American college football season
The 1981 Northwestern Wildcats team represented Northwestern University during the 1981 Big Ten Conference football season . In their first year under head coach Dennis Green , the Wildcats compiled a 0–11 record (0–9 against Big Ten Conference opponents) and finished in last place in the Big Ten Conference .[ 2] The team played its home games at Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Illinois .
Northwestern finished the season in the midst of a 34-game losing streak, the longest in NCAA Division I-A history. The streak began on September 22, 1979, and ended on September 25, 1982.[ 3]
The team's offensive leaders were quarterback Mike Kerrigan with 1,317 passing yards, Jim Browne with 162 rushing yards, and Chris Hinton with 265 receiving yards.[ 4] Ricky Edwards led the Big Ten with 30 kickoff returns and 611 kickoff return yards.[ 5]
Date Opponent Site Result Attendance Source September 12 Indiana L 20–21 September 19 at Arkansas * L 7–3854,532 September 26 Utah * Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL L 0–4225,256 October 3 No. 18 Iowa Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL L 0–6430,113 October 10 at Minnesota L 23–3545,949 October 17 Purdue Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL L 0–3520,777 October 24 at No. 18 Michigan L 0–38104,361 [ 6] October 31 at Wisconsin L 0–5270,035 November 7 Michigan State Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL L 14–6124,104 November 14 at Ohio State L 6–7086,912 November 21 Illinois Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL (rivalry ) L 12–4923,116 *Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
1981 Northwestern Wildcats football team roster Players Coaches Offense Defense Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 90 Jay Anderson Jr P 4 John Kidd So
Head coach Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture and lore People Seasons