1980 New Orleans Saints season

NFL team season (1st 1–15 season)

1980 New Orleans Saints season

General manager| Steve Rosenbloom
Head coach| Dick Nolan
Dick Stanfel
Home stadium| Louisiana Superdome
Results
Record| 1–15
Division place| 4th NFC West
Playoffs| Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers| None

* ← 1979
* Saints seasons
* 1981 →

Archie Manning attempting a pass for the Saints during a game against the Los Angeles Rams in 1980.

The 1980 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 14th as a member of the National Football League (NFL). The Saints failed to improve on the previous season's record of 8–8, instead winning only one game.[1] The team missed the playoffs for the fourteenth consecutive season and had the dubious distinction not only of winning only a single game, but winning it by a single point against the New York Jets, who like the Saints had widely been predicted before the season to advance to the playoffs, but struggled instead. The main culprit of the Saints' collapse was the defense, which ranked last in yards and points (487) allowed.[2]

The team's only bright spot was tenth-year quarterback Archie Manning, who proceeded to have the best year of his career, throwing for 3,716 yards, 23 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

## Season summary

[edit]

Disgruntled fans called their team “the Aints”, going so far as to show up to games wearing brown paper bags over their heads after their team was 0–12[3] and playing the Los Angeles Rams, to whom they lost 27–7 on Monday Night Football. In embarrassment, they called themselves the Unknown Fan (a spinoff from The Unknown Comic) in a practice that would become the trademark of disgruntled fans across various sports in the United States. Coach Dick Nolan was fired after this game,[3] and replaced by Dick Stanfel. In Week 14, playing the San Francisco 49ers in Candlestick Park, the Saints charged out to a 35–7 lead at halftime, led by three touchdown passes from Archie Manning and a pair of one-yard touchdown runs from Jack Holmes. However, the 49ers rallied behind quarterback Joe Montana, who rushed for a touchdown and passed for two more. The 49ers tied the game 35–35 on a fourth-quarter touchdown run by Lenvil Elliott and went on to win in overtime, 38–35, on a Ray Wersching field goal. The 28-point comeback by the 49ers was, at the time, the largest comeback in NFL history, and was the largest comeback in regular season history until it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Minnesota Vikings, who rallied from a 33-0 halftime deficit vs. the Indianapolis Colts to win 39–36 in overtime.[4][better source needed]

After equaling the 1976 Buccaneers’ record single-season 14-game losing streak and looking likely to become the first team to finish 0–16 when down 7–13 after three quarters against the New York Jets on a day of 46 miles per hour (74 km/h) winds and a wind chill-adjusted temperature of 5 °F (−15 °C),[5] quarterback Archie Manning threw a touchdown pass into the gale to Tony Galbreath to go ahead 14–13 and then another to win 21–20.[6]

The 2013 Houston Texans matched the 14 game losing streak of both the 1980 Saints and the 1976 Buccaneers after starting 2–0.

The 1980 Saints were the first team to end the season at 1–15.[citation needed]

The 1989 Dallas Cowboys, 1990 New England Patriots, 1991 Indianapolis Colts, 1996 New York Jets, 2000 San Diego Chargers, 2001 Carolina Panthers, 2007 Miami Dolphins, 2009 St. Louis Rams, 2016 Cleveland Browns, and 2020 Jacksonville Jaguars later matched the 1980 Saints by finishing 1–15, but the 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns both exceeded it by finishing with an 0–16 record. The 1991 Colts (vs. Jets) and 2000 Chargers (vs. Chiefs) also won their lone games by a single point.

## Offseason

[edit]

### NFL draft

[edit]

Main article: 1980 NFL draft

1980 New Orleans Saints draft

Round  | Pick  | Player  | Position  | College  | Notes
1  | 12  | Stan Brock  | Offensive tackle | Colorado |
2  | 41  | Dave Waymer *  | Safety  | Notre Dame |
4  | 96  | Mike Jolly  | Cornerback  | Michigan |
6  | 150  | Lester Boyd  | Linebacker | Kentucky |
7  | 177  | Mike Morucci  | Running back | Bloomsburg |
8  | 206  | Chuck Evans  | Linebacker  | Stanford |
9  | 233  | Frank Mordica  | Running back  | Vanderbilt |
10  | 262  | Tanya Webb  | Defensive end | Michigan State |
11  | 289  | George Woodard  | Running back  | Texas A&M |
12  | 318  | Kiser Lewis  | Linebacker  | Florida A&M |
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[7]

