1978 Atlanta Falcons Roster
National Football League (NFL)
Team Record: 9-7
Finishing 2nd in the NFL's West Division of the National Football Conference
Postseason: 1-1 Lost Division Playoff
Coach: Leeman Bennett (9-7)
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
1978 Atlanta Falcons StatisticsTeam Record: 9-7
Finishing 2nd in the NFL's West Division of the National Football Conference
Postseason: 1-1 Lost Division Playoff
Coach: Leeman Bennett (9-7)
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
1978 Atlanta Falcons Results
The Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League ended the 1978 season with a record of 9 wins and 7 losses, finishing second in the NFL's West Division of the National Football Conference. The team compiled a postseason mark of 1-1.
Atlanta eked out just 240 points, while the defense allowed 290. Steve Bartkowski threw for 2,489 yards. Wallace Francis paced pass catchers, hauling in 45 passes for 695 yards. Alfred Jackson was targeted regularly also.
Bubba Bean ran for a team-best 707 yards for the Falcons, and Haskel Stanback additionally aided the ground game.
Rolland Lawrence snatched 6 errant tosses from the opposition.
Leeman Bennett coached the team. The 1978 Atlanta Falcons lost in the Division Playoff.
Click on column headings to sort.
| # | Player | Pos. | Birth Date | Height | Weight | College | Hometown | GP | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | Jim Bailey | LDT | June 9, 1948 | 6'4" | 253 | Kansas | Kansas City, MO USA | 16 | 15 |
| 10 | Steve Bartkowski | QB | November 12, 1952 | 6'4" | 216 | California | Des Moines, IA USA | 14 | 13 |
| 44 | Bubba Bean | FB | January 26, 1954 | 5'11" | 195 | Texas A&M | Kirbyville, TX USA | 15 | 15 |
| 50 | Greg Brezina | RLB | January 7, 1946 | 6'0" | 226 | Houston | Sinton, TX USA | 16 | 16 |
| 66 | Warren Bryant | RT | November 11, 1955 | 6'6" | 273 | Kentucky | Miami, FL USA | 13 | 11 |
| 38 | Rick Byas | RCB | October 19, 1950 | 5'9" | 180 | East. Michigan | Detroit, MI USA | 16 | 16 |
| 32 | Ray Easterling | FS | September 3, 1949 | 6'0" | 195 | Richmond | Richmond, VA USA | 2 | 2 |
| 26 | Mike Esposito | RB | April 24, 1953 | 6'0" | 183 | Boston Col. | Everett, MA USA | 16 | 0 |
| 74 | Wilson Faumuina | LDT-RDT | August 11, 1954 | 6'5" | 275 | San Jose St. | , American Samoa | 16 | 1 |
| 77 | Edgar Fields | DT | March 10, 1954 | 6'2" | 255 | Texas A&M | Austin, TX USA | 16 | 2 |
| 89 | Wallace Francis | WR | November 7, 1951 | 5'11" | 190 | Ark-Pine Bluff | Franklin, LA USA | 16 | 16 |
| 40 | George Franklin | RB | July 5, 1954 | 6'3" | 225 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | Seguin, TX USA | 15 | 0 |
| 88 | Lewis Gilbert | TE | May 24, 1956 | 6'4" | 225 | Florida | Naples, FL USA | 4 | 0 |
| 36 | Bob Glazebrook | FS | March 7, 1956 | 6'1" | 200 | Fresno St. | Fresno, CA USA | 8 | 0 |
| 87 | Claude Humphrey | DE | June 29, 1944 | 6'4" | 252 | Tennessee St. | Memphis, TN USA | 4 | 4 |
| 85 | Alfred Jackson | WR | August 3, 1955 | 5'11" | 176 | Texas | Cameron, TX USA | 15 | 0 |
| 30 | Ernie Jackson | LCB-RCB | April 11, 1950 | 5'10" | 173 | Duke | Hopkins, SC USA | 16 | 0 |
| 6 | John James | P | January 21, 1949 | 6'3" | 197 | Florida | Panama City, FL USA | 16 | 0 |
