1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Race summaries, Race 10: Ditzler 150
Rick Mears gambled on pit strategy,  and passed Tom Sneva with just 3 laps to go to win the final ever IndyCar race at Trenton. Bobby Unser also passed him, taking advantage of Sneva's fading tires to finish second. Sneva fell to third, Wally Dallenbach Sr. finished fourth after running as high as second before an extended pit stop, and Johnny Rutherford finished fifth. Two cautions slowed the race, both for crashes. One was by Gordon Johncock on lap 5, and the other by Mike Mosley on lap 36.


1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Race summaries, Race 10: Ditzler 150
Rick Mears extended his point lead to 470 points over Bobby Unser. Gordon Johncock remained in third, 782 points back, Johnny Rutherford stayed in fourth, 1307 points back, and Al Unser rose to fifth in points, 1450 points behind.


1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Race summaries, Race 11: California 500
Rick Mears qualified on the pole, followed by Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti, in a one-off appearance for Penske, and Tom Sneva.


1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Race summaries, Race 11: California 500
In the race, Al Unser led most of the first half of the race, but lost three laps due to a broken front-spoiler bracket. For the remainder of the race, Bobby Unser and Rick Mears traded the lead, While leading on lap 164, Rick Mears killed the engine on his pit stop, causing him to lose 12 seconds to Bobby Unser. This allowed Unser to lead most of the remaining laps, and won over Rick Mears. Mario Andretti claimed third despite running out of gas at the end, Johnny Rutherford finished fourth, and Al Unser ended up in fifth.


1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Race summaries, Race 11: California 500
His win allowed Unser to close up to 270 points behind Mears, with Johnny Rutherford rising to third in points, Gordon Johncock falling to fourth, and Al Unser remaining in fifth. Apart from Mears, all other drivers were mathematically eliminated from the championship.


1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Race summaries, Race 12: Gould Grand Prix
Bobby Unser claimed the pole, his fourth of the season, with Rick Mears starting second, Gordon Johncock starting third, Johnny Rutherford starting fourth, and Al Unser rounding out the top five.


1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Race summaries, Race 12: Gould Grand Prix
In the race, Gordon Johncock dominated the early stages of the race, before his engine blew while leading on the 36th lap. This allowed Bobby Unser to take the lead, and hold it the rest of the way to win over Tom Sneva. Rick Mears was third despite running out of gas on the final lap, Johnny Rutherford finished fourth, and Tom Bagley was fifth. The win was the fifth straight for Team Penske.


1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Race summaries, Race 12: Gould Grand Prix
Bobby Unser was now just 180 points behind Mears in the fight, followed by Rutherford, Johncock, and Al Unser.


1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Race summaries, Race 13: Rich's Atlanta Classic
Bobby Unser claimed his fifth pole of the year, followed by Rick Mears, Al Unser, Danny Ongais, and Johnny Rutherford.


1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Race summaries, Race 13: Rich's Atlanta Classic
In the race, Unser dominated the first half of the race, but while leading on lap 55 suffered a blown tire handing the lead to Johnny Rutherford. But with 25 laps remaining in the race, Rutherford's engine blew, which allowed Rick Mears to cruise to an easy victory. Gordon Johncock placed second, despite running out of gas on the final lap, Bobby Unser wound up third, Wally Dallenbach Sr. finished fourth, and Al Unser, who had tire problems of his own, finished fifth. The win was Penske's sixth straight.


1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Race summaries, Race 13: Rich's Atlanta Classic
The win gave Rick Mears a near-insurmountable 270 point lead in the points, which meant that he would win the championship as long as he finished 11th or better in the final round.


1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Race summaries, Race 14: Miller High Life 150
For the last race of the year, Bobby Unser won another pole, his sixth of the year. Al Unser started second, Wally Dallenbach Sr. in third, Rick Mears in fourth, and Tom Sneva in fifth.


1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Race summaries, Race 14: Miller High Life 150
In the race, Al Unser jumped out to the lead on the first lap. He would eventually dominate the race, leading 138 of the 150 laps and only giving up the lead for a pair of pit stops. There were two late-race cautions, one when Wally Dallenbach Sr. spun with 9 laps to go, and one when Pancho Carter lost a wheel, which led to a two-lap shootout but Unser pulled away en route to his first and only win of the year, snapping a six-race Penske streak. Bobby Unser claimed second, Rick Mears third, Gordon Johncock fourth, and Tom Sneva fifth.


1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Race summaries, Race 14: Miller High Life 150
Mears's third was enough for him to claim the inaugural CART championship, winning by 240 points over Bobby Unser. Gordon Johncock finished third in points, with Johnny Rutherford in fourth and Al Unser in fifth.


1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, Season Summary, Final driver standings
Note: The following drivers were Non-CART members and in CART events non CART members were not eligible for championship points: Don Whittington, Bill Whittington, Roger Mears, John Martin, Frank Weiss, Bob Harkey, Dennis Firestone, Johnny Parsons and Cliff Hucul


1979 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1979 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament took place in Birmingham, Alabama, at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex. This tournament marks the first SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament held since the event’s hiatus that started after the 1952 tournament.


1979 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
The Tennessee Volunteers won the tournament championship game, and received the SEC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by beating the Kentucky Wildcats in a 75–69 overtime win on March 3, 1979. The tournament took place from February 28 to March 3, 1979. After the SEC tournament ended, Tennessee was ranked number 20 in the Associated Press polls.


1979 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
Television coverage of the championship game was produced by The C.D. Chesley Company, who syndicated the coverage of the game regionally. C.D. Chesley was known as the pioneer in syndicated college basketball as he started production of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball in the 1950s.


1979 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament, Scores
Tennessee and LSU had double byes in this tournament, so those two teams didn't play in the tournament until the semifinals on March 2.


1979 SMU Mustangs football team
The 1979 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season.


1979 Sacramento State Hornets football team
The 1979 Sacramento State Hornets football team represented Sacramento State University during the 1979 NCAA Division II football season.


1979 Sacramento State Hornets football team
Sacramento State competed in the Far Western Conference (FWC). The Hornets were led by second-year head coach Bob Mattos. They played home games at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California. On the field, the team finished the season with a record of three wins and seven losses (3–7, 2–3 FWC). Overall, the team was outscored by its opponents 121–196 for the season.


1979 Sacramento State Hornets football team
It was later determined that Cal Poly Pomona had used ineligible players during the season. As such, they were required to forfeit three games, and one was the victory over Sacramento State on September 29. The adjusted record for the Hornets is therefore four wins and six losses (4–6, 2–3 FWC)


1979 Sacramento State Hornets football team, Team players in the NFL
No Sacramento State players were selected in the 1980 NFL Draft.


1979 Saga gubernatorial election
A gubernatorial election was held on 8 April 1979 to elect the Governor of Saga Prefecture. Kumao Katsuki won the election.


1979 Saint Lucian general election
General elections were held in Saint Lucia on 2 July 1979. The result was a victory for the Saint Lucia Labour Party, which won twelve of the seventeen seats. Voter turnout was 68.0%.


1979 Sakharov
1979 Sakharov, provisionally designated 2006 P-L, is a stony Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey in 1960, and named after Russian physicist Andrei Sakharov.


1979 Sakharov, Discovery
Sakharov was discovered on 24 September 1960, by the Dutch astronomers Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten, on photographic plates taken by Dutch–American astronomer Tom Gehrels at the U.S. Palomar Observatory in California.


1979 Sakharov, Discovery, Survey designation
The survey designation "P-L" stands for Palomar–Leiden, named after Palomar Observatory and Leiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitful Palomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped the photographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory where astrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery of several thousand minor planets.


1979 Sakharov, Orbit and classification
Sakharov is a member of the Vesta family, which is named after the main-belt's second-largest body, 4 Vesta. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.1–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,337 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.10 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Palomar, .


1979 Sakharov, Physical characteristics
The stony S-type asteroid, has been characterized as a Q-V-type by PanSTARRS photometric survey.


1979 Sakharov, Physical characteristics, Rotation period
In 2011 and 2013, a total of four well-defined rotational lightcurves were obtained for this asteroid by astronomers Julian Oey at the Australian Kingsgrove and Leura/ Blue Mountains Observatory (E19 and E17/Q68) and by Petr Pravec at the Czech Ondřejov Observatory. The lightcurve gave a rotation period of 7.520 to 7.589 hours with a brightness variation between 0.12 and 0.22 in magnitude (U=3/3-/3-/3).


1979 Sakharov, Physical characteristics, Diameter and albedo
According to the original data from the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 4.8 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.31, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with the revised NEOWISE data which gave an albedo of 0.26 and a diameter of 4.5 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 13.8.


1979 Sakharov, Naming
This minor planet was named in honour of renowned Russian mathematician and physicist Andrei Sakharov (1921–1989), who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 August 1981 (M.P.C. 6207).


