| 1981 South Carolina State Bulldogs football | |
|---|---|
| Black college national champion MEAC champion | |
| NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal, L 12–42 vs. Idaho State | |
| Conference | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 3 |
| Record | 10–3 (5–0 MEAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Defensive coordinator | Oliver Pough (1st season) |
| Home stadium | Bulldog Stadium |
| Seasons← 19801982 → | |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 South Carolina State $^ | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida A&M | 4 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bethune–Cookman | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Howard | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delaware State | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina A&T | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1981 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team represented South Carolina State University) as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Bill Davis, the Bulldogs compiled an overall record of 10–3 and a mark of 5–0 in conference play, and finished as MEAC champions.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | at Eastern Kentucky* | L 0–26 | 11,400 | |||
| September 12 | Delaware State | W 29–0 | 8,227 | |||
| September 19 | North Carolina A&T |
| W 31–6 | 12,038 | ||
| September 26 | at Howard | W 34–6 | 8,500 | |||
| October 3 | at Alcorn State* | No. T–10 | L 20–24 | |||
| October 10 | at Johnson C. Smith* | W 82–0 | 5,524 | |||
| October 17 | Morgan State |
| W 41–3 | 18,000 | ||
| October 24 | vs. Florida A&M | No. 8 | W 16–15 | 21,614 | ||
| October 31 | Morris Brown* | No. 6 |
| W 40–6 | ||
| November 7 | Bethune–Cookman | No. 4 |
| W 10–6 | ||
| November 14 | No. T–10 Grambling State* | No. 3 |
| W 30–14 | ||
| December 5 | No. 6 Tennessee State* | No. 3 |
| W 26–25 | 12,000 | |
| December 12 | at No. 2 Idaho State* | No. 3 |
| L 12–41 | 12,300 | |
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Roster
| 1981 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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References
- "Defense leads way for Eastern in 26–0 win". The Courier-Journal. September 6, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "S.C. State blanks DelState 29–0". The Morning News. September 13, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "S.C. State tames Aggies". The Charlotte Observer. September 20, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Gaston powers Bulldogs to 34–6 walk over Howard". The Greenville News. September 27, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Lady luck gives Alcorn initial win". The Clarion-Ledger. October 4, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "S.C. State embarrasses J.C. Smith 82–0". The Charlotte Observer. October 11, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "S.C. State's 'back' attack gives Bulldogs 41–3 victory". The State. October 18, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Rattlers drop Classic". Fort Lauderdale News. October 25, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "S.C. State 40–6 victors". Anderson Independent-Mail. November 1, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Bulldogs clinch MEAC with 10–6 win over Wildcats". The Times and Democrat. November 8, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "State has no mercy on a Legend, 30–14". The Greenville News. November 15, 1981. Retrieved March 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "TSU loses 26–25 in overtime". The Tennessean. December 6, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Bengals bury South Carolina State 41–12". The Idaho Statesman. December 13, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
| South Carolina State Bulldogs football | |
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| Venues |
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| Bowls & rivalries | |
| Culture & lore | |
| People | |
| Seasons |
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| National championship seasons in bold | |
| 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football playoff participants | |
|---|---|
| Champion – Idaho State Bengals |