1980 New York Giants season

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1980 New York Giants season
OwnerTimothy J. Mara
Wellington Mara
Head coachRay Perkins
General managerGeorge Young
Home fieldGiants Stadium
Results
Record4–12
Division place5th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersLB Brad Van Pelt
P Dave Jennings

The 1980 New York Giants season was the franchise's 56th season in the National Football League.[1] The Giants finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 4–12 record.[2]

In the 1980 NFL Draft, the Giants selected defensive back Mark Haynes with their first-round pick, which was eighth overall.[3] New York won its opening game of the season against the St. Louis Cardinals, 41–35, behind a five-touchdown performance by quarterback Phil Simms. Four of those touchdown passes were to Earnest Gray, who set a single-game franchise record for touchdown receptions.[4] The Giants lost the following game to Washington by two points, the start of an eight-game losing streak. A Week 10 win over the Dallas Cowboys snapped the streak; a subsequent win over the Green Bay Packers was followed by a pair of defeats.[5] A shoulder injury caused Simms to miss the last three games of the season. Scott Brunner took over as the starting quarterback for those games, during which the Giants went 1–2.[6]

Simms threw for 2,321 yards in his 13 appearances, and had 15 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions. Brunner threw for four touchdowns and had six interceptions. New York's leading rusher was Billy Taylor, who ran for 580 yards and four touchdowns. Gray had a team-leading 10 touchdown receptions during the season, and caught 52 passes for 777 yards. On defense, Mike Dennis led the Giants with five interceptions.[2] Two Giants players, Dave Jennings and Brad Van Pelt, were selected for the 1981 Pro Bowl.[7]

Offseason[]

NFL Draft[]

1980 New York Giants draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 8 Mark Haynes *  CB Colorado
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel[]

Staff[]

1980 New York Giants staff
Front office
  • President – Wellington Mara
  • General Manager – George Young
  • Director of Pro Personnel – Jim Trimble

Head coaches

  • Head Coach – Ray Perkins

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches
  • Defensive Coordinator – Ralph Hawkins
  • Defensive Line – Lamar Leachman
  • Defensive Backfield – Deek Pollard

Special teams coaches

  • Special Teams – Bill Belichick


Roster[]

1980 New York Giants roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics

Schedule[]

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 7, 1980 at St. Louis Cardinals W 41–35
49,122
2 September 14, 1980 Washington Redskins L 23–21
73,343
3 September 22, 1980 at Philadelphia Eagles L 35–3
70,767
4 September 28, 1980 Los Angeles Rams L 28–7
73,414
5 October 5, 1980 at Dallas Cowboys L 24–3
59,126
6 October 12, 1980 Philadelphia Eagles L 31–16
71,051
7 October 19, 1980 at San Diego Chargers L 44–7
50,397
8 October 26, 1980 Denver Broncos L 14–9
67,598
9 November 2, 1980 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 30–13
68,256
10 November 9, 1980 Dallas Cowboys W 38–35
68,343
11 November 16, 1980 Green Bay Packers W 27–21
76,609
12 November 23, 1980 at San Francisco 49ers L 12–0
38,574
13 November 30, 1980 St. Louis Cardinals L 23–7
65,852
14 December 7, 1980 at Seattle Seahawks W 27–21
51,617
15 December 13, 1980 at Washington Redskins L 16–13
44,443
16 December 21, 1980 Oakland Raiders L 33–17
61,287

Season summary[]

Week 1: at St. Louis Cardinals[]

1 234Total
• Giants 7 71710 41
Cardinals 7 7147 35
  • Date: September 7
  • Location: Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 80 °F (26.7 °C); wind 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn)

Week 10 vs Cowboys[]

Week Ten: Dallas Cowboys (7–2) at New York Giants (1–8)
1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 14 14035
Giants 7 21 01038

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: November 9
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,343
  • Box Score
  • Giants first win against Dallas since 1974

Standings[]

NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Philadelphia Eagles(2) 12 4 0 .750 6–2 9–3 384 222 L1
Dallas Cowboys(4) 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

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "1980 New York Giants". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  3. ^ "1980 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  4. ^ Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 191. ISBN 1-57243-641-7.
  5. ^ "1980 New York Giants Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  6. ^ Whittingham, pp. 191–192.
  7. ^ "1980 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "New York Giants at St. Louis Cardinals – September 7th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
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