1979 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team

The 1979 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Yellow Jackets were led by head coach Pepper Rodgers, in his sixth and final year with the team, and played their home games at Grant Field in Atlanta. Rodgers was fired as head coach after a 4–6–1 campaign.^[1]

1979 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
Conference	Independent
Record	4–6–1
Head coach	Pepper Rodgers (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Larry Travis (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Jack Westbroook (2nd season)
Captain	Tom Daniel
Home stadium	Grant Field
Seasons ← 1978 1980 →

1979 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Florida State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 7 Pittsburgh		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
UNLV		–		–				9	–	1	–	2
No. 17 Temple		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
Tulane		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				7	–	3	–	1
No. 20 Penn State		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Navy		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				6	–	4	–	1
Syracuse		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Colgate		–		–				5	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
North Texas State		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Villanova		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Louisville		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
William & Mary		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Army		–		–				2	–	8	–	1
Air Force		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Richmond		–		–				0	–	11	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	No. 2 Alabama	Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)	ABC	L 6–30	57,621	[2][3][4]
September 22	at Florida	Florida Field Gainesville, FL		T 7–7	60,313	[5]
September 29	William & Mary	Grant Field Atlanta, GA		W 33–7	28,511	[6]
October 6	at No. 10 Notre Dame	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		L 13–21	59,075	[7]
October 13	at Tennessee	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)		L 0–31	85,524	[8]
October 20	No. 14 Auburn	Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)		L 14–38	54,236	[9]
October 27	at Tulane	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA		L 7–12	51,963	[10]
November 3	Duke	Grant Field Atlanta, GA		W 24–14	23,445	[11]
November 10	Air Force	Grant Field Atlanta, GA		W 21–0	30,113	[12]
November 17	Navy	Grant Field Atlanta, GA		W 24–14	24,318	[13]
November 24	Georgia	Grant Field Atlanta, GA (Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate)	ABC	L 3–16	48,781	[14]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[15][16]

Roster

1979 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 2 Mike Kelley So	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 81 Al Richardson Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Pepper Rodgers Coordinators/assistant coaches Larry Travis – Offensive coordinator/offensive line Steve Spurrier – Quarterbacks Norm Van Brocklin – Running backs Terry Tuley – Receivers Les Hanly – Offensive line Jack Westbrook – Defensive coordinator/defensive backs Ed Emory – Defensive line Ken Blair – Outside linebackers Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. McCollister, Tom (December 19, 1979). "Georgia Tech Fires Pepper Rodgers". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 1A.
2. "Tide floods Tech's revival, 30–6". The Atlanta Journal. September 9, 1979. Retrieved February 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Browning, Al (September 9, 1979). "Tide hits Atlanta like Sherman did". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 1A. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
4. Meade, Doug (September 9, 1979). "Alabama dominates Georgia Tech in 30–6 breeze". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
5. "Tech, Florida: A 7–7 standoff". The Macon Telegraph & News. September 23, 1979. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "W&M puts up a fight, but loses". The Roanoke Times. September 30, 1979. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Irish dump Ga. Tech". The Shreveport Times. October 7, 1979. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Streater leads Tennessee to whitewashing of Tech". The Macon News. October 14, 1979. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Brooks powers Auburn past Tech". The Pensacola News-Journal. October 21, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Tulane holds on to beat Tech, 12–7". The Atlanta Constitution. October 28, 1979. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Jackets handle Devils". The Macon Telegrapgh & News. November 4, 1979. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Georgia Tech runs to 21–0 over Air Force". The Selma Times-Journal. November 11, 1979. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Navy loses 4th in row". The Baltimore Sun. November 18, 1979. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Dogs whip Georgia Tech in rain 16–3". The Sunday Ledger-Enquirer. November 25, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "1979 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
16. 2011 Georgia Tech Media Guide Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. p. 173