| 84 | Alfred Jenkins | WR | January 25, 1952 | 5'10" | 170 | Morris Brown | Hogansville, GA USA | 1 | 1 |
| 14 | June Jones | QB | February 19, 1953 | 6'4" | 200 | Oregon | Portland, OR USA | 7 | 3 |
| 78 | Mike Kenn | LT | February 9, 1956 | 6'7" | 273 | Michigan | Evanston, IL USA | 16 | 16 |
| 54 | Fulton Kuykendall | LLB | June 10, 1953 | 6'4" | 225 | UCLA | Coronado, CA USA | 16 | 16 |
| 22 | Rolland Lawrence | LCB | March 24, 1951 | 5'10" | 179 | Tabor | Franklin, PA USA | 16 | 16 |
| 69 | Mike Lewis | RDT | July 14, 1949 | 6'4" | 261 | Wiley | Houston, TX USA | 16 | 16 |
| 4 | Tim Mazzetti | K | February 1, 1956 | 6'1" | 175 | Pennsylvania | Sao Paulo, CT Brazil | 10 | 0 |
| 56 | Ron McCartney | RLB | July 20, 1954 | 6'1" | 220 | Tennessee | Charleston, WV USA | 15 | 0 |
| 52 | Dewey McClain | LLB | April 25, 1954 | 6'3" | 236 | East Central (OK) | Okmulgee, OK USA | 16 | 0 |
| 73 | Phil McKinnely | T | July 8, 1954 | 6'4" | 248 | UCLA | Oakland, CA USA | 14 | 4 |
| 75 | Jeff Merrow | RDE | July 12, 1953 | 6'4" | 236 | West Virginia | Akron, OH USA | 14 | 14 |
| 86 | Jim Mitchell | TE | October 19, 1947 | 6'1" | 234 | Prairie View | Shelbyville, TN USA | 16 | 16 |
| 71 | Marv Montgomery | OT | February 8, 1948 | 6'6" | 255 | USC | Torrance, CA USA | 1 | 0 |
| 88 | Ken Moore | TE | July 25, 1954 | 6'4" | 232 | Northern Illinois | Merigold, MS USA | 6 | 6 |
| 45 | Tom Moriarty | SS | April 7, 1953 | 6'0" | 185 | Bowling Green | Lima, OH USA | 14 | 0 |
| 56 | Garth Napel | LB | March 27, 1954 | 6'1" | 213 | Texas A&M | Los Angeles, CA USA | 1 | 0 |
| 55 | Ralph Ortega | MLB | July 6, 1953 | 6'2" | 220 | Florida | Havana, Cuba | 15 | 1 |
| 33 | Ricky Patton | RB | April 6, 1954 | 5'11" | 190 | Ferris St. | Flint, MI USA | 16 | 1 |
| 81 | Dennis Pearson | KR | February 9, 1955 | 5'11" | 177 | Washington | Gordo, AL USA | 13 | 0 |
| 59 | Robert Pennywell | MLB | November 6, 1954 | 6'1" | 222 | Grambling St. | Crowley, LA USA | 15 | 15 |
| 27 | Tom Pridemore | FS | April 29, 1956 | 5'10" | 186 | West Virginia | Oak Hill, WV USA | 16 | 14 |
| 28 | Frank Reed | SS | May 13, 1954 | 5'11" | 193 | Washington | Seattle, WA USA | 16 | 16 |
| 82 | Billy Ryckman | PR | February 28, 1955 | 5'11" | 172 | Louisiana Tech | Lafayette, LA USA | 16 | 15 |
| 53 | Paul Ryczek | C-ROG | June 25, 1952 | 6'2" | 230 | Virginia | Painesville, OH USA | 16 | 0 |
| 70 | Dave Scott | LG | December 26, 1953 | 6'4" | 276 | Kansas | Hackensack, NJ USA | 16 | 16 |
| 24 | Haskel Stanback | RB | March 19, 1952 | 6'0" | 210 | Tennessee | Kannapolis, NC USA | 15 | 15 |
| 1 | Fred Steinfort | K | November 3, 1952 | 5'11" | 180 | Boston Col. | Wetter, Germany | 6 | 0 |
| 58 | Steve Stewart | MLB | May 1, 1956 | 6'2" | 217 | Minnesota | Minneapolis, MN USA | 12 | 0 |
| 20 | Jim Stienke | FS | November 7, 1950 | 5'11" | 182 | Texas St. | Houston, TX USA | 5 | 0 |
| 25 | Ray Strong | RB | May 7, 1956 | 5'9" | 184 | UNLV | Berkeley, CA USA | 14 | 1 |
| 68 | R.C. Thielemann | RG | August 12, 1955 | 6'4" | 255 | Arkansas | Houston, TX USA | 16 | 16 |
| 57 | Jeff Van Note | C | February 7, 1946 | 6'2" | 247 | Kentucky | South Orange, NJ USA | 16 | 16 |
| 83 | James Wright | TE | September 1, 1956 | 6'3" | 240 | TCU | Fort Hood, TX USA | 15 | 0 |
| 79 | Jeff Yeates | LDE | August 3, 1951 | 6'3" | 248 | Boston Col. | Buffalo, NY USA | 16 | 12 |
