1981 Miami Hurricanes football team

American college football season

1981 Miami Hurricanes football

Conference	Independent
Ranking
AP	No. 8
Record	9–2
Head coach	Howard Schnellenberger (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Kim Helton (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Tom Olivadotti (1st season)
Base defense	5–2
Home stadium	Miami Orange Bowl
Seasons← 1980 1982 →

1981 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 4 Pittsburgh		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
No. 3 Penn State		–		–		10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Miami (FL)		–		–		9	–	2	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–		9	–	2	–	1
No. 17 West Virginia		–		–		9	–	3	–	0
Colgate		–		–		7	–	3	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Navy		–		–		7	–	4	–	1
Cincinnati		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Florida State		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Tulane		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
UNLV		–		–		6	–	6	–	0
South Carolina		–		–		6	–	6	–	0
Temple		–		–		5	–	5	–	0
Boston College		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
East Carolina		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Louisville		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Rutgers		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
William & Mary		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Syracuse		–		–		4	–	6	–	1
Richmond		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Army		–		–		3	–	7	–	1
North Texas State		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–		1	–	10	–	0
Memphis State		–		–		1	–	10	–	0

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Hurricanes' 56th season of football. The Hurricanes were led by third-year head coach Howard Schnellenberger and played their home games at the Orange Bowl. They finished the season 9–2 overall.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	No. 17 Florida		Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (rivalry)		W 21–20	73,817
September 19	Houston	No. 16	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL		W 12–7	32,586
September 26	at No. 4 Texas	No. 14	Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX		L 7–14	74,653
October 3	Vanderbilt	No. 17	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL		W 48–16	27,694
October 17	at No. 16 Mississippi State	No. 13	Scott Field Starkville, MS		L 10–14	33,225
October 24	at East Carolina		Ficklen Memorial Stadium Greenville, NC		W 31–6	20,323
October 31	No. 1 Penn State		Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL	ABC	W 17–14	32,117
November 7	at No. 14 Florida State	No. 13	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)	ABC	W 27–19	52,685
November 14	Virginia Tech	No. 12	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (rivalry)		W 21–14	22,257
November 21	at NC State	No. 11	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC		W 14–6	36,500
November 27	Notre Dame	No. 9	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (rivalry)	ABC	W 37–15	50,681
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Game summaries

Penn State

See also: 1981 Penn State Nittany Lions football team Penn State Nittany Lions at Miami (FL) Hurricanes

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Penn State	0	0	0	14	14
Miami (FL)	6	8	0	3	17

at Orange Bowl • Miami, Florida

Date: October 31
Game attendance: 32,117

Game information

MIA - Miller 28 yard field goal
MIA - Miller 42 yard field goal
MIA - Brodsky 80 yard pass from Kelly (pass good)
MIA - Miller 23 yard field goal
PSU - McCloskey 13 yard pass from Blackledge (pass failed)
PSU - Williams 26 yard pass from Blackledge (pass good)

Penn State

Blackledge 26/41, 358 Yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Meade 11 Rush, 40 Yds
Williams 8 Rec, 119 Yds, TD

Miami (FL)

Kelly 13/25, 220 Yds, TD
Roan 16 Rush, 50 Yds
Brodsky 2 Rec, 100 Yds, TD

At Florida State

See also: 1981 Florida State Seminoles football team Miami (FL) Hurricanes at Florida State Seminoles

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Miami (FL)	3	7	3	14	27
Florida St	6	7	0	6	19

at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida

Date: November 7
Game attendance: 52,685
Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter

FSU – Tony Johnson 12-yard pass from Rick Stockstill (kick blocked), 10:38. Florida St 6–0. Drive:
MIA – Dan Miller 32-yard field goal, 4:42. Florida St 6–3. Drive:

Second quarter

MIA – 1-yard run (Dan Miller kick), 12:46. Miami (FL) 10–6. Drive:
FSU – Greg Allen 2-yard run (Mike Rendina kick), 5:43. Florida St 13–10. Drive:

Third quarter

MIA – Dan Miller 57-yard field goal, 7:38. Tie 13–13. Drive:

Fourth quarter

MIA – Smokey Roan 6-yard run (Dan Miller kick), 10:47. Miami (FL) 20–13. Drive:
MIA – Speedy Neal 23-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Dan Miller kick), 8:54. Miami (FL) 27–13. Drive:
FSU – Sam Childers 7-yard pass from Rick Stockstill (pass failed), 6:46. Miami (FL) 27–19. Drive:

Top passers

MIA – Jim Kelly – 22/41, 273 yards, TD
FSU – Rick Stockstill – 17/36, 173 yards, 2 TD, INT

Top rushers

MIA
FSU – Greg Allen – 23 rushes, 109 yards, TD

Top receivers

MIA
FSU – Tony Johnson – 4 receptions, 53 yards, TD

Personnel

Roster

1981 Miami Hurricanes football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
C	`61`	Don Bailey	So
TE		Andy Baratta
OL		Clem Barbarino
WR	`20`	Rocky Belk	Jr
RB	`16`	Albert Bentley	So
RB		Gary Breckner
WR		Larry Brodsky
OT	`53`	John Canei	Jr
WR	`19`	Keith Cleveland	So
OT	`78`	Mark Cooper	Jr
WR		David Deakins
TE	`86`	Glenn Dennison	So
OL		Frank Frazier
RB		Keith Griffin
FB		Chris Hobbs
QB	`12`	Jim Kelly	Jr
OL		Mike Moore
FB		Speedy Neal
QB	`9`	Mark Richt	Jr
RB		Smokey Roan
WR		Mike Rodrique
RB		Mark Rush
OL		Dave Stewart
RB		Lawrence Thompson

