1979 Detroit Lions Roster
National Football League (NFL)
Team Record: 2-14
Finishing 5th in the NFL's Central Division of the National Football Conference
Coach: Monte Clark (2-14)
Location: Detroit, Michigan
1979 Detroit Lions StatisticsTeam Record: 2-14
Finishing 5th in the NFL's Central Division of the National Football Conference
Coach: Monte Clark (2-14)
Location: Detroit, Michigan
1979 Detroit Lions Results
The Detroit Lions of the National Football League ended the 1979 season with a record of 2 wins and 14 losses, finishing fifth in the NFL's Central Division of the National Football Conference.
The Lions struggled to score 219 points, worst in the circuit, while the defense yielded 365. Jeff Komlo threw for 2,238 yards. Freddie Scott hauled in 62 balls for 929 yards. David Hill provided receiving help, too.
Dexter Bussey rushed for a team-leading 625 yards for Detroit.
Jimmy Allen and Luther Bradley each picked off 4 opponent throws.
Monte Clark coached the team.
Click on column headings to sort.
| # | Player | Pos. | Birth Date | Height | Weight | College | Hometown | GP | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | Jimmy Allen | SS | March 6, 1952 | 6'2" | 194 | Pierce College CA) | Clearwater, FL USA | 16 | 14 |
| 42 | Nate Allen | DB | May 13, 1948 | 5'10" | 170 | Texas Southern | Georgetown, SC USA | 3 | 0 |
| 47 | John Arnold | PR | October 5, 1955 | 5'10" | 175 | Wyoming | Shizuoka, Japan | 7 | 0 |
| 60 | Al Baker | RDE | December 9, 1956 | 6'6" | 265 | Colorado St. | Jacksonville, FL USA | 16 | 16 |
| 76 | Karl Baldischwiler | LT | January 19, 1956 | 6'5" | 265 | Oklahoma | Okmulgee, OK USA | 16 | 16 |
| 89 | Luther Blue | WR | October 21, 1954 | 5'11" | 185 | Iowa St. | Valdosta, GA USA | 9 | 0 |
| 73 | Russ Bolinger | RG | September 10, 1954 | 6'5" | 255 | California-Riverside | Wichita, KS USA | 16 | 16 |
| 27 | Luther Bradley | RCB | May 7, 1955 | 6'2" | 195 | Notre Dame | Florence, SC USA | 16 | 16 |
| 53 | Jon Brooks | LB | June 22, 1957 | 6'2" | 215 | Clemson | Saluda, SC USA | 15 | 0 |
| 24 | Dexter Bussey | RB | March 11, 1952 | 6'1" | 195 | Oklahoma | Dallas, TX USA | 16 | 10 |
| 31 | Ken Callicutt | KR | August 20, 1955 | 6'0" | 190 | Clemson | Chester, SC USA | 16 | 0 |
| 66 | Karl Chandler | C-G | February 15, 1952 | 6'5" | 250 | Princeton | Delaware County, PA USA | 1 | 0 |
| 63 | Garry Cobb | LB | March 16, 1957 | 6'2" | 227 | USC | Carthage, NC USA | 8 | 0 |
| 50 | Eddie Cole | LB | December 16, 1956 | 6'2" | 235 | Mississippi | Clarkside, MS USA | 15 | 2 |
| 70 | Keith Dorney | RT | December 3, 1957 | 6'5" | 268 | Penn St. | Allentown, PA USA | 16 | 16 |
| 72 | Cleveland Elam | DT-DE | April 5, 1952 | 6'4" | 252 | Tennessee St. | Memphis, TN USA | 8 | 0 |
| 61 | Homer Elias | LG | May 1, 1955 | 6'3" | 255 | Tennessee St. | Fort Benning, GA USA | 15 | 14 |
| 20 | Ken Ellis | DB | September 27, 1947 | 5'10" | 190 | Southern | Woodbine, GA USA | 7 | 0 |
| 78 | Doug English | RDT | August 25, 1953 | 6'5" | 255 | Texas | Dallas, TX USA | 16 | 0 |
| 57 | Ken Fantetti | MLB | April 7, 1957 | 6'2" | 230 | Wyoming | Toledo, OR USA | 16 | 8 |
| 65 | Amos Fowler | C | February 11, 1956 | 6'3" | 250 | Southern Miss | Pensacola, FL USA | 12 | 1 |
| 58 | Dennis Franks | C | May 29, 1953 | 6'1" | 241 | Michigan | McKeesport, PA USA | 13 | 0 |
| 38 | Lawrence Gaines | RB | December 15, 1953 | 6'1" | 237 | Wyoming | Vernon, TX USA | 16 | 0 |
| 71 | Dave Gallagher | LDT | January 2, 1952 | 6'4" | 256 | Michigan | Piqua, OH USA | 10 | 0 |
