1981 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

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1981 Alabama Crimson Tide football
SEC co-champion
Cotton Bowl, L 12–14 vs. Texas
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 6
APNo. 7
Record9–2–1 (6–0 SEC)
Head coach
Captains
  • Warren Lyles
  • Alan Gray
Home stadiumBryant–Denny Stadium
(Capacity: 60,210)
Legion Field
(Capacity: 75,808)
Seasons
← 1980
1982 →
1981 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Georgia + 6 – 0 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
No. 7 Alabama + 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 2 – 1
Mississippi State 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
Tennessee 3 – 3 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
Florida 3 – 3 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
Auburn 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Kentucky 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Ole Miss 1 – 4 – 1 4 – 6 – 1
LSU 1 – 4 – 1 3 – 7 – 1
Vanderbilt 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from
AP Poll

The 1981 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 87th overall and 48th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his 24th year, and played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished season with nine wins, two losses and one tie (9–2–1 overall, 6–0 in the SEC), as SEC co-champions with Georgia and with a loss against Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

Alabama recovered from an upset loss to a 1–10 Georgia Tech team to win its ninth SEC title in eleven years (shared with Georgia). It was Bama's 18th SEC championship, and the 13th and last conference title for Paul "Bear" Bryant at Alabama. Alabama's 28–17 win over Auburn was Coach Bryant's 315th career victory, breaking the then all-time record held by Amos Alonzo Stagg.[1] Alabama's Cotton Bowl Classic loss to Texas dropped the Tide's all-time record against the Longhorns to 0–7–1.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 58:00 p.m.at LSUNo. 4
ABCW 24–778,066[2]
September 124:00 p.m.
ESPN
L 21–2478,865[3]
September 1912:30 p.m.at KentuckyNo. 12
W 19–1057,853[4]
September 267:00 p.m.at
Vanderbilt Stadium
  • Nashville, TN
    		• W 28–741,000[5]
    October 31:30 p.m.Ole Miss[A 1]*No. 11
    		W 38–760,210[7]
    October 101:30 p.m.Southern Miss*No. 7
    • Legion Field
    • Birmingham, AL
    		T 13–1376,400[8]
    October 171:30 p.m.TennesseeNo. 15
    		W 38–1978,550[9]
    October 241:30 p.m.Rutgers*daggerNo. 11
    • Bryant–Denny Stadium
    • Tuscaloosa, AL
    		W 31–760,210[10]
    October 311:30 p.m.No. 7 Mississippi StateNo. 8
    • Bryant–Denny Stadium
    • Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)
    		W 13–1060,210[11]
    November 1411:30 a.m.at No. 5
    University Park, PA (rivalry)
    		ABCW 31–1685,133[12]
    November 282:45 p.m.vs. AuburnNo. 4
    		ABCW 28–1778,170[13]
    January 1, 19821:00 p.m.vs. No. 6 Texas*No. 3
    		CBSL 12–1473,243[14]
    • *Non-conference game
    • daggerHomecoming
    • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
    • All times are in Central time

    [15]

    Notes

    1. ^ Prior to the 1980 season, the SEC ruled if two SEC teams scheduled each another independently, and not through the conference office, the game would not count in SEC standings. As such, although both were members of the SEC, the Alabama–Ole Miss games in 1980 and 1981 did not count as conference games in the official SEC standings.[6]

    References

    General

    • "1981 Season Recaps" (PDF). RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
    • "2012 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book" (PDF). Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2015.

    Specific

    1. ^ Smothers, Jimmy (November 29, 1981). "Bryant now winningest college coach in history". The Gadsden Times. Google News Archives. p. 17. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
    2. Newspapers.com
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    3. Newspapers.com
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    4. Newspapers.com
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    5. Newspapers.com
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    6. ^ McNair, Kirk (February 7, 2006). "SEC football - With the death late last week of legendary Mississippi Football Coach John Vaught, the question was raised as to why Alabama and Coach Paul Bryant had so few meetings against the Rebels and Vaught". 'BamaMag. Scout.com. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
    7. Newspapers.com
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    8. Newspapers.com
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    9. Newspapers.com
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    10. Newspapers.com
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    11. Newspapers.com
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    12. Newspapers.com
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    13. Newspapers.com
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    14. Newspapers.com
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    15. ^ "1981 Alabama football archives". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
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