| Year: | 1979 |
| Team: | Idaho Vandals |
| Conference: | Big Sky Conference |
| Short Conf: | Big Sky |
| Record: | 4–7 |
| Conf Record: | 2–5 |
| Head Coach: | Jerry Davitch |
| Hc Year: | 2nd |
| Off Coach: | Bill Tripp |
| Oc Year: | 2nd |
| Def Coach: | Tim Hundley |
| Dc Year: | 1st |
| Off Scheme: | Veer |
| Def Scheme: | 5–2 |
| Stadium: | Kibbie Dome |
The 1979 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1979 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals were led by second-year head coach Jerry Davitch and were members of the Big Sky Conference. They played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.
With quarterbacks Jay Goodenbour and Rob Petrillo running the veer offense,[1] the Vandals were overall and in the Big Sky. They won four of five in mid-season, but dropped their final four games.[2] Idaho lost to rival Boise State for the third straight year; the Broncos went undefeated in conference play but were on probation for a scouting violation and not eligible for the title or the I-AA playoffs.[3]
Junior running back Glen White was the Vandals' leading rusher in 1979,[4] the best season by a UI running back in the 1970s. the opener but gained 889 yards and averaged 5.0 yards per carry in the final ten games;[2] in the game at Idaho State, he rushed for 163 yards on A military brat, White graduated from Kaiserslautern American High School in West Germany in 1977. All-Europe for he had not been recruited by college football programs; a high school coach was a former Vandal and alerted UI head coach
While in off-season training in February 1980, White felt weakness and underwent medical testing in Moscow Diagnosed with aplastic anemia, he battled it for several months until his death from complications on August 9 at an Oklahoma City hospital, near his parents' home at was posthumously designated an honorary team captain for all eleven games and his Vandal teammates wore his number 32 on the left side of their helmets
Future NFL linebacker Sam Merriman of Tucson, Arizona,[5] [6] was a standout on defense in 1979 as a true freshman.[2]
Tackle Kyle Riddell, center Larry Coombs, defensive tackle Mark McNeal, and placekicker Pete O'Brien were named to the all-conference team.[11] [12] Second team selections were safety Ray McCanna and linebacker Sam Merriman, a true freshman.[12]
One Vandal senior was selected in the 1980 NFL draft,[13] [14] which lasted twelve rounds (333 selections).
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | Franchise | |
| Mark McNeal | 153 | Seattle Seahawks |