1980–81 in English football, Deaths
4 February 1981: Joe Jacques, 36, made more than 300 league appearances in defence for Lincoln City, Darlington, Southend United, Gillingham and Hartlepool United between 1964 and 1976. He began his professional career in 1959 with Preston but failed to make a league appearance for them in five years.


1980–81 in English football, Deaths
16 March 1981: Reg Spencer, 72, played 261 games at left-half for his only club Tranmere Rovers in the 1930s.


1980–81 in English football, Deaths
6 April 1981: Des Harlock, 58, played 150 league games for Tranmere Rovers as a right-winger between 1946 and 1954 after signing from Liverpool in 1945, his league debut delayed until his 24th year due to the war.


1980–81 in English football, Deaths
10 May 1981: Bert Lyons, 79, played 76 league games for Orient between 1926 and 1930 before signing for Tottenham Hotspur and completing his league career with 54 league games in three years.


1980–81 in English football, Deaths
16 June 1981: Billy Hughes, 63, played 200 league games between 1935 and 1951 for Birmingham City, Luton Town and Chelsea in a career which was disrupted by the war. He was capped ten times by Wales.


1980–81 in English football, Deaths
20 June 1981: Billy Charlton, 80, scored 103 league goals as a left-winger for South Fields, West Ham United, Newport County, Cardiff City and finally Tranmere Rovers, 72 of those goals coming for his final club.


1980–81 in Scottish football
The 1980-81 season was the 108th season of competitive football in Scotland and the 84th season of Scottish league football.


1980–81 in Scottish football, Other honours, County
* – aggregate over two legs – replay – won on penalties


1980–81 snooker season
The 1980–81 snooker season was a series of snooker tournaments played between August 1980 and May 1981. The following table outlines the results for the ranking and the invitational events.


1980–82 Galatama
The 1980–82 Galatama was the second season of Galatama which was held from 11 October 1980 to 13 March 1982.


1980–82 Galatama, Changes from 1979–80
The 1980-82 saw five new clubs enter the league from PSSI's selection process, though one (BBSA Tama) withdrew midway through the previous season. The new clubs are:


1981
1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1981st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 981st  year of the 2nd millennium, the 81st  year of the 20th century, and the  2nd   year of the 1980s decade.


1981 (film)
1981, longer title 1981: L'année où je suis devenu un menteur (1981: The Year I Became a Liar) is a 2009 Canadian French language comedy-drama film from Quebec written and directed by Ricardo Trogi. It was released on 4 September 2009. The film is autobiographical about the youth years of the director as told by him during the film.


1981 (film), Synopsis
In 1981, 11 year-old Ricardo (Jean-Carl Boucher) and his family arrives to their new home. Having no friends, Ricardo spends his time in a magazine and ask his parents money. During school, his teacher notices his bad calligraphy and assigns him to Anne Tremblay (Elizabeth Adam) to improve his writing; he falls immediately in love with the classmate. Their arrival, however, falls into trouble when the father loses his job and the sister's cat, Caramel, goes missing.


1981 (film), Synopsis
At school, Ricardo tries to gain a reputation after discovering a walkman in order to gain Anne's love. He then befriends the "Red K-Ways" after he lies to promising to give Playboy magazines. During a important school event, Ricardo gives a poor presentation about an important item; Anne presents a marble her deceased cousin gave to her. To get closer to her, Ricardo steals her gift.


1981 (film), Synopsis
After his many lies get suspected by the K-Ways, Ricardo tries to buy a walkman to gain a honest reputation; he encounters his father doing music in a local restaurant. An argument comes with his mother about money and his mother tells him to find a job to pay the things he wants. He then delivers newspapers. Later at home, his father tells Ricardo they have to sell the house.


1981 (film), Synopsis
In the woods, a member of the K-Ways has a meltdown when his father goes to jail; they then revealed they all lied about different topics and they reconcile. Before leaving, Ricardo then decides to go to Anne's home and tells the truth and learns that Anne never had a deceased cousin and the marble was only decorative. Back at home, the family finds Caramel with babies as they depart.


1981 (film), Sequel
In August 2014, a sequel, 1987, was released, reuniting Jean-Carl Boucher, Sandrine Bisson, Claudio Colangelo, and Rose Adam to play their roles as the Trogis. The sequel tells the story of Ricardo at 17 years old graduating from high school, trying to lose his virginity, open a club, and loads of other things. The film was released in December 2014 on DVD, Blu-Ray, and VHS (for a limited time) as a kind of retro thing.


1981 (film), Sequel
A third film in the series, 1991, was released in 2018 with largely the same cast.


1981 (song)
"1981" is the second single from Australian alternative rock band, Gyroscope's third album, Breed Obsession. It was released on 18 February 2008, as a CD and digital download and as a limited number 7" vinyl copies (500 units), available exclusively from JB Hi-Fi. It peaked at No. 67 on the ARIA Singles Chart.


1981 (song)
Despite not charting in the top 50, the track received "high rotation" on Australian youth radio network, Triple J. Access All Areas' website's writer noted that "1981" shows the "more "melodic" side of Gyroscope".


1981 (song), Track listing
All songs were written by Daniel Sanders, Rob Nassif, Brad Campbell, Zoran Trivic.


1981 1. deild, Overview
It was contested by 8 teams, and Havnar Bóltfelag won the championship.


1981 1. deild, Results
The schedule consisted of a total of 14 games. Each team played two games against every opponent in no particular order. One of the games was at home and one was away.


1981 1. deild karla
The 1981 season of 1. deild karla was the 27th season of second-tier football in Iceland.


1981 1. divisjon
The 1981 1. divisjon was the 37th completed season of top division football in Norway.


1981 1. divisjon, Overview
22 games were played with 2 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Number eleven and twelve were relegated. The winners of the two groups of the Second Division were promoted, as well as the winner of a series of play-off matches between number ten in the 1. divisjon and the two second-placed teams in the two groups of the 2. divisjon.


1981 1. divisjon, Relegation play-offs
The qualification play-off matches were contested between Brann (10th in the 1. divisjon), Pors (2nd in the Second Division – Group A), and Molde (2nd in the 2. divisjon – Group B). Molde won on goal difference and were promoted to the 1. divisjon.


1981 12 Hours of Sebring
The The Coca-Cola Twelve Hours of Sebring, International Grand Prix of Endurance, was the second round of the 1981 IMSA GT Championship and 1981 World Sportscar Championship. The race was held at the Sebring International Raceway, on March 21, 1981. Victory overall went to the No. 9 Personalized Autohaus Porsche 934 driven by Wayne Baker, Jim Mullen, and Kees Nierop.


1981 2. divisjon
The 1981 2. divisjon was a Norwegian second-tier football league season.


1981 2. divisjon
The league was contested by 24 teams, divided into two groups; A and B. Both groups consisted of 12 teams. The winners of group A and B were promoted to the 1982 1. divisjon. The second placed teams in group A and B met the 10th best finisher in 1. divisjon in a qualification round where the winner was promoted to 1. divisjon. The bottom three teams in both groups were relegated to the 3. divisjon.


1981 2. divisjon
Mjøndalen won group A with 31 points. Sogndal won group B with 31 points. Both teams promoted to the 1982 1. divisjon. The second-placed teams, Pors and Molde met Brann in the promotion play-offs. Molde won the qualification round on goal difference and won promotion.


1981 2. divisjon, Promotion play-offs, Results
Molde won the qualification round and was promoted to the 1. divisjon.


1981 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 49th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 13 and 14 June 1981. It was also the eighth round of the 1981 World Endurance Championship of Drivers and the fifth round of the 1981 World Endurance Championship of Makes.


1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, Pre-race
The circuit had been widened at the approach to the Esses, adding grass runoff after the Dunlop Curve.


1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, Pre-race
Porsche had a new program for the future Group C regulations in 1982, and had persuaded Jacky Ickx out of retirement. The main reason for entering Le Mans was to test a new engine for the upcoming new car. This 2.6L engine was derived from an Indianapolis 500 engine which never raced. The new engines were fitted in a pair of 936 chassis. Ickx shared one of the updated 936s with Derek Bell; Jochen Mass, Vern Schuppan and Hurley Haywood drove the other.


1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, Pre-race
The Kremer brothers entered a Porsche 917, a decade after the car's last appearance at the Le Mans 24 Hours.


1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, Pre-race
Shortly after going into semi-retirement, NASCAR legend Cale Yarborough made his only start. This made Yarborough one of the few drivers in history to participate in the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and 24 Hours of Le Mans.


1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
The race was run in very hot weather, but the engine test was successful: after the first hour, Ickx and Bell had built a large advance and remained at lead for the rest of the race. They won by an even greater margin than in 1976- 14 laps. Ickx had won Le Mans for the 5th time- surpassing a record set by fellow Belgian Olivier Gendebien in 1962.


1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
The race was marred by the deaths of a driver and a marshal during the race in separate incidents, and also several marshals were injured in these incidents. 40-year old Jean-Louis Lafosse violently crashed his Rondeau in the early stages on the Mulsanne Straight while following the Lola T600 of de Villota/Edwards/Fernández and was killed instantly.


1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
No cause has ever been determined although a piece of debris is seen flying away from the car just before the Rondeau suddenly steers to the right, along with pre-crash photographs showing evidence of damage from an off-track excursion, suggesting suspension failure as a possible cause. Two marshals were seriously injured in Lafosse's fatal accident.


1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race
Thierry Boutsen, who would go on to drive and win in Formula One, had earlier escaped a large accident in the second hour, destroying his WM-Peugeot but without causing injury to himself; race marshal Thierry Mabillat was killed in the accident after he was struck by a piece of the broken guard rail; and 2 of his colleagues, Claude Hertault and Serge David, were seriously injured but survived; the latter lost an arm.


