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1979 San Francisco 49ers
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Record: 2-14-0, Finished 4th in NFC West Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 308 points (19.2/g), 16th of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 416 points (26.0/g), 27th.
Differential of -108 points (-6.8/g), 27th.
Expected W-L: 5.3-10.7.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential -5 (-0.3/g), 19th.
Coached by Bill Walsh (2-14-0)
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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 | Steve DeBerg | 25 | 1 | 15 | 347 for 578, 3,652 yards, 17 td, 21 int, & 17 rushes for 10 yards and 0 td | Dallas Cowboys / 10th / 275th pick / 1977 |
| RB | O.J. Simpson | 32 | 10 | 8 | 120 rushes for 460 yards, 3 td, & 7 catches for 46 yards and 0 td | Buffalo Bills / 1st / 1st pick / 1969 |
| RB | Paul Hofer | 27 | 3 | 7 | 123 rushes for 615 yards, 7 td, & 58 catches for 662 yards and 2 td | San Francisco 49ers / 11th / 305th pick / 1976 |
| FB | Wilbur Jackson | 28 | 5 | 14 | 114 rushes for 375 yards, 2 td, & 53 catches for 422 yards and 0 td | San Francisco 49ers / 1st / 9th pick / 1974 |
| WR | Mike Shumann | 24 | 1 | 14 | 39 catches for 452 yards, 4 td, & 1 rush for 19 yards and 0 td | |
| WR | Freddie Solomon | 26 | 4 | 12 | 57 catches for 807 yards, 7 td, & 6 rushes for 85 yards and 1 td | Miami Dolphins / 2nd / 36th pick / 1975 |
| TE | Ken MacAfee | 23 | 1 | 12 | 24 catches for 266 yards, 4 td | San Francisco 49ers / 1st / 7th pick / 1978 |
| LT | Ron Singleton | 27 | 3 | 15 | San Diego Chargers / 4th / 113th pick / 1976 |
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| LG | John Ayers | 26 | 2 | 16 | San Francisco 49ers / 8th / 223rd pick / 1976 |
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| C | Fred Quillan | 23 | 1 | 16 | San Francisco 49ers / 7th / 175th pick / 1978 |
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| RG | Randy Cross | 25 | 3 | 16 | 2 fumbles recovered | San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 42nd pick / 1976 |
| RT | Keith Fahnhorst | 27 | 5 | 16 | San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 35th pick / 1974 |
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| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Archie Reese | 23 | 1 | 16 | San Francisco 49ers / 5th / 127th pick / 1978 |
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| LDT | Ted Vincent | 23 | 1 | 15 | Cincinnati Bengals / 3rd / 72nd pick / 1978 |
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| RDT | Jimmy Webb | 27 | 4 | 15 | San Francisco 49ers / 1st / 10th pick / 1975 |
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| RDE | Cedrick Hardman | 31 | 9 | 11 | San Francisco 49ers / 1st / 9th pick / 1970 |
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| RDE | Dwaine Board | 23 | Rook | 5 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 5th / 137th pick / 1979 |
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| LLB | Scott Hilton | 25 | Rook | 0 | ||
| MLB | Dan Bunz | 24 | 1 | 12 | 1 interception, 5 fumbles recovered | San Francisco 49ers / 1st / 24th pick / 1978 |
| RLB | Willie Harper | 29 | 6 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 41st pick / 1973 |
| LCB | Charles Cornelius | 27 | 2 | 14 | 3 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | |
| RCB | Gerard Williams | 27 | 3 | 14 | 4 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | |
| SS | Tim Gray | 27 | 4 | 15 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | St. Louis Cardinals / 1st / 21st pick / 1975 |
