold of the conference. UND's lead was so large by this point that when they could only earn one win in the next four games it hardly mattered to their conference standing.


1979–80 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season, Season, Second half
After the poor road trip UND played their third national team of the season, finally managing to take town an Olympic squad, albeit the one that would finish dead-last at the 1980 winter games. After the win North Dakota went on a winning streak, beginning at home where they hadn't lost since early November. UND won their final 8 regular season games, including 4 on the road (which had given them trouble all season) to finish with a stellar 25–8–1 record and easily win the WCHA.


1979–80 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season, Season, WCHA Tournament
With the top seed, North Dakota played host to Michigan State and avenged their early-season loss with a comfortable 8–1 win in the first game. With a 7-goal lead to work with the Fighting Sioux were able to relax in game 2 and win the series 13–4. The second series against Notre Dame was more of the same with UND taking a huge lead after a 10–4 win, eventually capturing the series 17–8. North Dakota won their second consecutive WCHA title and fourth overall and received the top western seed for the NCAA Tournament.


1979–80 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season, Season, NCAA Tournament
UND opened against ECAC Hockey runner-up Dartmouth for the second time in as many years and had a nearly identical performance. After the 4–1 victory UND met the #1 team in the country, Northern Michigan. The teams had two of the top offenses in the nation (only Minnesota scored more goals) and game would see the top four NCAA scorers on the ice at the same time. despite being a freshman Darren Jensen had distinguished himself as the best option in goal for North Dakota and, having learned from his error the previous year, Gasparini started the Creston in goal.


1979–80 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season, Season, NCAA Tournament
Doug Smail would open the scoring just before the mid-point of the first period but shortly thereafter leading scorer and team captain Mark Taylor would be knocked out of the game with an injury. Smail, the leading goal scorer, would take over and score twice more to produce only the second natural hat-trick in championship history. Phil Sykes would in on the scoring in the third period, his fourth point of the night.


1979–80 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season, Season, NCAA Tournament
After the goal the Wildcat offence finally woke up and scored, scoring twice in a span of 51 seconds, but three minutes the game was put away when Smail tied the NCAA record with his fourth goal of the contest, again with a primary assist from Sykes. North Dakota won the championship having outshot NMU 45–22, ending their 16-year championship drought.


1979–80 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season, Season, Awards and honors
Doug Smail won the tournament MOP for his nearly single-handed victory in the championship game and was joined on the All-Tournament team by Phil Sykes and Marc Chorney. Mark Taylor finished 4 points back of the scoring title but was named to the AHCA All-American West Team along with Howard Walker. Both Walker and Taylor made the All-WCHA First Team while Smail and Chorney were named to the Second Team.


1979–80 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season, Season, Awards and honors
Darren Jensen would win his first start the following season, extending his undefeated streak to 15 games to start a career; still an NCAA record (as of 2016).


1979–80 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season, Season, Awards and honors
Three players were selected in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft with all three reaching the NHL.


1979–80 Northern Football League
The 1979–80 Northern Football League season was the 82nd in the history of Northern Football League, a football competition in England.


1979–80 Northern Football League, Clubs
Division One featured 20 clubs which competed in the league last season, no new clubs joined the division this season.


1979–80 Northern League (ice hockey) season
The 1979-80 Northern League season was the 14th season of the Northern League, the top level ice hockey league in northern England and Scotland. Nine teams participated in the league, and the Murrayfield Racers won the championship. The top four teams qualified for the Spring Cup, which served as the Northern League playoffs.


1979–80 Northern League (ice hockey) season, Spring Cup, Final
The final between the Murrayfield Racers and the Billingham Bombers was not contested.


1979–80 Northern Premier League
The 1979–80 Northern Premier League was the twelfth season of the Northern Premier League, a regional football league in Northern England, the northern areas of the Midlands and North Wales. The season began on 18 August 1979 and concluded on 7 May 1980.


1979–80 Northern Premier League, Overview, Team changes
The Alliance Premier League was established as a new, national top division of non-League football. Seven Northern Premier League clubs and thirteen clubs from the Premier Division of the Southern League joined the newly created Alliance Premier League. The remaining clubs in the Northern Premier League had effectively been relegated down one tier in the English football league system.