1981 ABC Championship
The 1981 Asian Basketball Confederation Championship for Men were held in Kolkata, India.


1981 ABN World Tennis Tournament
The 1981 ABN World Tennis Tournament was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at Rotterdam Ahoy in the Netherlands. It was a WCT tournament that was part of the 1981 Volvo Grand Prix circuit. It was the ninth edition of the tournament and was held from 16 March through 22 March 1981. First-seeded Jimmy Connors won the singles title, his second after 1978.


1981 ABN World Tennis Tournament, Finals, Doubles
Fritz Buehning /  Ferdi Taygan defeated  Gene Mayer /  Sandy Mayer 7–6, 1–6, 6–4


1981 ABN World Tennis Tournament – Singles
Heinz Günthardt was the defending champion of the singles event at the ABN World Tennis Tournament, but did not participate in this edition. First-seeded Jimmy Connors won the title after a victory in the final against second-seeded Gene Mayer 6–1, 2–6, 6–2.


1981 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1981 Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held in Landover, Maryland, at the Capital Centre from March 5–7. North Carolina defeated Maryland, 61–60, to win the championship. Sam Perkins of North Carolina was named the tournament MVP.


1981 AFC Night Series
The 1981 Australian Football Championships Night Series was the 3rd edition of the AFC Night Series, a VFL-organised national club Australian rules football tournament between the leading clubs from the VFL, the SANFL, the WAFL and State Representative Teams.


1981 AFC Night Series
A total of 34 teams from across Australia played 35 matches over five months, with the qualifying rounds held during the pre-season and the main draw held midweek throughout the premiership season.


1981 AFC Women's Championship
The Asian Football Confederation's 1981 AFC Women's Championship was the fourth AFC Women's Championship. It was held from 7 to 17 June 1981 in Hong Kong. The tournament was won by for the third consecutive time by Chinese Taipei in the final against Thailand.


1981 AIAW National Division I Basketball Championship
The 1981 AIAW National Division I Basketball Championship was held on March 18–29, 1981. Twenty-four teams were invited, with eight teams receiving first round byes. First round games were played at on-campus locations. Louisiana Tech University was crowned national champion at the conclusion of the tournament. Louisiana Tech finished undefeated (34–0), becoming the third undefeated national champion.


1981 AIAW National Division I Basketball Championship
The host site for the Final Four was Eugene, Oregon, and the championship game was again broadcast live on NBC.


1981 AIAW Slow-pitch Softball Tournament
The 1981 AIAW Women's College slow-pitch softball championship was held near Raleigh, North Carolina on May 14–16. Thirteen college softball teams met in the first AIAW national slow-pitch softball tournament. The AIAW conducted only two slow-pitch softball national championships, in 1981 and 1982, as the NCAA sought to and eventually did vanquish the women's collegiate athletic organization.


1981 AIAW Slow-pitch Softball Tournament, Teams
The double-elimination tournament included 13 teams seeded in the following order:


1981 AIAW Slow-pitch Softball Tournament, Teams
Top-seeded Florida State was the victor in the tournament, winning all four of its games. The team eliminated North Carolina in the final, 4-1, and placed  five players on the all-tournament team. Darby Cottle was voted the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. The Lady Seminoles won 16 consecutive games to finish out the season with a record of 54-7. JoAnne Graf, who went on to have a legendary career at the university, coached the team to Florida State's first softball national championship.


1981 ASFA Soccer League
The 1981 season of the ASFA Soccer League (now called the FFAS Senior League) was the first season of association football competition in American Samoa. The Pago Eagles won the championship.


1981 ATP Challenger Series
The ATP Challenger Series is the second tier tour for professional tennis organised by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The 1981 ATP Challenger Series calendar comprises 46 tournaments, with prize money ranging from $25,000 up to $75,000.


1981 ATP Challenger Series, Statistical information
These tables present the number of singles (S) and doubles (D) titles won by each player and each nation during the season, within all the tournament categories of the 1981 ATP Challenger Series. The players/nations are sorted by: (1) total number of titles (a doubles title won by two players representing the same nation counts as only one win for the nation); (2) a singles > doubles hierarchy; (3) alphabetical order (by family names for players).


1981 African Cup Winners' Cup
The 1981 season of the African Cup Winners' Cup football club tournament was won by Union Douala in two-legged final victory against Stationary Stores F.C. This was the seventh season that the tournament took place for the winners of each African country's domestic cup. Thirty-two sides entered the competition, with Estrela Negra de Bissau, Coastal Union, El Zamalek, Mbabane Highlanders, CS Nere, Zoundourma and Espérance Sportive de Tunis all withdrawing before the 1st leg of the first round and AS Saint Michael withdrawing after the 1st leg of the first round. No preliminary round took place during this season of the competition.


1981 African Cup of Champions Clubs
The African Cup of Champions Clubs 1981 was the 17th edition of the annual international club football competition held in the CAF region (Africa), the African Cup of Champions Clubs. It determined that years club champion of association football in Africa.


1981 African Cup of Champions Clubs
The tournament was played by 31 teams and was used a playoff scheme with home and away matches. JE Tizi Ouzou from Algeria won that final, and became for the first time CAF club champion.


1981 African Cup of Champions Clubs, First round
1 Benfica de Bissau withdrew. 2 Simba SC withdrew. 3 TP USCA Bangui failed to appear for the 2nd leg.


1981 African Cup of Champions Clubs, Semi-Finals
1 Al Ahly were forced to withdraw due to the political situation in Egypt after the assassination of Anwar Sadat.


1981 African Cup of Champions Clubs, Top scorers
The top scorers from the 1981 African Cup of Champions Clubs are as follows:


1981 African Cup of Champions Clubs, Notification
JE Tizi Ouzou (Jeunesse Eléctronique de Tizi Ouzou) are now called JS Kabylie (Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie).


1981 African Men's Handball Championship
The 1981 African Men's Handball Championship was the fourth edition of the African Men's Handball Championship, held in Tunis, Tunisia, from 18 July to 1 August 1981. It acted as the African qualifying tournament for the 1982 World Championship in West Germany.


1981 African Men's Handball Championship
In the final, Algeria won their first title beating Ivory Coast in the final game.


1981 African Women's Handball Championship
The 1981 African Women's Handball Championship was the fourth edition of the African Women's Handball Championship, held in Tunisia from 17 to 31 July 1981. It acted as the African qualifying tournament for the 1982 World Women's Handball Championship.


1981 African Youth Championship
The African Youth Championship 1981 was contested through home and away matches. It also served as qualification for the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship.


1981 African Youth Championship, Teams
The following teams entered the tournament (and played at least one match):


1981 African Youth Championship, Preliminary round
The first leg was played on 8 June 1980. The second leg was held on 22 June 1980. The winners advanced to the First Round.


1981 African Youth Championship, Preliminary round
Guinea, Cameroon, Tunisia, Morocco, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Algeria, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Uganda, the Central African Republic and Kenya all received byes to the First Round.


1981 African Youth Championship, Second round
1 Central African Republic were forced to withdraw due to civil unrest and political turmoil in the country.


1981 African Youth Championship, Final
The first leg was played on 12 April 1981. The second leg was played on 26 April 1981.


1981 African Youth Championship, Qualification to World Youth Championship
The two best performing teams qualified for the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship.


1981 Afro-Arab Volleyball Friendship Cup
The 1981 Afro-Arab Volleyball Friendship Cup was the first edition of the Afro-Arab Volleyball Friendship Cup. It was held in Kuwait City, Kuwait from 15 Ootober to 25 October 1981.


1981 Air Canada Cup
The 1981 Air Canada Cup was Canada's third annual national midget 'AAA' hockey championship, which was played April 14 – 19, 1981 at the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Lions du Lac St-Louis won their first national championship, defeating the Kitchener Greenshirts in the gold medal game. The Antigonish Novas from Nova Scotia won the bronze medal. Future National Hockey League players competing in this tournament were Lyndon Byers, Bobby Dollas, Normand Lacombe, Gary Leeman, Darryl Reaugh, Mike Tomlak and Brad Shaw.


1981 Air Canada Silver Broom
The 1981 Air Canada Silver Broom, the men's world curling championship, was held from at the Thompson Arena in London, Ontario, Canada.


1981 Air Canada Silver Broom, Teams
Skip : Keith WendorfThird: Hans Dieter KieselSecond: Sven SalleLead: Heiner Martin


1981 Air Canada Silver Broom, Teams
Fourth: Andrea PavaniSkip: Giuseppe Dal MolinSecond: Giancarlo ValtLead: Enea Pavani


1981 Air Canada Silver Broom, Teams
Skip : Colin HamiltonThird: W. Michael DickSecond: David RamsayLead: Richard Pretsel


1981 Air Force Falcons football team
The 1981 Air Force Falcons football team represented the United States Air Force Academy in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by third-year head coach Ken Hatfield and played its home games at Falcon Stadium. It finished the regular season with a 4–7 overall record and a 2–3 record in Western Athletic Conference games.


1981 Akron Zips football team
The 1981 Akron Zips football team represented Akron University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. Led by ninth-year head coach Jim Dennison, the Zips played their home games at the Rubber Bowl in Akron, Ohio. They finished the season with a record of 5–5 overall and 4–4 in OVC play to tie for fourth place.


1981 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 1981 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 87th overall and 48th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his 24th year, and played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished season with nine wins, two losses and one tie (9–2–1 overall, 6–0 in the SEC), as SEC co-champions with Georgia and with a loss against Texas in the Cotton Bowl.


1981 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
Alabama recovered from an upset loss to a 1–10 Georgia Tech team to win its ninth SEC title in eleven years (shared with Georgia). It was Bama's 18th SEC championship, and the 13th and last conference title for Paul "Bear" Bryant at Alabama. Alabama's 28–17 win over Auburn was Coach Bryant's 315th career victory, breaking the then all-time record held by Amos Alonzo Stagg. Alabama's Cotton Bowl Classic loss to Texas dropped the Tide's all-time record against the Longhorns to 0–7–1.