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état
The 1979 Salvadoran coup d’état was a military coup d'état that occurred in El Salvador on 15 October 1979. The coup, led by young military officers, bloodlessly overthrew military President Carlos Humberto Romero and sent him into exile. The National Conciliation Party's firm grasp on power was cut, and in its place, the military established the Revolutionary Government Junta of El Salvador (JRG). The junta was composed of two military officers and three civilians.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état
The Revolutionary Government Junta declared itself to be a "reformist junta" which would pass political and economic reforms. In reality, it continued to crack down on political opposition, especially after the rise of several leftist militant groups in the early 1980s. The coup is commonly cited as the beginning of the twelve year-long Salvadoran Civil War.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Background
The National Conciliation Party (PCN) had held a firm grasp on Salvadoran politics since the 1961 Salvadoran Constitutional Assembly election and the 1962 Salvadoran presidential election, following the dissolutions of both the Junta of Government in 1961 and the Civic-Military Directory in 1962. The PCN government was supported by the United States since its government style, a military dictatorship, was seen as "the most effective [way of] containing Communist penetration in Latin America." The Salvadoran National Guard was equipped and trained by the United States and the CIA, both of which directly supported the PCN regime.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Background
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, many political groups arose in opposition to the military government of the National Conciliation Party. The Christian Democratic Party (PDC) was the chief opponent of the PCN, gaining significant influence in the Legislative Assembly. In the 1972 presidential election, PDC candidate José Napoleón Duarte, under the banner of the National Opposing Union (UNO), was declared to have won the election by 6,000 votes by the Central Election Board, but the result was cancelled and the Legislative Assembly instead voted PCN candidate Arturo Armando Molina as president. Duarte was arrested, tortured, and exiled to Venezuela for his victory in the 1972 election.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Background
Other, less political, groups which appeared included the United Front for Revolutionary Action (FUAR), Party of Renovation (PAR), Unitary Syndical Federation of El Salvador (FUSS), Unified Popular Action Front (FAPU), and the Christian Federation of Salvadoran Peasants (FECCAS). In order to combat the political and militant opposition to the government, President Julio Adalberto Rivera established the National Democratic Organization (ORDEN). The organization was headed by General José Alberto Medrano and placed under the administration of the National Security Agency of El Salvador (ANSESAL).


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Background
ORDEN was a group of several government-controlled death squads which were used to arrest and torture political opponents, intimidate voters, rig elections, and kill peasants. ORDEN claimed to have somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 members at its peak in the late 1960s. Some of the most notorious death squads included the Anti- Communist Armed Forces of Liberation – War of Elimination (FALANGE) and the White Warrior's Union (Mano Blanca).


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Background
The Football War between El Salvador and Honduras in July 1969 saw 300,000 Salvadoran refugees leave Honduras for safety in El Salvador. They increased rates of unemployment and crime, weakening the nation's economy. The refugees coming from Honduras overpopulated the already densely populated country. They lived in poverty and had to sustain themselves without any government assistance. The impoverished citizens supported opposition candidates in elections since the government did little to nothing to support them, but the results were always rigged by the government and the poor were harassed by ORDEN. The increase of impoverished Salvadorans in the nation allowed militant groups such as the Farabundo Martí People's Forces of Liberation (FPL), Communist Party of El Salvador (PCES), National Resistance (RN), and the People's Revolutionary Army (ERP) to grow in size and numbers.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Background
In March 1979, President Carlos Humberto Romero attempted to negotiate with his political opponents due to the outbreak of the Nicaraguan Revolution the year prior, hoping to prevent a revolution against his own government. As a result, opposition forces, who saw weakness, organized strikes and marched in the streets of San Salvador and the crowds seized public buildings. Romero's soldiers crushed the strikes and marches by using live ammunition on the protesters. The event was broadcast across the United States and Europe and resulted in Costa Rica, Japan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and West Germany, closing their embassies in El Salvador citing an "uncontrollable spiral of violence."


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Coup, Prelude and planning
In July 1979, the regime of Anastasio Somoza Debayle was overthrown in the Nicaraguan Revolution and the Sandinistas gained power in Nicaragua. The event caused many military officials in El Salvador to fear that Romero's government would likely soon fall to the left-wing guerrilla forces with Sandinista support, and several military officers planned a coup to prevent El Salvador from "suffering the same fate as Nicaragua." The 800-strong officer corps of the military decided to act to remove Romero and install their own government with support from the United States.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Coup, Prelude and planning
Before the coup was staged, three different groups each started plotting their own coup attempts. In May 1979, Colonel Ernesto Clairmount, a Christian Democrat who was living in exile in Costa Rica, called for the army to overthrow Romero. Constitutionalists in the army under Colonel Adolfo Arnoldo Majano Ramos wanted to bring several economic and political reforms to El Salvador, while those with pro-US sympathies, who wanted moderate reforms and to crush left-wing organizations, supported Colonel Jaime Abdul Gutiérrez Avendaño. Meanwhile, oligarchs supported extreme reactionaries in the army to protect their own interests. According to the memoirs of Colonel Gutiérrez Avendaño, the coup was postponed three times. He claimed that Romero found out about the conspiracy but failed to take any serious action to prevent it.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Coup, Overthrow of Romero
On 15 October 1979 at 8:15 am local time, the group of military officers, called the Military Youth, rallied the Armed Forces of El Salvador to overthrow Romero's government. The armed forces were led by Colonels Majano Ramos and Gutiérrez Avendaño. The coup succeeded with no casualties and resulted in Romero's resignation. He was charged with corruption, electoral fraud, and human rights violations, but Romero fled for exile in Guatemala after negotiating a deal with the military to leave El Salvador by 6:30 pm local time. Divisional General Federico Castillo Yanes (Minister of National Defense), and Colonels Antonio Corleto (Director of the National Guard), Antonio López (Director of the National Police), Oscar René Serrano (Director of the Treasury Police), and Roberto Santibáñez (Director of the Political Police) also left the country for exile.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Coup, Overthrow of Romero
In the wake of the coup, the military established the center-left wing Revolutionary Government Junta. The junta consisted of Colonels Majano Ramos and Gutiérrez Avendaño, and three civilians: Guillermo Manuel Ungo Revelo, Mario Antonio Andino, and Román Mayorga Quirós. Ungo Revelo was a democratic socialist politician who had opposed the PCN government in the 1970s, Andino was the ex-vice president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of El Salvador (CCIES), and Mayorga Quirós was a member of the Central American University. The Salvadoran National Guard supported the coup and most of its leadership became loyal to the junta. Brigadier General José Guillermo García was appointed to Minister of National Defense by the junta.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Coup, Overthrow of Romero
The junta dissolved ORDEN which resulted in the death squads operating independently throughout what became the Salvadoran Civil War. The junta itself was the source of human rights violations such as mass murder, torture, executions, and unexplained disappearances. Despite dissolving ORDEN, the junta utilized its own death squads to commit the atrocities.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Coup, United States involvement
The United States government took an active role in the coup. Plotters stated that they had first attained prior US approval for the coup. It is clear that the US was aware of the plan beforehand. The US had been Romero's biggest supporter, but by October 1979, the US decided it needed a regime change. The officers the US recruited promised reforms, political rights, and amnesty for all political prisoners. Following the coup, the United States immediately recognized the junta's legitimacy as the government of El Salvador. Under Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, the junta and subsequent civilian government received massive aid and funding from the United States.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Coup, United States involvement
The coup was proclaimed as a "reformist coup" which established a "reformist junta," similar to the Military Revolutionary Council in South Vietnam during the 1963 South Vietnamese coup d'état which overthrew Ngô Đình Diệm. In both instances, the United States sent increased support to the new government.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Coup, United States involvement
The chairman of the junta, Majano Ramos, had left-leaning tendencies. The United States counted on right-leaning influence from Gutiérrez, and later Duarte, drowning out Majano Ramos' leftist influence. They eventually succeeded when Majano Ramos resigned as chairman and commander-in-chief in May 1980, and then from the junta entirely in December 1980. He was later arrested by the junta in February 1981 and left for exile in Panama in March 1981 after being released. His resignation allowed Gutiérrez Avendaño to become commander-in-chief and chairman of the junta in May 1980. He remained chairman and commander-in-chief until December 1980 when Duarte became president of the junta, where he remained until the 1982 presidential election.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Aftermath
In the weeks directly following the coup, thousands of civilians marched in the streets of San Salvador. They occupied churches and gathered around government buildings, demanding that the junta release information of all those who had disappeared under the military regime. They also demanded the lowering of rent prices, a raise in wages, and the institute of land reform. Despite ORDEN being officially dissolved by the junta in October 1979, its former paramilitary forces continued to operate during the civil war. Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez cautiously endorsed the junta which was established stating that the junta's goals of reform were good willed, but he warned that "beautiful promises are not dead letters."


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Aftermath
The coup of 1979 allowed for the rise of militant left-wing groups in the country. The five largest groups, Farabundo Martí People's Forces of Liberation (FPL), Communist Party of El Salvador (PCES), National Resistance (RN), People's Revolutionary Army (ERP), and the Revolutionary Party of the Central American Workers – El Salvador (PRTC), joined forces on 10 October 1980, nearly one year after the coup, to form the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), the most prominent opposition force to the Salvadoran government throughout the Salvadoran Civil War. The group was named after Augustín Farabundo Martí Rodríguez, the leader of the Communist Party during an uprising in 1932 which resulted in the massacre of 10,000 to 40,000 peasants under the rule of Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, who himself had a far-right death squad named after him.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Aftermath
During the rule of the junta from 1979 to 1982, around 20,000 Salvadoran civilians were killed, with human rights organizations estimating that up to 80% were killed directly by the junta. In 1980, the US-equipped National Guard massacred 300–600 civilians in Chalatenango, and in 1981, the US-trained Atlacatl Battalion massacred 800 civilians in the village of El Mozote. The junta denied the accusations of utilizing death squads to protect itself, instead claiming that it was a problem it could not control. The resulting civil war killed anywhere from 70,000 to 80,000 people and lasted twelve years from 1979, starting with the coup, until 1992, with the signing of the Chapultepec Peace Accords.


1979 Salvadoran coup d'état, Aftermath
The coup of 1979 was the last successful military coup in Salvadoran history.


1979 Samoa National League
The 1979 Samoa National League, or also known as the Upolo First Division, was the 1st edition of the Samoa National League, the top league of the Football Federation Samoa. Vaivase-tai won their first title, eventually becoming the first in a three title streak.


