1981 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

1981 North Carolina Tar Heels football
Gator Bowl champion
Gator Bowl, W 31–27 vs. Arkansas
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 8
APNo. 9
Record10–2 (5–1 ACC)
Head coach
CaptainShelton Robinson, Lee Shaffer
Home stadiumKenan Memorial Stadium
Seasons
← 1980
1982 →
1981 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Clemson $ 6 – 0 – 0 12 – 0 – 0
No. 9 North Carolina 5 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
Maryland 4 – 2 – 0 4 – 6 – 1
Duke 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
NC State 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Wake Forest 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Virginia 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Tar Heels were led by fourth-year head coach Dick Crum and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They competed as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finishing in second.[1]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 121:00 p.m.East Carolina*No. 13
W 56–051,300[2]
September 191:00 p.m.Miami (OH)*No. 10
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
W 49–749,500[3]
September 261:00 p.m.Boston College*No. 9
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
W 56–1448,000[4]
October 31:30 p.m.at Georgia Tech*No. 6
W 28–739,263[5]
October 101:00 p.m.Wake ForestNo. 5
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC (rivalry)
W 48–1051,692[6]
October 171:00 p.m.at NC StateNo. 4
W 21–1056,200[7]
October 241:00 p.m.South Carolina*No. 3
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC (rivalry)
L 13–3150,500[8]
October 311:30 p.m.at MarylandNo. 9
W 17–1032,100[9]
November 712:30 p.m.No. 2 ClemsonNo. 8
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
ABCL 8–1053,611[10]
November 141:30 p.m.at VirginiaNo. 13
W 17–1430,047[11]
November 211:30 p.m.at DukeNo. 12
W 31–1038,525[12]
December 289:00 p.m.vs. Arkansas*No. 11
ABCW 31–2771,009[13]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

Roster

1981 North Carolina Tar Heels football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
OT 54 Dave Drechsler So
OL Kevin Wilson So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
OLB 84 Mike Wilcher Jr
LB 93 Calvin Daniels Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

References

  1. ^ "1981 North Carolina Tar Heels Schedule and Results | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  2. ^ "Bryant's 6 TDs paste Pirates". The News and Observer. September 13, 1981. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Miami is run over at/by Heels, 49–7". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 20, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Bryant's 4 Touchdowns Lead North Carolina". The Palm Beach Post. September 27, 1981. p. E6 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Heels take tough one from Tech". Winston-Salem Journal. October 4, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Tar Heels crush Deacons, 48–10". Anderson Independent-Mail. October 11, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "UNC rallies for victory, 21–10". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. October 18, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Gamecocks upset 'Heels". The Tampa Tribune. October 25, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Tar Heel bench scuttles Maryland by 17–10". The Daily Times. November 1, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Tigers top Tar Heels". Florence Morning News. November 8, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Tar Heels sneak past Cavaliers". Greensboro News & Record. November 15, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Tar Heels gain Gator Bowl bid". Fort Lauderdale News. November 22, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "North Carolina fogs Arkansas in Gator Bowl". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. December 29, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.


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