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1981 Western Michigan Broncos football
1981 Western Michigan Broncos football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	6–5 (5–4 MAC)
Head coach	Elliot Uzelac (7th season);
MVP	Bob Phillips
Captain	Reggie Hinton, John Schuster
Home stadium	Waldo Stadium
	Seasons ← 1980 1982 →

1981 Mid-American Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
Toledo $	8	–	1	–	0	9	–	3	–	0
Miami (OH)	6	–	1	–	1	8	–	2	–	1
Central Michigan	7	–	2	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Bowling Green	5	–	3	–	1	5	–	5	–	1
Western Michigan	5	–	4	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Ohio	5	–	4	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Kent State	3	–	6	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Ball State	2	–	6	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Northern Illinois	2	–	7	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
Eastern Michigan	0	–	9	–	0	0	–	11	–	0

$ – Conference champion

The 1981 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their seventh and final season under head coach Elliot Uzelac, the Broncos compiled a 6–5 record (5–4 against MAC opponents), finished in a tie for fifth place in the MAC, and outscored their opponents, 206 to 170.^[1]^[2]^[3] The team played its home games at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan.^[4]

The team's statistical leaders included Tom George with 1,419 passing yards, Shawn Faulkner with 701 rushing yards, and Bob Phillips with 809 receiving yards.^[5] Reggie Hinton and linebacker John Schuster were the team captains.^[6] Split end Bob Phillips received the team's most outstanding player award.^[7]

On November 24, 1981, coach Uzelac was fired as the Broncos' head football coach. Athletic director Tom Wonderling said at the time: "The program has progressed tremendously under Elliot, but I think at the present time we need a change."^[8] Wonderling was also critical of Uzelac's conservative offense, saying: "We're not like the Big Ten; we have to have something more."^[8] In seven years at Western, Uzelac compiled a 38–39 record.^[8]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	at Kent State	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	W 20–17		^[9]
September 19	Marshall*	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	W 14–3		^[10]
September 26	at Wisconsin*	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	L 10–21	67,195	^[11]
October 3	at Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH	W 21–7	20,325	^[12]
October 10	Central Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI (rivalry)	L 13–15		^[13]
October 17	at Miami (OH)	Miami Field Oxford, OH	L 19–20		^[14]
October 24	Ball State	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	W 14–3	14,027	^[15]
October 31	at Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	W 23–12		^[16]
November 7	Toledo	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	L 14–28	17,784	^[17]
November 14	at Ohio	Peden Stadium Athens, OH	L 20–37		^[18]
November 21	Eastern Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	W 38–7		^[19]
*Non-conference game

References

^ "Football Records: Annual Results". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
^ "Football Records: Year-By-Year Results - 1980 - 89". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
^ "1981 Western Michigan Broncos Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
^ "Waldo Stadium". Western Michigan University. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
^ "1981 Western Michigan Broncos Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
^ "Football History: All-Time Captains". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
^ "Football History: Team Awards". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c Mick McCabe (November 25, 1981). "WMU fires grid coach Uzelac after seven years". Detroit Free Press.
^ "Western Michigan 20, Kent State 17". St. Petersburg Times. September 13, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Caper's carries key WMU win". Lansing State Journal. September 20, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Badgers plod to 21–10 win". The Reporter. September 27, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "George passes WMU to second MAC win". The Grand Rapids Press. October 4, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Central Michigan squeezes by Western Michgan [sic] 15–13". Star Tribune. October 11, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Freshman edges foe". The Lima News. October 18, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Broncos rally to stay in race". The Muskegon Chronicle. October 25, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "WMU 'army' destroys Huskies". The Daily Chronicle. November 1, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Toledo knocks WMU from race". The Flint Journal. November 8, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Western comeback just short". The South Bend Tribune. November 15, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Huron losing skid lengthens". The Marion Star. November 22, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.