1980 Philadelphia Eagles season

1980 Philadelphia Eagles season
1980 Philadelphia Eagles season
Owner	Leonard Tose
General manager	Jim Murray
Head coach	Dick Vermeil
Defensive coordinator	Marion Campbell
Home stadium	Veterans Stadium
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st NFC East
Playoffs	Won Divisional Playoffs; (vs. Vikings) 31–16; Won NFC Championship; (vs. Cowboys) 20–7; Lost Super Bowl XV; (vs. Raiders) 10–27
	← 1979; Eagles seasons; 1981 →;

The 1980 Philadelphia Eagles season was the team's 48th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Eagles won twelve of their sixteen games, winning their division for the first time in twenty years. The Eagles started the season winning eleven of their first twelve games, only to finish the season losing three of their final four. Still, the 12–4 record (the best finish in the Vermeil era) was good enough to win the NFC East division title for the first time in franchise history since the NFC East had been formed.

The 1980 season marked the Eagles' third consecutive playoff appearance under coach Dick Vermeil, and culminated in the team's first Super Bowl appearance, where they were defeated by the Oakland Raiders 27–10. The 1980 NFC Championship long stood as the proudest moment of the Super Bowl era in Eagles history until they won Super Bowl LII 37 years later. After the season, Luther Blue retired.

Offseason

NFL draft

After going 11–5 in the 1979 season and making the playoffs as a wildcard team, the Eagles found themselves looking to improve in 1980 through the NFL Draft.

The 1980 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1979. As was started with the 1977 NFL Draft, this consisted of 12 rounds over two days. ESPN covered all 12 rounds live for the first time.

The Philadelphia Eagles had the 23rd to 25th pick in each of the 12 rounds. The Eagles drafted 10 players.

1980 Philadelphia Eagles Draft
Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	23	Roynell Young	DB	Alcorn State University
2	53	Perry Harrington	RB	Jackson State University
5	135	Nate Rivers	RB	South Carolina State
6	161	Greg Murtha	T	University of Minnesota
7	188	Terrell Ward	DB	San Diego State
8	218	Mike Curcio	LB	Temple University
9	245	Bob Harris	T	Bowling Green
11	298	Lee Jukes	WR	North Carolina State
11	302	Thomas Brown	DE	Baylor University
12	329	Howard Fields	DB	Baylor

Personnel

Staff

**1980 Philadelphia Eagles staff**
	Front office Owner – Leonard Tose General Manager – Jim Murray Director of Player Personnel – Carl Peterson Head coaches Head Coach – Dick Vermeil Offensive coaches Quarterbacks – Sid Gillman Running Backs – Billy Joe Receivers – Dick Coury Tight Ends – Lynn Stiles Offensive Line – Ken Iman Offensive Line – Jerry Wampfler			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Marion Campbell Defensive Line – Chuck Clausen Linebackers – George Hill Defensive Backs – Fred Bruney Special teams coaches Special Teams – Lynn Stiles

Roster

**1980 Philadelphia Eagles roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 16 Rob Hertel 7 Ron Jaworski 9 Joe Pisarcik Running backs (RB) 37 Billy Campfield 33 Louie Giammona 35 Perry Harrington 20 Leroy Harris 31 Wilbert Montgomery 39 Bob Torrey Wide receivers (WR) 17 Harold Carmichael 81 Scott Fitzkee 83 Rodney Parker 85 Charlie Smith Tight ends (TE) 84 Keith Krepfle 88 John Spagnola		Offensive linemen (OL) 63 Ron Baker G 73 Steve Kenney T 50 Guy Morriss C 69 Woody Peoples G 62 Petey Perot G 76 Jerry Sisemore T 61 Mark Slater C 75 Stan Walters T Defensive linemen (DL) 97 Thomas Brown DE 71 Ken Clarke NT 78 Carl Hairston DE 68 Dennis Harrison DE 87 Claude Humphrey DE 65 Charlie Johnson NT		Linebackers (LB) 66 Bill Bergey ILB 95 John Bunting OLB 59 Al Chesley ILB 55 Frank LeMaster ILB 52 Ray Phillips OLB 56 Jerry Robinson OLB 51 Reggie Wilkes OLB Defensive backs (DB) 27 Richard Blackmore CB 46 Herm Edwards CB 24 Zac Henderson SS 41 Randy Logan SS 21 John Sciarra FS 22 Brenard Wilson FS 43 Roynell Young CB Special teams (ST) 1 Tony Franklin K 4 Max Runager P		Reserve 38 Larry Barnes RB (IR) 34 James Betterson RB (IR) 80 Luther Blue WR (IR) 67 Lem Burnham DE (IR) 57 Mike Curcio LB (IR) 86 Ken Dunek TE (IR) 89 Wally Henry WR (IR) 30 Mike Hogan RB (NF-Inj.) 82 Ray Sydnor TE (IR) 42 Steve Wagner S (IR) 26 Terrell Ward CB (IR) Rookies in italics