1979 San Diego Chargers season
The 1979 San Diego Chargers season was the team's 20th season, and tenth in the National Football League. Despite them and the Steelers having identical 12-4 records (their best record during the Coryell era), the Chargers were awarded the top AFC seed because of their victory over the Steelers.


1979 San Diego Chargers season
The 1979 Chargers finished in first place in the AFC West after having finished 9–7 in 1978. The Chargers made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts threw for 4,082-yard to break Joe Namath's NFL record of 4,007 in 1967 (albeit with the benefit of two extra regular season games). Wide receivers Charlie Joiner and John Jefferson both gained more than 1,000 yards receiving, the first NFL teammates to accomplish the feat since the Namath-led New York Jets' duo of George Sauer and Don Maynard. The Chargers became the first AFC West champion to run more passing plays (541) then rushing (481). Clarence Williams was the leading rusher with 752 yards and a club-record 12 touchdowns.


1979 San Diego Chargers season
In contrast to much of the "Air Coryell" period, the Charger defense was as strong as the offense, ranking 2nd in the league in yards allowed. Eight players combined to snag 28 interceptions, with linebackers Woodrow Lowe and Ray Preston finishing with five each. Wilbur Young led the team with 12 sacks. Kicker Rolf Benirschke began the year well, making all four of his kicks, but collapsed on the plane home from the Week 4 game at New England. He was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and missed the rest of the season. Three-time Super Bowl winner Roy Gerela was brought in as replacement, but made only one kick from seven before making way for Mike Wood, who finished 11 of 14, with all three misses coming from 50+ yards.


1979 San Diego Chargers season
The season ended with a playoff loss to the Houston Oilers. It was the Chargers' first playoff game since the 1965 AFL Championship game loss to the Buffalo Bills.


1979 San Diego Chargers season
As part of a marketing campaign, the Chargers created their fight song, "San Diego Super Chargers".


1979 San Diego Chargers season
The 2006 edition of Pro Football Prospectus, listed the 1979 Chargers as one of their "Heartbreak Seasons", in which teams "dominated the entire regular season only to falter in the playoffs, unable to close the deal." Said Pro Football Prospectus of the team, "the creative [head coach] Don Coryell always designed potent offenses, but the San Diego defense didn't catch up until 1979. ... In their first playoff game, the Chargers hosted a Houston Oilers team missing running back Earl Campbell and quarterback Dan Pastorini and fell on their faces.


1979 San Diego Chargers season
Fouts threw five interceptions and no touchdowns, and the Chargers blew a third quarter lead and lost 17–14. The Chargers would not have the best record in the NFL again until the 2006 season. They would not have another top ten defense in points allowed until 1989. They would not win 12 games in a season until 2004. Their best shot at glory went horribly awry, thanks to the worst game in the illustrious career of Dan Fouts."