1979–80 Northern Premier League, Overview, Team changes
The following seven clubs left the League at the end of the previous season:


1979–80 Northern Premier League, Overview, Team changes
The following six clubs joined the League at the start of the season:


1979–80 Northern Premier League, Cup results, Northern Premier League Shield
Between Champions of NPL Premier Division and Winners of the NPL Cup.


1979–80 Northern Premier League, Cup results, FA Cup
None of the twenty-two Northern Premier League clubs reached the second round:


1979–80 Northern Premier League, Cup results, FA Trophy
Two of the twenty-two Northern Premier League clubs reached the fourth round:


1979–80 Northern Premier League, End of the season
At the end of the twelfth season of the Northern Premier League, Frickley Athletic applied to join the Alliance Premier League and were successful


1979–80 Northern Premier League, End of the season, Promotion and relegation
The following club left the League at the end of the season:


1979–80 Northern Rugby Football League season
The 1979–80 Northern Rugby Football League season was the 85th season of rugby league football. Sixteen English clubs competed for the Northern Rugby Football League's first division championship, with Bradford claiming the title by finishing on top of the League.


1979–80 Northern Rugby Football League season, Challenge Cup
The 1980 State Express Challenge Cup culminated in the first Hull Cup final derby, with a heavy entourage of supporters from the East and West of the city making the trip to London. Hull Kingston Rovers defeated Hull 10-5 at Wembley before a crowd of 95,000.


1979–80 Northern Rugby Football League season, Challenge Cup
This was Hull Kingston Rovers’ first, and to date, only Cup Final Win in six Final appearances.


1979–80 Northern Rugby Football League season, Challenge Cup
The Hull Kingston Rovers’ Prop, Brian Lockwood, won the Lance Todd Trophy.


1979–80 Northern Rugby Football League season, Statistics
The following are the top points scorers in the 1979–80 season.


1979–80 Norwegian 1. Divisjon season
The 1979–80 Norwegian 1. Divisjon season was the 41st season of ice hockey in Norway. Ten teams participated in the league, and Furuset IF won the championship.


1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team
The 1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was coached by Digger Phelps and was ranked in the Associated Press poll for the entirety of the season.


1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team, Preseason
The Irish were ranked fifth in the preseason AP Poll, behind Indiana, Kentucky, Duke and Ohio State. While they lost frontcourt contributors Bruce Flowers and Bill Laimbeer to graduation, they added a recruiting class ranked fourth nationally by the 1979–80 Street & Smith basketball yearbook. The class included McDonald's All-Americans Tim Andree and John Paxson and highly regarded forward Bill Varner. Key returning players were 1979 All-American Kelly Tripucka and future National Basketball Association (NBA) players Tracy Jackson, Bill Hanzlik and Orlando Woolridge. Woolridge was moved from forward to center to replace Flowers and Laimbeer. Senior point guard Rich Branning was selected co-captain of the team with Hanzlik.


1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team, Preseason
Leading up to an Olympic year, Notre Dame played an exhibition game against the Soviet National Team, notching a surprising 86–76 win behind Tripucka's 35 points.


1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team, Regular season
The Irish suffered an early setback as senior co-captain Hanzlik missed several games with a dislocated finger, but fared well, compiling a 6–0 record in his absence, including a marquee win against UCLA. The Irish won the contest behind clutch free throws and defense from freshman John Paxson. After the team's fast start, The Irish found themselves ranked third in the country and facing second-ranked Kentucky at Freedom Hall in Louisville. Despite the Wildcats missing starters Sam Bowie and Dirk Minniefield, the Irish lost the game 80–86.


1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team, Regular season
A January loss to San Francisco left the Irish on a two-game losing streak. The highlight of the Irish's season came on February 27, 1980 when they upset top-ranked DePaul 76–74 in double-overtime. The Irish were led by Kelly Tripucka's 28 points and the win was sealed by two free throws by Orlando Woolridge. The Irish were able to overcome a big scoring push by future NBA All-Stars Mark Aguirre (28 points) and Terry Cummings (16). A regular-season finale 62–54 win at Dayton raised the Irish's record to 22–5.


1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team, NCAA Tournament
Notre Dame was selected for the 1980 NCAA Tournament and were the 4 seed in the Midwest Region, slated to play the winner of a first-round game between Missouri and San Jose State in Lincoln, Nebraska. Fifth-seeded Missouri upset the Irish 87–84 in overtime behind senior Mark Dressler's 32 points, wasting a 29-point effort by Tracy Jackson.