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Regular season

The 1980 season schedule was set based on how the Eagles finished the previous season: 2nd in NFC East. The way the schedule was laid out, 4 of the 5 teams in the same division could end up having 10 to 14 common opponents during the 1980 season. Also, when the last regular-season game was over, each team knew who its opponents would be the next year.

A home and away series vs the teams in its own division: Cowboys, Giants, Cardinals and Redskins = 8 games
Each of the top 4 teams in the NFC East from the previous season played the top 4 teams in the AFC West from the previous season: Chargers, Broncos, Seahawks and Raiders = 4 games
Each of the 2nd and 3rd place teams in the NFC East from the previous season (Eagles and Redskins) played the 2nd and 3rd place teams in the NFC Central and NFC West from the previous season: Bears, Vikings, Saints and Falcons = 4 games

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Location	Attendance
1	September 7, 1980	Denver Broncos	W 27–6	1–0	Veterans Stadium	70,307
2	September 14, 1980	at Minnesota Vikings	W 42–7	2–0	Metropolitan Stadium	46,460
3	September 22, 1980	New York Giants	W 35–3	3–0	Veterans Stadium	70,767
4	September 28, 1980	at St. Louis Cardinals	L 24–14	3–1	Busch Memorial Stadium	49,079
5	October 5, 1980	Washington Redskins	W 24–14	4–1	Veterans Stadium	69,044
6	October 12, 1980	at New York Giants	W 31–16	5–1	Giants Stadium	71,051
7	October 19, 1980	Dallas Cowboys	W 17–10	6–1	Veterans Stadium	70,696
8	October 26, 1980	Chicago Bears	W 17–14	7–1	Veterans Stadium	68,752
9	November 2, 1980	at Seattle Seahawks	W 27–20	8–1	Kingdome	61,047
10	November 9, 1980	at New Orleans Saints	W 34–21	9–1	Louisiana Superdome	44,340
11	November 16, 1980	at Washington Redskins	W 24–0	10–1	RFK Stadium	51,897
12	November 23, 1980	Oakland Raiders	W 10–7	11–1	Veterans Stadium	68,535
13	November 30, 1980	at San Diego Chargers	L 22–21	11–2	Jack Murphy Stadium	51,567
14	December 7, 1980	Atlanta Falcons	L 20–17	11–3	Veterans Stadium	70,205
15	December 14, 1980	St. Louis Cardinals	W 17–3	12–3	Veterans Stadium	68,969
16	December 21, 1980	at Dallas Cowboys	L 35–27	12–4	Texas Stadium	62,548

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	0	6	0	6
• Eagles	7	13	0	7	27

Date: September 7
Location: Veterans Stadium
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 70,307
Game weather: Partly cloudy; 82 °F (28 °C)
Referee: Chuck Heberling

Week 2

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Eagles	14	0	14	14	42
Vikings	0	7	0	0	7

Date: September 14
Location: Metropolitan Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 46,460
Game weather: Rain, 57 °F (14 °C); wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
Referee: Red Cashion
TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and George Allen

Week 3

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Giants	3	0	0	0	3
• Eagles	7	14	7	7	35

Date: September 22
Location: Veterans Stadium
Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 70,767
Game weather: Partly cloudy; 78 °F (26 °C)
Referee: Bob Frederic
TV announcers (ABC): Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and Fran Tarkenton

Week 4

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	7	0	7	14
• Cardinals	7	3	7	7	24

