The 1979 Ottawa Rough Riders finished in second place in the Eastern Conference with an 8–6–2 record.

In May 1979, Tom Clements was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Clements-Holloway quarterback combination would be no more.

From 1975–78, under Holloway and Clements, the Rough Riders compiled a 38–24–2 record, which included two Eastern Division championships and a Grey Cup win in 1976 over Saskatchewan.

This lent to the credence of the "two number-ones" stratagem and both quarterbacks' team-first attitude.