1979–80 Nottingham Forest F.C. season
The 1979–80 season was Nottingham Forest's 115th year in existence and third campaign consecutive in the First Division.


1979–80 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Summary
During summer chairman Stuart M. Dryden reinforced the squad with several players, Left-back Frank Clark announced his retirement and the club bought Frank Gray to cover the spot after bought from Leeds United in £500,000. With the team plummeting to mid-table the club loaned in Forward Charlie George from Southampton F.C. who only played 4 matches  and failed to reinforce the ofensive line already weakened after the departure of Tonny Woodcock to 1.FC Köln and the injury of Trevor Francis.


1979–80 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Summary
For replacing Archie Gemmill in midfield, the club bought Asa Hartford from Manchester City only to be a failure in three matches played being sold to Everton F.C.. Also, for the second half of the season arrived midfielder Stan Bowles from Queen's Park Rangers but the transfer did not work out owing to differences between Bowles and manager Clough. The squad already playing four tournaments resented the disappointing of new arrivals in League finishing on a 5th spot.


1979–80 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Summary
The club refused to play the Intercontinental Cup against Paraguayan side and Copa Libertadores Champion Club Olimpia. Meanwhile in FA Cup the team was early eliminated by Liverpool F.C. on fourth round. On the contrary, in League Cup the squad advance to the Final bieng defeated 0-1 by Wolverhampton Wanderers by a single goal. However, the squad won its first European Super Cup with a 2-1 global score after two legs against FC Barcelona. As a Continental trophy holders, the rounds schedule in European Cup favoured the club which advanced again to the Final and clinched its second successive title after defeating 1-0 West German side Hamburg SV in spite of being reinforced in midfield by ex-Liverpool fan favourite Kevin Keegan.


1979–80 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1979–80 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Competitions
A list of Nottingham Forest's matches in the 1979–80 season.


1979–80 OB I bajnoksag season
The 1979–80 OB I bajnokság season was the 43rd season of the OB I bajnokság, the top level of ice hockey in Hungary. Four teams participated in the league, and Ferencvarosi TC won the championship.


1979–80 OMJHL season
The 1979–80 OMJHL season was the sixth season of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League. The OMJHL inaugurates the Bobby Smith Trophy, named after Bobby Smith, awarded to the scholastic player of the year. Twelve teams each played 68 games. The Peterborough Petes won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Windsor Spitfires.


1979–80 Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team
The 1979–80 Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team represented the University of Mississippi in the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rebels were led by fourth-year head coach, Bob Weltlich. The Rebels played their home games at Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford, Mississippi as members of the Southeastern Conference.


1979–80 PAOK FC season
The 1979–80 season was PAOK Football Club's 54th in existence and the club's 21st consecutive season in the top flight of Greek football. The team entered the Greek Football Cup in first round.


1979–80 PAOK FC season, Players, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1979–80 PAOK FC season, Statistics, Squad statistics
Appearances denote players in the starting lineup, with the numbers in parentheses denoting appearances as substitute.


1979–80 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season
The 1979–80 season was Paris Saint-Germain's 10th season in existence. PSG played their home league games at the Parc des Princes in Paris, registering an average attendance of 21,380 spectators per match. The club was presided by Francis Borelli. The team was coached by Velibor Vasović until October 1979, when Pierre Alonzo and Camille Choquier took over as interim managers. Georges Peyroche became the new permanent manager in November 1979. Dominique Bathenay was the team captain.


1979–80 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season, Players, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1979–80 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season, Players, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1979–80 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season, Transfers, Arrivals
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1979–80 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season, Transfers, Departures
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1979–80 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season, Kits
French radio RTL was the shirt sponsor. French sportswear brand Le Coq Sportif was the kit manufacturer.


1979–80 Penn Quakers men's basketball team
The 1979–80 Penn Quakers men's basketball team represented the University of Pennsylvania during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.


1979–80 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team
The 1979–80 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 1979–80 season.