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1
The defense sparked San Diego to an impressive opening day win with six takeaways. Seattle quarterback Jim Zorn was victimized for the majority of these, with 3 interceptions and two fumbles lost.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1
The first half was evenly contested, with Clarence Williams scoring from a yard out and San Diego leading 13-10, but the Seahawks had five consecutive possessions terminated by turnovers starting from midway through the 3rd quarter. Firstly, Fred Dean's second fumble recovery of the game set up a Rolf Benirschke field goal. On the next play, Zorn was intercepted by Ray Preston; a running into the punter penalty prolonged the subsequent Charger drive, and Williams ran in another touchdown. Seattle later tried a pass on 4th and 3 at the Charger 9, but Pete Shaw intercepted it to snuff out the threat. A fumble recovery by Wilbur Young and Preston's second interception would later set up a Mike Thomas touchdown run and Benirschke's 4th field goal.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2
A clean performance by Dan Fouts led to an easy win. John Jefferson and Bob Klein took passes in for touchdowns of 24 and 54 yards, and it was already 14-0 after a single quarter. Following a Raider field, San Diego wasted an red zone opportunity when Fouts fumbled the snap, but Woodrow Lowe picked off a Ken Stabler pas only three plays later and ran it back 32 yards for a game-breaking score. The Charger defense stuffed Stabler on a 4th and 1 from the 3 as the half came to a close.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2
The Raiders closed to within 11 in the 3rd quarter, but the Chargers rebuilt their lead. First, Greg McCrary blocked a Ray Guy punt out of the end zone for a safety; a couple of possessions later, rookie tight end Kellen Winslow caught his first career touchdown pass. Oakland had three subsequent trips into San Diego territory, but turned the ball over on downs each time.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2
Fouts finished 15 of 30 for 216 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3
A record-breaking performance by Clarence Williams maintained the Chargers' unbeaten start. In a back-and-forth game, Buffalo led 6-0 before San Diego had back-to-back touchdown drives of 80 and 73 yards, featuring a combined 16 runs against only 1 pass - Williams capped both of these with short scoring runs. The Bills pulled to within a point shortly before halftime, then took the lead when running back Curtis Brown took a short pass 84 yards for a touchdown.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3
Williams responded with his third touchdown only two plays later, heading around left end for a 55-yard run and a 20-19 lead. After a Gary Johnson sack helped snuff out a Bills threat, Dan Fouts found Mike Thomas for gains of 26 and 27 yards, and San Diego drove 80 yards in 8 plays, Williams scoring his fourth rushing touchdown to provide some breathing room; Buffalo posed little threat thereafter.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3
Williams finished with 18 carries for 157 yards and 4 touchdowns, setting a Charger record for rushing touchdowns in a game and tying Lance Alworth, who had four receiving touchdowns in 1968.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4
San Diego fell just short of overcoming a disastrous start. Punter Jeff West struggled badly throughout the 1st quarter, punts of 21, 28 and 30 yards setting up New England in Charger territory on three consecutive drives, which they converted into seventeen points. In total, there were 33 snaps in the opening quarter, and each one took place in San Diego territory.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4
The score was 20-0 New England before the Chargers began their comeback. Fouts hit Jefferson for 33 and 19-yard gains on successive play, the latter for a touchdown. Then it was New England's turn to shank a punt, an 18-yard kick setting up a 38-yard Charger touchdown drive, with Williams running the final yard. After a scoreless 3rd quarter, Steve Grogan's touchdown pass made it 27-14.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4
However, Grogan's errors nearly cost his team the win. With seven minutes to play, Glen Edwards picked off a pass in Patriot territory, setting up another Williams touchdown. Then, on the first play after the two-minute warning, Grogan threw the ball right into the arms of Bob Horn, who returned it 30 yards to the New England 10. With the game on the line, the Patriot defense stiffened, and Fouts was intercepted at the goal line on 3rd and 9.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4
Despite Williams' two scores, the Chargers' rushing attack could muster only 39 yards total, their worst tally of the season.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5
The Chargers bounced back with a straightforward victory over the winless 49ers. Though Fouts was intercepted deep in 49er territory in the opening quarter, three scores in the final 5:04 of the half put San Diego in command. Williams started the run with his 9th rushing touchdown of the season, already tying Paul Lowe's club record after only five games. A field goal by Roy Gerela (in for the ailing Rolf Benirschke) followed with 42 seconds on the clock; two plays later, Horn intercepted an ill-advised pass, and Fouts immediately found Charlie Joiner for a 17-3 lead.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5
When San Francisco found the end zone in the 3rd quarter, Gary Johnson blocked the extra point to keep it a two-score game. Fouts subsequently fumbled in the redzone, but would find Winslow for the clinching touchdown one possession later. Johnson also recovered a late fumble, allowing Hank Bauer to score from close range with 8 seconds on the clock.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6
Turnovers and missed opportunities saw the Chargers slip out of first place in the AFC West. There were few scoring chances in the first half, but Roy Gerela missed a field goal from just 20 yards out, before striking an upright with a 45-yard attempt. The Broncos got their break early in the 3rd quarter, when Winslow fumbled and Denver recovered at the Charger 11, scoring two plays later. Fouts was intercepted three times thereafter, as the Chargers were kept at arms length - Gerela also hit another upright, from 24 yards out.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6
The Chargers outgained Denver 374-193, 305-33 through the air, with four different players getting sacks. Fouts finished 27 of 45 for 305 yards, no touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He also set a dubious record, with the most yards thrown by a quarterback while being shut out. Joiner caught 7 passes for 115 yards.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7
A clinical Fouts performance led San Diego to the bounce-back win, though further missed opportunities kept the game close. The quarterback threw touchdown passes in the third quarter, and led two further drives that ended in missed Gerela field goals. When Seattle scored a touchdown early in the 4th quarter, it was only 14-10 to the Chargers. Seattle later earned a first down at the Charger 27, but Glen Edwards intercepted Jim Zorn in the end zone. The Seahawks tried a fake punt on their next drive, but Pete Shaw stuffed the play, and Fouts found Jefferson for a game-clinching 49-yard touchdown three plays later.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7
Fouts was 28 of 35, for 318 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Jefferson caught a career-high 9 passes for 137 yards and two scores. On defense, Leroy Jones had three sacks out of five in total.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8
Buoyed by 8 takeaways, San Diego brushed aside the Rams. After Bauer opened the scoring, Fouts found Joiner for a 35-yard gain, and the Chargers were poised to extend their lead. An end zone interception thwarted the threat, and a 37-yard pass interference penalty against Mike Williams helped Los Angeles to quickly tie the scores. Later, Woodrow Lowe blocked a 42-yard field goal attempt to keep the scores tied.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8
The Chargers went ahead to stay with 56 seconds to play in the half - Fouts found Jefferson in stride at the Ram 35, and he went in untouched for a 65-yard touchdown. The defense took over after that. Shortly after half time, Dean's quarterback sack caused the ball to pop up in the air for Wilbur Young to gather as he stepped into the end zone. A Shaw interception and 30-yard return then set up a field goal for new kicker Mike Wood. Shaw then turned provider, forcing a fumble which Jerome Dove recovered.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8
Five plays later, Fouts hit Bob Klein for the score that made it 31-7. The Rams then had a mini-revival, and trailed 34-14 with the ball at the Charger 2-yard line. Lowe ended that threat by forcing a fumble which went through the end zone. Williams later set up another Bauer touchdown when he ran an interception back 50 yards to the 1.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8
Fouts completed 17 of 32 attempts for 326 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Joiner caught 7 passes for 168 yards, his highest total since becoming a Charger; Jefferson added 112 yards on just three catches, with 1 touchdown. A loss by Denver the next day left the Chargers a game clear in the division.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9
A Thursday night defeat saw the Chargers slip out of first place, with Denver winning later in the week. Oakland, who still harboured Western title ambitions themselves, came out fast with touchdowns on their second and third possessions. When the Chargers reached 1sy and 5 at the 11 in response, Fouts threw an interception straight to Lester Hayes. It was 21-0 before San Diego got on the board, Fouts finding Jefferson wide open en route to a 57-yard touchdown reception. The extra point was blocked, and Oakland increased their lead to 24-6 at halftime.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9
The Chargers made further inroads in the during the 3rd quarter. Wood made a short field goal, then followed up with a surprise onside kick, which the Raiders unnecessarily touched despite it lacking the power to go ten yards. San Diego recovered, and Jefferson converted a 4th and 4 before Fouts sneaked the ball in himself from a yard out. Ira Matthews returned the ensuing kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest touchdown by a Charger opponent, a record since tied but not surpassed. Bob Klein pulled San Diego back within nine points with a quarter still to play, but they didn't cross midfield again until the final minutes, by which time Oakland had safely padded their lead.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9
Dan Fouts set an NFL record with his fourth consecutive 300-yard game. He completed 21 of 37 for 303 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. For the second consecutive game, both starting wide receivers crossed the 100-yard mark: Joiner caught 9 passes for 107 yards; Jefferson had 4 for 109 and a touchdown.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10
A standout performance by Glen Edwards helped San Diego keep pace with Denver in the AFC West. The free safety had a spectacular start to the game, recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff. Fouts was intercepted only two plays later, but the play after that, Edwards grabbed another fumble, giving him two takeaways in the first 65 seconds of the game. The Chiefs then prolonged San Diego's second drive with a penalty for running into the punter, and Fouts teamed with Jefferson for the opening score. Wood added a short field goal, before the defenses dominated a scoreless 2nd quarter.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10
Fouts threw another pick at the start of the 3rd quarter; Kansas City drove into the red zone before Ray Preston made an interception of his own. The Chargers then embarked on a 63-yard field goal drive.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10
Down 13-0 late in the 3rd quarter, the Chiefs' offense woke up with two long touchdown drives, either side of Clarence Williams' 10th rushing touchdown of the season. Needing a touchdown to win, Kansas City were at midfield with 57 seconds on the clock, but Edwards stepped up again with the game-sealing interception.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11
Mike Wood's field goal 19 seconds from time saved the Chargers from a shock defeat. The Bengals wasted no time on the game's first possession, driving 67 yards on 8 plays for the opening touchdown. San Diego appeared poised to tie the scores later in the quarter after Cliff Thrift blocked a punt, setting up the offense on the 8-yard line. However, Ray Griffin darted in front of a Fouts throw and ran 96 yards untouched for a 14-0 lead.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11
The Chargers worked their way back into the game in the 2nd quarter, with two Wood field goals either side of a Joiner touchdown; a further three-pointer from Wood made it 16-14 after the break. Cincinnati then reached 4th and 1 from the Charger 14, whereupon a high snap ruined a field goal attempt - the holder attempted to run, but Ray Preston tackled him just short of a first down. Nonetheless, the Bengals took the lead, scoring a touchdown and field goal on their next two drives, either side of an interception. Trailing 24-16 with only 4:34 to play, Fouts came out passing, completing 4 of 7 on a 77-yard drive that culminated in a 32-yard touchdown for kick-return specialist Artie Owens, 3:13 from time.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11
After holding the Bengals on three downs, the Chargers began the winning drive on their own 49 with 1:50 to play. Following two incompletions and a sack, Fouts converted a 4th and 18 with a 31-yard completion to Joiner, then found the same receiver for 13 yards on the next play. Three plays later, Wood kicked the winner from 32 yards out.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11
Fouts was 21 of 40 for 295 yards, 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. San Diego lost the turnover battle 4-0 and gave up a season-high 194 yards on the ground, but allowed only 60 through the air.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12
The Chargers defense intercepted Terry Bradshaw five times as the defending Super Bowl champions were well beaten. Seven of the game's 12 turnovers happened in an extraordinary 1st quarter. Ray Preston set the ball rolling, with an interception the Chargers converted into a Fouts-to-Jefferson touchdown. Pittsburgh fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but Fouts was picked off in the end zone when he looked for Jefferson again. Following a Steeler punt, both sides lost fumbles in quick succession; Pittsburgh then touched a Charger punt, allowing San Diego to recover inside the ten. Three plays later, Fouts was again intercepted, with 44 seconds still remaining in the opening quarter.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12
Normality returned somewhat in the 2nd quarter, and Klein caught a 6-yard score at the end of a 72-yard drive. Bradshaw was then intercepted by Preston again, and Williams scored from the 2 a play later.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12
Down 21-0, the champions tried to rally in the third quarter, Rocky Bleier rushing for a score and converting on 4th and 4 with a 7-yard reception. However, when Pittsburgh went for it again on 4th and 10, Woodrow Lowe intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 77 yards for the clinching touchdown. Mike Williams later set up a Bauer touchdown with an interception, and Lowe had his second before the game was over.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12
Gary Johnson had two sacks on a day of defensive dominance; Bradshaw finished with no touchdowns and five interceptions for the only time in his Hall of Fame career. Jefferson was the standout offensive play, with 5 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown (his teammates only had 31 receiving yards between them). Pittsburgh's 28-point margin of defeat was their worst throughout the 1970s. Coupled with their Week 8 win over the Rams, San Diego beat the eventual Super Bowl contestants by a combined 75-23.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13
Dan Fouts was back on song as the Chargers earned a straightforward win. The Chiefs led 7-0 after the game's opening possession, but San Diego responded in kind: Fouts twice converted on 3rd and long, with 29-yard completions to Artie Owens and Joiner, the latter for a touchdown. The next seven Chiefs' possessions all ended in punts, allowing San Diego to steadily build a lead with long touchdown drives.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13
In the 2nd quarter they went 91 yards on 8 plays, with Jefferson scoring from 42 yards out; in the 3rd, they covered 82 yards in 14 plays, and Klein scored the final touchdown of his 11-season career. Finally, Owens capped an 87-yard, 14-play drive with his second touchdown in as many weeks (he only scored three through his whole career).


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13
Fouts was 27 of 43 for a season-high 350 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interceptions; Joiner caught 9 for 123 and a touchdown. On defense, Mike Williams snagged a late interception and Wilbur Young had two sacks. Denver lost to Oakland the same day, leaving San Diego a game clear in the AFC West once more.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14
Atlanta, who had won only two of their previous 11 games, shocked the Chargers in front of their home fans. Down 7-0 early, Fouts found Joiner for 28 yards to the Atlanta 1, from where Bauer scored two plays later. Jefferson's 43-yard reception set up a Wood field goal the next time San Diego had the ball. However, Falcons QB Steve Bartkowski moved his team 56 yards in only four plays shortly before halftime, and an interception with 11 seconds on the clock foiled the Chargers after they had driven into the red zone.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14
In the second half, Willian Buchanan ripped the ball from the hands of a Falcons receiver, and Fouts found rookie John Floyd for a 17-14 lead. Bartkowski responded immediately, leading an 80-yard drive to put Atlanta back in front. Following an exchange of punts, Fouts scrambled for 26 yards and Clarence Williams scored from close range with 7:35 to play. Lowe came up with an interception shortly afterwards, and Jeffrey West pinned Atlanta at their own 3-yard line, setting up a sack and safety for Young.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14
However, San Diego then went three-and-out, and West shanked a 10-yard punt to the Atlanta 49. Bartkowski made the most of the excellent field position, throwing his third touchdown of the game with 21 seconds left. That still left time for a 27-yard reception by Jefferson, but the Chargers were pushed back five yards by an illegal motion penalty, and Wood's 53-yard field goal attempt fell short as time expired.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14
Fouts was 28 of 37 for 338 yards, a touchdown and an interception; Jefferson and Joiner had 103 and 99 yards respectively. While San Diego outgained Atlanta 410-375, it was still the most yards they conceded all season, and Young's safety was their only sack of the game. Denver won to edge back ahead on the tiebreaker. However, the final-game matchup between the two would decide the divisional title, regardless of what happened in Week 15.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15
San Diego clinched at least a wildcard with a blowout win in New Orleans. Their first three drives ended in touchdowns for Bauer, Williams and Jefferson, while the Saints could muster only a single first down in response. When New Orleans finally managed to force a punt, Mike Fuller won the ball straight back with an interception, setting up another Bauer score. The Saints promptly fumbled the ensuing kickoff, with Jerome Dove recovering. The Chargers then reached 1st and goal at the 1, with four seconds on the clock. They elected to run another play, and Bauer completed the rout as the half ended. The Saints improved in the second half, but turned the ball over on downs four times as they failed to prevent the shutout.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15
During the first half, San Diego compiled a 27-1 advantage in first downs while outgaining the Saints 323-45. It was their biggest shutout win since a pair of games from the 1961 season, and remains their biggest road shutout win. While Jefferson caught 5 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown, the nature of the game saw the Chargers rush a season-high 42 times, covering 166 yards on the ground with four touchdowns. Bauer scored three times from a yard out, and lost two yards on his only other carry, giving him an unusual stat line: 4 carries, 1 yard, 3 touchdowns.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16
Buoyed by a defense which forced five turnovers from Denver QB Craig Morton, the Chargers clinched the AFC West on the final Monday night of the season. Hampered by a Fouts interception and a missed field goal, San Diego trailed 7-0 early in the 2nd quarter when Morton was sacked by Fred Dean, forcing a fumble which Leroy Jones recovered. Fouts then led a 41-yard drive to tie the scores, rushing the final 4 yards himself. The Chargers threatened to take the lead on their next possession, but Fouts was picked off at the Denver 10. Next it was the Broncos turn to miss an opportunity - they drove 81 yards, reaching 2nd and 4 at the 9 before Pete Shaw came up with a goal line interception to keep the game tied.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16
The Charger offense came to life in the opening minutes of the second half, going 52 yards in three plays, with Joiner scoring from 32 yards out. They had the chance to extend their lead shortly afterwards, but a botched hold prevented Wood from taking a 35-yard kick. Early in the 4th, Denver breached the red zone, but Don Goode came up with an interception. Fouts then went deep, but was himself picked off; Morton responded with a bomb of his own, but Mike Williams came up with the third interception in as many plays at the Charger 7-yard line. Following a punt, Mike Fuller came up with yet another interception, this time setting up Wood for an insurance field goal. Denver reached the Charger 20 in response, but turned the ball over on downs with 2 minutes to play.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Postseason, AFC Divisional Playoffs: Oilers at Chargers
Dan Fouts threw five interceptions as the injury-ravaged Oilers pulled off a shock win.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Postseason, AFC Divisional Playoffs: Oilers at Chargers
A week after a game, Sports Illustrated published an article entitled "The Stolen Signals Caper." For the season, San Diego's standard game method was for Offensive Coordinator Joe Gibbs to stay upstairs in the booth and phone plays down to Head Coach Don Coryell and Jim Hanifan on the sidelines. The two of them would confer, and then Hanifan would signal in the plays using hand signals much like baseball teams use. Houston Defense Coordinator Eddie Biles broke the code. And the Oilers did not overplay their hand.