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DB		Jamie Boone
LB		Jay Brophy
DL		Danny Brown
LB		Greg Brown
DB		Ken Calhoun
DT	`71`	Tony Chickillo	Jr
DB		Dave Ditthardt
DL		Tim Flanagan
DB		David Jefferson
CB	`17`	Ronnie Lippett	Jr
DB	`31`	Fred Marion	Sr
DT	`91`	Bob Nelson	Sr
LB		Scott Nicolas
DL		Isaiah West
DL		Lester Williams

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K		Dan Miller

Head coach

Howard Schnellenberger

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Starters

Offense

POS	Name	Name
QB	Jim Kelly
HB	Smokey Roan	Keith Griffin
FB	Chris Hobbs	Speedy Neal
WR	Larry Brodsky
WR	Mike Rodrique
TE	Glenn Dennison	Mark Cooper
T	Dave Stewart	Bill Welch
G	Mike Moore
C	Don Bailey
G	Clem Barbarino
T	John Canei	Frank Frazier

Defense

POS	Name	Name
DL	Isaiah West
DL	Lester Williams
DL	Bob Nelson
DL	Tony Chickillo
DL	Tim Flanagan	Danny Brown
LB	Scott Nicolas	Greg Brown
LB	Jay Brophy	Joe Walker
DB	Dave Ditthardt	Angelo Holmes
DB	Ronnie Lippett
DB	David Jefferson	Jamie Boone
DB	Fred Marion	Ken Calhoun

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Seasons	Alma mater
Howard Schnellenberger	Head coach	3rd	Kentucky (1957)
Kim Helton	Offensive coordinator/offensive line	3rd	John Carroll (1965)
Tom Olivadotti	Defensive coordinator/linebackers	2nd	Upsala (19##)
Gary Stevens	Wide receivers	2nd	John Carroll (1965)
Hubbard Alexander	Tight ends	3rd	Tennessee State (1962)
Joe Brodsky	Running backs	4th	Florida (1956)
Harold Allen	Defensive line	17th	Miami (1953)
Chris Vagotis	Defensive ends	2nd	Alabama (19##)
Earl Morrall	Quarterbacks	3rd	Michigan State (1956)
Bill Trout	Defensive line	6th	Miami (19##)
Mike Archer	Defensive backs	2nd	Miami (1976)

Support staff

Name	Position	Seasons	Alma mater
Ray Ganong	Strength & conditioning	3rd	Miami (1977)
Mike Rodriguez	Volunteer assistant	3rd
Marc Trestman	Volunteer assistant	1st	Minnesota (1979)

Statistics

Passing

Player	Comp	Att	Yards	TD	INT
Jim Kelly	168	285	2,403	13	14

Rushing

Player	Att	Yards
Smokey Roan	111	388
Chris Hobbs	75	295
Speedy Neal	58	209

Receiving

Player	Rec	Yards
Larry Brodsky	37	631
Mike Rodrique	29	478
Glenn Dennison	29	270

References

"Miami stuns No. 17 Florida". The Journal News. September 6, 1981. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
"Miami nips Houston, 12–7". Mount Vernon Argus. September 20, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Little's catch sparks UT past Miami". Bryan-College Station Eagle. September 27, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Miami rips Vanderbilt 48–16". The Palm Beach Post. October 4, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
"Second-quarter outburse sparks Mississippi State". Wisconsin State Journal. October 18, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
"Richt sparks Miami to 31–6 victory". The Palm Beach Post. October 25, 1981. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
"Miami upsets Penn State, 17–14". Sunday News. November 1, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"'Canes kick Seminoles 27–19". Tallahassee Democrat. November 8, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"'Canes hang on when it counts". St. Petersburg Times. November 15, 1981. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
"Convincing win for Hurricanes". St. Petersburg Times. November 22, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"UM goes out in style, 37–15". The Miami Herald. November 29, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"1981 Miami (FL) Hurricanes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
Ocala Star-Banner. 1981 Nov 01. Retrieved 2019-Feb-16.
Broyles, Bob and Paul Guido. 50 Years of College Football: A Modern History of America's Most Colorful Sport.

v t e Miami Hurricanes football
Venues	Miami Orange Bowl (1937–2007) Hard Rock Stadium (2008–present)
Bowls and rivalries	Bowl games Florida Cup Florida Florida State Louisville Nebraska Virginia Tech
Culture and lore	1998 UCLA game 2011 athletics scandal Band of the Hour Catholics vs. Convicts FIU–Miami brawl Hail Flutie Miami 4–3 defense Quarterback U Sebastian the Ibis Whammy in Miami Wide Right I Wide Right II Confusion Bowl
Documentaries	Catholics vs. Convicts The U
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Early years (1926 to 1978)	Miami Hurricanes football (1926 to 1978)
Seasons	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 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 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 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

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