1981 Alan King Tennis Classic
The 1981 Alan King Tennis Classic, also known as the Alan King-Caesars Palace Tennis Classic, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, United States. It was the tenth edition of the event and was part of the Super Series of the 1981 Volvo Grand Prix circuit. The tournament was held from April 20 through April 26, 1981. First-seeded Ivan Lendl won the singles title and the accompanying $60,000 first-prize money.


1981 Alan King Tennis Classic, Finals, Doubles
John McEnroe /  Peter Fleming defeated  Tracy Delatte /  Trey Waltke 6–3, 7–6


1981 Algerian Cup Final
The 1981 Algerian Cup Final was the 19th final of the Algerian Cup. The final took place on June 19, 1981, at Stade 24 Fevrier 1956 in Sidi Bel Abbes. USK Alger beat ASC Oran 2-1 to win their first Algerian Cup.


1981 Algerian Super Cup
The 1981 Algerian Super Cup is the  1st edition of Algerian Super Cup, a football match contested by the winners of the Championnat National and 1980–81 Algerian Cup competitions. The match was scheduled to be played on 20 August 1981 at 20 August 1955 Stadium in Algiers between 1980-81 Championnat National winners RC Kouba and 1980–81 Algerian Cup winners USM Alger.


1981 Alitalia Open
The 1981 Alitalia Open was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Florence, Italy that was part of the 1981 Volvo Grand Prix circuit. It was the ninth edition of the tournament and was played from 11 May until 17 May 1981. First-seeded José Luis Clerc won the singles title.


1981 Alitalia Open, Finals, Doubles
Pavel Složil /  Raúl Ramírez defeated  Paolo Bertolucci /  Adriano Panatta 6–3, 3–6, 6–3


1981 All England Open Badminton Championships
The 1981 John Player All England Open Badminton Championships was the 71st edition of the event. It was held between March 25 and March 29, 1981, in London.


1981 All-Big Eight Conference football team
The 1981 All-Big Eight Conference football team consists of American football players chosen by various organizations for All-Big Eight Conference teams for the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The selectors for the 1981 season included the Associated Press (AP).


1981 All-Big Ten Conference football team
The 1981 All-Big Ten Conference football team consists of American football players chosen by various organizations for All-Big Ten Conference teams for the 1981 college football season. Two players were unanimous first-team selections by the Associated Press (AP) media panel: Butch Woolfolk of Michigan and Tim Krumrie of Wisconsin. Three players missed being unanimous AP selections by one vote Anthony Carter of Michigan and Reggie Roby and Andre Tippett of Iowa.


1981 All-Big Ten Conference football team, Key
Bold = Selected as a first-team player by both the media (AP) and coaches (UPI)


1981 All-Big Ten Conference football team, Key
AP = Associated Press, selected by the AP's media panel


1981 All-Big Ten Conference football team, Key
UPI = United Press International, selected by the Big Ten Conference coaches


1981 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
The 1981 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship was the 50th staging of the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament for boys under the age of 18.


1981 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
Kerry entered the championship as defending champions, however, they were defeated by Cork in the Munster final.


1981 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
On 20 September 1981, Cork won the championship following a 4-9 to 2-7 defeat of Derry in the All-Ireland final. This was their seventh All-Ireland title overall and their first in seven championship seasons.


1981 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
The 1981 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship was the 51st staging of the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1928.


1981 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
Tipperary entered the championship as the defending champions, however, they were beaten by Clare in the Munster final.


1981 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
On 6 September 1981 Kilkenny won the championship following a 1-20 to 3-9 defeat of Galway in the All-Ireland final. This was their 12th All-Ireland title and their first in four championship seasons.


1981 All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship of 1981 was the eighth staging of Ireland's secondary hurling knock-out competition. Antrim won the championship, beating London 3-17 to 3-14 in the final at Fr. Healy Park, Loughguile.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship
The 1981 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship was the high point of the 1981 season. The championship was won by Killkenny who defeated Cork by a five-point margin in a replayed final. The match drew an attendance of 3,000.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, Quarter-finals
Surprise of the quarter-final stage was Down’s 2-6 to 1-8 victory over Wexford, Marian McGarvey scoring 1-6 of their total. Before their quarter-final with Dublin, Cork dropped three Killeavy players, Pat Moloney, Marian Sweeney and Cathy Landers for playing in a challenge match on the eve of the League final. Dublin led by 4-2 to 1-5 at half time but Cork came storming back to equalise 11 minutes into the second half and win by five points, as Dublin sent over a total of eight wide in the second half and scored just one point. Angela Downey scored 3-4 for Kilkenny against Tipperary, for whom Deirdre Lane scored 1-5.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, Semi-finals
Remarkably Galway led  Cork by 1-5 to 1-3 at half time in the All Ireland semi-final before being swept aside by 2-4 in the first ten minutes of the second half. Down appearing in their first semi-final since 1949, never got to grips with Kilkenny and trailed by 2-3 to 0-2 after 13 minutes of their semi-final in Nowlan Park.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, Final
Kilkenny got a reprieve in the see-saw final when Cork had led by nine points five minutes into the second half but when Liz Neary snatched a goal from a rebound 25 minutes into the second half they trailed by just a point. In what was described by the Irish Independent as a truly memorable four-minute period of extra time. Kilkenny fought hard for the equaliser and it was Margaret Farrell who saved the day with a point from play.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, Final
The five point margin in the replay flattered Kilkenny after Angela Downey scored a breakaway goal in the last movement of the match. Mary O'Leary’s attempt to score an equalising goal from a free a few minutes earlier had been deflected over the bar. Agnes Hourigan wrote in the Irish Press:


1981 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, Final
Kilkenny battled back from a seemingly hopeless half time position to earn a draw. The champions seemed to haf the issue clinched in the 54th minute when Mary Geaney set up Mary O’Leary, but from point blank range she missed the proverbial sitter by driving wide. Profiting from that escape, Kilkenny mounted one last assault and Margaret Farrell sent high between the posts for the equalizer. Time was called on the puckout and an exciting, skilful game was over.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, Replay
Medals for bravery should have been awarded to the girls of Kilkenny and Cork as they tirelessly battled for dominance in the replay under the sullen clouds of Croke Park yesterday. In the most atrocious ground conditions, Kilkenny packaged their fourth title and their heroine, Angela Downey, immortalized her name by taking all but three of her side’s scores.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final
The 1981 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final was the fiftieth All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1981 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, an inter-county camogie tournament for the top teams in Ireland.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final
A pitch intruder disputing with the referee meant that five minutes of stoppage time had to be played, which was enough for Kilkenny to close a six-point gap in the last eight minutes. In the replay, Cork lost Claire Cronin to injury and a late Angela Downey goal gave the Cats a flattering five-point win.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Final
The 1981 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship final was a hurling match played at Semple Stadium on 17 May 1981 to determine the winners of the 1980–81 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship, the 11th season of the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship, a tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association for the champion clubs of the four provinces of Ireland. The final was contested by Ballyhale Shamrocks of Kilkenny and St Finbarr's of Cork, with Ballyhale Shamrocks winning by 1-15 to 1-11.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Final
The All-Ireland final was a unique occasion as it was the first ever championship meeting between Ballyhale Shamrocks and St Finbarr's. It remains their only championship meeting at this level. St Finbarr's were hoping to win a record-equaling third All-Ireland title while Ballyhale Shamrocks were hoping to win their first title.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Final
Victory for Ballyhale Shamrocks secured their first All-Ireland title. They became the 7th club to win the All-Ireland title, while they were the second Kilkenny representatives to claim the ultimate prize.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The 1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 95th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament. The championship began on 10 May 1981 and ended on 20 September 1981.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Kerry entered the championship as the defending champions and were hoping to win a record-equalling fourth successive championship title.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
On 20 September 1981, Kerry won the championship following a 1-12 to 0-8 defeat of Offaly in the All-Ireland final. This was their 27th All-Ireland title and their fourth championship in succession.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Offaly's Matt Connor was the championship's top scorer with 1-31. Kerry's Jack O'Shea was the choice for Texaco Footballer of the Year.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, Munster Championship format change
The normal system of 2 Quarter-final's and 2 Semi-final's is back.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
The 1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 94th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
Kerry completed a four-in-a-row with a brilliant Jack O'Shea goal.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
It was the second of five All-Ireland football titles won by Kerry in the 1980s.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The 1981 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 95th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament. The draw for the 1981 fixtures took place in September 1980. The championship began on 24 May 1981 and ended on 6 September 1981.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
Galway were the defending champions but were defeated by Offaly in the final. Westmeath re-entered the Leinster Championship after a three-year absence.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
On 6 September 1981, Offaly won the championship following a 2–12 to 0–15 defeat of Galway in the All-Ireland final. This was their first All-Ireland title ever.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
Limerick's Joe McKenna was the championship's top scorer with 7-12. Offaly's Pat Delaney was the choice for Texaco Hurler of the Year.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Broadcasting
The following matches were broadcast live on television in Ireland on RTÉ.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
The 1981 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 94th All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1981 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 6 September 1981, between Galway and Offaly. The reigning champions lost to their Leinster opponents, who won their first senior hurling title, on a score line of 2-12 to 0-15.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
Johnny Flaherty scored a handpassed goal in this game; this was before the handpassed goal was ruled out of the game as hurling's technical standards improved.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final
The 1981 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final was the eighth All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1981 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship, an inter-county ladies' Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.


1981 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final
Offaly were hot favourites but trailed 3–0 to 0–6 at half-time. Cavan ran out of steam in the second half and Offaly won by two.


1981 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship
The 1981 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship was the 18th staging of the All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1964.


1981 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship
On 8 November 1981, Cork won the championship following a 2-9 to 1-6 defeat of Galway in a replay of the All-Ireland final. This was their fourth All-Ireland title overall and their second in successive seasons.


1981 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
The 1981 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship was the 18th staging of the All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1964.


