1979 Holy Cross Crusaders football team

The 1979 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross as an independent during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Neil Wheelwright returned for his fourth year as head coach. For the second year in a row, the team compiled a record of 5–6.^[1]

1979 Holy Cross Crusaders football
Conference	Independent
Record	5–6
Head coach	Neil Wheelwright (4th season)
Captains	Larry Ewald Glenn Verrette
Home stadium	Fitton 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

All home games were played at Fitton Field on the Holy Cross campus in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	at Rutgers	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 0–28	18,350	^[2]
September 15	at New Hampshire	Cowell Stadium Durham, NH	L 17–26	12,500	^[3]
September 22	Rhode Island	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	W 35–6		^[1]
October 6	at Dartmouth	Memorial Field Hanover, NH	W 13–7	6,121	^[4]
October 13	Colgate	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 16–17	12,241	^[5]
October 20	at Villanova	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA	L 14–29	9,700	^[6]
October 27	Brown	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	W 14–7	10,011	^[7]
November 3	No. 3 Boston University^	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 7–16	3,711	^[8]
November 10	at No. 9 UMass	Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA	W 20–18	6,300	^[9]
November 24	at Connecticut	Memorial Stadium Storrs, CT	W 28–12	5,597	^[10]
December 1	Boston College	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA (rivalry)	L 10–13	20,141	^[11]
Homecoming ^ Family Weekend Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Statistical leaders

Statistical leaders for the 1979 Crusaders included:^[12]

• Rushing: Larry Ewald, 614 yards and 4 touchdowns on 160 attempts
• Passing: Neil Solomon, 1,046 yards, 70 completions and 5 touchdowns on 144 attempts
• Receiving: Phil Johnson, 662 yards and 3 touchdowns on 46 receptions
• Scoring: Crocky Nangle, 36 points from 6 touchdowns
• Total offense: Neil Solomon, 998 yards (1,046 passing, minus-48 rushing)
• All-purpose yards: Larry Ewald, 1,178 yards (614 rushing, 425 returning, 139 receiving)
• Interceptions: John McNally, 5 interceptions for 19 yards
• Tackles: Steve Gannon, 143 total tackles (74 solo, 69 assist)

References

1. "2019 Holy Cross Football Fact Book" (PDF). Worcester, Mass.: College of the Holy Cross. p. 124. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
2. Monahan, Bob (September 9, 1979). "Rutgers Too Powerful, Routs Holy Cross". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 62 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Eisenberg, Harry (September 16, 1979). "Tipped Pass Helps UNH Tip HC, 26-17". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 52 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Mumpton, Roy (September 23, 1979). "Holy Cross Gets Going, Rips URI, 35-6". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 86 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Colgate's Colosimo Has Too Much for Holy Cross". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. October 14, 1979. p. 50 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Newman, Chuck (October 21, 1979). "Villanova Avoids Collapse, Defeats Holy Cross, 29-14". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 12-D – via Newspapers.com.
7. Monahan, Bob (October 28, 1979). "Solomon Surfaces, Steers HC over Brown". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 82 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Eisenberg, Harry (November 4, 1979). "BU Tops Holy Cross on 3 Pelin FGs". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 53 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Ahern, John (November 11, 1979). "Solomon Strikes Again: HC Stuns UMass". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 51 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Anderson, Woody (November 25, 1979). "Holy Cross Sends Huskies Out with a Whimper, 28-12". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
11. Roberts, Ernie (December 2, 1979). "Cooper Boots BC Past HC". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 49 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "2019 Holy Cross Football Fact Book" (PDF). Worcester, Mass.: College of the Holy Cross. pp. 68–73. Retrieved June 15, 2020.