The year 1979 consisted of Sports Championship winners Montreal Canadiens (NHL), Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB), Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL), Seattle SuperSonics (NBA)
HIGHLIGHTS
The
1979 Stanley Cup Finals was a best-of-seven series between the
Montreal Canadiens and the
New York Rangers. The Canadiens won the series four games to one. The Canadiens were led by Guy Lafleur, who scored three goals and seven assists in the series, and goaltender Ken Dryden, who had a 1.93 goals against average. The Rangers were led by Don Maloney, who scored four goals and two assists in the series, and goaltender John Davidson, who had a 2.37 goals against average. The Canadiens won the first two games in
Montreal, and then the Rangers won the third game in
New York. The Canadiens then won the fourth game in
Montreal and the fifth game in
New York to clinch the Stanley Cup.
The
1979 MLB World Series featured the
Pittsburgh Pirates and the
Baltimore Orioles. The Pirates, led by Willie Stargell, won the series in seven games. In game seven, the Pirates' John Candelaria pitched a complete game shutout, helping the Pirates to a 4-0 victory. The Pirates also had strong offensive performances throughout the series from Stargell and Dave Parker, who won the MVP award. The Orioles were led by Eddie Murray and Ken Singleton, who both hit home runs in the series, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Pirates' strong pitching. The Pirates won their fifth World Series title and the
Baltimore Orioles were denied their second consecutive championship.
The
1979 Super Bowl was a matchup between the
Dallas Cowboys and the
Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers had won the previous two Super Bowls and were looking for a third in a row, while the Cowboys were looking to avenge their loss in Super Bowl X. The Steelers jumped out to an early lead, scoring the first 10 points of the game. However, the Cowboys would battle back and eventually take the lead in the fourth quarter. The Steelers would mount a late comeback, but it was too little, too late, as the Cowboys held on to win the game, 35-31. It was the Cowboys' first Super Bowl victory, and the start of a dynasty that would win two more Super Bowls in the next four years.
The
1979 NBA championship final series between the
Seattle SuperSonics and
Washington Bullets was an exciting and hard-fought series. The SuperSonics, led by Finals MVP Dennis Johnson, won the series 4-1. Each game was close, with three of the five games decided by five points or less. The SuperSonics won the first three games of the series before the Bullets managed to win the fourth game. The SuperSonics then closed out the series with a Game 5 victory in
Seattle. The SuperSonics won the championship, their first in franchise history, and made the city of
Seattle proud.