1981 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
On 13 September 1981, Tipperary won the championship following a 2-16 to 1-10 defeat of Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. This was their fifth All-Ireland title in the under-21 grade and their third in succession.


1981 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship Final
The 1981 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship final was a hurling match that was played at Walsh Park, Waterford on 13 September 1981 to determine the winners of the 1981 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship, the 18th season of the All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship, a tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association for the champion teams of the four provinces of Ireland. The final was contested by Tipperary of Munster and Kilkenny of Leinster, with Tipperary winning by 2-16 to 1-10.


1981 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship Final
Tipperary's All-Ireland victory was their third in-in-row. The win gave them their fifth All-Ireland title over all.


1981 All-Pacific-10 Conference football team
The 1981 All-Pacific-10 Conference football team consists of American football players chosen by various organizations for All-Pacific-10 Conference teams for the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season.


1981 All-Pro Team
The 1981 All-Pro Team is composed of the National Football League players that were named to the Associated Press, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Pro Football Writers Association, Pro Football Weekly, and The Sporting News All-Pro Teams in 1981. Both first- and second- teams are listed for the AP and NEA teams. These are the five teams that are included in Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. The Associated Press added a "nose tackle" position in 1981, joining Pro Football Weekly .


1981 All-SEC football team
The 1981 All-SEC football team consists of American football players selected to the All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) chosen by various selectors for the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Alabama and Georgia shared the conference title.


1981 All-SEC football team, Key
Bold = Consensus first-team selection by both AP and UPI


1981 Allan Cup
The 1981 Allan Cup was the Canadian national senior ice hockey championship for the 1980-81 Senior "A" season. The event was hosted by the Thunder Bay Twins in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The 1981 tournament marked the 73rd time that the Allan Cup has been awarded.


1981 Allsvenskan, Overview
The league was contested by 14 teams, with Östers IF winning the championship.


1981 Allsvenskan, Relegation play-offs
Elfsborg won 2–1 on aggregate. Kalmar FF won 4–2 on aggregate.


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Combined, Final point standings
In Men's Combined World Cup 1980/81 the best 5 results count.


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Combined, Final point standings
In race 3, 4 and 5 not all points were awarded (not enough finishers).


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Combined, Men's Combined Team Results
Overall | Downhill | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Downhill, Final point standings
In Men's Downhill World Cup 1980/81 the best 5 results count. Deductions are given in ().


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Downhill, Men's Downhill Team Results
All points were shown including individuel deduction. bold indicate highest score - italics indicate race wins


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Giant Slalom, Final point standings
In Men's Giant Slalom World Cup 1980/81 the best 5 results count. Deductions are given in ().


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Giant Slalom, Men's Giant Slalom Team Results
All points were shown including individuel deduction. bold indicate highest score - italics indicate race wins


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Giant Slalom, Men's Giant Slalom Team Results
Overall | Downhill | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Overall, Final point standings
In Men's Overall World Cup 1980/81 the best five downhills, best five giant slaloms, best five slaloms and best three combined count.


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Overall, Final point standings
Overall | Downhill | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Slalom, Final point standings
In Men's Slalom World Cup 1980/81 the best 5 results count. Deductions are given in ().


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Slalom, Men's Slalom Team Results
All points were shown including individuel deduction. bold indicate highest score - italics indicate race wins


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Slalom, Men's Slalom Team Results
Overall | Downhill | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Combined, Final point standings
In Women's Combined World Cup 1980/81 all 5 results count.


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Combined, Women's Combined Team Results
All points were shown. bold indicate highest score - italics indicate race wins


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Combined, Women's Combined Team Results
Overall | Downhill | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Downhill, Final point standings
In Women's Downhill World Cup 1980/81 the best 5 results count. Deductions are given in ().


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Downhill, Final point standings
Overall | Downhill | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Giant Slalom, Final point standings
In Women's Giant Slalom World Cup 1980/81 the best 5 results count. Deductions are given in ().


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Giant Slalom, Women's Giant Slalom Team Results
All points were shown including individuel deduction. bold indicate highest score - italics indicate race wins


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Giant Slalom, Women's Giant Slalom Team Results
Overall | Downhill | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Slalom, Final point standings
In Women's Slalom World Cup 1980/81 the best 5 results count. Deductions are given in brackets.


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Slalom, Women's Slalom Team Results
All points were shown including individual deduction. Bold indicates highest score - italics indicate race wins.


1981 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Slalom, Women's Slalom Team Results
Overall | Downhill | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


1981 American League Championship Series
The 1981 American League Championship Series was a best-of-five series between the New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics.


1981 American League Championship Series, Background
Due to a strike-shortened season, each team had to win two playoff series to reach the World Series. Oakland had swept the Kansas City Royals three games to zero and the Yankees had beaten the Milwaukee Brewers three games to two in the 1981 American League Division Series. The Yankees swept the Athletics three games to zero in the ALCS and moved on to the 1981 World Series, where they would lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers.


1981 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Tuesday, October 13, 1981, at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York


1981 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
In Billy Martin's return to Yankee Stadium (for the first time since the Yankees fired him in 1979), the Yankees drew first blood in front of their old skipper. Graig Nettles' three-run bases-loaded double in the first inning was all the run support that Tommy John needed.


1981 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
John gave way to Ron Davis after six innings. Davis had an easy seventh, but the A's mounted a threat in the eighth where Martin tried some of his "Billyball" tactics. After Dwayne Murphy walked with one out, Davis ran up a 1–2 count on the next batter, Cliff Johnson. During the at-bat, Johnson stepped in and out of the batter's box (on Martin's orders) on each pitch to break Davis' rhythm. After fouling off a pitch, Johnson showed his bat to plate umpire Nick Bremigan and asked to get a new one.


1981 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Johnson walked slowly to and from the A's dugout in the process, and Bremigan ordered him to get back to the plate more quickly. This prompted an argument from Johnson and Yankee manager Bob Lemon came out of the dugout as well. Bremigan then ordered Johnson into the batter's box, but also ordered Davis to resume pitching immediately. This, in turn, infuriated Davis, who was angry that Johnson had delayed the game so long. Both Graig Nettles and Lemon tried to calm Davis down, and Bremigan exacerbated the situation by charging Lemon with a mound visit.


1981 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
A clearly rattled Davis threw two pitches well out of the strike zone, after which Yankee catcher Rick Cerone came out to talk to Davis. Davis then threw ball four to walk Johnson and called Cerone out again to talk (presumably to give closer Goose Gossage time to warm up). Martin then stormed out of the dugout to protest Davis' actions. Lemon then returned from the dugout to the mound and removed Davis (as MLB rules require on a second mound visit in an inning) and brought in Gossage earlier than expected to face Tony Armas. Armas, the A's leading home run and RBI man in 1981, was now at bat with the tying runs on base with less than 2 outs. Gossage retired Armas and Wayne Gross to end the inning and closed out the win the rest of the way.


1981 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Wednesday, October 14, 1981, at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York


1981 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
The Yankees struck first in Game 2 on Reggie Jackson's RBI groundout in the bottom of the first with runners on first and second off of American League ERA leader Steve McCatty, but Oakland tied the score in the third when Rick Bosetti hit a leadoff double and scored on Rickey Henderson's one-out triple. Next inning, three consecutive one-out singles put Oakland up 2–1 and knock Yankees' starter Rudy May out of the game. George Frazier intentionally walked Keith Drumright before Fred Stanley's RBI single made it 3–1 Oakland, who were poised to tie the series going home. It could have been worse, but Dave Winfield made a leaping catch in the second to rob Tony Armas of a homer.


1981 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
But, Graig Nettles led off the bottom of the fourth with a single and Rick Cerone was hit by a McCatty pitch with one out. After Willie Randolph singled in Nettles, Jerry Mumphrey walked. Dave Beard came on in relief and proceeded to give up an RBI single to Larry Milbourne, a two-run double to Winfield, and a three-run homer to Lou Piniella. Beard gave up two more hits and loaded the bases after that, but Cerone flied out to end the disastrous inning. The Yankees now led 8–3.


1981 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
In the sixth, the Yankees added another run on an RBI single by Bob Watson off of Jeff Jones after a walk and hit-by-pitch. Next inning, they loaded the bases on three singles with one out off of Brian Kingman. Oscar Gamble's sacrifice fly scored a run off of Bob Owchinko before Graig Nettles capped the scoring with a three-run home run to make it 13–3 Yankees. Frazier pitched 5+2⁄3 innings in relief to earn the win as the Yankees took a 2–0 series lead.


1981 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Thursday, October 15, 1981, at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California


1981 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Prior to the game, Bob Lemon inexplicably dropped Willie Randolph from the leadoff spot in the batting order to ninth. Randolph kept any ill feelings to himself and broke a scoreless pitching duel between Dave Righetti and Matt Keough with a homer in the sixth. That run would be all Righetti would need through six innings. Series MVP Graig Nettles plated three more runs in the ninth with a bases-loaded double resulting when A's center fielder Rick Bosetti turned the wrong way on his fly ball.


1981 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Dave Righetti pitched six shutout innings and Ron Davis pitched two scoreless innings before giving way to Goose Gossage, who retired the side in the ninth to clinch the pennant.


1981 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
The most widely accepted debut of "the wave" occurred during Game 3, led by Krazy George Henderson.


1981 American League Division Series
The 1981 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 1981 American League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 6, and ended on Sunday, October 11.


1981 American League Division Series
The Division Series were approved by team owners on August 6 in response to the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, which caused the cancellation of roughly one-third of the regular season between June 12 and August 9; by the time play was resumed, it was decided that the best approach was to have the first-half leaders automatically qualify for postseason play, and allow all the teams to begin the second half with a clean slate.