| FS | Tony Dungy | 24 | 2 | 7 | 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | |
| FS | Melvin Morgan | 26 | 3 | 5 | 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | Cincinnati Bengals / 11th / 314th pick / 1976 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Ray Wersching | 29 | 6 | 0 | 20 of 24 field goals & 32 of 35 extra points | |
| P | Dan Melville | 23 | Rook | 0 | 71 punts for a 37.0 average, 1 blocked | |
| PR | Freddie Solomon | 26 | 4 | 12 | 23 punt returns for a 6.2 average and 0 td | Miami Dolphins / 2nd / 36th pick / 1975 |
| KR | James Owens | 24 | Rook | 0 | 41 kick returns for a 24.4 average and 1 td | San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 29th pick / 1979 |
| Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Ayers | 26 | G-T | 16 | 16 | 258 | 6-5 | Texas,West Texas A&M | 4/14/1953 | 2 | San Francisco 49ers / 8th / 223rd pick / 1976 |
| Jean Barrett | 28 | T-G-C | 13 | 0 | 253 | 6-6 | Tulsa | 5/24/1951 | 6 | San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 44th pick / 1972 |
| Dwaine Board | 23 | DE | 16 | 5 | 248 | 6-5 | North Carolina A&T | 11/29/1956 | Rook | Pittsburgh Steelers / 5th / 137th pick / 1979 |
| John Bristor | 24 | DB | 1 | 0 | 188 | 6-0 | California (PA),Waynesburg | 11/25/1955 | Rook | |
| Bob Bruer | 26 | TE | 16 | 4 | 235 | 6-5 | Mankato State | 5/22/1953 | Rook | Houston Oilers / 9th / 221st pick / 1975 |
| Dan Bunz | 24 | LB | 14 | 12 | 226 | 6-4 | California-Riverside,Long Beach State | 10/7/1955 | 1 | San Francisco 49ers / 1st / 24th pick / 1978 |
| Gordy Ceresino | 22 | LB | 16 | 0 | 224 | 6-0 | Stanford | 10/26/1957 | Rook | |
| Dwight Clark | 22 | WR | 16 | 3 | 212 | 6-4 | Clemson | 1/8/1957 | Rook | San Francisco 49ers / 10th / 249th pick / 1979 |
| Charles Cornelius | 27 | DB | 16 | 14 | 176 | 5-9 | Bethune-Cookman | 7/27/1952 | 2 | |
| Al Cowlings | 32 | DE-DT-LB | 12 | 0 | 255 | 6-5 | USC | 6/16/1947 | 9 | Buffalo Bills / 1st / 5th pick / 1970 |
| Randy Cross | 25 | G-C | 16 | 16 | 259 | 6-3 | UCLA | 4/25/1954 | 3 | San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 42nd pick / 1976 |
| Steve DeBerg | 25 | QB | 16 | 15 | 210 | 6-3 | San Jose State | 1/19/1954 | 1 | Dallas Cowboys / 10th / 275th pick / 1977 |
| Walt Downing | 23 | G-C | 16 | 0 | 259 | 6-3 | Michigan | 6/11/1956 | 1 | San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 47th pick / 1978 |
| Tony Dungy | 24 | DB-QB | 15 | 7 | 188 | 6-0 | Minnesota | 10/6/1955 | 2 | |
| Lenvil Elliott | 28 | RB | 16 | 0 | 205 | 6-0 | Truman State | 9/2/1951 | 6 | Cincinnati Bengals / 10th / 249th pick / 1973 |
| Keith Fahnhorst | 27 | T | 16 | 16 | 273 | 6-6 | Minnesota | 2/6/1952 | 5 | San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 35th pick / 1974 |
| Bob Ferrell | 27 | RB | 16 | 0 | 216 | 6-0 | UCLA | 11/13/1952 | 3 | |
| Phil Francis | 22 | RB | 16 | 0 | 205 | 6-1 | Stanford | 1/10/1957 | Rook | San Francisco 49ers / 7th / 166th pick / 1979 |
| Tim Gray | 27 | DB | 16 | 15 | 200 | 6-1 | Texas A&M | 11/11/1952 | 4 | St. Louis Cardinals / 1st / 21st pick / 1975 |
| Cedrick Hardman | 31 | DE | 14 | 11 | 255 | 6-3 | North Texas | 10/4/1948 | 9 | San Francisco 49ers / 1st / 9th pick / 1970 |
| Willie Harper | 29 | LB | 16 | 16 | 215 | 6-2 | Nebraska | 7/30/1950 | 6 | San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 41st pick / 1973 |
| Dwight Hicks | 23 | DB | 8 | 4 | 190 | 6-1 | Michigan | 4/5/1956 | Rook | Detroit Lions / 6th / 150th pick / 1978 |
| Scott Hilton | 25 | LB | 7 | 0 | 230 | 6-4 | Salem | 5/28/1954 | Rook | |
| Paul Hofer | 27 | RB | 15 | 7 | 195 | 6-0 | Mississippi | 5/13/1952 | 3 | San Francisco 49ers / 11th / 305th pick / 1976 |