1979 San Diego Chargers season, Postseason, AFC Divisional Playoffs: Oilers at Chargers
Biles merely signaled the play to Oiler Middle Linebacker Gregg Bingham who called the Houston defense on the field. Bingham stated, "My job was to put us into the right defense—I guess you'd say the perfect defense." One result is that Houston Strong Safety Vernon Perry intercepted four of Fouts' passes, three of them while playing double coverage against the Chargers. Oiler J.C. Wilson also had one interception. The article stated, "People who have been around the Chargers for years said they had never seen him [Fouts] throw into so much double coverage."


1979 San Diego Padres season
The 1979 San Diego Padres season was the 11th season in franchise history.


1979 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1979 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1979 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1979 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1979 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1979 San Diego State Aztecs football team
The 1979 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State University during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).


1979 San Diego State Aztecs football team
The team was led by head coach Claude Gilbert, in his seventh year, and played home games at San Diego Stadium in San Diego, California. They finished with a record of eight wins and three losses (8–3, 4–2 WAC).


1979 San Diego State Aztecs football team, Team players in the NFL
The following finished their college career in 1979, were not drafted, but played in the NFL.


1979 San Diego mayoral election
The 1979 San Diego mayoral election was held on September 18, 1979 to elect the mayor for San Diego. Incumbent Pete Wilson stood for reelection for a third term. As the result of a voter-approved amendment to the City Charter to align mayoral elections with state elections, the winner of the election stood to receive an extended five-year term.


1979 San Diego mayoral election
Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, though some candidates do receive funding and support from various political parties. The non-partisan primary was held September 18, 1979. Wilson received a majority of the votes in the primary and was reelected mayor with no need for a runoff election.


1979 San Diego mayoral election, Campaign
On June 19, 1979, former newspaper publisher Simon Casady announced he would run for mayor of San Diego. Casady was considered the strongest challenger to Wilson's attempt at a third term. Although the position of mayor is officially non-partisan, Casady, a liberal Democrat and long-time activist, hoped to run a partisan campaign against Wilson. Wilson officially announced his candidacy for re-election on June 20, 1979. Wilson emphasized his positive record in his previous two terms as mayor in his re-election campaign.


1979 San Diego mayoral election, Campaign
On September 18, 1979, Wilson was re-elected easily with 61.6 percent of the vote. Casady came in second with 31.6 percent of the vote. The five remaining candidates garnered less than 7 percent vote combined. Because Wilson received a majority of the vote, he was reelected outright with no need for a runoff election.


1979 San Diego mayoral election, General election
Because Wilson was elected mayor with a majority of the votes in the primary, no runoff election was held.


1979 San Francisco 49ers season
The 1979 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 30th season in the National Football League and their 34th overall. The season is noted for being O. J. Simpson’s final year and Joe Montana’s first season, as well as the first-year head coaching the 49ers for Bill Walsh.


1979 San Francisco 49ers season
The 1979 49ers are the only team in NFL history to lose 12 games in which they held a lead.


1979 San Francisco Giants season
The 1979 San Francisco Giants season was the Giants' 97th season in Major League Baseball, their 22nd season in San Francisco since their move from New York following the 1957 season, and their 20th at Candlestick Park. The team finished in fourth place in the National League West with a 71-91 record, 19½ games behind the Cincinnati Reds.


1979 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1979 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1979 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1979 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1979 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1979 San Francisco State Gators football team
The 1979 San Francisco State Gators football team represented San Francisco State University during the 1979 NCAA Division II football season.


1979 San Francisco State Gators football team
San Francisco State competed in the Far Western Conference (FWC). The Gators were led by head coach Vic Rowen in his 19th year at the helm. They played home games at Cox Stadium in San Francisco, California. The team finished the season with a record of three wins and seven losses (3–7, 1–4 FWC). For the season the team was outscored by its opponents 108–201.


1979 San Francisco State Gators football team
At the end of the season, Cal State Hayward was required to forfeit their win against San Francisco State. This brought the Gators record to an adjusted four wins and six losses (4–6, 2–3 FWC).


1979 San Francisco State Gators football team, Team players in the NFL
No San Francisco State players were selected in the 1980 NFL Draft.


1979 San Francisco mayoral election
The 1979 mayoral election was held to elect the mayor of San Francisco. Incumbent mayor Dianne Feinstein, who had succeeded George Moscone after his assassination the prior year, was elected to her first full term as mayor of the City and County, the first woman to be elected to the position in the city's history. Feinstein, with 46.63%, and  Quentin L. Kopp, with 44.72%, were the top two finishers in the first-round, and advanced to a runoff. In the first round the two of them had beat out musician Jello Biafra, Sylvia Weinstein, Cesar Ascarrunz, Steve L. Calitri, Tibor Uskert, Joe Hughes and Patricia Dolbeare.


1979 San Francisco mayoral election
Feinstein and Kopp participated in the December 11 runoff, in which Feinstein won with 53.96% over Kopp's 46.04%. Feinstein was sworn into office on January 1, 1980.


1979 San Francisco mayoral election, Campaign
Feinstein was seen as having more liberal support than Kopp, including support among the black and homosexual electorate. In turn, Kopp was seen as having more conservative support than Feinstein.


1979 San Francisco mayoral election, Campaign
David Scott, the former president of the Board of Permit Appeals, placed third in the first round. His performance, as an openly-gay candidate, was seen as another sign of the growing political influence of the city's LGBT community. The city that had two years earlier seen the election of the late Harvey Milk (who had since been assassinated alongside mayor George Moscone) to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and had the previous year seen the passage  by the Board of Supervisors of an ordinance banning discrimination on sexuality in housing, jobs, and public accommodations. Additionally that year the White Night riots had occurred, energizing the gay community's activism. For the runoff, Scott gave his endorsement, which had been strongly sought by both remaining candidates, to Feinstein.


1979 San Francisco mayoral election, Campaign
A major issue of the campaign was addressing a projected budget deficit of $117 million. Kopp positioned himself as a fiscal watchdog. As solutions to the deficit, he proposed leasing the city-owned zoo and golf course to private entities, making civil service reforms, and cutting costs. Feinstein proposed doubling parking fines, hiking transit fares, and extending the amortization schedule for city pensions from nineteen to twenty years.


1979 San Francisco mayoral election, Campaign
Feinstein placed a focus on her ties to the administration of United States President Jimmy Carter, strategically timing her announcements of federal grants being made to the city. Amid the campaign, she also announced that the United States Department of Defense had reversed its earlier decision to decrease operations at the Presidio.


1979 San Francisco mayoral election, Campaign
A rainstorm on the day of the election was faulted for what was considered a low turnout of 55%. It had been believed that the lighter turnout was to Kopp's advantage, as Feinstein's more liberal supporters were viewed as less likely to vote than Kopp's more conservative supporters. However, Feinstein still won.


1979 San Jose Earthquakes season
The 1979 San Jose Earthquakes season was the sixth for the franchise in the North American Soccer League. They finished fourth inthe Western Division of the American Conference.


1979 San Jose Earthquakes season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1979 San Jose State Spartans football team
The 1979 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State University during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. The team was led by first year head coach Jack Elway. They played home games at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California.


