1979 Missouri Tigers football team

American college football season

1979 Missouri Tigers football

Hall of Fame Classic, W 24–14 vs. South Carolina

Conference| Big Eight Conference
Ranking
Coaches| No. 20
Record| 7–5 (3–4 Big 8)
Head coach|

* Warren Powers (2nd season)

Home stadium| Memorial Stadium

Seasons

<- 1978

1980 ->

1979 Big Eight Conference football standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf |  |  | Overall

|
|
|
|

Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 3 Oklahoma $  | 7  | - | 0  | - | 0 |  |  | 11  | - | 1  | - | 0
No. 9 Nebraska | 6  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 10  | - | 2  | - | 0
Oklahoma State | 5  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 7  | - | 4  | - | 0
Missouri | 3  | - | 4  | - | 0 |  |  | 7  | - | 5  | - | 0
Colorado | 2  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0
Iowa State | 2  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0
Kansas | 2  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0
Kansas State | 1  | - | 6  | - | 0 |  |  | 3  | - | 8  | - | 0

* $ - Conference champion

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 Missouri Tigers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Missouri in the Big Eight Conference (Big 8) during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team compiled a 7–5 record (3–4 against Big 8 opponents), finished in fourth place in the Big 8, and was outscored by opponents by a combined total of 260 to 166. Warren Powers was the head coach for the second of seven seasons.[1][2] The team played its home games at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri.

The team's statistical leaders included James Wilder with 645 rushing yards, Phil Bradley with 1,448 passing yards and 1,764 yards of total offense, Andy Gibler with 316 receiving yards, and Gerry Ellis with 54 points scored.[3]

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Opponent| Rank| Site| Result| Attendance| Source

|
|
|
|
|
|

September 8| San Diego State*| No. 12|

* Faurot Field
* Columbia, MO

| W 45–15| 62,168| [4]
September 15| at Illinois*| No. 11|

* Memorial Stadium
* Champaign, IL (rivalry)

| W 14–6| 49,049| [5][6]
September 22| at Ole Miss*| No. 9|

* Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
* Jackson, MS

| W 33–7| 46,000| [7]
September 29| No. 4 Texas*| No. 5|

* Faurot Field
* Columbia, MO

| L 0–21| 75,136| [8]
October 13| Oklahoma State| No. 15|

* Faurot Field
* Columbia, MO

| L 13–14| 66,003| [9]
October 20| at Colorado| |

* Folsom Field
* Boulder, CO

| W 13–7| 51,123| [10]
October 27| Kansas State| |

* Faurot Field
* Columbia, MO

| L 3–19| 70,029| [11]
November 3| No. 2 Nebraska| |

* Faurot Field
* Columbia, MO (rivalry)

| L 20–23| 74,575| [12]
November 10| at Iowa State| |

* Cyclone Stadium
* Ames, IA (rivalry)

| W 18–9| 46,800| [13]
November 17| No. 7 Oklahoma| |

* Faurot Field
* Columbia, MO (rivalry)

| L 22–24| 69,973| [14]
November 24| at Kansas| |

* Memorial Stadium
* Lawrence, KS (Border War)

| W 55–7| 34,599| [15]
December 29| vs. No. 16 South Carolina*| |

* Legion Field
* Birmingham, AL (Hall of Fame Classic)

| W 24–14| 62,785| [16]

* *Non-conference game
* Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

## Personnel

[edit]

1979 Missouri Tigers football team roster

Players  | Coaches
Offense | Pos. | # | Name | Class

|
|
|

WR | `82` | Ken Blair | Jr
QB | `15` | Phil Bradley | Jr
C | `55` | Brad Edelman | So
RB | `43` | Gerry Ellis | Sr
WR | `8` | Ron Fellows | Jr
WR | `83` | Andy Gibler | Fr
RB | `32` | James Wilder | Jr
Defense | Pos. | # | Name | Class

|
|
|

LB | `34` | Lester Dickey | Jr
DB | `29` | Demetrious Johnson | Fr
DE | `88` | Kurt Peterson | Sr
CB | `9` | Johnnie Poe | Jr
SS | `18` | Kevin Potter | Fr
DE | `90` | Wendell Ray | Jr
DT | `56` | Jerome Sally | So
DT | `92` | Bennie Smith | So
DE | `96` | Ray Stephens | Jr
CB | `30` | Bill Whitaker | Jr
FS | `21` | Eric Wright | Jr
Special teams | Pos. | # | Name | Class

|
|
|

K | `3` | Jeff Brockhaus | Jr
K | `1` | Ron Verrilli

Head coach

* Warren Powers

Coordinators/assistant coaches

* * *

Legend

* (C) Team captain
* (S) Suspended
* (I) Ineligible

* Injured
* Redshirt

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "1979 Missouri Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
2. ^ "2016 Mizzou Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Missouri. p. 158\. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
3. ^ "2014 Mizzou Football Records Book" (PDF). University of Missouri. pp. 26–27. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
4. ^ "1979: A Fleeting Taste of the Big-Time (Part One)". Retrieved December 8, 2016.
5. ^ Richardson, Steve (September 16, 1979). "MU Defense Saves Day At Goal Line". The Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri. p. 1S. Retrieved March 4, 2023 - via Newspapers.com .
6. ^ Richardson, Steve (September 16, 1979). "Running of Ellis Puts Tigers in Gear (continued)". The Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri. p. 9S. Retrieved March 4, 2023 - via Newspapers.com .
7. ^ "Mizzou defeats Ole Miss, 33–7". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 23, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "No. 5 Mizzou draws blanks against Texas". The Spokesman-Review. September 30, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "Missouri falls, 14–13". Wisconsin State Journal. October 14, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ "Defense gives Missouri triumph". Springfield News-Leader. October 21, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ "Kansas State defense shackles Missouri, 19–3". The Sioux City Journal. October 28, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ "Nebraska wins as Mizzou gamble fails". St. Joseph News-Press. November 4, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ "Verrilli kicks Mizzou to life, 18–9". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 11, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
14. ^ "Sooners escape Missouri". St. Petersburg Times. November 18, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
15. ^ "KU turnovers give Tigers easy victory". The Salina Journal. November 25, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
16. ^ "Missouri topples Gamecocks 24–14". The Kansas City Star. December 30, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.

* v
* t
* e

Missouri Tigers football

Venues|

* Guitar and Lowry Field (1890–1891)
* Athletic Grounds (1892–1895)
* Rollins Field (1896–1926)
* Faurot Field (1926–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Arkansas: Battle Line Rivalry
* Illinois
* Iowa State
* Kansas: Border War
* Nebraska
* Oklahoma

Culture and lore|

* Truman the Tiger
* Marching Mizzou
* 1911 Kansas game
* Fifth Down Game (1990)
* Flea Kicker

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees
* Statistical Leaders

Seasons|

* 1890
* 1891
* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
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*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[No.]: Number