1981 NCAA Division III football season

Regular season

August – November 1981

Playoffs

November – December 1981

Garrett-Harrison Stadium
Phenix City, AL

Widener Pioneers

Division III football seasons
« 1980	1982 »

The 1981 NCAA Division III football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division III level, began in August 1981, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship in December 1981 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama. The Widener Pioneers won their seond Division III championship, defeating the defending national champion Dayton Flyers by a final score of 17−10.^[1]

Conference champions

Conference champions
College Athletic Conference – Rose–Hulman College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Augustana (IL) Independent College Athletic Conference – Alfred Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA) Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Hope Middle Atlantic Conference – Delaware Valley and Juniata (North), Widener (South) Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference – Lawrence Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Concordia–Moorhead New England Football Conference – Plymouth State New Jersey State Athletic Conference – Montclair State Northwest Conference – Pacific Lutheran Ohio Athletic Conference – Baldwin Wallace (Red Division), Wittenberg (Blue Division) Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Washington & Lee Presidents' Athletic Conference – Carnegie Mellon Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Whittier Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Austin and Sul Ross State Twin Rivers Conference – Concordia–St. Paul and Northwestern–St. Paul Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Eau Claire

Postseason

The 1981 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the ninth annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship game was held at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama for the ninth consecutive year. Like the previous six championships, eight teams competed in this edition.^[2]

NCAA Division III Playoff bracket

Quarterfinals Campus Sites		Semifinals Campus Sites		National Championship Game Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL


Dayton	19

Augustana (IL)	7
		Dayton	38

		Lawrence	0
Lawrence	21*

Minnesota–Morris	14
				Dayton	10

				Widener	17
Montclair State	13

Alfred	12
		Montclair State	12

		Widener	23
Widener	10

West Georgia	3

References

↑ "All-Time Division III Football Championship Records". NCAA. NCAA.org. pp. 4–15. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
↑ "1981 NCAA Division III National Football Championship Bracket". NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 14. Retrieved November 6, 2014.

NCAA football seasons

Pre-regulation	1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905

IAAUS/NCAA	1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955

NCAA University Division/ Division I	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977

NCAA Division I-A/FBS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

NCAA Division II	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

NCAA Division III	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

1981 NCAA Division III football season

Conference champions

Postseason

NCAA Division III Playoff bracket

See also

References