Date: September 28
Location: Busch Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 49,079
Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C); wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
Referee: Gordon McCarter
TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender and John Madden

Week 5

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	7	0	0	7	14
• Eagles	7	14	3	0	24

Date: October 5
Location: Veterans Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 69,044
Game weather: Cloudy; 61 °F (16 °C)
Referee: Pat Haggerty
TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender and John Madden

Week 6

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Eagles	0	3	14	14	31
Giants	7	9	0	0	16

Date: October 12
Location: Giants Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 71,051
Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C); wind 16 mph (26 km/h)
Referee: Gene Barth
TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and George Allen

Week 7

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	3	0	0	10
• Eagles	0	10	0	7	17

Date: October 19
Location: Veterans Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 70,696
Game weather: Sunny; 69 °F (21 °C)
Referee: Cal Lepore
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier

Week 8

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	14	0	14
• Eagles	7	0	7	3	17

Date: October 26
Location: Veterans Stadium
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 68,752
Game weather: Cloudy; 46 °F (8 °C)
Referee: Red Cashion
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier

Week 9

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Eagles	0	7	10	10	27
Seahawks	6	0	7	7	20

Date: November 2
Location: Kingdome
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 61,047
Game weather: Indoors (dome)
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender and John Madden

Week 10

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Eagles	0	17	7	10	34
Saints	7	7	7	0	21

Date: November 9
Location: Louisiana Superdome
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 44,340
Game weather: Indoors (dome)
Referee: Gordon McCarter
TV announcers (CBS): Curt Gowdy and Hank Stram

Week 11

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Eagles	14	3	7	0	24
Redskins	0	0	0	0	0

Date: November 16
Location: RFK Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 51,897
Game weather: 45 °F (7 °C); wind 16 mph (26 km/h)
Referee: Jerry Seeman
TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender and John Madden

Week 12

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	0	0	7	7
• Eagles	0	0	3	7	10

Date: November 23
Location: Veterans Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 68,535
Game weather: Cloudy; 44 °F (7 °C)
Referee: Jim Tunney
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bob Trumpy

Week 13

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	0	7	14	21
• Chargers	9	10	0	3	22

Date: November 30
Location: Jack Murphy Stadium
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 51,567
Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C); wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
Referee: Chuck Heberling
TV announcers (CBS): Curt Gowdy and Hank Stram

Week 14

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Falcons	3	7	7	3	20
Eagles	0	14	0	3	17

Date: December 7
Location: Veterans Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 70,205
Game weather: Light rain; 55 °F (13 °C)
Referee: Pat Haggerty

Week 15

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	0	0	3	3
• Eagles	0	0	7	10	17

Date: December 14
Location: Veterans Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 68,969
Game weather: Sunny; 44 °F (7 °C)
Referee: Bob Frederic
TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and George Allen

Week 16

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	0	10	17	27
• Cowboys	7	14	7	7	35

Date: December 21
Location: Texas Stadium
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 62,548
Game weather: 28 °F (−2 °C); wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier

Harold Carmichael's streak of games with a pass caught is stopped. Despite losing this game, the Eagles clinched the NFC East Division on a quirky tie-breaker scenario because they lost by less than 25 points. The only caveat to losing by less than 25 points compared to winning this game outright was that the Eagles conceded the number one seed in the NFC to the Atlanta Falcons (who had also lost during this same week). The close defeat however proved to be less significant compared to winning this game outright as their eventual run to the Super Bowl would not have changed due to restrictions regarding teams from the same division meeting in the Divisional Round, and Dallas defeating both the Rams in the Wild Card Round (Dallas could only face Atlanta regardless of seeding), and the Falcons in the Divisional Round (the NFC Championship Game would have still been held in Philadelphia).

