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1979 Chicago Bears
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Record: 10-6-0, Finished 1st in NFC Central Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 306 points (19.1/g), 18th of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 249 points (15.6/g), 3rd.
Differential of 57 points (3.6/g), 6th.
Expected W-L: 9.9-6.1.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +14 (0.9/g), 4th.
Coached by Neill Armstrong (10-6-0)
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1979 Statistics / Starters & Roster / Games & Schedule / Team Draftees
Starters
Glossary · ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+), · CSV · PRE · Hide Non-primary Starters| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | Complete Team Stats | |||||
| QB | Mike Phipps | 32 | 9 | 10 | 134 for 255, 1,535 yards, 9 td, 8 int, & 27 rushes for 51 yards and 0 td | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 3rd pick / 1970 |
| RB | Walter Payton* | 25 | 4 | 16 | 369 rushes for 1,610 yards, 14 td, & 31 catches for 313 yards and 2 td | Chicago Bears / 1st / 4th pick / 1975 |
| FB | Dave Williams | 25 | 2 | 12 | 127 rushes for 401 yards, 1 td, & 42 catches for 354 yards and 5 td | Dallas Cowboys / 7th / 208th pick / 1976 |
| WR | Brian Baschnagel | 25 | 3 | 11 | 30 catches for 452 yards, 2 td | Chicago Bears / 3rd / 66th pick / 1976 |
| WR | James Scott | 27 | 3 | 9 | 21 catches for 382 yards, 3 td | New York Jets / 8th / 193rd pick / 1975 |
| WR | Rickey Watts | 22 | Rook | 6 | 24 catches for 421 yards, 3 td, & 1 rush for -6 yards and 0 td | Chicago Bears / 2nd / 39th pick / 1979 |
| TE | Mike Cobb | 24 | 2 | 15 | 6 catches for 91 yards, 0 td | Cincinnati Bengals / 1st / 22nd pick / 1977 |
| LT | Ted Albrecht | 25 | 2 | 16 | Chicago Bears / 1st / 15th pick / 1977 |
|
| LG | Noah Jackson | 28 | 4 | 15 | Baltimore Colts / 7th / 161st pick / 1974 |
|
| C | Dan Neal | 30 | 6 | 16 | Baltimore Colts / 11th / 270th pick / 1973 |
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| RG | Revie Sorey | 26 | 4 | 16 | 1 fumble recovered | Chicago Bears / 5th / 110th pick / 1975 |
| RT | Dennis Lick | 25 | 3 | 16 | Chicago Bears / 1st / 8th pick / 1976 |
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| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Dan Hampton | 22 | Rook | 16 | 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Chicago Bears / 1st / 4th pick / 1979 |
| LDT | Jim Osborne | 30 | 7 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Chicago Bears / 7th / 182nd pick / 1972 |
| RDT | Alan Page | 34 | 12 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 15th pick / 1967 |
| RDE | Mike Hartenstine | 26 | 4 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Chicago Bears / 2nd / 31st pick / 1975 |
| LLB | Jerry Muckensturm | 26 | 3 | 16 | 1 interception, 2 fumbles recovered | Chicago Bears / 7th / 190th pick / 1976 |
| MLB | Tom Hicks | 27 | 3 | 0 | 3 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Chicago Bears / 6th / 151st pick / 1975 |
| RLB | Gary Campbell | 27 | 2 | 16 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | Pittsburgh Steelers / 10th / 291st pick / 1976 |
| LCB | Terry Schmidt | 27 | 5 | 16 | 6 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | New Orleans Saints / 5th / 121st pick / 1974 |
| RCB | Virgil Livers | 27 | 4 | 12 | 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Chicago Bears / 4th / 83rd pick / 1975 |
| SS | Gary Fencik | 25 | 3 | 14 | 6 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Miami Dolphins / 10th / 281st pick / 1976 |
| FS | Doug Plank | 26 | 4 | 16 | 3 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Chicago Bears / 12th / 291st pick / 1975 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Bob Thomas | 27 | 4 | 0 | 16 of 27 field goals & 34 of 37 extra points | Los Angeles Rams / 15th / 388th pick / 1974 |
| P | Bob Parsons | 29 | 7 | 0 | 92 punts for a 37.9 average, 1 blocked | Chicago Bears / 5th / 117th pick / 1972 |
| PR | Steve Schubert | 28 | 5 | 0 | 25 punt returns for a 9.5 average and 1 td | |
| KR | Len Walterscheid | 25 | 2 | 2 | 19 kick returns for a 22.5 average and 0 td |
| Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Albrecht | 25 | T-G | 16 | 16 | 253 | 6-4 | California | 10/8/1954 | 2 | Chicago Bears / 1st / 15th pick / 1977 |
| Tony Ardizzone | 23 | C | 16 | 0 | 240 | 6-3 | Northwestern | 12/19/1956 | Rook | Detroit Lions / 6th / 153rd pick / 1978 |
| Bob Avellini | 26 | QB | 7 | 3 | 208 | 6-2 | Maryland | 8/28/1953 | 4 | Chicago Bears / 6th / 135th pick / 1975 |
| Brian Baschnagel | 25 | WR | 16 | 11 | 187 | 5-11 | Ohio State | 1/8/1954 | 3 | Chicago Bears / 3rd / 66th pick / 1976 |
| Lynn Boden | 26 | G-T | 10 | 0 | 270 | 6-3 | South Dakota State | 6/5/1953 | 4 | Detroit Lions / 1st / 13th pick / 1975 |
| Doug Buffone | 35 | LB | 16 | 0 | 230 | 6-3 | Louisville | 6/27/1944 | 13 | Chicago Bears / 4th / 60th pick / 1966 |
| Gary Campbell | 27 | LB | 16 | 16 | 218 | 6-1 | Colorado | 3/4/1952 | 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 10th / 291st pick / 1976 |
| Mike Cobb | 24 | TE | 16 | 15 | 244 | 6-5 | Michigan State | 12/10/1955 | 2 | Cincinnati Bengals / 1st / 22nd pick / 1977 |
| Jack Deloplaine | 25 | RB | 5 | 0 | 205 | 5-10 | Salem | 4/21/1954 | 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 6th / 182nd pick / 1976 |
| Robin Earl | 24 | TE-RB | 13 | 2 | 242 | 6-5 | Washington | 3/18/1955 | 2 | Chicago Bears / 3rd / 61st pick / 1977 |
| Allan Ellis | 28 | DB | 8 | 4 | 185 | 5-11 | UCLA | 8/19/1951 | 6 | Chicago Bears / 5th / 107th pick / 1973 |
| Vince Evans | 24 | QB | 4 | 3 | 215 | 6-2 | USC | 6/14/1955 | 2 | Chicago Bears / 6th / 140th pick / 1977 |
| Gary Fencik | 25 | DB | 14 | 14 | 194 | 6-1 | Yale | 6/11/1954 | 3 | Miami Dolphins / 10th / 281st pick / 1976 |
| Wentford Gaines | 26 | DB | 16 | 0 | 185 | 6-0 | Cincinnati,Ferrum,Tennessee Tech | 2/4/1953 | 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 9th / 265th pick / 1976 |
| Kris Haines | 22 | WR | 2 | 0 | 183 | 5-11 | Notre Dame | 7/23/1957 | Rook | Washington Redskins / 9th / 233rd pick / 1979 |
| Dan Hampton | 22 | DE-DT | 16 | 16 | 264 | 6-5 | Arkansas | 9/19/1957 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 1st / 4th pick / 1979 |
| Al Harris | 23 | DE-LB | 4 | 0 | 250 | 6-5 | Arizona State | 12/31/1956 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 1st / 9th pick / 1979 |
| Tommy Hart | 35 | DE-LB | 15 | 0 | 245 | 6-4 | Morris Brown | 11/7/1944 | 11 | San Francisco 49ers / 10th / 261st pick / 1968 |
| Mike Hartenstine | 26 | DE | 16 | 16 | 251 | 6-3 | Penn State | 7/27/1953 | 4 | Chicago Bears / 2nd / 31st pick / 1975 |
| Bruce Herron | 25 | LB | 16 | 0 | 220 | 6-2 | New Mexico | 4/14/1954 | 1 | Miami Dolphins / 7th / 180th pick / 1977 |
| Tom Hicks | 27 | LB | 15 | 0 | 235 | 6-4 | Illinois | 12/18/1952 | 3 | Chicago Bears / 6th / 151st pick / 1975 |
| Noah Jackson | 28 | G | 15 | 15 | 267 | 6-2 | Tampa | 4/14/1951 | 4 | Baltimore Colts / 7th / 161st pick / 1974 |
| Dan Jiggetts | 25 | T-G | 16 | 0 | 274 | 6-4 | Harvard | 3/10/1954 | 3 | Chicago Bears / 6th / 161st pick / 1976 |