1979–80 Philadelphia 76ers season
The 1979–1980 Philadelphia 76ers season was the 76ers 31st season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 17th season in Philadelphia. They finished with a record of 59–23, their best since the 1967–68 season. The team had acquired guard Lionel Hollins from the Portland Trail Blazers after their effort to obtain Pete Maravich failed as he signed with the Boston Celtics. In the playoffs, they won the 1980 Eastern Conference Championship over the Boston Celtics 4–1. In the 1980 NBA Finals they would lose to the Los Angeles Lakers 4–2. The series was memorable for Julius Erving's baseline move in Game 4, and Magic Johnson's 42-point effort in Game 6 starting the game at center in place of an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.


1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season
The 1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' 13th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). This team owns the longest unbeaten streak in North American sports history in 35 consecutive games without a loss, from October 14 to January 6. The Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Finals but lost in six games to the New York Islanders.


1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season, Off-season
On August 10, 1979, Bobby Clarke was named a player-assistant coach. In order to become an assistant coach, Clarke must give up the captaincy due to NHL rules. Mel Bridgman was named Clarke's replacement as team captain on October 11.


1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season, Regular season
The Flyers went undefeated for a North American professional sports record 35 straight games (25–0–10), a record that still stands to this day. In doing so, the Flyers wrapped up the Patrick Division title with 14 games to spare and the #1 overall seed in the playoffs.


1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season, Regular season, Season standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals againstNote: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season, Playoffs
The Flyers' regular-season success continued into the playoffs, as the Flyers swept a young Wayne Gretzky and his Edmonton Oilers in the first round, then went on to get revenge against Fred Shero and his Rangers by beating them in five before disposing of Minnesota in five to lock up a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. Facing the Islanders for the Cup, the Flyers would ultimately lose in six games on Bob Nystrom's overtime Cup-winning goal. The end result of the series was marred by controversy, as the Islanders were arguably offside on the play that resulted in their second goal in Game 6, but no call was made. Linesman Leon Stickle admitted after the game that he had blown the call.


1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions
The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 22, 1979, the day after the deciding game of the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 24, 1980, the day of the deciding game of the 1980 Stanley Cup Finals.


1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions, Signings, Free agency
The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency.


1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions, Signings, Internal
The following players were either re-signed by the Flyers or, in the case of the team's selections in the NHL Entry Draft, signed to contracts.


1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions, NHL Reclamation
The Flyers held the NHL rights to the following five players who had played the previous season in the World Hockey Association (WHA). They reclaimed one player on June 9, 1979.


1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions, NHL Expansion Draft
The 1979 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 13, 1979. It featured four World Hockey Association (WHA) teams entering the NHL as expansion teams, the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and Winnipeg Jets, selecting players from the 17 existing NHL teams. Each NHL team placed 15 skaters and 2 goaltenders on a protected list from which the four expansion teams could not select.


1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions, Departures
The following players left the team via free agency, release, or retirement. Players who were under contract and left the team during the season are marked with an asterisk (*).


1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season, Draft picks
Philadelphia's picks at the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, on August 9, 1979.


1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season, Farm teams
The Flyers were affiliated with the Maine Mariners of the AHL, the Toledo Goaldiggers of the IHL, and the Hampton Aces of the Eastern Hockey League.


1979–80 Phoenix Suns season
The 1979–80 Phoenix Suns season was the 12th season for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association and at 55–27, the team's best regular season record since the franchise's inception. The Suns defeated Western Conference foe Kansas City in the opening round of the playoffs, marking the first time the Suns had won a playoff series in back-to-back seasons. In the Western Conference Semifinals, the Suns would lose to the Pacific-winning Los Angeles Lakers, who later went on to win the season's championship. The Suns were led by head coach John MacLeod, his seventh season with the team, and played all home games in Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.


1979–80 Phoenix Suns season
Paul Westphal led the Suns in scoring with a 21.9 point-per-game average and earned All-NBA First Team honors, while Walter Davis was second in team scoring with a 21.5 average. Both Westphal and Davis would return as selections to the All-Star Game. Truck Robinson and Alvan Adams provided an inside presence, averaging 17 and 15 points per game to go with nine and eight rebounds each. Robinson would play in just three of the eight Suns' playoff games, however.


1979–80 Phoenix Suns season, Player statistics, Season
* – Stats with the Suns. † – Minimum 25 three-pointers made. + – Minimum 50 games played.


1979–80 Phoenix Suns season, Player statistics, Playoffs
† – Minimum 20 field goals made. ^ – Minimum 10 free throws made.