### Undrafted free agents

[edit]

1980 undrafted free agents of note  Player  | Position  | College

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Allen Anderson  | Defensive back  | Northern Illinois
Eric Anderson  | Quarterback  | California
John Arbeznik  | Guard  | Michigan
Mike Armand  | Cornerback  | New Mexico State
Mike Augustyniak | Fullback  | Purdue
Gordon Banks | Wide receiver  | Stanford
Ron Barnes  | Safety  | Houston
Steve Ensmimger  | Quarterback  | LSU

## Personnel

[edit]

### Staff

[edit]

1980 New Orleans Saints staff |

Front office

* President – John W. Mecom, Jr.

Head coaches

* Head Coach – Dick Nolan

Offensive coaches

* Offensive Coordinator – Ed Hughes
* Quarterbacks/Receivers – Lamar McHan
* Offensive Backfield – Nick Nicolau
* Offensive Line – Dick Stanfel

|  |  | Defensive coaches

* Defensive Coordinator – Ed Beard
* Defensive Line – Tom Pratt
* Defensive Backfield – Fred Glick

Special teams coaches

* Special Teams – Whitey Campbell

Strength and conditioning

* Strength – Lou Riecke

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[8]

### Roster

[edit]

1980 New Orleans Saints roster Quarterbacks (QB)

*  7 Guy Benjamin
*  8 Archie Manning
* 12 Bobby Scott

Running backs (RB)

* 43 Larry Collins
* 34 Tony Galbreath
* 45 Jack Holmes
* 41 Jimmy Rogers
* 30 Wayne Wilson

Wide receivers (WR)

* 80 Gordon Banks
* 89 Wes Chandler
* 86 Tom Donovan
* 82 Ike Harris
* 49 Artie Owens

Tight ends (TE)

* 85 Henry Childs
* 87 Larry Hardy

|  | Offensive linemen (OL)

* 67 Stan Brock T
* 62 John Hill C
*   * 64 Dave Lafary T
* 76 Jim Pietrzak C
* 68 Fred Sturt G
* 65 Robert Woods G/T
* 79 Emanuel Zanders G

Defensive linemen (DL)

* 63 Barry Bennett DT
* 72 Mike Fultz DT
* 78 Elois Grooms DE
* 53 Tommy Hart DE
* 74 Derland Moore DT
* 96 Steve Parker DE
* 75 Elex Price DT

|  | Linebackers (LB)

* 50 Ken Bordelon OLB
* 59 Chuck Evans MLB
* 58 Joe Federspiel MLB
* 51 Stan Holloway OLB
* 56 Reggie Mathis OLB
* 55 Dave Washington OLB

Defensive backs (DB)

* 27 Ray Brown SS
* 23 Jim Marshall CB
* 26 Guido Merkens FS
* 37 Tom Myers FS
* 22 Ricky Ray CB
* 48 Don Schwartz SS
* 47 Mike Spivey CB
* 44 Dave Waymer CB

Special teams (ST)

* 14 Russell Erxleben P
*  1 Benny Ricardo K

|  |

Reserve

* 54 Lester Boyd LB (IR)
* 52 Jim Kovach LB (IR)
* 84 Rich Mauti WR (IR)
* 83 Tinker Owens WR (IR)
* \-- Dan Pensick DT (IR)
* 60 Don Reese DE (Susp.)
* 71 J. T. Taylor T (IR)
* 88 Brooks Williams TE (IR)

Rookies in italics

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## Schedule

[edit]