1981 American League Division Series, Overview
The first half and second-half champions in both the American League East and American League West divisions would meet in best-of-five series, with the winners advancing to the AL Championship Series (ALCS). If the same team won both halves, a wild card team—the second-place team, based on overall record, in the division—would qualify for the postseason, but this proved unnecessary in both leagues. There were no plans to continue the format in later seasons, although the Division Series resumed in 1995 after MLB realigned to three divisions in each league. The teams in the 1981 ALDS were:


1981 American League Division Series, Overview
The second-half champions played the first two games at home, with the first-half champions hosting all remaining games; this was predetermined in August, independent of team records. Had a team won both halves of the season, they would have hosted all games of the series other than the first game, which the wild card team would host.


1981 American League Division Series, Overview
The Royals became the first team to reach the MLB postseason with a .500 or worse record, and would be the only team until the 2020 Astros and Brewers reached the 2020 postseason with records of 29–31 (.483). Following a 20–30 first half, Kansas City recovered to win the second half in the AL West, giving them a 50–53 (.485) overall mark. The Royals made a managerial change during the season as well; the team started at 30–40 (.429) under Jim Frey, then went 20–13 (.606) under Dick Howser.


1981 American League Division Series, Overview
The Yankees and Athletics went on to meet in the AL Championship Series. The Yankees became the American League champion, and lost to the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1981 World Series.


1981 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Kansas City, Game 1
Mike Norris faced Dennis Leonard and the defending AL Champions in Game 1. Both pitchers were on their game and the game was scoreless through three innings. But in the top of the fourth, the A's got a boost on a three-run home run by Wayne Gross. Then Dwayne Murphy's homer in the eighth put the game away as Norris went on to pitch a four-hit complete game shutout.


1981 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Kansas City, Game 2
Steve McCatty and Mike Jones dueled in Game 2. After giving up an RBI double to Tony Armas in the first, Jones settled into a groove and kept the A's from scoring for the next six innings. McCatty would give up a run in the bottom of the fifth on Willie Wilson's RBI hit. In the eighth, Armas again delivered the game-winning RBI double to make it 2–1 A's. McCatty went on to pitch a complete game masterpiece.


1981 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Kansas City, Game 3
Game 3 pitted Larry Gura against Rick Langford. With their backs to the wall, the Royals and Gura ran into trouble in the first. Tony Armas would come through once again with another RBI hit that scored Rickey Henderson. Then an error by Frank White in the third allowed another run to score to make it 2–0 A's. The Royals would scratch out a run in the fourth on Amos Otis's forceout. But in the bottom of fourth the A's scored two runs on a Dave McKay homer and an RBI double by Dwayne Murphy. Langford would allow only one run in 7+1⁄3 innings despite giving up ten hits. Dave Beard would close out the series with a save in the ninth.


1981 American League Division Series, New York vs. Milwaukee, Game 1
Milwaukee (then Braves) and New York faced off in their first October meeting since the  1958 World Series.


1981 American League Division Series, New York vs. Milwaukee, Game 1
In Game 1, Ron Guidry faced Moose Haas. In the bottom of the second, the Brewers struck first on Charlie Moore's RBI single. Then Robin Yount's sac fly made it 2–0 in the third. But the Yankees would break through and take the lead for good in the fourth. Designated hitter Oscar Gamble tied the game with a two-run homer. Then the Yanks would take the lead on a two-run double by Rick Cerone. But the Brewers would cut the lead in half with an RBI single by Ted Simmons. In the ninth, the Yankees managed to score a pivotal run off Rollie Fingers. The run scored due to an error by Yount. Goose Gossage shut the door in the ninth.


1981 American League Division Series, New York vs. Milwaukee, Game 2
Dave Righetti faced Mike Caldwell in Game 2. The Brewers needed to win this game to stay in contention and it certainly looked good with Caldwell having allowed only run in the fourth on Lou Piniella's homer. But the decision to allow Caldwell pitch the ninth proved costly as he surrendered a two-run homer to Reggie Jackson. Dave Winfield collected three hits while Righetti pitched a dominant four-hit shutout for six innings and Goose Gossage got his second consecutive save.


1981 American League Division Series, New York vs. Milwaukee, Game 3
Randy Lerch faced Tommy John, who was looking to end the series with a sweep. Both pitchers were on their game and John got a run in the fourth thanks to Bob Watson's RBI hit. The Yankees were closing in on a sweep in the seventh when the Brewers came back. Ted Simmons gave the Brewers the lead thanks to his two-run homer. Then Sal Bando's RBI hit made it 3–1. The Yankees would waste little time in responding as back-to-back RBI singles tied the game in the bottom of the seventh.


1981 American League Division Series, New York vs. Milwaukee, Game 3
But Paul Molitor's leadoff homer in the eighth seemed to turn the tide as John then allowed a single to Robin Yount. His night was done but Simmons came through once again with an RBI double to make it 5–3 Brewers. Rollie Fingers won in relief and slammed the door on the Yankees in the ninth. The Brewers' win in Game 3 was their first ever postseason win.


1981 American League Division Series, New York vs. Milwaukee, Game 4
Having taken Game 3, the Brewers looked to Pete Vuckovich to take Game 4. Opposing him would be Rick Reuschel. In the top of the fourth, the Brewers jumped in front 2–0 on a sac fly by Cecil Cooper and an RBI double by Ben Oglivie. The Yankees would get a run in the sixth on a fielder's choice by Lou Piniella. The Yankees would get chances in the seventh and ninth to win the series but Rollie Fingers escaped with the save and evened the series at two games apiece.


1981 American League Division Series, New York vs. Milwaukee, Game 5
No team had ever come back down two games to none with the first two losses at home. The Yankees started Ron Guidry while the Brewers went with Moose Haas. Guidry allowed single runs in the 2nd and 3rd on Gorman Thomas' homer and Cecil Cooper's sacrifice fly, respectively. The Yankees looked helpless until the bottom of the fourth. Reggie Jackson's titanic two-run home run in the fourth tied the game. Oscar Gamble followed Jackson's homer with a homer to give the Yankees a 3–2 lead. A forceout later in the inning scored Graig Nettles to make it 4–2.


1981 American League Division Series, New York vs. Milwaukee, Game 5
Dave Righetti relieved Guidry after the 4th and held the Brewers in check. Milwaukee would strike in the seventh on Cooper's second RBI of the game to close the gap. That was as close as they would get. Rick Cerone's homer in the seventh made it 5–3. The Brewers mounted a threat in the eighth. After recording two quick outs Goose Gossage walked Bando and Howell before getting Don Money to fly out to deep left. A double and a sacrifice fly put the series away as the Yankees took a commanding 7–3 lead to the ninth. Gossage shut the Brewers out in the ninth for his third save of the series and to keep a historical collapse from happening.


1981 Amstel Gold Race
The 1981 Amstel Gold Race was the 16th edition of the annual road bicycle race "Amstel Gold Race", held on Sunday April 2, 1981, in the Dutch province of Limburg. The race stretched 237 kilometres, with the start in Heerlen and the finish in Meerssen. There were a total of 160 competitors, and 60 cyclists finished the race.


1981 Amílcar Cabral Cup
The 1981 Amílcar Cabral Cup was held in Bamako, Mali.


1981 Anchorage mayoral election
The 1981 Anchorage mayoral election was held on October 4 and October 27, 1981, to elect the mayor of Anchorage, Alaska. It saw election of Tony Knowles.


1981 Anchorage mayoral election
Since no candidate had received 40% of the vote in the first round(which at least one candidate was required to obtain to avoid a runoff), a runoff was held between the top-two finishers.


1981 Andalusian Statute of Autonomy referendum
A referendum on the approval of the Andalusian Statute of Autonomy was held in Andalusia on Tuesday, 20 October 1981. Voters were asked whether they ratified a proposed Statute of Autonomy of Andalusia bill organizing the provinces of Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Seville into an autonomous community of Spain. The final draft of the bill had been approved by the Andalusian Assembly of Parliamentarians on 1 March 1981, but it required ratification through a binding referendum and its subsequent approval by the Spanish Cortes Generales, as established under Article 151 of the Spanish Constitution of 1978. The referendum was held simultaneously with a regional election in Galicia.


1981 Andalusian Statute of Autonomy referendum
The referendum resulted in 92.7% of valid votes in support of the bill on a turnout of 53.5%. Once approved, the bill was submitted to the consideration of the Cortes Generales, which accepted it on 17 December 1981 (in the Congress of Deputies) and 23 December (in the Spanish Senate), receiving royal assent on 30 December and published in the Official State Gazette on 11 January 1982.


1981 Andalusian Statute of Autonomy referendum, Legal framework
Draft statutes of autonomy approved under the procedure outlined in Article 151 of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 required for its subsequent ratification in referendum, once ruled favourably by the Constitutional Commission of the Congress of Deputies. Under Article 9 of the Organic Law 2/1980, of 18 January, on the regulation of the different forms of referendums, the ratification required the affirmative vote of at least a majority of those validly issued. In the absence of such a majority in one or several provinces, those voting favourably could constitute themselves into an autonomous community of their own, provided that:


1981 Andalusian Statute of Autonomy referendum, Legal framework
The electoral procedure came regulated under Royal Decree-Law 20/1977, of 18 March, and its related legal provisions. Voting in the referendum was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in the provinces of Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Seville and in full enjoyment of their civil and political rights. The question asked was "Do you approve of the Statute of Autonomy of Andalusia Bill?" (Spanish: ¿Aprueba el proyecto de Estatuto de Autonomía para Andalucía? ).


1981 Andalusian Statute of Autonomy referendum, Background and date
The 1980 referendum had resulted in a victory for the autonomy initiative in seven out of eight provinces but Almería where, at 42.3% of the electorate under a turnout of 51.1%, the "Yes" vote did not reach the required majority of 50% of all those eligible to vote.