| Lee Kunz | 22 | LB | 16 | 0 | 226 | 6-2 | Nebraska | 4/21/1957 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 7th / 174th pick / 1979 |
| Greg Latta | 27 | TE | 15 | 0 | 227 | 6-3 | Morgan State | 10/13/1952 | 4 | Baltimore Colts / 8th / 188th pick / 1974 |
| Dennis Lick | 25 | T | 16 | 16 | 266 | 6-3 | Wisconsin | 4/26/1954 | 3 | Chicago Bears / 1st / 8th pick / 1976 |
| Virgil Livers | 27 | DB | 13 | 12 | 176 | 5-8 | Western Kentucky | 3/26/1952 | 4 | Chicago Bears / 4th / 83rd pick / 1975 |
| Willie McClendon | 22 | RB | 16 | 0 | 205 | 6-1 | Georgia | 9/13/1957 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 3rd / 66th pick / 1979 |
| Mark Merrill | 24 | LB | 9 | 0 | 237 | 6-4 | Minnesota | 5/5/1955 | 1 | New York Jets / 2nd / 31st pick / 1978 |
| Jerry Meyers | 25 | DE-DT | 6 | 0 | 249 | 6-4 | Northern Illinois | 2/21/1954 | 3 | Chicago Bears / 15th / 411th pick / 1976 |
| Jerry Muckensturm | 26 | LB | 16 | 16 | 223 | 6-4 | Arkansas State | 10/13/1953 | 3 | Chicago Bears / 7th / 190th pick / 1976 |
| Dan Neal | 30 | C-G | 16 | 16 | 250 | 6-4 | Kentucky | 8/30/1949 | 6 | Baltimore Colts / 11th / 270th pick / 1973 |
| Jim Osborne | 30 | DT | 16 | 16 | 250 | 6-3 | Southern | 9/7/1949 | 7 | Chicago Bears / 7th / 182nd pick / 1972 |
| Alan Page | 34 | DT | 16 | 16 | 245 | 6-4 | Notre Dame | 8/7/1945 | 12 | Minnesota Vikings / 1st / 15th pick / 1967 |
| Bob Parsons | 29 | TE-P | 16 | 0 | 234 | 6-4 | Penn State | 6/29/1950 | 7 | Chicago Bears / 5th / 117th pick / 1972 |
| Walter Payton* | 25 | RB | 16 | 16 | 200 | 5-10 | Jackson State | 7/25/1954 | 4 | Chicago Bears / 1st / 4th pick / 1975 |
| Lonnie Perrin | 27 | RB | 9 | 0 | 222 | 6-1 | Illinois | 2/3/1952 | 3 | Denver Broncos / 5th / 139th pick / 1976 |
| Mike Phipps | 32 | QB | 12 | 10 | 208 | 6-3 | Purdue | 11/19/1947 | 9 | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 3rd pick / 1970 |
| Doug Plank | 26 | DB | 16 | 16 | 200 | 6-0 | Ohio State | 3/4/1953 | 4 | Chicago Bears / 12th / 291st pick / 1975 |
| Golden Richards | 29 | WR | 5 | 0 | 181 | 6-1 | BYU,Hawaii | 12/31/1950 | 6 | Dallas Cowboys / 2nd / 46th pick / 1973 |
| Ron Rydalch | 27 | DT | 16 | 0 | 260 | 6-4 | Utah | 1/1/1952 | 4 | New York Jets / 8th / 197th pick / 1974 |
| Terry Schmidt | 27 | DB | 16 | 16 | 177 | 6-0 | Ball State | 5/28/1952 | 5 | New Orleans Saints / 5th / 121st pick / 1974 |
| Steve Schubert | 28 | WR | 14 | 0 | 185 | 5-10 | Massachusetts | 3/15/1951 | 5 | |
| James Scott | 27 | WR | 10 | 9 | 190 | 6-1 | Trinity Valley Community College (TX) | 3/28/1952 | 3 | New York Jets / 8th / 193rd pick / 1975 |
| John Skibinski | 24 | RB | 1 | 1 | 222 | 6-0 | Purdue | 4/27/1955 | 1 | Chicago Bears / 6th / 139th pick / 1978 |
| Revie Sorey | 26 | G | 16 | 16 | 260 | 6-2 | Illinois | 9/10/1953 | 4 | Chicago Bears / 5th / 110th pick / 1975 |
| Mike Spivey | 25 | DB | 16 | 0 | 197 | 6-0 | Colorado | 3/10/1954 | 2 | Chicago Bears / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1977 |
| Bob Thomas | 27 | K | 16 | 0 | 178 | 5-10 | Notre Dame | 8/7/1952 | 4 | Los Angeles Rams / 15th / 388th pick / 1974 |
| Len Walterscheid | 25 | DB | 15 | 2 | 190 | 5-11 | Southern Utah | 9/13/1954 | 2 | |
| Harry Washington | 23 | WR | 6 | 0 | 180 | 6-0 | Colorado State | 7/30/1956 | 1 | |
| Rickey Watts | 22 | WR | 16 | 6 | 203 | 6-1 | Tulsa | 5/16/1957 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 2nd / 39th pick / 1979 |
| Dave Williams | 25 | RB | 14 | 12 | 210 | 6-2 | Colorado | 3/10/1954 | 2 | Dallas Cowboys / 7th / 208th pick / 1976 |
| Team Total | 26.2 | 16 | 221.5 | 6-1.8 | 3.5 |