| 79 | William Gay | DE | May 28, 1955 | 6'5" | 250 | USC | San Francisco, CA USA | 15 | 2 |
| 17 | Jerry Golsteyn | QB | August 6, 1954 | 6'4" | 207 | Northern Illinois | West Allis, WI USA | 1 | 1 |
| 51 | James Harrell | RLB | July 19, 1957 | 6'1" | 224 | Florida | Tampa, FL USA | 9 | 8 |
| 81 | David Hill | TE | January 1, 1954 | 6'2" | 229 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | San Antonio, TX USA | 16 | 15 |
| 10 | Scott Hunter | QB | November 11, 1947 | 6'2" | 205 | Alabama | Mobile, AL USA | 13 | 0 |
| 28 | James Hunter | FS | March 8, 1954 | 6'3" | 195 | Grambling St. | Silsbee, TX USA | 15 | 15 |
| 44 | Ernie Jackson | DB | April 11, 1950 | 5'10" | 173 | Duke | Hopkins, SC USA | 2 | 0 |
| 46 | Doug Jones | DB | May 31, 1950 | 6'2" | 202 | Arizona St. | San Diego, CA USA | 10 | 0 |
| 32 | Rick Kane | RB | November 12, 1954 | 5'11" | 200 | Oregon | Lincoln, NE USA | 16 | 6 |
| 25 | Horace King | RB | March 5, 1953 | 5'10" | 208 | Georgia | Athens, GA USA | 16 | 4 |
| 19 | Jeff Komlo | QB | July 30, 1956 | 6'2" | 200 | Delaware | Cheverly, MD USA | 16 | 14 |
| 26 | Tony Leonard | DB | February 28, 1953 | 5'11" | 170 | Virginia Union | Richmond, VA USA | 1 | 0 |
| 48 | Eddie Lewis | DB | December 15, 1953 | 6'0" | 177 | Kansas | Mobile, AL USA | 8 | 0 |
| 62 | Don Morrison | T-C | December 16, 1949 | 6'5" | 255 | Texas-Arlington | Fort Worth, TX USA | 15 | 0 |
| 80 | Ulysses Norris | TE | January 15, 1957 | 6'4" | 230 | Georgia | Monticello, GA USA | 16 | 2 |
| 55 | Ed O'Neil | LLB | September 8, 1952 | 6'3" | 236 | Penn St. | Warren, PA USA | 16 | 12 |
| 44 | Dave Parkin | DB | January 7, 1956 | 6'0" | 191 | Utah St. | Salt Lake City, UT USA | 9 | 0 |
| 43 | Don Patterson | DB | October 31, 1957 | 5'11" | 175 | Georgia Tech | Gray, GA USA | 2 | 0 |
| 67 | Wally Pesuit | G-C-T-DE | March 4, 1954 | 6'4" | 252 | Kentucky | Steubenville, OH USA | 16 | 0 |
| 75 | Dave Pureifory | LDE | July 12, 1949 | 6'1" | 260 | East. Michigan | Pensacola, FL USA | 15 | 15 |
| 14 | Joe Reed | QB | January 8, 1948 | 6'1" | 195 | Baylor | Newport, RI USA | 2 | 1 |
| 1 | Benny Ricardo | K | January 4, 1954 | 5'10" | 175 | San Diego St. | Asuncion, Paraguay | 16 | 0 |
| 36 | Bo Robinson | FB | May 27, 1956 | 6'2" | 228 | West Texas A&M | La Mesa, TX USA | 14 | 12 |
| 82 | Ken Sanders | DE | August 22, 1950 | 6'5" | 240 | Howard Payne | Valley Mills, TX USA | 5 | 0 |
| 87 | Freddie Scott | WR | August 5, 1952 | 6'2" | 180 | Amherst | Grady, AR USA | 14 | 14 |
| 15 | Tom Skladany | P | June 29, 1955 | 6'0" | 192 | Ohio St. | Bethel Park, PA USA | 2 | 0 |
| 46 | Jimmy Stewart | DB | October 15, 1954 | 5'11" | 190 | Tulsa | St. Louis, MO USA | 5 | 0 |
| 12 | Larry Swider | P | February 1, 1955 | 6'2" | 195 | Pittsburgh | Limestone, ME USA | 14 | 0 |
| 54 | Larry Tearry | C | April 24, 1956 | 6'3" | 260 | Wake Forest | Erwin, NC USA | 11 | 0 |
| 39 | Leonard Thompson | WR | July 28, 1952 | 5'11" | 192 | Oklahoma St. | Oklahoma City, OK USA | 15 | 1 |
| 52 | Dave Washington | LB-TE | September 12, 1948 | 6'5" | 223 | Alcorn St. | Tuscaloosa, AL USA | 7 | 0 |
| 18 | Gene Washington | WR | January 14, 1947 | 6'2" | 185 | Stanford | Tuscaloosa, AL USA | 16 | 0 |
| 59 | Charlie Weaver | MLB | July 12, 1949 | 6'2" | 220 | USC | Greenwood, MS USA | 8 | 0 |
| 21 | Walt Williams | LCB | July 10, 1954 | 6'1" | 185 | Ashland | Bedford Hills, NY USA | 12 | 7 |
| 42 | Robert Woods | WR | July 3, 1955 | 5'7" | 170 | Grambling St. | New Orleans, LA USA | 1 | 0 |