Week  | Date  | Opponent  | Result  | Record  | Venue  | Attendance

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1  | September 7  | San Francisco 49ers | L 23–26  | 0–1  | Louisiana Superdome | 58,621
2  | September 14  | at Chicago Bears | L 3–22  | 0–2  | Soldier Field | 62,523
3  | September 21  | Buffalo Bills | L 26–35  | 0–3  | Louisiana Superdome | 51,154
4  | September 28  | at Miami Dolphins | L 16–21  | 0–4  | Miami Orange Bowl | 40,946
5  | October 5  | St. Louis Cardinals | L 7–40  | 0–5  | Louisiana Superdome | 45,388
6  | October 12  | at Detroit Lions | L 13–24  | 0–6  | Pontiac Silverdome | 78,147
7  | October 19  | Atlanta Falcons | L 14–41  | 0–7  | Louisiana Superdome | 62,651
8  | October 26  | at Washington Redskins | L 14–22  | 0–8  | RFK Stadium | 51,375
9  | November 2  | at Los Angeles Rams | L 31–45  | 0–9  | Anaheim Stadium | 59,909
10  | November 9  | Philadelphia Eagles | L 21–34  | 0–10  | Louisiana Superdome | 44,340
11  | November 16  | at Atlanta Falcons | L 13–31  | 0–11  | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 53,871
12  | November 24 | Los Angeles Rams | L 7–27  | 0–12  | Louisiana Superdome | 53,448
13  | November 30  | Minnesota Vikings | L 20–23  | 0–13  | Louisiana Superdome | 30,936
14  | December 7  | at San Francisco 49ers | L 35–38 (OT) | 0–14  | Candlestick Park | 37,949
15  | December 14  | at New York Jets | W 21–20  | 1–14  | Shea Stadium | 38,077
16  | December 21  | New England Patriots | L 27–38  | 1–15  | Louisiana Superdome | 38,277
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

## Game summaries

[edit]

### Week 3 vs Bills

[edit]

Week Three: Buffalo Bills (2–0) at New Orleans Saints (0–2)

Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

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Bills | 7 | 7 | 7| 14| 35
Saints | 0 | 19 | 0| 7| 26

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

* Date: September 21
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Indoors (dome)
* Game attendance: 51,154
* Referee: Fred Wyant
* TV announcers (NBC): Jay Rudolph and Gene Washington
* Box Score

Game information

First quarter

* BUF – Frank Lewis 12-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 7–0.

Second quarter

* NO – Chuck Muncie 1-yard run (Benny Ricardo kick). Tie 7–7.
* BUF – Joe Cribbs 12-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 14–7.
* NO – Ike Harris 44-yard pass from Archie Manning. Bills 14–13.
* NO – Benny Ricardo 45-yard field goal. Saints 16–14.
* NO – Benny Ricardo 47-yard field goal. Saints 19–14.

Third quarter

* BUF – Frank Lewis 18-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 21–19.

Fourth quarter

* BUF – Mark Brammer 2-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 28–19.
* BUF – Joe Cribbs 7-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 35-19.
* NO – Ike Harris 15-yard pass from Archie Manning (Benny Ricardo kick). Bills 35–26.

Top passers

* BUF – Joe Ferguson – 22/31, 295 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
* NO – Archie Manning – 24/34, 285 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

* BUF – Joe Cribbs – 22 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD
* NO – Chuck Muncie – 10 rushes, 22 yards

Top receivers

* BUF – Jerry Butler – 5 receptions, 133 yards
* NO – Brooks Williams – 6 receptions, 89 yards

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### Week 15

[edit]

Team | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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• Saints | 7 | 0| 0| 14 | 21
Jets | 0 | 13| 0| 7 | 20

* Date: December 14
* Location: Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York
* Game start: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 31 °F (−0.6 °C), wind 21 miles per hour (34 km/h; 18 kn)

Scoring summary

1| | NO| Jack Holmes 14 yard pass from Archie Manning (Benny Ricardo kick)| Saints 7–0
2| | NYJ| Kevin Long 1 yard run (Pat Leahy kick)| Tie 7–7
2| | NYJ| Pat Leahy 27 yard field goal| Jets 10–7
2| | NYJ| Pat Leahy 47 yard field goal| Jets 13–7
4| | NO| Tony Galbreath 1 yard run (Benny Ricardo kick)| Saints 14–13
4| | NYJ| Richard Todd 31 yard run (Pat Leahy kick)| Jets 20–14
4| | NO| Tony Galbreath 1 yard run (Benny Ricardo kick)| Saints 21–20

[9]

## Standings

[edit]