1979–80 Pittsburgh Penguins season
The 1979–80 Pittsburgh Penguins season was their 13th in the National Hockey League.


1979–80 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Regular season
The Penguins changed their team colors from two-tone blue to Black and Gold in January. This move was done in part to honor the other two professional teams in Pittsburgh (the Steelers and Pirates) both of whom won their respective championships in 1979. The Boston Bruins initially challenged the change in colors as the new scheme closely matched their own. However, as the original NHL franchise in Pittsburgh, the Pirates, had nearly the same colors from their inception while the Bruins wore brown and yellow sweaters NHL president John Ziegler Jr. eventually denied the Bruins claim. The new Pittsburgh jerseys were debuted on January 30th against the visiting St. Louis Blues.


1979–80 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Regular season, Division standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against


1979–80 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Regular season, Division standings
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1979–80 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Player statistics
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only. ‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.


1979–80 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Transactions
The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1979–80 season:


1979–80 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Draft picks
The 1979 NHL Entry Draft was held on August 9, 1979 in Montreal, Quebec.


1979–80 Polska Liga Hokejowa season
The 1979–80 Polska Liga Hokejowa season was the 45th season of the Polska Liga Hokejowa, the top level of ice hockey in Poland. Eight teams participated in the league, and Zaglebie Sosnowiec won the championship.


1979–80 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1979–80 season was Port Vale's 68th season of football in the Football League, and their second successive season (eighth overall) in the Fourth Division. One of the club's worst ever seasons, Vale finished twentieth in the league, and exited both cup competitions at the first stage. They also lost a tremendous amount of money. There was also a managerial merry-go-round, with Dennis Butler replaced by Alan Bloor, who was in turned replaced by John McGrath, with Bill Bentley also spending a short period as caretaker-manager.


1979–80 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Fourth Division
The pre-season saw manager Dennis Butler sign three players on free transfers: Terry Owen (Rochdale), Alan Woolfall (Bury), and Steve Jones (Manchester United). Meanwhile, the club was fined £500 by The Football Association for the team's ongoing poor disciplinary record.


1979–80 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Fourth Division
The season began with four straight league defeats, which resulted in the dismissal of Butler as manager. Alan Bloor took over as caretaker manager, who threatened the players with a place on the bench if they failed to deliver in the first eleven, to prove his point he replaced Bernie Wright with Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain rewarded him with both goals in a 2–0 victory over Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road. A 5–0 thrashing of Northampton Town followed eight days later, with both Chamberlain and Wright claiming a brace.


1979–80 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Fourth Division
However the following week they were 'massacred' 7–1 at high-flying Huddersfield Town's Leeds Road. Despite this, Trevor Dance retained his place in goal, with John Connaughton 'in a huff' with the club. By the end of September, Bloor was made manager on a permanent basis. Vale celebrated with a 5–1 beating of Rochdale, whilst Ken Todd was sold to Portsmouth for £20,000. Ged Stenson had his contract cancelled, and signed with Morecambe. Losing five of their seven games in October, Vale drifted to third-from-bottom. Bloor spent £30,000 on Crewe Alexandra defender Paul Bowles.


1979–80 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Fourth Division
Undefeated in November in the league, Vale then lost 5–1 to York City at Bootham Crescent. Later in the month, Vale became the first Fourth Division club to strike a shirt advertising deal, signing a deal with TI Creda for £5,000. A surprise came though when Bloor resigned his position, stating that "I do not have what  it takes". Gordon Banks was also dismissed, and he blamed the players for his downfall, claiming they did not like hard work. Bill Bentley was appointed as caretaker-manager, as the club approached numerous managers – including former player Ronnie Allen. The job went to John McGrath, who had been working as a coach at Southampton. He appointed Torquay United coach John Rudge as his second in command.


1979–80 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Fourth Division
Finding his new team to be undisciplined, McGrath said 'the holiday is over', and began fining players for various reasons. He offloaded Connaughton to Altrincham, loaned Paul Bowles to Southampton, and discovered that Wright was no longer willing to play for the club. In February, McGrath signed goalkeeper Mark Harrison and defender Lee Harwood from Southampton, as well as forward Tony Sealy on loan from Crystal Palace. He also placed fifteen players on the transfer list, after which the Vale went on a six-game unbeaten run.