1981 Andalusian Statute of Autonomy referendum, Background and date
Negotiations ensured to resolve the deadlock, which threatened to bog down the entire autonomic process, was resolved in October 1980 through two legal amendments: the first, a modification of the Referendum Law allowing for the approval of the Article 151 autonomy initiative in the provinces having met the 50%-over-electorate threshold, and the possibility to make the initiative extendable to those provinces within the same region not meeting this requirement—such as the case of Almería—as long as it was requested by a majority of the elected members of that province within the Cortes Generales; the second, an organic law approving this mechanism for the province of Almería by applying it retroactively to the 28 February referendum result. Both amendments would be definitely approved by the Cortes Generales on 11 November 1980.


1981 Andalusian Statute of Autonomy referendum, Background and date
The final phase of negotiations over the draft Statute started immediately thereafter, and on 1 March 1981 the text was approved by a 70–6 vote in the regional Assembly of Parliamentarians, with a consensus between and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) and the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) and the only opposition of the Socialist Party of Andalusia (PSA). The next step in the process was the favourable dictum of the Constitutional Commission of the Congress of Deputies, which was obtained on 30 June, and the subsequent ratification of the Statute in referendum.


1981 Andalusian Statute of Autonomy referendum, Background and date
The referendum for the ratification of the draft Statute had been initially scheduled for June or September 1981, but delays in the parliamentary transaction of the text until July pushed the referendum date to October, with the vote scheduled be held concurrently with the 1981 Galician regional election. The referendum was called by a royal decree published in the Official State Gazette on 26 August 1981, which set the date for Tuesday, 20 October 1981.


1981 Andalusian Statute of Autonomy referendum, Campaign
Campaigning was less intense than in the 1980 referendum, with all the main political parties now supporting the approval of the Statute. President Rafael Escuredo criticized the "cold tone" of the campaign, and called on all parties to make a special insistence on requesting the affirmative vote in the referendum. Noteworthy of the general apathy of the campaign was that parties had a limited activity in towns and cities, while the number of organized events was far from the usual in an election campaign. Only during the final days of campaigning did some national leaders attend, including Prime Minister Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo, former prime minister Adolfo Suárez and the main opposition leader Felipe González, but the general impression was that turnout would be visibly lower than in the 1980 referendum.


1981 Andalusian Statute of Autonomy referendum, Opinion polls
The table below lists voting intention estimates in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading choice's colour. The "Lead" columns on the right show the percentage-point difference between the "Yes" and "No" choices in a given poll.


1981 Andalusian Statute of Autonomy referendum, Aftermath
The referendum resulted in a massive support for the draft Statute, albeit on a turnout of 53.5%, compared to 64.2% in the 1980 referendum. This was met with satisfaction from all political parties, which had feared abstention rates could be reach or surpass the 50% threshold.


1981 Andalusian Statute of Autonomy referendum, Aftermath
Among the reasons for the lower turnout were said to contribute: the low-profile campaigns of political parties; the coincidence with the Galician regional election, which drew the attention of the parties' leaderships and of the media; that the referendum received a lower coverage from state media than the one received by the Basque and Catalan referendums in October 1979; as well as because approval was taken for granted due to the lack of a minimum of affirmative ballots over the electorate as well as there being no appreciable threat from the "No" camp.


1981 Andalusian Statute of Autonomy referendum, Aftermath
With the Statute ratified in referendum, it would be sent to the Cortes Generales for its final consideration and ratification, with this process slowing down over an appeal from far-right New Force (FN) party on the results. The Congress of Deputies subsequently ratified the Statute on 17 December, with the Senate doing likewise on 23 December. The text received royal assent on the 30th and was published in the Official State Gazette on 11 January 1982, with the date for the first regional election being set for 23 May 1982 after negotiations between the central and regional governments.


1981 Andorran parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Andorra on 9 December 1981, with a second round of voting on 16 December. Local elections were held on the same day. Following the elections, Òscar Ribas Reig became the country's first Prime Minister.


1981 Andorran parliamentary election, Electoral system
For the first time, all 28 seats of the General Council were up for election at the same time. Between 1867 and 1979 only half of the seats were renewed in each election.


1981 Andorran parliamentary election, Electoral system
Each parish formed a constituency, electing four members each. Members of the Parliament were elected using a two-round plurality voting system. As political parties were not legalised until 1993, all candidates ran as independents.


1981 Andorran parliamentary election, Electoral system
Following the election, the General Council elected the Prime Minister of Andorra, and the General Syndic (speaker).


1981 Andorran parliamentary election, Results
Voter turnout was 74.5%. A second round was only held in Canillo to elect two vacant seats not filled in the first round.


1981 Anguillian general election
Early general elections were held in Anguilla on 22 June 1981. The result was a victory for the Anguilla People's Party, which won five of the seven seats in the House of Assembly.


1981 Anguillian general election, Results
Oneal Levons and Euton Smith were appointed as the nominated members.


1981 Anson by-election
A by-election for the Anson Single Member Constituency in Singapore was held on 31 October 1981 with J.B. Jeyaretnam from the Worker's Party as the winning candidate. This followed by incumbent MP Devan Nair stepping down in order to become President of Singapore.


1981 Anson by-election
The by-election marked the first occasion since Singapore's independence in which a PAP candidate was defeated in an election for a seat in Parliament.


1981 Anson by-election, Candidates
The Nomination Day for the by-election was 21 October 1981. The election deposit for candidates was set at $1500. Three candidates stood in the by-election: Pang Kim Hin (the nephew of former minister Lim Kim San) of the PAP, J.B. Jeyaretnam of the Worker's Party and Harbans Singh of the United People's Front (UPF). The leader of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), Chiam See Tong, also considered standing in the by-election, but decided to withdraw at the last minute and leave Jeyaretnam to be the PAP's main opponent in the name of "opposition unity".


1981 Anson by-election, Result
Note: As Habans Singh of United People's Front failed to garner the minimum 12.5% (one-eighth) of the votes necessary to keep his deposit, his election deposit was forfeited.


1981 Anson by-election, Reasons for the PAP's defeat
A number of factors are thought to have contributed to ruling party's defeat in this by-election. One of them was the fact that Pang was a new face to the public in Singapore whereas Jeyaretnam was a veteran of several general elections and by-elections (though this was the first time he had stood in Anson). Another factor may have been that Pang did not make use of Anson's grassroots leaders during his campaign.


1981 Anson by-election, Reasons for the PAP's defeat
Another issue surrounding the campaign was that residents in the Blair Plain area of the constituency were unhappy that they were not being given priority for HDB flats when their homes were being demolished to make way for a new Port of Singapore Authority container complex, and some voters may have used the by-election as an opportunity to express discontent regarding this.


1981 Anson by-election, Historical significance
This is one of the most significant elections in Singapore's political history because it was the first opposition victory since the Barisan Sosialis had left Parliament in 1966. It was the third by-election to have been held in Anson.


1981 Anson by-election, Historical significance
The election marked the Workers' Party's return to Parliament after 18 years. The last time they won an election was back in 1961, when David Marshall also won a by-election in Anson as a candidate for the party (however he lost the seat in the 1963 general election).


1981 Anson by-election, Historical significance, Aftermath of the by-election
Following the by-election, Pang announced his retirement of politics, though he was offered a place in the next election, he ultimately declined, making him the first PAP candidate to never enter parliament. He remained the only candidate to do so until Eric Low in the 2001 election before retiring in 2011.


1981 Anson by-election, Historical significance, Aftermath of the by-election
Jeyaretnam successfully retained the seat with a larger majority of 2,376 votes in the 1984 general election, when he defeated the PAP's Ng Pock Too. He captured 56.8% of the votes in the constituency in that election. Another opposition politician was also elected to Parliament at the 1984 general election - Chiam See Tong of the SDP, who was elected as the MP for Potong Pasir. Chiam would go on to represent the seat for a further six terms until 2011 and become Singapore's second longest-serving opposition MP.


1981 Anson by-election, Historical significance, Aftermath of the by-election
However, Jeyaretnam was convicted for allegedly misreporting his party accounts and was forced to vacate the Anson seat in 1986. The constituency was abolished in 1988 and split between the Tanjong Pagar and Kreta Ayer constituency, with a significant of the portion also forming the Tiong Bahru Group Representation Constituency in 1988 election. Tiong Bahru was then absorbed into the Tanjong Pagar Group Representation constituency at the 1991 general election. As of the 2020 elections, Anson was based on Radin Mas SMC, while WP had won 10 seats in parliament including its stronghold of Hougang SMC as well as Aljunied GRC and Sengkang GRC, for the former it became the longest-held opposition ward since 1991.


1981 Anson by-election, Historical significance, Aftermath of the by-election
Harbans Singh became the first candidate in Singapore election history to have forfeited his election deposit twice, with the first occurring on the 1976 elections contesting under Tanjong Pagar with 11.0% of the valid votes. Until the 2013 by-election, WP's Lee Li Lian repeated the end outcome as she won a seat from the incumbent PAP of Punggol East SMC (now as a division under Sengkang GRC), while Singapore Democratic Alliance candidate Desmond Lim repeated the feat on losing his deposit twice after he lost his deposit first during the 2011 election that held prior.


1981 Anson by-election, Historical significance, Aftermath of the by-election
Although the PAP has remained the dominant party in Singapore politics due to a supermajority, it has never again held a complete monopoly of all the seats in Parliament since the 1981 by-election.


1981 Antrim Borough Council election
Elections to Antrim Borough Council were held on 20 May 1981 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used three district electoral areas to elect a total of 15 councillors.


1981 Antrim Borough Council election, Districts results, Area A
1977: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent, 1 x Independent Nationalist1981: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x IIP1977-1981 Change: SDLP gain from Independent, Independent Nationalist joins IIP


1981 Antrim Borough Council election, Districts results, Area B
1977: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance1981: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP1977-1981 Change: SDLP gain from Alliance


1981 Antrim Borough Council election, Districts results, Area C
1977: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance1981: 2 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance1977-1981 Change: DUP gain from UUP


1981 Antwerp synagogue bombing
On 20 October 1981, a truck bomb exploded outside a Portuguese Jewish synagogue in the centre of Antwerp, Belgium, in the diamond district of Antwerp. The explosion took place 9.30 on a Tuesday morning, shortly before Simchat Torah religious services were to begin. Three people were killed and 106 wounded.