Standings

NFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
⁽²⁾ Philadelphia Eagles	12	4	0	.750	6–2	9–3	384	222	L1
⁽⁴⁾ Dallas Cowboys	12	4	0	.750	6–2	9–3	454	311	W1
Washington Redskins	6	10	0	.375	4–4	5–7	261	293	W3
St. Louis Cardinals	5	11	0	.313	2–6	4–10	299	350	L2
New York Giants	4	12	0	.250	2–6	3–9	249	425	L2

Postseason

Schedule

Round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
Wild Card	First-round bye
Divisional	January 3, 1981	Minnesota Vikings (3)	W 31–16	1–0	Veterans Stadium	Recap
NFC Championship	January 11, 1981	Dallas Cowboys (4)	W 20–7	2–0	Veterans Stadium	Recap
Super Bowl XV	January 25, 1981	vs. Oakland Raiders (A4)	L 10–27	2–1	Louisiana Superdome	Recap

Game summaries

NFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (3) Minnesota Vikings

NFC Divisional Playoffs: (3) Minnesota Vikings at (2) Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	7	7	2	0	16
Eagles	0	7	14	10	31

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Date: January 3, 1981
Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
Game weather: 29 °F (−2 °C), cloudy
Game attendance: 68,434
Referee: Jim Tunney
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and Tom Brookshier (color commentator)

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Sammy White 30-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick). Vikings 7–0.

Second quarter

MIN – Ted Brown 1-yard run (Rick Danmeier kick). Vikings 14–0.
PHI – Harold Carmichael 9-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick). Vikings 14–7.

Third quarter

PHI – Wilbert Montgomery 8-yard run (Tony Franklin kick). Tied 14–14.
MIN – Safety, Doug Martin and Matt Blair tackled Ron Jaworski in end zone. Vikings 16–14.
PHI – Wilbert Montgomery 5-yard run (Tony Franklin kick). Eagles 21–16.

Fourth quarter

PHI – Tony Franklin 33-yard field goal. Eagles 24–16.
PHI – Perry Harrington 2-yard run (Tony Franklin kick). Eagles 31–16.

Top passers

MIN – Tommy Kramer – 19/39, 209 yards, TD, 5 INT
PHI – Ron Jaworski – 17/38, 190 yards, TD, 2 INT

Top rushers

MIN – Doug Paschal – 4 rushes, 26 yards
PHI – Wilbert Montgomery – 26 rushes, 74 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

MIN – Rickey Young – 6 receptions, 57 yards
PHI – Harold Carmichael – 7 receptions, 84 yards, TD

NFC Championship: vs. (4) Dallas Cowboys

NFC Championship: (4) Dallas Cowboys at (2) Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	7	0	0	7
Eagles	7	0	10	3	20

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Date: January 11, 1981
Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
Game weather: 17 °F (−8 °C), sunny, breezy
Game attendance: 71,522
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and Tom Brookshier (color commentator)

Game information

First quarter

PHI – Wilbert Montgomery 42-yard run (Tony Franklin kick). Eagles 7–0.

Second quarter

DAL – Tony Dorsett 3-yard run (Rafael Septién kick). Tied 7–7.

Third quarter

PHI – Tony Franklin 26-yard field goal. Eagles 10–7.
PHI – Leroy Harris 9-yard run (Tony Franklin kick). Eagles 17–7.

Fourth quarter

PHI – Tony Franklin 20-yard field goal. Eagles 20–7.

Top passers

DAL – Danny White – 12/31, 127 yards, INT
PHI – Ron Jaworski – 9/29, 91 yards, 2 INT

Top rushers

DAL – Robert Newhouse – 7 rushes, 44 yards
PHI – Wilbert Montgomery – 26 rushes, 194 yards, TD

Top receivers

DAL – Preston Pearson – 2 receptions, 32 yards
PHI – Rodney Parker – 4 receptions, 31 yards

Super Bowl XV: vs. (A4) Oakland Raiders

Super Bowl XV: (A4) Oakland Raiders vs. (N2) Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	14	0	10	3	27
Eagles	0	3	0	7	10

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: January 25, 1981
Game time: 6:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), played indoors, domed stadium
Game attendance: 76,135
Referee: Ben Dreith
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play-by-play) and Merlin Olsen (color commentator)

Game information

First quarter

OAK – Cliff Branch 2-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Chris Bahr kick). Raiders 7–0.
OAK – Kenny King 80-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Chris Bahr kick). Raiders 14–0.

Second quarter

PHI – Tony Franklin 30-yard field goal. Raiders 14–3.

Third quarter

OAK – Cliff Branch 29-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Chris Bahr kick). Raiders 21–3.
OAK – Chris Bahr 46-yard field goal. Raiders 24–3.