NFC West

* view
* talk
* edit

| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK
Atlanta Falcons(1) | 12  | 4  | 0  | .750  | 5–1  | 10–2  | 405  | 272  | L1
Los Angeles Rams(5) | 11  | 5  | 0  | .688  | 5–1  | 9–3  | 424  | 289  | W2
San Francisco 49ers | 6  | 10  | 0  | .375  | 2–4  | 4–8  | 320  | 415  | L2
New Orleans Saints | 1  | 15  | 0  | .063  | 0–6  | 0–12  | 291  | 487  | L1

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 1980 New Orleans Saints
2. ^ Finney Jr., Peter; “Saints Near Record”; in The Bryan Times; December 12, 1980; p. 13
3. ^ a b Litzky, Frank; “Dick Nolan, 75, N.F.L. Coach and Player, Is Dead”; The New York Times, November 24, 2007
4. ^ "Top 10 greatest comebacks in NFL history". National Football League. January 7, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
5. ^ “Saints Finally Snare a Victory”; in St. Petersburg Times; December 15, 1980; p. 7C
6. ^ “Finally: Saints Claim First Victory”; Palm Beach Post; December 15, 1980; p. 52
7. ^ "1980 New Orleans Saints draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
8. ^ "All-Time Roster". NewOrleansSaints.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
9. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com

* v
* t
* e

New Orleans Saints

* Founded in 1967
* Based in New Orleans, Louisiana
* Headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana

Franchise|

* Franchise
* Seasons
* History
* All-time roster
* Coaches
* Expansion draft
* First-round draft picks
* Starting quarterbacks
* Broadcasters

Stadiums|

* Tulane Stadium
* Caesars Superdome
* Temporary home venues in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina: Alamodome
* Giants Stadium
* Tiger Stadium

Culture|

* Gumbo
* Sir Saint
* Saints Cheer Krewe
* Who dat?
* Tom Benson
* Effect of Hurricane Katrina
* Buddy D
* "When the Saints Go Marching In"
* Home Team
* Number One
* A Saintly Switch

Lore|

* "Aints" (1–15)
* Dempsey's 63-yard field goal
* Dome Patrol
* Ricky Williams trade
* River City Relay
* "Rebirth"
* Beast Quake
* Bountygate
* Minneapolis Miracle
* NOLA No-Call

Rivalries|

* Atlanta Falcons
* Carolina Panthers
* Los Angeles Rams
* Minnesota Vikings
* Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Wild card berths (5)|

* 1987
* 1990
* 1992
* 2010
* 2013

Division championships (9)|

* 1991
* 2000
* 2006
* 2009
* 2011
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020

Conference championships (1)|

* 2009

League championships (1)|

* 2009 (XLIV)

Retired numbers|

* 31
* 81

Ring of Honor|

* Andersen
* Benson
* Brees
* Jackson
* Manning
* Mills
* Roaf
* Smith

Current league affiliations|

* League: National Football League
* Conference: National Football Conference
* Division: South Division

* v
* t
* e

New Orleans Saints seasons

* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Bold indicates Super Bowl victory

* v
* t
* e

1980 NFL season

| AFC| East | Central| West| East| Central| West | NFC

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Baltimore | Cincinnati| Denver| Dallas| Chicago| Atlanta
Buffalo | Cleveland| Kansas City| NY Giants| Detroit| Los Angeles
Miami | Houston| Oakland| Philadelphia| Green Bay| New Orleans
New England | Pittsburgh| San Diego| St. Louis| Minnesota| San Francisco
NY Jets | | Seattle| Washington| Tampa Bay|

* 1980 NFL draft
* NFL playoffs
* Pro Bowl
* Super Bowl XV

*[T]: Ties
*[C]: Center
*[G]: Offensive guard
*[G/T]: Offensive guard / tackle
*[DT]: Defensive tackle
*[DE]: Defensive end
*[OLB]: Outside linebacker
*[MLB]: Middle linebacker
*[SS]: Strong safety
*[CB]: Cornerback
*[FS]: Free safety
*[P]: Punter
*[K]: Kicker
*[LB]: Linebacker
*[WR]: Wide receiver
*[TE]: Tight end
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[PCT]: Winning percentage
*[DIV]: Win–Loss record within their division
*[CONF]: Win–Loss record within their conference
*[PF]: Points For (Total points scored)
*[PA]: Points Against (Total points allowed)
*[STK]: Current Winning or Losing Streak
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template