Miss USA 1979

Miss USA 1979 was the 28th Miss USA pageant, televised live by CBS from the Gulf Coast Convention Center in Biloxi, Mississippi on April 30, 1979.

Miss USA 1979
Mary Therese Friel, Miss USA 1979
Date	April 30, 1979
Presenters	Bob Barker Helen O'Connell Jayne Kennedy
Entertainment	Leif Garrett
Venue	Gulf Coast Convention Center, Biloxi, Mississippi
Broadcaster	CBS, WJTV
Entrants	51
Placements	12
Winner	Mary Therese Friel New York
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The pageant was won by Mary Therese Friel of New York,^[1] who was crowned by outgoing titleholder Judi Andersen of Hawaii. Friel was the second woman from New York to win the Miss USA title, and went on to place as a semi-finalist at Miss Universe 1979.

Results

Final Results	Contestant
Miss USA 1979	New York - Mary Therese Friel
1st Runner-Up	Washington - Tracey Goddard[1]
2nd Runner-Up	Hawaii - Leialoha Ma'a[1]
3rd Runner-Up	Illinois - Debra Niego[1]
4th Runner-Up	Mississippi - Laurie Kimbrough[1]
Top 12	Arizona - Ana Maria Rubert California - Linda Fogarty Massachusetts - Monica Magnus North Carolina - Dianne Jamerson Texas - Anne Hinnant Virginia - Betsy Bott Wisconsin - Kathryn Wituschek[1]

Judges

• Maud Adams^[1]
• Jim Davis^[1]
• Eileen Ford^[1]
• Beverly Garland^[1]
• Karen Graham^[1]
• Dong Kingman^[1]
• Trini Lopez^[1]
• Alfred Allan Lewis
• Earl Monroe^[1]
• Leslie Nielsen^[1]
• Kimberly Tomes^[1]
• Edward Villella^[1]