1981 Antwerp synagogue bombing, Bombing
The bomb had been concealed in a delivery truck parked overnight with one wheel removed, as if it had broken down. The explosion blew in the doors and stained-glass windows of the synagogue and smashed storefronts and windows for blocks around. After the blast, only the vehicle's axles, glass and other debris remained. Police sources said the registration number on the van's chassis revealed it was bought from a Brussels second-hand car dealer. It carried a transit license plate of the kind issued to foreigners residing for a short while in Belgium.


1981 Antwerp synagogue bombing, Bombing
The licence was taken out by a young dark-haired man who gave his name as Nicola Brazzi and an address which later proved to be that of Brussels hotel. The investigation showed that Brazzi, believed to be Lebanese, had never registered at the hotel. The same name was found on a register of another hotel where he had entered his nationality as Cypriot.


1981 Antwerp synagogue bombing, Responsibility
The Palestinian terrorist group Black September claimed responsibility for the attack, the group which previously staged a number of terrorist attacks, including the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre in which 11 Israeli athletes and a West German policeman were killed, and in which five of the eight guerrillas were killed. A local television station also claimed that the Belgian cell of Action Directe also claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Antwerp police said that the group had not been heard of before in Belgium. Within a week Belgian police in Ghent arrested three German neo-Nazis for the attack. In November 2008, a 55-year-old man of Palestinian origin and with Lebanese and Canadian passports was arrested in Ottawa, Canada, on a provisional extradition warrant for the 1980 Paris synagogue bombing and as a suspect for the Antwerp bomb attack.


1981 Antwerp synagogue bombing, Other attacks
The attack was one year after the 1980 Paris synagogue bombing, which also took place on the eve of Simchat Torah. The Belgian prime minister of the time, Mark Eyskens condemned the attack as "diabolically wicked", saying it was "clearly another attack against the Jewish community." It was the second anti-Jewish incident in Antwerp in three months. There was also an attack on Jews in Antwerp in July 1980. A Palestinian threw a hand grenade at a party of Jewish schoolchildren leaving for a vacation, killing one and wounding 20 others. The attacker was arrested and convicted. In May 2014 there was an attack on the Jewish Museum of Belgium in which four people were killed.


1981 Antwerp synagogue bombing, External link
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1981 Arab Athletics Championships
The 1981 Arab Athletics Championships was the third edition of the international athletics competition between Arab countries. It took place in Tunis, Tunisia from 21–24 August. It was the first occasion that the tournament was hosted in Africa. A total of 39 athletics events were contested, 23 for men and 16 for women. The men's 20 kilometres walk was held for the first time – being the first Arab walking championship race since the 1965 Pan Arab Games. The women's programme, following its debut in 1979 with ten events, was greatly expanded. Relays, hurdles, heptathlon and distance events were all opened up to women athletes.


1981 Ards Borough Council election
Elections to Ards Borough Council were held on 20 May 1981 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used three district electoral areas to elect a total of 17 councillors.


1981 Ards Borough Council election, Districts results, Area A
1977: 3 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP1981: 2 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x UPUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance1977-1981 Change: DUP and UPUP gain from UUP and Alliance


1981 Ards Borough Council election, Districts results, Area B
1977: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x NILP, 1 x DUP1981: 3 x DUP, 1 x NILP, 1 x UPUP, 1 x Alliance1977-1981 Change: DUP (two seats) and UPUP gain from UUP (two seats) and Alliance


1981 Ards Borough Council election, Districts results, Area C
1977: 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent Unionist1981: 2 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance1977-1981 Change: DUP gain from Independent Unionist


1981 Argentine Grand Prix
The 1981 Argentine Grand Prix was the third motor race of the 1981 Formula One season and was held at the Buenos Aires circuit in Argentina on 12 April 1981. This was the last Argentine Grand Prix until 1995. Thanks to designer Gordon Murray's alternative solution to flexible side skirts, the Brabham cars of Nelson Piquet and Héctor Rebaque were dominant in this race, with Piquet (who took pole at an average speed of 130.029 mph (209.261 km/h)) taking the lead immediately from Alan Jones on the back straight and Rebaque climbing up from 5th to 2nd over 23 laps.


1981 Argentine Primera División
The 1981 Primera División season was the 90th season of top-flight football in Argentina. Boca Juniors won the Metropolitano (20th title) while River Plate (21st title) won the Nacional championship. League is Superliga Argentina.


1981 Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team
The 1981 Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team represented Arizona State University in the 1981 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Sun Devils played their home games at Packard Stadium. The team was coached by Jim Brock in his 10th season at Arizona State.


1981 Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team
The Sun Devils won the College World Series, defeating the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the championship game.


1981 Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team, Sun Devils in the 1981 MLB Draft
The following members of the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball program were drafted in the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft.


1981 Arizona State Sun Devils football team
The 1981 Arizona State Sun Devils football team was an American football team that represented Arizona State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Darryl Rogers, the Sun Devils compiled a 9–2 record (5–2 against Pac-10 opponents), finished in a tie for second place in the Pac-10, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 394 to 193.


1981 Arizona State Sun Devils football team
The team's statistical leaders included Mike Pagel with 2,484 passing yards, Gerald Riggs with 891 rushing yards and Bernard Henry with 647 receiving yards.


1981 Arizona State Sun Devils football team
There were on probation, making them ineligible for a bowl game.


1981 Arizona Wildcats football team
The 1981 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Larry Smith, the Wildcats compiled a 6–5 record (4–4 against Pac-10 opponents), finished in a tie for sixth place in the Pac-10, and outscored their opponents, 253 to 205. The team played its home games in Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.


1981 Arizona Wildcats football team
A memorable highlight of the season occurred in October when Arizona upset #1 USC, which was Arizona's first win over a top-ranked opponent in school history. It was also the Wildcats’ first win over the Trojans in program history. A loss to rival Arizona State was a factor that prevented the Wildcats from going to a bowl game.


1981 Arizona Wildcats football team
The team's statistical leaders included Tom Tunnicliffe with 1,420 passing yards, Vance Johnson with 654 rushing yards, and Bob Carter with 427 receiving yards. Linebacker Ricky Hunley led the team with 121 total tackles.


1981 Arizona Wildcats football team, Game summaries, UCLA
In the home and season opener, the Wildcats hosted UCLA. Arizona upset the Bruins in the previous year that prevented UCLA from earning the top ranking. This time, UCLA (who was ranked 12th) got vengeance, and defeated the Wildcats to avenge the loss.


1981 Arizona Wildcats football team, Game summaries, USC
Arizona visited top-ranked USC in the Wildcats’ first road game of the season. After the Trojans took an early 10–0 lead, the Wildcats scored 13 unanswered points to shock college football for a huge upset victory. It was Arizona's first win over a top-ranked team in program history and it was their biggest win since joining the Pac-10 in 1978. After returning to Tucson after the game, the team was met by a crowd of raucous fans for a wild celebration. It was the second straight year that Smith's Wildcats upset a top-5 team, as they defeated UCLA (the other Los Angeles school), who was ranked second at the time, in the previous season.


1981 Arizona Wildcats football team, Game summaries, Arizona State
In the season finale, Arizona went to Tempe to face Arizona State (ranked 18th) in the rivalry game. On a rainy night, the Wildcats struggled and lost to ASU yet again, perhaps denying the Wildcats a chance to earn a bowl bid. Also, the loss extended ASU's dominance in the rivalry dating back to 1949, with the Wildcats losing for the 24th time in 33 meetings.


1981 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
The 1981 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The biggest win of the year was against a #1 Texas team, which the Razorbacks were rivals with already. Although unranked, the Razorbacks came out on top by 31 points, removing Texas' #1 ranking. The Hogs received a Gator Bowl berth against a 10–2 North Carolina team ranked 11th, while the Hogs were unranked at the time. The SWC's champion, SMU, could not participate in a bowl game due to probation.


1981 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
Defensive lineman Billy Ray Smith was a consensus All-American for Arkansas. Bruce Lahay, a kicker, also received first-team honors. Lahay was in a three-way tie for field goals per game in 1981, hitting on 1.73 per game. This mark was also held by Kevin Butler of Georgia and Larry Roach of Oklahoma State.


1981 Armagh District Council election
Elections to Armagh District Council were held on 20 May 1981 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used four district electoral areas to elect a total of 20 councillors.


1981 Armagh District Council election, Districts results, Area A
1977: 2 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP1981: 2 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP1977-1981 Change: No change


1981 Armagh District Council election, Districts results, Area B
1977: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x UUUP1981: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x UUUP1977-1981 Change: No change


1981 Armagh District Council election, Districts results, Area C
1977: 3 x SDLP, 2 x UUP1981: 3 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x DUP1977-1981 Change: DUP gain from UUP


1981 Armagh District Council election, Districts results, Area D
1977: 2 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Independent Nationalist1981: 2 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Independent Nationalist1977-1981 Change: No change


1981 Armenia mid-air collision
The 1981 Armenia mid-air collision occurred on 18 July 1981 when a Soviet Air Defense Forces Sukhoi Su-15 crashed into the tail of a Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense Canadair CL-44 commercial transport which had strayed into Soviet airspace over the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. The three crew and one passenger on the Argentine aircraft died; the Soviet pilot was able to eject to safety.


1981 Armenia mid-air collision, Background
As part of the Iran–Contra affair, Israel and Argentina collaborated with the United States to send arms to Iran to assist in arming Nicaraguan contras. Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense, which was revealed to be operated by high-ranking officials in the Argentine Air Force, transported military equipment from Israel to Iran, in support of the latter during its war with Iraq.


