On This Date in Sports December 30, 1979: Jack Youngblood Unbroken
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The Los Angeles Rams stun the Dallas Cowboys 21-19 in the Divisional Playoff Round at Texas Stadium. The Rams were inspired by defensive captain Jack Youngblood who played through a broken leg and made a critical sack of Roger Staubach in the game’s final minutes. Youngblood would continue to play and lead the Rams to Super Bowl XIV, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Los Angeles Rams were a consistent presence in the playoffs in the 1970s, winning the NFC West seven straight seasons. They had yet to reach the Super Bowl and had been beaten by the Dallas Cowboys three times in the postseason. The 1979 season had been a trying one for Los Angeles as their Owner Carroll Rosenbloom drowned, leaving the team to his wife, Georgia. It was a trying season for the Rams, as they won the West under coach Ray Malavasi, despite a 9-7 record. The Rams endured a three-game losing streak in October as Vince Ferragamo, and Pat Haden split the quarterback duties.
Coached by Tom Landry, the Dallas Cowboys entered the 1979 season looking to regain their crown. After winning Super Bowl XII, they came up just short in Super Bowl XIII, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-31. The 1979 season would be the final for quarterback Roger Staubach, who led the team to an 11-5 record, winning the NFC East.
The Cowboys came into the game as a heavy favorite, having beaten the Rams 58-6 in two recent meetings. The game started as a defensive struggle as the first points were scored on a safety by Randy White, who took down Vince Ferragamo in the end zone. The Rams overcame the early setback and took a 7-2 lead in the second quarter as Ferragamo completed a 93-yard with a 32-yard pass to Wendell Tyler in the second quarter. The Cowboys answered with a Rafael Septien field goal, but the Rams again scored a touchdown with 11 seconds left in the second quarter as Ron Smith caught a 43-yard touchdown pass.
Helping to inspire the Rams surprising 14-5 halftime lead, as defensive end Jack Youngblood, who was the heart and soul of their defense. Born January 26, 1950, in Jacksonville, Florida, Youngblood was drafted by the Rams with the 20th pick in the 1971 draft after playing at the University of Florida. An ironman who never missed a game, Youngblood was a two-time NFC Defensive Player of the Year and a six-time Pro Bowl starter. Early in the Rams’ Divisional Playoff matchup with the Cowboys, Jack Youngblood suffered a fractured fibula but refused to come out of the game, playing the rest of his game with his leg in a brace and taped.
In the third quarter, Dallas drew closer as Ron Springs, who had a touchdown pass waived off scored on a one-yard run. The Cowboys would take the lead in the fourth quarter, as Roger Staubach hit Jay Saldi in the end zone on a two-yard pass. The Rams defense was able to keep the game close, as Vince Ferragamo connected with Billy Waddy on a 50-yard touchdown pass to give Los Angeles a 21-19 lead with 2:06 left. The Cowboys were unable to answer, as Jack Youngblood made a key sack of Staubach, who, in his final game, was unable to get the ball down the field in the final two minutes as the Rams held on for the win.
The Rams would go on to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-0 to reach their first Super Bowl a week later but lost to the Steelers 31-19 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in Super Bowl XIV. Through it all, Jack Youngblood, with his fractured fibula, did not miss a game and even played in the Pro Bowl, setting new standards for toughness in the NFL.