| Mike Hogan | 25 | RB | 2 | 2 | 213 | 6-2 | Tennessee-Chattanooga | 11/1/1954 | 3 | Philadelphia Eagles / 9th / 247th pick / 1976 |
| Wilbur Jackson | 28 | RB | 16 | 14 | 215 | 6-1 | Alabama | 11/19/1951 | 5 | San Francisco 49ers / 1st / 9th pick / 1974 |
| Charles Johnson | 23 | DB | 4 | 0 | 182 | 5-10 | Grambling State | 5/8/1956 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 4th / 101st pick / 1979 |
| Eric Johnson | 27 | DB | 8 | 0 | 192 | 6-1 | Washington State | 7/23/1952 | 2 | |
| Terry LeCount | 23 | WR | 2 | 0 | 178 | 5-10 | Florida | 7/9/1956 | 1 | San Francisco 49ers / 4th / 91st pick / 1978 |
| Eddie Lewis | 26 | DB | 7 | 0 | 177 | 6-0 | Kansas | 12/15/1953 | 3 | San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 57th pick / 1976 |
| Ken MacAfee | 23 | TE | 16 | 12 | 250 | 6-4 | Notre Dame | 1/9/1956 | 1 | San Francisco 49ers / 1st / 7th pick / 1978 |
| Bob Martin | 26 | LB | 13 | 0 | 217 | 6-1 | Nebraska | 11/14/1953 | 3 | New York Jets / 6th / 163rd pick / 1976 |
| Jeff McIntyre | 24 | LB | 14 | 3 | 232 | 6-3 | Arizona State | 9/20/1955 | Rook | Denver Broncos / 6th / 148th pick / 1979 |
| Dan Melville | 23 | P | 16 | 0 | 185 | 6-0 | California | 3/4/1956 | Rook | |
| Joe Montana | 23 | QB | 16 | 1 | 200 | 6-2 | Notre Dame | 6/11/1956 | Rook | San Francisco 49ers / 3rd / 82nd pick / 1979 |
| Melvin Morgan | 26 | DB | 8 | 5 | 183 | 6-0 | Miss. Valley State | 3/31/1953 | 3 | Cincinnati Bengals / 11th / 314th pick / 1976 |
| Dave Morton | 24 | LB | 3 | 0 | 224 | 6-2 | UCLA | 5/13/1955 | Rook | |
| Bob Nelson | 26 | LB | 1 | 1 | 232 | 6-4 | Nebraska | 6/30/1953 | 3 | Buffalo Bills / 2nd / 42nd pick / 1975 |
| James Owens | 24 | RB-WR-DB | 16 | 0 | 192 | 5-11 | UCLA | 7/5/1955 | Rook | San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 29th pick / 1979 |
| Fred Quillan | 23 | C | 16 | 16 | 261 | 6-5 | Oregon | 1/27/1956 | 1 | San Francisco 49ers / 7th / 175th pick / 1978 |
| Eason Ramson | 23 | TE | 2 | 0 | 232 | 6-2 | Washington State | 4/30/1956 | 1 | Green Bay Packers / 12th / 312th pick / 1978 |
| Archie Reese | 23 | DE-NT-DT | 16 | 16 | 267 | 6-3 | Clemson | 2/4/1956 | 1 | San Francisco 49ers / 5th / 127th pick / 1978 |
| Tom Seabron | 22 | LB | 10 | 0 | 215 | 6-3 | Michigan | 5/24/1957 | Rook | San Francisco 49ers / 5th / 111th pick / 1979 |
| Paul Seal | 27 | TE | 15 | 0 | 222 | 6-4 | Michigan | 2/27/1952 | 5 | New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 36th pick / 1974 |
| Mike Shumann | 24 | WR | 16 | 14 | 178 | 6-1 | Florida State | 10/13/1955 | 1 | |
| Ron Shumon | 24 | LB | 8 | 0 | 230 | 6-1 | Wichita State | 12/11/1955 | 1 | Cincinnati Bengals / 9th / 238th pick / 1978 |
| O.J. Simpson | 32 | RB | 13 | 8 | 212 | 6-2 | USC | 7/9/1947 | 10 | Buffalo Bills / 1st / 1st pick / 1969 |
| Ron Singleton | 27 | T | 16 | 15 | 260 | 6-7 | Grambling State | 4/15/1952 | 3 | San Diego Chargers / 4th / 113th pick / 1976 |
| Freddie Solomon | 26 | WR-QB-RB | 15 | 12 | 185 | 5-11 | Tampa | 1/11/1953 | 4 | Miami Dolphins / 2nd / 36th pick / 1975 |
| Ruben Vaughan | 23 | DT-NT-DE | 13 | 1 | 261 | 6-2 | Colorado | 8/5/1956 | Rook | San Francisco 49ers / 6th / 138th pick / 1979 |
| Ted Vincent | 23 | DT | 16 | 15 | 262 | 6-4 | Wichita State | 8/10/1956 | 1 | Cincinnati Bengals / 3rd / 72nd pick / 1978 |
| Jimmy Webb | 27 | DT-DE | 16 | 15 | 247 | 6-5 | Mississippi State | 4/13/1952 | 4 | San Francisco 49ers / 1st / 10th pick / 1975 |
| Ray Wersching | 29 | K | 16 | 0 | 213 | 5-11 | California | 8/21/1950 | 6 | |
| Gerard Williams | 27 | DB | 15 | 14 | 184 | 6-1 | Langston | 5/25/1952 | 3 | |
| Team Total | 25.3 | 16 | 219.9 | 6-2.1 | 2.4 |