1979 San Jose State Spartans football team
The Spartans finished the 1979 season as co-champions of the PCAA, with a record of six wins, four losses and one tie (6–4–1, 4–0–1 PCAA). However, in December 1979 the PCAA ruled that the Spartans had used an ineligible player in seven of their games. As a result, the team's co-championship of the conference was vacated, and the record was adjusted to 3–8 (2–3 PCAA).


1979 San Jose State Spartans football team, Team players in the NFL
The following finished their San Jose State career in 1979, were not drafted, but played in the NFL.


1979 Sangguniang Pampook elections
The 1979 Sangguniang Pampook elections were held for the 2 Regional Legislative Assemblies or Sangguniang Pampook  on 7 May 1979, in the former Region IX (current Zamboanga Peninsula Region) and Region XII (current Soccsksargen Region).


1979 Sangguniang Pampook elections
Both were former Philippine Autonomous Regions located in areas of the Mindanao islands group in the southern Philippines.


1979 Sangguniang Pampook elections, Regional Legislative Assemblies - Sangguniang Pampook
Region IX and Region XII each had a Regional Legislative Assembly or Sangguniang Pampook, each composed of 18 representative each. They included:


1979 Sangguniang Pampook elections, Regional Legislative Assemblies - Sangguniang Pampook, Elections
The candidates for the 34 Regional Legislative Assembly representative positions, 17 each for Region IX and Region XII, were voted on at large by the registered voters of each province and city constituency. The candidates that received the highest number of votes in each constituency were declared their elected representative.


1979 Santiago International Classic
The 1979 Santiago International Classic was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Santiago, Chile that was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit. It was the fourth edition of the tournament and was held from 26 November through 2 December 1979. Second-seeded Hans Gildemeister won the singles title.


1979 Santiago International Classic, Finals, Doubles
José Higueras /  Jairo Velasco, Sr. vs.  Álvaro Fillol /  Jaime Fillol divided at 2–2 in third set


1979 Sarawak state election
The third Sarawak state election was held in 1979. It was the first time that Sarawak held state election separately from the 1978 Malaysian general election. Sarawak Barisan Nasional won 45 out of 48 seats in the Council Negri (now Sarawak State Legislative Assembly) and 61.2% of the popular vote.


1979 Sardinian regional election
The Sardinian regional election of 1979 took place on 17 June 1979.


1979 Sardinian regional election
After the election Alessandro Ghinami, member of the Italian Democratic Socialist Party formed a government which included Christian Democracy and the Italian Socialist Party. However, as soon as in 1980 the Socialists and the Democratic Socialists switched sides and formed a new coalition with the Italian Communist Party and the Sardinian Action Party. The government was led by Socialist Francesco Rais (1980–1982) and Sardist Mario Melis (1982). In 1982 the Christian Democrats returned at the head of the regional government with Angelo Rojch as President, in coalition with the Socialists, the Democratic Socialists and the Italian Republican Party.


1979 Scheldeprijs
The 1979 Scheldeprijs was the 66th edition of the Scheldeprijs cycle race and was held on 31 July 1979. The race was won by Daniel Willems.


1979 Scottish Cup Final
The 1979 Scottish Cup Final was contested between Rangers and Hibernian. After goalless draws in the initial match and the replay, Rangers won the Cup by winning 3–2 after extra time in the second replay. The winning goal for Rangers was an own goal scored with his head by Arthur Duncan.


1979 Scottish League Cup Final (December)
The 1979–80 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 8 December 1979 and replayed on 12 December 1979. It was the final of the 34th Scottish League Cup competition, and it was a New Firm derby contested by Dundee United and Aberdeen. The first match ended in a goalless draw, but Dundee United won the replay 3–0 thanks to goals by Willie Pettigrew (2) and Paul Sturrock.


1979 Scottish League Cup Final (December)
United's victory earned them a place in the 1980–81 UEFA Cup competition.


1979 Scottish League Cup Final (December), Match details
Dundee United were delayed arriving at Hampden due to heavy traffic and flooding, and reached the stadium just 30 minutes before kick-off. Although both teams created chances, it was the two sides' defences that dominated the match. United's manager Jim McLean felt his side had not played at their best, but that Aberdeen had, and that gave him confidence for the replay.


1979 Scottish League Cup Final (December), Match details, Replay
The replay in windy conditions at Dens Park saw a larger attendance than the original tie. This time Dundee United dominated the match to win 3-0 and secure their first ever major honour.


1979 Scottish League Cup Final (March)
The 1978–79 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 31 March 1979 and was the final of the 33rd Scottish League Cup competition. It was contested by Rangers and Aberdeen. Rangers won the match 2–1 thanks to goals by Colin Jackson and Alex MacDonald.


1979 Scottish National Party leadership election
There was an election to choose a new leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) held in 1979. The election saw Gordon Wilson become the party's new national convenor.


1979 Scottish National Party leadership election
William Wolfe had been the leader of the SNP since winning a leadership election in 1969, and initially the party had performed well under his leadership. In 1978, he announced that he intended to stand down the following year and, as a result, he had little involvement with the party's campaign in the 1979 United Kingdom general election. The election went very badly for the SNP, which lost nine of its eleven seats in Parliament.


1979 Scottish National Party leadership election
Immediately after the election, a group of left-wingers in the party, including Roseanna Cunningham and Margo MacDonald, formed what became the 79 Group. In response, those who wished to prioritise independence over all other considerations formed the Campaign for Nationalism in Scotland. Both groups put forward candidates for election to various posts in the election held at that year's conference, held in Dundee.


1979 Scottish National Party leadership election
The most significant election at the conference was that for party leader. Three candidates stood to replace Wolfe:


1979 Scottish National Party leadership election
Wilson easily won the election, with 530 votes. Maxwell took 117 votes, and MacRae only 52. The 79 Group failed to win any of the elections at the conference.


1979 Scottish devolution referendum
The Scottish referendum of 1979 was a post-legislative referendum to decide whether there was a sufficient support for a Scottish Assembly proposed in the Scotland Act 1978 among the Scottish electorate. This was an act to create a devolved deliberative assembly for Scotland. An amendment to the Act stipulated that it would be repealed if less than 40% of the total electorate voted "Yes" in the referendum. The result was that 51.6% supported the proposal, but with a turnout of 64%, which represented only 32.9% of the registered electorate. The Act was subsequently repealed. A second referendum to create a devolved legislature in Scotland was held in 1997 under a newly elected Labour government, which led to the enactment of the Scotland Act 1998 and the creation of a devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999.


1979 Scottish devolution referendum, Background, Kilbrandon Commission
Following the Scottish National Party gaining its first peacetime MP in the 1967 Hamilton by-election and Plaid Cymru's first win at the 1966 Carmarthen by-election in Wales, the United Kingdom government set up the Royal Commission on the Constitution, referred to as the Kilbrandon Commission, in 1969. The royal commission was intended to look at the constitutional structure of the United Kingdom and consider changes that should be made. The final report was published in 1973.


1979 Scottish devolution referendum, Background, Kilbrandon Commission
The commission examined various models of devolution, federalism and confederalism, on top of the break-up of the UK into separate sovereign states.


1979 Scottish devolution referendum, Background, Kilbrandon Commission
In relation to Scotland, eight of the commission's members supported a Scottish Assembly, via a devolved structure. It would recommended that the assembly would have around 100 members, elected under single transferable vote from multi-member constituencies. The assembly would obtain powers in the areas of education, environment, health, home affairs, legal matters and social services, while agriculture, fisheries and food would be divided between the assembly and the UK government.


1979 Scottish devolution referendum, Background, Previous Legislation
After returning to power with a minority government in February 1974 election, Harold Wilson's Labour government published a white paper entitled Democracy and Devolution: Proposals for Scotland and Wales, published in September 1974. The party gained a narrow majority of three seats in the election in October.


1979 Scottish devolution referendum, Background, Previous Legislation
By 1976, the Labour government, now led by James Callaghan, had lost its parliamentary majority entirely following a series of adverse by-election results. To provide a stable majority in the House of Commons, the government made an agreement with the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru whereby, in return for their support in Commons votes, the government would instigate legislation to devolve political powers from Westminster to Scotland and Wales.


1979 Scottish devolution referendum, Background, Previous Legislation
The Scotland and Wales Bill was subsequently introduced in November 1976, but the government struggled to get the legislation through parliament. The Conservative opposition opposed its second reading, and on the first day of committee 350 amendments were put down. Progress slowed to a crawl. In February 1977, the Bill's cabinet sponsor Michael Foot tabled a guillotine motion to attempt to halt the delays. The motion was rejected and the government was forced to withdraw the Bill.


1979 Scottish devolution referendum, Scotland Act 1978
The government returned to the issue of devolution in November 1977. Separate bills for Scotland and Wales were published and support from the Liberals was obtained. In spite of continued opposition requiring another guillotine motion, the Bills were passed. During the passage of the Scotland Act 1978 through Parliament, an amendment introduced by Labour MP George Cunningham added a requirement that the bill had to be approved by 40% of the total registered electorate, as well as a simple majority (50% + 1).


1979 Scottish devolution referendum, Scotland Act 1978, Proposed Assembly
Had the Scotland Act 1978 entered force, it would have created a Scottish Assembly with limited legislative powers. There would have been a Scottish Executive headed by a "First Secretary", taking over some of the functions of the Secretary of State for Scotland. Meetings of the Scottish Assembly would have been held at the Old Royal High School in Regent Road, Edinburgh. The former school hall was adapted for use by the Scottish Assembly, including the installation of microphones and new olive-green leather seating. Members would have been elected by the "first past the post" system.