1981 Armenia mid-air collision, Background
Scotsman Stuart Allen McCafferty was hired to transport 360 tons of United States-made tank spare parts and ammunition from Tel Aviv to Tehran, and had a Swiss partner, arms dealer Andreas Jenni. McCafferty allegedly approached numerous United States charter airlines, offering them US$175,000 (equivalent to $498,000 today) to operate 15 flights which would carry "pharmaceuticals" between Israel and Iran, but none of them were interested. In June 1981, McCafferty travelled to Buenos Aires, where he persuaded Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense to charter him one of their CL-44 cargo aircraft.


1981 Armenia mid-air collision, Background
After completing the first two round-flights from Tel Aviv to Tehran, via Larnaca in Cyprus, the airline was returning to Cyprus after having delivered the third tranche of cargo to Iran, when on 18 July 1981 the incident occurred. Before this incident, the Soviet Union had requested that Israel explain to it what was being transported on these cargo flights from Tel Aviv down the Turkish-Soviet border to Tehran. The Israel government ignored this request for information.


1981 Armenia mid-air collision, Incident
On its return flight from Tehran, the aircraft strayed off course. After heading towards the Turkish border, it strayed into Soviet airspace in the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, which led the Soviets to scramble an Air Defense Forces Sukhoi Su-15 (NATO reporting name "Flagon") to intercept the aircraft. According to Soviet reports, the crew failed to respond to radio calls and visual signals from the pilot of the fighter aircraft.


1981 Armenia mid-air collision, Incident
The crew of the CL-44 attempted to get away from the area, and the Soviet pilot directed his aircraft into the tail of the escaping aircraft, causing both aircraft to crash near Yerevan in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. The Soviet fighter pilot managed to eject to safety, but the four occupants of the CL-44 – three Argentine crew and McCafferty, who had chartered the aircraft – died. Jenni, the arms dealer who procured the arms that had been delivered by the aircraft to Tehran, disputed these events, claiming that the aircraft was shot down 125 miles (201 km) inside Turkish territory.


1981 Armenia mid-air collision, Incident
It is unclear whether the collision was intentional; the Soviet pilot said it was a deliberate attempt to down the enemy aircraft, while Western aviation experts examining his account believed he misjudged a turn and subsequently invented a story of self-sacrifice.


1981 Army Cadets football team
The 1981 Army Cadets football team was an American football team that represented the United States Military Academy in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Ed Cavanaugh, the Cadets compiled a 3–7–1 record and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 212 to 126. In the annual Army–Navy Game, the Cadets played the Midshipmen to a 3–3 tie.


1981 Asia Golf Circuit
The 1981 Asia Golf Circuit was the 20th season of golf tournaments that comprised the Asia Golf Circuit.


1981 Asia Golf Circuit
Taiwan's Lu Hsi-chuen was the circuit champion, ahead of compatriot Ho Ming-chung and Americans, Payne Stewart and Tom Sieckmann. With the title, Lu also gained exemption into the U.S. Open; he and Ho gained entry into the World Series of Golf; and all four gained invitations to The Open Championship.


1981 Asia Golf Circuit
In 1978, Papua New Guinea had joined joined the Asian Golf Confederation with the intention of adding a tournament to the circuit in 1980. These plans were postponed and the tournament was then provisionally scheduled to start the 1981 season, but Papua New Guinea withdrew from the circuit later in the year.


1981 Asia Golf Circuit
After several years of the Indian Open clashing with the Malaysian Dunlop Masters, the Malaysian Golf Association managed to get the organisers, Dunlop Malaysia, to agree to reschedule their event. However, the organisers of the Rolex Masters in Singapore controversially then organised their tournament for the same dates.


1981 Asia Golf Circuit, Tournament schedule
The table below shows the 1981 Asian Golf Circuit schedule. With the abandonment of plans for a tournament in Papua New Guinea, there were no changes from the 1980 schedule, with the order of the tournaments also remaining the same.


1981 Asia Golf Circuit, Final standings
The Asia Golf Circuit operated a points based system to determine the overall circuit champion, with points being awarded in each tournament to the leading players. In 1981 point allocations were changed, with 120 points available to the winner at each tournament, up from 20 in 1980. At the end of the season, the player with the most points was declared the circuit champion, and there was a prize pool to be shared between the top players in the points table.


1981 Asian Athletics Championships
The 1981 Asian Athletics Championships was the fourth edition of the biennial athletics competition for Asian nations, and was held from June 5-7, 1981 in Tokyo, Japan.


1981 Asian Basketball Club Championship
The Asian Basketball Club Championship 1981 was the 1st staging of the Asian Basketball Club Championship, the basketball club tournament of Asian Basketball Confederation. The tournament was held in Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong from March 28 to April 5, 1981.


1981 Asian Judo Championships
The 1981 Asian Judo Championships were held at Jakarta, Indonesia in July.


1981 Asian Wrestling Championships
The following is the final results of the 1981 Asian Wrestling Championships.


1981 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl
The 1981 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl was a college football bowl game, played on December 31, 1981. It was the 23rd Bluebonnet Bowl game. The Michigan Wolverines defeated the UCLA Bruins by a score of 33–14. This was the first bowl game meeting of a Big Ten team and a Pac-10 team outside the Rose Bowl Game and was labeled the "mini Rose Bowl". Both teams were in the running to meet in the 1982 Rose Bowl, but had their seasons spoiled on November 21, 1981, by their arch-rivals.


1981 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, Teams, Michigan
The defending 1981 Rose Bowl champion Wolverines, who were the preseason #1, opened with a loss to Wisconsin. This led to the Badgers being ranked afterwards. Also, the #1 ranking led to the Clemson Tigers winning their first consensus national championship. The Wolverines responded the next week by beating Notre Dame 25-7. Wins over Navy and Indiana led to a cross state showdown at Michigan State, where the Wolverines downed the Spartans 38–20. The next week, Michigan hosted Iowa and lost 9–7.


1981 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, Teams, Michigan
Michigan would win the next four games leading up to the Michigan–Ohio State rivalry football game on November 21. Michigan lost to Ohio State 14–9. Ohio State and Iowa were tied for the Big Ten conference championship. Iowa would go on to the 1982 Rose Bowl, as Iowa and Ohio State did not play each other, and Ohio State had been to the 1980 Rose Bowl.


1981 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, Teams, UCLA
The Bruins opened the season with wins at Arizona and at #20 Wisconsin. They lost at Iowa, the eventual Big Ten champion 20–9. Even with a 26–23 loss at Stanford and a tie at Washington State, the Bruins were in position to win the Pacific-10 after four straight wins. Going into the UCLA–USC rivalry football game, The Rose Bowl was on the line for the third time for Terry Donahue's UCLA Bruins teams against USC. UCLA lost to USC in a 21–20 nailbiter, which put Washington into the 1982 Rose Bowl. Washington had defeated USC just the week before in what would prove to  be the other conference deciding game.


1981 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, Game summary, Aftermath
The Bluebonnet Bowl was the first of three meetings between the schools in 367 days. They met during the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season twice: at Michigan Stadium, where UCLA won 31–27, and in the 1983 Rose Bowl, where UCLA earned a 24–14 victory.


1981 Atlanta Braves season
The 1981 Atlanta Braves season was the 16th in Atlanta and the 111th overall.


1981 Atlanta Braves season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1981 Atlanta Braves season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1981 Atlanta Falcons season
The 1981 Atlanta Falcons season was the Falcons' 16th season. The Falcons got off to a solid 3-0 start, but lost three key starters for the season in a 34-17 win at Fulton County Stadium over the San Francisco 49ers. The Falcons would go on to finish the season with a 7-9 record, losing seven games by five points or less, thus missing the playoffs for the first time since 1979.


1981 Atlanta mayoral election
The 1981 Atlanta Mayoral Election took place on October 6, 1981, with the runoff held on October 27. Mayor Maynard Jackson was ineligible to run due to term limits. The runoff featured two prominent Atlanta politicians: former Congressman and UN Ambassador Andrew Young as well as State Representative Sidney Marcus. Young won in the October 27th runoff by double digits. It became the first time an African American mayor (Jackson) handed over the keys of a major city to another African American.


1981 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament
The 1981 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament was held in Chapel Hill, NC from April 22nd through April 26th. Clemson won the tournament and earned the Atlantic Coast Conference's automatic bid to the 1981 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1981 Atlantic hurricane season was a fairly active season that featured 22 tropical depressions and 12 storms. The season officially began on June 1, 1981, and lasted until November 30, 1981. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. Almost all of the named storms made landfall. Cindy, Harvey, and Irene did not affect land, either directly or indirectly.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season
Hurricane Dennis caused millions of dollars in damage in Dade County, Florida and produced the highest rainfall totals of any tropical cyclone this season. Tropical Depression Eight caused the most damage, due to flooding in Texas at the end of August, and led to most fatalities of any tropical cyclone this season (five). Tropical Depressions Two and Eight caused a majority of the damage and fatalities this season, with both affecting Louisiana and Texas.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
The 1981 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30. The season was high in activity, with 22 cyclones, 12 of which intensified into tropical or subtropical storms. Of those, seven intensified into a hurricane, while three strengthened into a major hurricane. This activity exceeded the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s 1950-2005 average of 11 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes. Although most of the systems made landfall or otherwise impacted land, few caused extensive damage or fatalities. Collectively, the tropical cyclones of the 1981 Atlantic hurricane season caused about $88.7 million in damage and 14 deaths.


1981 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
Tropical cyclogenesis began early, with two tropical depression forming in April, the first of which developing on April 6. Both tropical depressions were operationally unnumbered. Tropical Storm Arlene formed on May 6. The storm made landfall in Cuba two days later, before being absorbed later by a low. Tropical Depression Two moved out of the Gulf of Mexico into eastern Texas on June 5, producing localized rainfall amounts of 12 in (300 mm) and numerous tornadoes over Louisiana before recurving across the Southeast United States.