1979 Salinas High School Football Team

The 1979 Salinas High football team’s pulsating ride to and through the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs reached legendary status. The Cowboys won their semifinal game on the last play of the game and lost the championship game on the last play of the game.

Salinas went 8-0-1 in the regular season and were seeded into a playoff division that consisted of 12 league champions and four at-large teams.

The Cowboy’s post-season journey began with victories over undefeated teams from North Monterey County (14-0) and North Salinas High School (52-25). Next up was the semi-final game against yet another undefeated squad in top seed and defending champion Oak Grove. The Eagles featured future NFL coach Marty Mornhingweg, who had passed for 2,094 yards and 27 touchdowns in the regular season. With seven seconds left on the clock and the game tied at 29, place kicker Javier Leal helped the Cowboys upset the Eagles with a game winning field goal as time expired (32-29).

That set up the title game between Salinas and perennial power St. Francis of Mountain View. The Cowboys took a 22-16 lead with 1:25 to play on a 78-yard drive. But St. Francis responded with a desperation drive of its own and scored the winning touchdown on the final play with a 17-yard touchdown pass for a 23-22 win.

Coaching Staff:

Mike Welsh – Head Coach
Chuck Filice – Assistant Coach
Bob Burruss – Assistant Coach
Ed Cruz – Team Manager
Troy Filice – Team Statistician

Team Roster: