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1979 Missouri Tigers football team

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American college football season

1979 Missouri Tigers football
Hall of Fame Classic, W 24–14 vs. South Carolina
ConferenceBig Eight Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 20
Record7–5 (3–4 Big 8)
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorCarl Reese (3rd season)
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
Seasons← 19781980 →
1979 Big Eight Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Oklahoma $ 7 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
No. 9 Nebraska 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
Oklahoma State 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Missouri 3 – 4 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
Colorado 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Iowa State 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Kansas 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Kansas State 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 Missouri Tigers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Missouri in the Big Eight Conference (Big 8) during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team compiled a 7–5 record (3–4 against Big 8 opponents), finished in fourth place in the Big 8, and was outscored by opponents by a combined total of 260 to 166. Warren Powers was the head coach for the second of seven seasons. The team played its home games at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri.

The team's statistical leaders included James Wilder with 645 rushing yards, Phil Bradley with 1,448 passing yards and 1,764 yards of total offense, Andy Gibler with 316 receiving yards, and Gerry Ellis with 54 points scored.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 8San Diego State*No. 12W 45–1562,168
September 15at Illinois*No. 11W 14–649,049
September 22at Ole Miss*No. 9W 33–746,000
September 29No. 4 Texas*No. 5
  • Faurot Field
  • Columbia, MO
L 0–2175,136
October 13Oklahoma StateNo. 15
  • Faurot Field
  • Columbia, MO
L 13–1466,003
October 20at ColoradoW 13–751,123
October 27Kansas State
  • Faurot Field
  • Columbia, MO
L 3–1970,029
November 3No. 2 NebraskaL 20–2374,575
November 10at Iowa StateW 18–946,800
November 17No. 7 OklahomaL 22–2469,973
November 24at KansasW 55–734,599
December 29vs. No. 16 South Carolina*W 24–1462,785
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

1979 Missouri Tigers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR 82 Ken Blair Jr
QB 15 Phil Bradley Jr
C 55 Brad Edelman So
RB 43 Gerry Ellis Sr
WR 8 Ron Fellows Jr
WR 83 Andy Gibler Fr
RB 32 James Wilder Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 34 Lester Dickey Jr
DB 29 Demetrious Johnson Fr
DE 88 Kurt Peterson Sr
CB 9 Johnnie Poe Jr
SS 18 Kevin Potter Fr
DE 90 Wendell Ray Jr
DT 56 Jerome Sally So
DT 92 Bennie Smith So
DE 96 Ray Stephens Jr
CB 30 Bill Whitaker Jr
FS 21 Eric Wright Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 3 Jeff Brockhaus Jr
K 1 Ron Verrilli
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

References

  1. "1979 Missouri Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  2. "2016 Mizzou Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Missouri. p. 158. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  3. "2014 Mizzou Football Records Book" (PDF). University of Missouri. pp. 26–27. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  4. "1979: A Fleeting Taste of the Big-Time (Part One)". Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  5. Richardson, Steve (September 16, 1979). "MU Defense Saves Day At Goal Line". The Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri. p. 1S. Retrieved March 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  6. Richardson, Steve (September 16, 1979). "Running of Ellis Puts Tigers in Gear (continued)". The Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri. p. 9S. Retrieved March 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  7. "Mizzou defeats Ole Miss, 33–7". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 23, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "No. 5 Mizzou draws blanks against Texas". The Spokesman-Review. September 30, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Missouri falls, 14–13". Wisconsin State Journal. October 14, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Defense gives Missouri triumph". Springfield News-Leader. October 21, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Kansas State defense shackles Missouri, 19–3". The Sioux City Journal. October 28, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Nebraska wins as Mizzou gamble fails". St. Joseph News-Press. November 4, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Verrilli kicks Mizzou to life, 18–9". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 11, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Sooners escape Missouri". St. Petersburg Times. November 18, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "KU turnovers give Tigers easy victory". The Salina Journal. November 25, 1979. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Missouri topples Gamecocks 24–14". The Kansas City Star. December 30, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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