| 1981 Colorado Buffaloes football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Eight Conference |
| Record | 3–8 (2–5 Big 8) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Gene Hochevar (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Multiple |
| Defensive coordinator | Doug Knotts (3rd season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| MVP | Pete Perry |
| Captain | Pete Perry, Bob Sebro |
| Home stadium | Folsom Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 11 Nebraska $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Oklahoma | 4 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Missouri | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa State | 2 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas State | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1981 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Big Eight Conference during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the third and final season for Chuck Fairbanks' as head coach, and the first year of blue jerseys for the Buffaloes, which were phased out in 1984.[1][2][3]
The Buffaloes finished at 3–8 (2–5 in Big 8, seventh) for a third consecutive losing season. Home games were played on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder. After a shutout loss at Kansas,[4] CU defeated last-place Kansas State by three points at home in the season finale to avoid the conference cellar.
Fairbanks resigned in early June 1982 to become head coach, president, and minority owner of the New Jersey Generals of the new United States Football League (USFL).[2][5] His overall record at CU was a disappointing 7–26 (.212), 5–16 (.238) in conference. Bill McCartney, the defensive coordinator at Michigan under Bo Schembechler, was announced as Colorado's new head coach on June 9,[6][7][8] and led the program for thirteen seasons, through 1994.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 12 | Texas Tech* | W 45–27 | 34,884 | |
| September 19 | Washington State* |
| L 10–14 | 35,277 |
| September 26 | No. 11 BYU* |
| L 20–41 | 43,259 |
| October 3 | at No. 16 UCLA* | L 7–27 | 40,347 | |
| October 10 | at Nebraska | L 0–59 | 76,168 | |
| October 17 | Oklahoma State |
| W 11–10 | 36,101 |
| October 24 | at No. 14 Iowa State | L 10–17 | 50,103 | |
| October 31 | at No. 19 Oklahoma | L 0–49 | 75,638 | |
| November 7 | Missouri |
| L 14–30 | 35,782 |
| November 14 | at Kansas | L 0–27 | 31,500 | |
| November 21 | Kansas State |
| W 24–21 | 23,921 |
| ||||
Roster
| 1981 Colorado Buffaloes football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
|
Defense
|
Special teams
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- ↑ "CU Logo Evolution Fact Sheet". CUBuffs.com. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- 1 2 Thorburn, Ryan (April 2, 2013). "Football: Former CU Buffs coach Chuck Fairbanks dies at 79". Boulder Daily Camera. Buffzone.com. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ↑ McCallum, Jack (October 11, 1982). "UCLA now stands for Uncork Lots Of Aerials". Sports Illustrated. p. 32.
- ↑ Woodling, Chuck (June 2, 1982). "Jayhawks' defense corrals Buffs, 27-0". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). p. 17.
- ↑ "Fairbanks quits Colorado to coach in USFL". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. June 2, 1982. p. 17.
- ↑ "Colorado talks with McCartney". Ludington Daily News. (Michigan). Associated Press. June 9, 1982. p. 9.
- ↑ "McCartney gets Colorado post". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. June 10, 1982. p. 38.
- ↑ "CU tabs McCartney new football coach". Lawrence Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. June 10, 1982. p. 15.
- ↑ "1981 Colorado Buffaloes Schedule and Results". College Football @ Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ↑ "1981 Football Schedule". University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ↑ "Colorado Football 2023 Record Book" (PDF). University of Colorado Boulder. p. 50. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ↑ "Probable starters". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). September 19, 1981. p. 15.