1979 Scottish devolution referendum, Scotland Act 1978, Proposed Assembly
The Scottish Assembly would have had the power to introduce primary legislation to be known as "Measures" (rather than Acts) within defined areas of competence. This form of legislation would not receive royal assent like Acts of Parliament do. Instead, the legislation is signed via an Order in Council, which the monarch signs and appends to the assembly measure once passed. Some new offices would have been created, such as a Comptroller and Auditor General for Scotland.


1979 Scottish devolution referendum, Scotland Act 1978, Proposed Assembly
Responsibility for agriculture, fisheries and food would have been divided between the Assembly and the United Kingdom government, while the latter would have retained control of electricity supply.


1979 Scottish devolution referendum, Aftermath
The result was a majority in favour of devolution. A total of 1,230,937 (51.6%) voted at the referendum in favour of an Assembly, a majority of about 77,400 over those voting against. However, this total represented only 32.9% of the registered electorate as a whole. The Labour government held that the Act's requirements had not been met, and that devolution would therefore not be introduced for Scotland.


1979 Scottish devolution referendum, Aftermath
In the wake of the referendum the disappointed supporters of the bill conducted a protest campaign under the slogan "Scotland said 'yes'", officially launched in a Glasgow hotel on 7 March 1979. In particular, the Scottish National Party (SNP) carried out a survey of the electoral register in the Edinburgh Central constituency. This appeared to show that the register was so out of date that even in an area where major support for a "yes" vote might be expected, achievement of 40% of the electorate was virtually unattainable. This was because the majority of electors lived in older tenements or newer Council blocks of flats where flat numbers were not specified. The work of electoral registration staff to obtain an accurate current register was almost impossible.


1979 Scottish devolution referendum, Aftermath
Under the terms of the Act, it could then be repealed by a Statutory instrument to be approved by Parliament. The government's decision to abandon devolution led the SNP to withdraw its support for the Labour government. It was in a minority in Parliament and had relied on deals with the smaller parties, including the SNP, for its survival. After establishing that the Liberals and the SNP would vote against the government in a confidence motion, the Conservative opposition tabled a motion on 28 March. The government was defeated by one vote, and a UK general election was subsequently called. This was won by the Conservatives, and Parliament voted to repeal the Act on 20 June 1979.


1979 Scottish devolution referendum, Aftermath
A second referendum to create a devolved legislature in Scotland was held in 1997 under a newly elected Labour government, which led to the enactment of the Scotland Act 1998 and the creation of a devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999.


1979 Seattle Mariners season
The 1979 Seattle Mariners season was the franchise's third since its creation. The Mariners ended the season in sixth place in the American League West with a record of 67–95 (.414). The Mariners hosted the All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 17.


1979 Seattle Mariners season, Regular season, All-Star Game
The 1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 50th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 17, 1979, at the Kingdome, the home of the Mariners. The National League defeated the American League, 7–6.


1979 Seattle Mariners season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1979 Seattle Mariners season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1979 Seattle Mariners season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1979 Seattle Mariners season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1979 Seattle Mariners season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1979 Seattle Seahawks season
The 1979 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's fourth season in the National Football League. The Seahawks had a winning record for the second consecutive year, matching their 9–7 record from 1978.


1979 Seattle Seahawks season
Starting off the season with a 1–4 record, the Seahawks rallied to finish 9–7. Season highlights included a sweep of the Oakland Raiders for the second straight year, and winning both of their Monday Night Football contests in Atlanta and at home against the New York Jets, where Jim Zorn completed 13 passes in a row in a 30–7 victory. The team also enjoyed their first victory over the Denver Broncos 28–23 on a 43-yard TD pass from Zorn to Largent in the final minutes. One of the most iconic moments from the season includes running back Aaron Yurkanin performing a brutal stiff-arm on Broncos linebacker Aidan Smith in a pivotal divisional matchup victory.


1979 Seattle Seahawks season
Season lowlights included a 37–34 loss in Denver, after leading 34–10 midway through the 3rd quarter. The Los Angeles Rams shut out the Seattle Seahawks 24–0, holding the Seahawks to −7 yards total offense, and only one first down. The team lost twice to the Kansas City Chiefs, including a 37–21 defeat in week 14 that eliminated Seattle from playoff contention. The team also lost running back David Sims, who led the AFC in TDs in 1978, to a career-ending injury.


1979 Seattle Seahawks season
The 1979 season was the franchise's last winning season until 1983 when new coach Chuck Knox led the Seahawks to their first playoff berth and Championship game appearance.


1979 Seattle Seahawks season, Schedule, Regular season
Divisional matchups have the AFC West playing the NFC West.


1979 Seattle Seahawks season, Game summaries
For the second straight year, the Seahawks missed the playoffs by one game. Season highlights included sweeping the Oakland Raiders for the 2nd straight year, and defeating the Denver Broncos for the 1st time in team history in a comeback thriller 28–23 at the Kingdome, and winning the team's first appearance on MNF over the Atlanta Falcons, 31–28. The team started out 3–5, and  had a 6–2 finish. A 37–21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in week 14 knocked them out of playoff contention, but rebounded to end their season repeating 1978 at 9–7.


1979 Seattle Seahawks season, Game summaries, Regular season, Week 10: vs. Los Angeles Rams
With -7 total yards and just one first down, this is the fewest yards the Seahawks have ever gained in one match. It is the most recent – and only since 1970 – occasion when an NFL team has gained just one first down for an entire match, although the Denver Broncos did not gain a single first down in a 1966 game with the Houston Oilers.


1979 Segunda División de Chile
The 1979 Segunda División de Chile was the 28th season of the Segunda División de Chile.


1979 Seiko World Super Tennis
The Seiko World Super Tennis, also known as the Tokyo Indoor, was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Tokyo Municipal Gym in Tokyo, Japan that was part of the 1979 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix. The tournament was held from 30 October through 4 November 1979. It was a tournament of the Grand Prix tennis circuit and  matches were the best of three sets. Reigning champions and first-seeded Björn Borg won the singles title.


1979 Seiko World Super Tennis, Finals, Doubles
Marty Riessen /  Sherwood Stewart defeated  Mike Cahill /  Terry Moor 6–4, 7–6


1979 Seiko World Super Tennis – Doubles
Ross Case and Geoff Masters were the defending champions, but lost in the first round this year.


1979 Seiko World Super Tennis – Doubles
Marty Riessen and Sherwood Stewart won the title, defeating Mike Cahill and Terry Moor 6–4, 7–6 in the final.


1979 Seiko World Super Tennis – Singles
Björn Borg was the defending champion and successfully defended his title, defeating Jimmy Connors in the final, 6–2, 6–2.


1979 Senior League World Series
The 1979 Senior League World Series took place from August 14–19 in Gary, Indiana, United States. Taichung, Taiwan defeated Tampa, Florida twice in the championship game. It was Taiwan's eighth straight championship.


1979 Seville City Council election
The 1979 Seville City Council election, also the 1979 Seville municipal election, was held on Tuesday, 3 April 1979, to elect the 1st City Council of the municipality of Seville. All 31 seats in the City Council were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with local elections all throughout Spain.


1979 Seville City Council election, Electoral system
The City Council of Seville (Spanish: Ayuntamiento de Sevilla) was the top-tier administrative and governing body of the municipality of Seville, composed of the mayor, the government council and the elected plenary assembly.


1979 Seville City Council election, Electoral system
Voting for the local assembly was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in the municipality of Seville and in full enjoyment of their civil and political rights. Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each local council. Councillors were allocated to municipal councils based on the following scale:


1979 Seville City Council election, Electoral system
The mayor was indirectly elected by the plenary assembly. A legal clause required that mayoral candidates earned the vote of an absolute majority of councillors, or else the candidate of the most-voted party in the assembly was to be automatically appointed to the post. In the event of a tie, the eldest one would be elected.


1979 Seville City Council election, Electoral system
The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within fifteen days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least one-thousandth of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election—with a compulsory minimum of 500 signatures—disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates.


1979 Seychellois general election
General elections were held in the Seychelles between 23 and 26 June 1979 to elect a President and People's Assembly. Following a coup in 1977, the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (previously the Seychelles People's United Party) was the sole legal party at the time. The only candidate in the presidential election was SPUP leader France-Albert René.


1979 Seychellois general election
The SPUP won all 25 seats in the National Assembly, and René's candidacy was approved by 98% of voters with a voter turnout of 96.4%.


1979 Shahid Espandi Cup
Shahid Espandi Cup (Persian: جام شهید اسپندی) was an exhibition football tournament in Iran that was played in 1979 in a format of 5 Groups for the group stage followed by a second round and then semi-finals and final. The tournament was won by Persepolis F.C.


1979 Sheffield City Council election
Elections to Sheffield City Council were held on 3 May 1979. One third of the council was up for election.


1979 Sheffield City Council election, Election result
This result has the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:


1979 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election
Legislative Assembly elections were held in Sikkim on 12 October 1979 to elect the 32 members of the second Legislative Assembly.


1979 Singaporean by-elections
The by-election was held on 10 February 1979 while the nomination day was held on 31 January 1979.


1979 Singaporean by-elections
For the Anson Single Member Constituency (SMC), People's Action Party (PAP) candidate Devan Nair defeated Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Johnny Wee Lai Deng with 86.2% of valid votes. Devan Nair was declared to be the MP for Anson SMC.


1979 Singaporean by-elections
For the Mountbatten SMC, People's Action Party (PAP) candidate Eugene Yap Giau Cheng defeated Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Seow Khee Leng with 79.9% of valid votes. Eugene Yap Giau Cheng was declared to be the MP for Mountbatten SMC.


