1980 New York Jets season
OwnerLeon Hess
Head coachWalt Michaels
Home fieldShea Stadium
Results
Record4–12
Division place5th AFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersT Marvin Powell

The 1980 New York Jets season was the 21st season for the franchise and its eleventh in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 8–8 record from 1979 under head coach Walt Michaels, and being widely predicted to improve further and reach the postseason for the first time since 1969.[1] The Jets finished the season with a record of 4–12.

During the season, the Jets were the only team to lose to the notorious New Orleans Saints team, dubbed the “Aints”. On a day with a wind-chill temperature of 5 °F (−15 °C) and kicking with a gale of 46 miles per hour (74 km/h; 40 kn), the Jets failed to hold on to a 13–7 lead after three quarters,[2] losing by a single point, 21–20.

History repeated itself 11 years later, when the Jets lost 28–27 at home to the Indianapolis Colts, the Colts’ lone victory of that season.

Offseason

Draft

Main article: 1980 NFL draft
1980 New York Jets draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 2 Lam Jones  Wide receiver Texas from San Francisco
2 40 Darrol Ray  Safety Oklahoma
2 47 Ralph Clayton  Wide receiver Michigan
3 69 Lance Mehl *  Linebacker Penn State
4 95 Jesse Johnson  Defensive back Colorado
5 123 Jim Zidd  Linebacker Kansas
6 149 George Visger  Defensive tackle Colorado
6 152 Tom Schremp  Defensive end Wisconsin
7 178 Bob Batton  Running back UNLV
7 190 Bennie Leverett  Running back Bethune–Cookman
8 205 Jeff Dziama  Linebacker Boston College
9 234 Joe Peters  Defensive tackle Arizona State
10 260 Guy Bingham  Center Montana
11 290 James Zachery  Linebacker Texas A&M
12 317 David Dumars  Defensive back Northeast Louisiana
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[3]

Undrafted free agents

1980 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Ben Bottone Linebacker Rhode Island
Brian Doherty Running back Holy Cross
Ed Gallagher Tackle Pittsburgh
Mike Gay Tackle Kansas

Personnel

Staff

1980 New York Jets staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches
  • John Mazur – Defensive coordinator
  • Dan Sekanovich – Defensive line
  • Joe Gardi – Linebackers/special teams



Roster

1980 New York Jets final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 7 Baltimore Colts L 14–17 0–1 Shea Stadium 50,777
2 September 14 at Buffalo Bills L 10–20 0–2 Rich Stadium 65,315
3 September 21 San Francisco 49ers L 27–37 0–3 Shea Stadium 50,608
4 September 28 at Baltimore Colts L 21–35 0–4 Memorial Stadium 33,373
5 October 5 New England Patriots L 11–21 0–5 Shea Stadium 53,604
6 October 12 at Atlanta Falcons W 14–7 1–5 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 57,458
7 October 19 Seattle Seahawks L 17–27 1–6 Shea Stadium 52,496
8 October 27 Miami Dolphins W 17–14 2–6 Shea Stadium 53,046
9 November 2 at New England Patriots L 21–34 2–7 Schaefer Stadium 60,834
10 November 9 Buffalo Bills L 24–31 2–8 Shea Stadium 45,677
11 November 16 at Denver Broncos L 24–31 2–9 Mile High Stadium 72,114
12 November 23 Houston Oilers W 31–28 (OT) 3–9 Shea Stadium 52,358
13 November 30 at Los Angeles Rams L 13–38 3–10 Anaheim Stadium 59,743
14 December 7 at Cleveland Browns L 14–17 3–11 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 78,454
15 December 14 New Orleans Saints L 20–21 3–12 Shea Stadium 38,077
16 December 20 at Miami Dolphins W 24–17 4–12 Miami Orange Bowl 41,854
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

AFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Buffalo Bills(3) 11 5 0 .688 4–4 8–4 320 260 W1
New England Patriots 10 6 0 .625 6–2 9–3 441 325 W2
Miami Dolphins 8 8 0 .500 3–5 4–8 266 305 L1
Baltimore Colts 7 9 0 .438 5–3 6–8 355 387 L3
New York Jets 4 12 0 .250 2–6 3–9 302 395 W1

Season summary

Week 1 vs Colts

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Week 2 at Bills

Week Two: New York Jets (0–1) at Buffalo Bills (1–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Jets 3 0 0710
Bills 0 10 10020

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

References

  1. ^ Finney, Jr., Peter (December 12, 1980). "Saints near history". Google News Search Archive. Bryan, TX: The Bryan Times. p. 12. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  2. ^ "Saints finally snare a victory". Google News Search Archive. St. Petersburg, FL: St. Petersburg Times. December 15, 1980. p. 7C. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  3. ^ "1980 New York Jets Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 22, 2022.

External links


New York Jets
New York Jets seasons
1980 NFL season
Categories