1981 NAIA Division II football season

1981 NAIA Division II football season
Regular seasonAugust–November 1981
PostseasonNovember–December 1981
National ChampionshipLouis Calder Stadium
Sherman, TX
ChampionsAustin
Concordia–Moorhead (3)

The 1981 NAIA Division II football season, as part of the 1981 college football season in the United States and the 26th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 21st season of play of the NAIA's lower division for football.

The season was played from August to November 1981 and culminated in the 1981 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played at Louis Calder Stadium in Sherman, Texas.[1]

Austin and Concordia–Moorhead tied in the championship game, 24–24, and were declared co-national champions. It was Austin's first NAIA national title and Concordia's third.

Conference changes

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Conference standings

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1981 Frontier Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Carroll (MT) $ 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Montana Tech 4 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 2
Rocky Mountain 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
Western Montana 0 – 5 – 1 0 – 7 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
1981 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 William Jewell $^ 8 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
No. 17 Missouri Valley 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
No. 18 Baker 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Graceland 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Ottawa 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 1
MidAmerica Nazarene 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Central Methodist 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Tarkio 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
Culver–Stockton 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 10 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1981 Hoosier–Buckeye Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 8 Anderson (IN) $^ 8 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
No. 10 Findlay 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
Wilmington (OH) 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Hanover 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 1
Defiance 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Earlham 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Taylor 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Manchester (IN) 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
Bluffton 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1981 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Northeastern Illinois + 3 – 1 – 1 5 – 5 – 1
Milton + 3 – 1 – 1 4 – 5 – 1
Concordia (WI) + 2 – 1 – 1 5 – 2 – 2
Eureka 2 – 2 – 1 3 – 5 – 1
Concordia (IL) 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Lakeland 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 1
  • + – Conference co-champions
1981 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 13 Bethany (KS) $ 8 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
Southwestern (KS) 5 – 2 – 1 5 – 2 – 2
Friends 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Sterling 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
St. Mary of the Plains 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Tabor 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Kansas Wesleyan 2 – 5 – 1 2 – 7 – 1
McPherson 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Bethel (KS) 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1981 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Concordia–Moorhead $^ 8 – 0 – 0 11 – 0 – 2
No. 15 Saint John's (MN) 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
No. 19 St. Thomas (MN) 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Gustavus Adolphus 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Augsburg 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Macalester 2 – 6 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
St. Olaf 2 – 6 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Bethel (MN) 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Hamline 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1981 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 12 Concordia (NE) + 4 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
Hastings + 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Midland + 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Doane 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Nebraska Wesleyan 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Dana 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1981 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Dickinson State $^ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
No. 16 Jamestown 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
Valley City State 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
North Dakota Science 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0
Minot State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 4 – 1
Mayville State 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
Bismarck JC 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1981 Northwest Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 5 Pacific Lutheran $^ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
No. 14 Linfield 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Lewis & Clark 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Whitworth 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Willamette 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Pacific (OR) 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantpoll=NAIA Division II poll
Rankings from AP Poll
1981 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
South Dakota Tech + 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Sioux Falls + 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 1
South Dakota–Springfield 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Huron 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Dakota State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Black Hills State 1 – 4 – 1 1 – 7 – 1
Dakota Wesleyan 0 – 5 – 1 0 – 9 – 1
  • + – Conference co-champions
1981 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Whittier $ 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Claremont-Mudd 4 – 1 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Redlands 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Occidental 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
La Verne 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Pomona-Pitzer 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1981 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Austin +^ 9 – 1 – 0 11 – 1 – 1
No. 9 Sul Ross + 9 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
Tarleton State 6 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
McMurry 3 – 7 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Trinity (TX) 2 – 8 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
Lubbock Christian 1 – 9 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1981 NAIA Division II independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 Westminster (PA) ^   –   10 – 1 – 0
No. 7 Oklahoma Panhandle State ^   –   9 – 1 – 0
No. 11 Cal Lutheran   –   8 – 2 – 0
No. 20 Peru State   –   7 – 2 – 0
Northwestern (IA)   –   6 – 2 – 1
Azusa Pacific   –   7 – 3 – 0
Loras   –   6 – 3 – 1
Geneva   –   5 – 3 – 1
Waynesburg   –   5 – 3 – 1
Westmar   –   5 – 4 – 0
Chadron State   –   5 – 5 – 0
Benedictine (KS)   –   4 – 6 – 0
Texas Lutheran   –   4 – 6 – 0
Simon Fraser   –   3 – 7 – 0
Iowa Wesleyan   –   2 – 7 – 0
  • ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll

Conference champions

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Conference Champion Record
Frontier Carroll (MT) 5–1
Heart of America William Jewell 8–0
Hoosier-Buckeye Anderson (IN) 8–0
Kansas Bethany 8–0
Minnesota Concordia–Moorhead 8–0
Nebraska Concordia–Nebraska
Hastings
Midland Lutheran 		4–1
North Dakota Dickinson State 6–0
Northwest Pacific Lutheran 5–0
South Dakota Sioux Falls
South Dakota Tech 		5–1
Texas Austin
Sul Ross 		9–1

Postseason

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Quarterfinals
Campus sites 		Semifinals
Campus sites 		Championship
Sherman, TX
         
  Austin 27
  Oklahoma Panhandle State* 16
  Austin* 33
  William Jewell 28
  Pacific Lutheran 14
  William Jewell* 19
  Austin* 24
  Concordia–Moorhead 24
  Dickinson State 9
  Concordia–Moorhead* 13
  Concordia–Moorhead 23
  Westminster (PA)* 17
  Anderson (IN) 6
  Westminster (PA)* 21

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NAIA Championship History" (PDF). NAIA. pp. 4–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  2. ^ "NAIA Football Regular Season Records" (PDF). NAIA. p. 21. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
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