1979 Singaporean by-elections
For Potong Pasir SMC, PAP candidate Howe Yoon Chong defeated Independent candidate Chiam See Tong with 66.8% of valid votes. Howe Yoon Chong was declared to be the MP for Potong Pasir SMC.


1979 Singaporean by-elections
For Sembawang SMC, PAP candidate Tony Tan Keng Yam defeated United People's Front (UPF) candidate Harbans Singh with 78.4% of valid votes. Tony Tan Keng Yam was declared to be the MP for Sembawang SMC.


1979 Singaporean by-elections
For Telok Blangah SMC, PAP candidate Rohan bin Kamis defeated Worker's Party (WP) candidate Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam with 61.2% of valid votes. Rohan bin Kamis was declared to be the MP for Telok Blangah SMC.


1979 Singaporean by-elections
For Nee Soon SMC, PAP candidate Koh Lip Lin was declared to be the MP for Nee Soon SMC due to Uncontested walkover.


1979 Singaporean by-elections
For Geylang West SMC, PAP candidate Teh Cheang Wan was declared to be the incumbent MP for Geylang West SMC due to Uncontested walkover.


1979 Singaporean by-elections, Background
Similar to 1970 by election, as part of the People's Action Party continuous initiative to renew its ranks, the PAP had invited six instead of five veteran PAP Ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs) to resign. Also, with the demise of Anson's MP P. Govindaswamy, the 1979 by-election is regarded as the biggest-ever by-election in Singapore's history where there are seven seats namely Anson, Geylang West, Mountbatten, Nee Soon, Potong Pasir, Sembawang and Telok Blangah up for grabs.


1979 Singaporean by-elections, Background
This by-election also sees the introduction of two prominent candidates: the first was Tony Tan Keng Yam, who would be assumed the role of the Cabinet Minister after the by-election victory in Sembawang, and later went on to become the 7th Deputy Prime Minister from 1995, and the 7th President of Singapore from 2011; the second was Chiam See Tong, who made his debut on Potong Pasir would later be elected for that area on his third attempt in the 1984 General elections with his second attempt made on the next year's general election.


1979 Singaporean by-elections, Background
Since this is the biggest ever by election in Singapore's history, therefore key opposition stalwarts emerged to contest with the exception of Barisan Sosialis which was then criticised by United People's Front (Singapore) and left the only two constituencies out of seven, namely Nee Soon and Geylang West to be uncontested.


1979 Singaporean by-elections, Election deposit
The election deposit was set at $1200. Similar to previous elections, the election deposit will be forfeited if the particular candidate had failed to secure at least 12.5% or one-eighth of the votes.


1979 Skate America
The 1979 Skate America (officially called Norton Skate) was held in Lake Placid, New York. This was the inaugural event. It was the test event for the upcoming 1980 Winter Olympics. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.


1979 Sligo Intermediate Football Championship
This is a round-up of the 1979 Sligo Intermediate Football Championship. This was the inaugural staging of the Championship, following the restructuring of the previous year, and it meant that a number of strong clubs were in contention. Shamrock Gaels were perceived as the strongest of all, and they confirmed this by winning the title after a comfortable win over neighbours Owenmore Gaels in the final.


1979 Sligo Senior Football Championship
This is a round-up of the 1979 Sligo Senior Football Championship. The Championship had been reduced to eight teams for this year, following the introduction of the Intermediate grade. St. Mary's regained the title after a comfortable defeat of Tubbercurry in the final, and their dominance of Sligo club football was firmly set in motion.


1979 Sligo Senior Football Championship, Sligo Senior Football Championship Final
Team:E. EamesC. O'DonnellJ. McNamaraK. DelaneyT. CarrollM. BarrettJ. McGowanG. MonaghanM. LaffeyE. McHale (0-1)B. Murphy (0-1)John Kent (0-6)E. Delahunt (0-2)Jim Kent (0-2)M. Walsh (0-1)


1979 Sligo Senior Football Championship, Sligo Senior Football Championship Final
Team:J. GillespieT. StauntonG. GilamrtinP. LeonardS. GallagherM. McCarrickN. Faul (1-1)E. GilmartinS. SherlockP. KilgallenG. McCarrick (0-3)P. McIntyreR. McCarrickJ. MurphyJ. Glynn


1979 Sokoto State gubernatorial election
The 1979 Sokoto State gubernatorial election occurred on July 28, 1979. NPN candidate Shehu Kangiwa won the election.


1979 Sokoto State gubernatorial election
Shehu Kangiwa became the gubernatorial candidate of NPN on June 25, 1979.


1979 Sokoto State gubernatorial election, Results
Abubakar Rimi representing PRP won the election. The election held on July 28, 1979.


1979 Somali constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Somalia on 25 August 1979. The new constitution replaced the one approved in 1961, and introduced a one-party state with a presidential system of government. It was approved by 99.78% of voters.


1979 Somali parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Somalia on 30 December 1979. The elections were the first since 1969 and the first to be held under the new constitution approved in a referendum held in August, which had made the country a one-party state. As a result, the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (SRSP) was the only party to participate in the election, with voters being asked to vote yes or no to a single list of 171 candidates. A reported 99.95% of voters ultimately approved the list. The Assembly elected Siad Barre as President, who then nominated a further six members to the Assembly.


1979 South African Grand Prix
The 1979 South African Grand Prix (formally the XXV Simba Grand Prix of South Africa) was a Formula One motor race held on 3 March 1979 at Kyalami. The race, contested over 78 laps, was the third race of the 1979 Formula One season and was won by Gilles Villeneuve, driving a Ferrari. Teammate and local driver Jody Scheckter finished second, while Jean-Pierre Jarier finished third in a Tyrrell-Ford.


1979 South African Open (tennis)
The 1979 South African Open was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts in Johannesburg, South Africa. The men's tournament was part of the 1979 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix. It was the 76th edition of the tournament and was held from 27 November through 3 December 1979. Andrew Pattison and Brigitte Cuypers won the singles titles.


1979 South African Open (tennis), Finals, Men's Doubles
Bob Hewitt /  Frew McMillan defeated  Heinz Günthardt /  Paul McNamee 1–6, 6–1, 6–4


1979 South African Open (tennis), Finals, Men's Doubles
Lesley Charles /  Tanya Harford defeated  Françoise Dürr /  Marise Kruger 1–6, 6–1, 6–4


1979 South African Professional Championship
The 1979 South African Professional Championship was a non-ranking snooker tournament, which took place in August 1979. The tournament featured five exclusively South African players - Derek Mienie, Jimmy van Rensberg, Mannie Francisco, Peter Francisco and the incumbent champion, Perrie Mans.


1979 South African Professional Championship
Mienie won the title, beating van Rensberg 9–6 in the final.


1979 South African Professional Championship, Qualifying
A first-round match was played between Mienie and Mannie Francisco, to determine who would advance to the semi-finals to play Mans, who was seeded through to this stage.


1979 South African presidential election
The South African presidential election of 1979 pitted the President of the South African Senate Marais Viljoen, backed by the ruling National Party, against the former United Party leader De Villiers Graaff, backed by the New Republic Party, and the Deputy Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand, Guerino Bozzoli, supported by the Progressive Federal Party. In accordance with the South African Constitution of 1961, the State President, a largely ceremonial post, was elected by a joint sitting of both houses of the South African Parliament. Both Bozzoli and Graaff had already been candidates for the presidential election of September 1978.


1979 South African presidential election
The election, following the resignation of State President and former Prime Minister John Vorster less than a year after his election, was won by Marais Viljoen, who had been Acting State President in his capacity as President of the Senate since June 4. The National Party had nominated Viljoen, rather than Transport Minister Lourens Muller, as its candidate on June 14. A joint session both houses of parliament voted along party lines on June 19, 1979, after which Viljoen was sworn in 90 minutes after his election.


1979 South American Championships in Athletics
The 1979 South American Championships in Athletics were held in Bucaramanga, Colombia, between 31 October and 4 November.


1979 South American Championships in Athletics, Medal summary, Women's events
† = short course (c37km)* = light implement (1.75 kg)† = short course


1979 South American Open (tennis)
The 1979 ATP Buenos Aires was a men's Grand Prix tennis circuit tournament held in Buenos Aires, Argentina that was played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 13th edition of the tournament and was held from 19 November through 25 November 1979. Guillermo Vilas won the singles title.


1979 South American Open (tennis), Finals, Doubles
Tomáš Šmíd /  Sherwood Stewart defeated  Marcos Hocevar /  João Soares 6–1, 7–5


1979 South American Rugby Championship
The 1979 South American Rugby Championship was the eleventh edition of the competition of the leading national Rugby Union teams in South America.


1979 South American Rugby Championship
The tournament was played in Chile and won by Argentina.


1979 South American U-20 Championship
The South American Youth Championship 1979 was held in Montevideo and Paysandú, Uruguay. It also served as qualification for the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship.


1979 South American U-20 Championship, Qualification to World Youth Championship
The two best performing teams qualified directly for the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship.


1979 South American U-20 Championship, Qualification to World Youth Championship
Paraguay also qualified, after winning an intercontinental play-off against Israel and Australia. Matches were played in Asunción, Paraguay.


1979 South American Youth Championships in Athletics
The 6th South American Youth Championships in Athletics were held in Cochabamba, Bolivia from August 3–5, 1979.


1979 South American Youth Championships in Athletics, Medal summary
Medal winners are published for boys and girls. Complete results can be found on the "World Junior Athletics History" website. All results are marked as "affected by altitude" (A), because Cochabamba is located at 2,558 metres above sea level.


1979 South American Youth Championships in Athletics, Participation (unofficial)
Detailed result lists can be found on the "World Junior Athletics History" website. An unofficial count yields the number of about 113 athletes from about 5 countries: