1980 Seattle Seahawks season
| 1980 Seattle Seahawks season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | The Nordstrom family |
| General manager | John Thompson |
| Head coach | Jack Patera |
| Home stadium | Kingdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–12 |
| Division place | 5th AFC West |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| All-Pros | None |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
The 1980 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's fifth season in the National Football League (NFL).
The 1980 season was a strange season for the Seattle Seahawks. The team started off 4–3, then lost the remaining nine games of the season. They accumulated four road wins but lost all eight regular season home games. The offense struggled, especially after losing Sherman Smith to a knee injury for the season. With the running game struggling, the team gave up 52 sacks, up from 23 in 1979. The offense went from 7th to 21st. Even though the defense improved from 27th to 13th, the Seahawks still gave up 405 points.
Memorable moments included a 26–7 road win against the Houston Oilers, intercepting Kenny Stabler five times; a 17–16 road win against the Kansas City Chiefs (their last at Arrowhead Stadium until 1990); and a 14–0 road win against the Washington Redskins, with the offense rushing for over 220 yards. All 4 of Seattle's wins were away games; the Seahawks failed to win a home game for the first (and so far only) time in franchise history.
More indicative of the season were the home losses: a 34–13 rout at home inflicted by the San Diego Chargers, a 37–31 loss to the New England Patriots, featuring several lead changes, as the Seattle defense could not hold on; losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 31–30, after going into the 4th quarter with a 23–10 lead, and the Chiefs intercepting Jim Zorn a season-high five times, leading to 17 Kansas City points. The low point of the season was a 27–21 loss to a struggling New York Giants team, one which finished 4–12 (although one was over the Cowboys). On Thanksgiving Day, November 27, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Seahawks 51–7, in Dallas, but many people believe the Giants loss was worse.
The successes of the 1978 and 1979 seasons were long forgotten by the season's end.
Offseason
[edit]NFL draft
[edit]| 1980 Seattle Seahawks draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Jacob Green * | Defensive end | Texas A&M | from Buffalo |
| 2 | 44 | Andre Hines | Tackle | Stanford | |
| 4 | 97 | Terry Dion | Defensive end | Oregon | |
| 5 | 127 | Joe Steele | Running back | Washington | |
| 5 | 132 | Daniel Jacobs | Defensive end | Winston-Salem State | |
| 6 | 153 | Mark McNeal | Defensive end | Idaho | |
| 8 | 204 | Vic Minor | Defensive back | Northeast Louisiana | |
| 8 | 207 | Jack Cosgrove | Center | Pacific | |
| 9 | 238 | Jim Swift | Tackle | Iowa | |
| 10 | 265 | Ron Essink | Tackle | Grand Valley State | |
| 10 | 274 | Billy Reaves | Wide receiver | Morris Brown | |
| 11 | 292 | Tali Ena | Running back | Washington State | |
| 12 | 319 | Presnell Gilbert | Defensive back | U. S. International | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
- Source:[1]
Undrafted free agents
[edit]| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Anderson | Guard | Oregon |
| Gary Carr | Running back | Fresno State |
| Steve Davis | Punter | Tennessee Tech |
| Mike Doerfler | Fullback | Montana State |
| Greg Feasel | Tackle | Abilene Christian |
| Mike Garrett | Punter | Georgia |
| Ron Gipson | Fullback | Washington |
| David Greenhalgh | Quarterback | Southwestern Oklahoma State |
| Eric Hill | Running back | Weber State |
| Dave Krieg | Quarterback | Milton College |
| Matt Kupec | Quarterback | North Carolina |
| Jack Lafferty | Center | Eastern Illinois |
| Mark McGrath | Wide receiver | Montana State |
| Arnie Pinkston | Defensive back | Yale |
| Brad Reid | Wide receiver | Iowa |
| Terry Rennaker | Linebacker | Stanford |
| Kirk Springs | Safety | Miami (OH) |
Personnel
[edit]Staff
[edit]|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Final roster
[edit]- Starters in bold.
Schedule
[edit]Preseason
[edit]| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 7 | Atlanta Falcons | W 14–10 | 1–0 | Kingdome | Recap |
| 2 | August 18 | Miami Dolphins | L 7–24 | 1–1 | Kingdome | Recap |
| 3 | August 23 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 10–7 | 2–1 | Candlestick Park | Recap |
| 4 | August 29 | at New England Patriots | W 30–23 | 3–1 | Schaefer Stadium | Recap |
Regular season
[edit]Divisional matchups have the AFC West playing the NFC East.
- Bold indicates division opponents.
- Source: 1980 NFL season results[21]
Standings
[edit]| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1) San Diego Chargers | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 418 | 327 | W2 |
| (4) Oakland Raiders | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 364 | 306 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 6–8 | 319 | 336 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 310 | 323 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–7 | 3–9 | 291 | 408 | L9 |
Game summaries
[edit]Preseason
[edit]Week P1: vs. Atlanta Falcons
[edit]Week P2: vs. Miami Dolphins
[edit]Week P3: at San Francisco 49ers
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 49ers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco
- Date: August 23
- Game time: 7:04 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 58 °F (14 °C), wind 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
- Game attendance: 41,841
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV: KIRO
- Gamebook
Week P4: vs. New England Patriots
[edit]Regular season
[edit]Week 1: vs. San Diego Chargers
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 3 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 34 |
| Seahawks | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
- Date: September 7
- Game time: 1:01 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 62,042
- Referee: Jerry Seeman
- TV announcers (NBC): Merle Harmon and Carl Eller
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 16 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: September 14
- Game time: 1:00 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 75 °F (24 °C), 55% humidity, wind N 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
- Game attendance: 42,403
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV announcers (NBC): Mike Adamle and Bob Trumpy
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 3: vs. New England Patriots
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 3 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 37 |
| Seahawks | 3 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
- Date: September 21
- Game time: 1:00 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 61,035
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- TV announcers (NBC): Bob Costas and Len Dawson
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 4: at Washington Redskins
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Redskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
- Date: September 28
- Game time: 4:00 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 76 °F (24 °C), 60% humidity, wind S 11 miles per hour (18 km/h)
- Game attendance: 53,263
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 5: at Houston Oilers
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 3 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 26 |
| Oilers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
- Date: October 5
- Game time: 12:00 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 46,860
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and John Brodie
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 6: vs. Cleveland Browns
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Seahawks | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
- Date: October 12
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 61,366
- Referee: Chuck Heberling
- TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Gene Washington
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 7: at New York Jets
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 27 |
| Jets | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
at Shea Stadium, New York
- Date: October 19
- Game time: 1:01 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 64 °F (18 °C), 70% humidity, wind W 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
- Game attendance: 52,496
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Len Dawson
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 8: at Oakland Raiders
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Raiders | 3 | 3 | 10 | 17 | 33 |
at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
- Date: October 26
- Game time: 1:01 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 63 °F (17 °C), 73% humidity, wind SW 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
- Game attendance: 50,185
- Referee: Cal Lepore
- TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover and Bob Trumpy
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 9: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 27 |
| Seahawks | 6 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
- Date: November 2
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 61,047
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender and John Madden
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 10: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 3 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 31 |
| Seahawks | 0 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 30 |
- Date: November 9
- Game time: 1:03 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 58,976
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (NBC): Mike Adamle and Mike Haffner
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 11: vs. Oakland Raiders
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 0 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
- Date: November 17
- Game time: 6:06 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 60,480
- Referee: Fred Silva
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 12: at Denver Broncos
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Broncos | 7 | 10 | 3 | 16 | 36 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
- Date: November 23
- Game time: 2:00 pm local
- Game weather: cloudy, 34 °F (1 °C), 69% humidity, wind E 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)
- Game attendance: 73,274
- Referee: Jerry Seeman
- TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Len Dawson
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 13: at Dallas Cowboys
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Cowboys | 9 | 21 | 0 | 21 | 51 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
- Date: November 27
- Game time: 3:00 pm local
- Game weather: partly cloudy, 49 °F (9 °C), 52% humidity, wind WNW 17 miles per hour (27 km/h)
- Game attendance: 57,540
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 14: vs. New York Giants
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 3 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 27 |
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
- Date: December 7
- Game time: 1:04 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 51,617
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (CBS): Curt Gowdy and Hank Stram
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 15: at San Diego Chargers
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Chargers | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
- Date: December 13
- Game time: 1:01 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 72 °F (22 °C), 48% humidity, wind SW 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
- Game attendance: 49,980
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Len Dawson
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 16: vs. Denver Broncos
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 10 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 25 |
| Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 17 |
- Date: December 21
- Game time: 1:01 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 51,853
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Gene Washington
- Gamebook
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
References
[edit]- ↑ "1980 Seattle Seahawks Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
- ↑ "Home". pro-football-reference.com.
- ↑ 1980 Seahawks Media Guide, accessed February 14, 2015.
- ↑ 1981 Seahawks Media Guide, accessed February 14, 2015.
- ↑ "San Diego Chargers at Seattle Seahawks - September 7th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs - September 14th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks - September 21st, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Washington Redskins - September 28th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Houston Oilers - October 5th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks - October 12th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at New York Jets - October 19th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Oakland Raiders - October 26th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks - November 2nd, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks - November 9th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Oakland Raiders at Seattle Seahawks - November 17th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos - November 23rd, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys - November 27th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks - December 7th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers - December 13th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks - December 21st, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ 1980 NFL season results, NFL.com, accessed February 14, 2015.