Fourth quarter

PHI – Keith Krepfle 8-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick). Raiders 24–10.
OAK – Chris Bahr 35-yard field goal. Raiders 27–10.

Top passers

OAK – Jim Plunkett – 13/21, 261 yards, 3 TD
PHI – Ron Jaworski – 18/38, 291 yards, TD, 3 INT

Top rushers

OAK – Mark Van Eeghen – 18 rushes, 75 yards
PHI – Wilbert Montgomery – 16 rushes, 44 yards

Top receivers

OAK – Cliff Branch – 2 receptions, 32 yards
PHI – Wilbert Montgomery – 6 receptions, 91 yards

Awards and honors

Ron Jaworski, Bert Bell Award^[3]

References

↑ "1980 Philadelphia Eagles starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
↑ "1980 Philadelphia Eagles Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
↑ "Bert Bell Award – Professional Player of the Year: Past Recipients". Maxwell Football Club. Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2022.

External links

1980 Philadelphia Eagles at Pro-Football-Reference.com

[1] "1980 Philadelphia Eagles starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 10, 2014.

[2] "1980 Philadelphia Eagles Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

[3] "Bert Bell Award – Professional Player of the Year: Past Recipients". Maxwell Football Club. Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]


Q1	PHI	Carmichael 56 yard pass from Jaworski (Franklin kick)	PHI 7–0

Q2	PHI	Franklin 17 yard field goal	PHI 10–0

Q2	PHI	Franklin 35 yard field goal	PHI 13–0

Q2	PHI	Fitzkee 16 yard pass from Jaworski (Franklin kick)	PHI 20–0

Q3	DEN	Steinfort 44 yard field goal	PHI 20–3

Q3	DEN	Steinfort 43 yard field goal	PHI 20–6

Q4	PHI	Spagnola 11 yard pass from Jaworski (Franklin kick)	PHI 27–6


Q1	PHI	Harris 2 yard run (Franklin kick)	PHI 7–0

Q1	PHI	Montgomery 72 yard run (Franklin kick)	PHI 14–0

Q2	MIN	Rashad 16 yard pass from Kramer (Danmeier kick)	PHI 14–7

Q3	PHI	Harris 4 yard run (Franklin kick)	PHI 21–7

Q3	PHI	Montgomery 1 yard run (Franklin kick)	PHI 28–7

Q4	PHI	Fitzkee 45 yard pass from Jaworski (Franklin kick)	PHI 35–7

Q4	PHI	Carmichael 13 yard pass from Jaworski (Franklin kick)	PHI 42–7


Q1	NYG	Danelo 50 yard field goal	NYG 3–0

Q1	PHI	Montgomery 3 yard pass from Jaworski (Franklin kick)	PHI 7–3

Q2	PHI	Carmichael 22 yard pass from Jaworski (Franklin kick)	PHI 14–3

Q2	PHI	Harris 2 yard run (Franklin kick)	PHI 21–3

Q3	PHI	Smith 12 yard pass from Jaworski (Franklin kick)	PHI 28–3

Q4	PHI	Montgomery 1 yard run (Franklin kick)	PHI 35–3


Q1	STL	70 yard interception return (Little kick)	STL 7–0

Q2	PHI	Jaworski 1 yard run (Franklin kick)	Tie 7–7

Q2	STL	Little 31 yard field goal	STL 10–7

Q3	STL	Anderson 14 yard run (Little kick)	STL 17–7

Q4	STL	Anderson 37 yard run (Little kick)	STL 24–7

Q4	PHI	Krepfle 9 yard pass from Jaworski (Franklin kick)	STL 24–14


Q1	WSH	Thompson 54 yard pass from Theismann (Moseley kick)	WSH 7–0

Q1	PHI	Harris 51 yard pass from Jaworski (Franklin kick)	Tie 7–7

Q2	PHI	Montgomery 3 yard run (Franklin kick)	PHI 14–7

Q2	PHI	Carmichael 6 yard pass from Jaworski (Franklin kick)	PHI 21–7

Q3	PHI	Franklin 39 yard field goal	PHI 24–7

Q4	WSH	Claitt 10 yard run (Moseley kick)	PHI 24–14