1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Northwestern
On October 24, 1981, Michigan defeated Northwestern, 38–0, before a crowd of 104,361 at Michigan Stadium. Quarterback Steve Smith threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third touchdown. Lawrence Ricks rushed for 126 yards on 13 carries and scored two touchdowns, including a 60-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Butch Woolfolk rushed for 106 yards on 18 carries to break Rob Lytle's Michigan career record of 3,317 rushing yards.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, at Minnesota
On October 31, 1981, Michigan defeated Minnesota, 34–13, before a crowd of 52,875 at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, at Minnesota
Minnesota played nine men on the defensive line, seeking to stop Michigan's run game but leaving single coverage on Michigan wide receivers Anthony Carter and Vince Bean. Quarterback Steve Smith completed 13 of 20 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions. Carter caught eight passes for 154 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. Butch Woolfolk added 84 rushing yards on 17 carries. Stan Edwards caught two touchdown passes and rushed for 55 yards on 13 carries. Ali Haji-Sheikh also kicked two field goals. On defense, Michigan defensive backs Keith Bostic and Tony Jackson intercepted Mike Hohensee passes in the first half.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Illinois
On November 7, 1981, Michigan defeated Illinois by a 70–21 score before a crowd of 105,570 at Michigan Stadium. Illinois took a 21-7 lead in the first quarter, but Michigan scored nine unanswered touchdowns in the remainder of the game. Anthony Carter caught six passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Steve Smith rushed 15 times for 116 yards and also completed 9 of 15 passes for 224 yards.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, at Purdue
On November 14, 1981, Michigan defeated Purdue, 28–10, before a crowd of 69,736 at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. The Wolverines had lost three of their last four games at Ross–Ade.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, at Purdue
Purdue quarterback Scott Campbell fumbled on the opening drive, with Jerry Burgei recovering for Michigan. On the next play, Steve Smith threw an interception, Purdue took over at Michigan's 30-yard line, and Michigan's defense held. Later in the quarter, Purdue recovered a Steve Smith fumble at Michigan's 42-yard line and took the lead on a 26-yard field goal by Tim Clark, a kicking specialist who lost all the toes on his kicking foot in a childhood lawnmower accident. After the field goal, Michigan drove 66 yards, ending with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Craig Dunaway who was wide open at the two-yard line, aided by double-coverage on Anthony Carter. Michigan led, 7-3, at halftime.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, at Purdue
Halfway through the third quarter, Purdue recovered a Butch Woolfolk fumble and drove 65 yards on 11 plays and retook the lead on a five-yard touchdown run by tailback Jeff Feulner. Haji-Sheikh missed a 39-yard field goal in the third quarter. Trailing at the start of the fourth quarter, Michigan rallied for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Early in the quarter, Steve Smith ran 26 yards for a touchdown. Woolfolk than scored on a one-yard run to cap a 13-play drive. On the next series, Keith Bostic intercepted a Campbell pass, and Lawrence Ricks scored on a five-yard run with 3:26 left in the game.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, at Purdue
Steve Smith completed 12 of 20 passes for 196 yards with a touchdown and an interception; he also rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Carter caught seven passes for 103 yards, and Woolfolk rushed for 82 yards on 22 carries. For Purdue, Feulner rushed for 106 yards on 24 carries.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Ohio State
On November 21, 1981, Michigan lost to Ohio State, 14–9, in front of a crowd of 106,043 persons, the second largest crowd up to that point in the history of Michigan Stadium. Michigan had been favored in the game by eight points. The game was played in snow, and the Michigan student section entertained itself throwing snowballs at the Ohio State band.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Ohio State
Anthony Carter returned the opening kickoff 54 yards and nearly broke free for a touchdown. Michigan drove to the Ohio State 25-yard line, but Steve Smith's pass was then intercepted by Doug Hill. Michigan's defense held, and Anthony Carter returned the Buckeyes' punt 18 yards to the Ohio State 29-yard line. Michigan drove inside the 10-yard line but settled for a 19-yard field goal by Ali Haji-Sheikh. Late in the first half, Ohio State linebacker Marcus Marek intercepted a second pass by Smith, this time at the Ohio State 18-yard line. After the interception, Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter led the Buckeyes on an 82-yard drive ending in a one-yard quarterback sneak by Schlichter. Ohio State led, 7-3, at halftime.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Ohio State
In the third quarter, Michigan mounted two drives inside Ohio State's 10-yard line, but in both cases settled for Haji-Sheikh field goals. At the start of the fourth quarter, Michigan led by a 9-7 score. In the fourth quarter, Michigan drove down the field and had a first-and-goal from the eight-yard line, but Smith's pass on third down was intercepted by Kelvin Bell of Ohio State. After the interception, Schlichter led Ohio State on an 80-yard drive, ending with a six-yard touchdown scramble by Schlichter with 2:50 left in the game. At the end of the game, the Ohio State carried coach Earle Bruce off the field.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Ohio State
Michigan out-gained Ohio State by 367 yards to 257, but failed to convert on key scoring opportunities. After the game, coach Schembechler said: "We just haven't done a good job offensively. We played hard and the defense played well. They only had two drives on us. Other than that, they didn't do anything. We shouldn't have lost. This is one game we should have won."


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Ohio State
Schlichter, in his final game for Ohio State, completed 12 of 24 passes with two interceptions and had the two rushing touchdowns, while Steve Smith completed only 9 of 26 passes and threw three interceptions, each time after Michigan had driven deep into Ohio State territory. Butch Woolfolk totaled 84 rushing yards on 18 carries, but was responsible for a turnover on a third-quarter fumble. Tim Spencer led the Ohio State backs with 110 yards on 25 carries. Anthony Carter caught four passes for 52 yards. Linebacker Marcus Marek led the Ohio State defense with 12 solo tackles and an interception.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl
On December 31, 1981, Michigan, ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll, defeated No. 19 UCLA, 33–14, in the 1981 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, played before a crowd of 40,309 at the Houston Astrodome. The Wolverines won their second bowl game of 1981, having earlier defeated Washington in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl
In the first quarter, Butch Woolfolk ran for 52 yards to the UCLA 25-yard line and then drove to the seven-yard line. The drive ended with 24-yard field goal by Ali Haji-Sheikh. On the next Michigan possession, quarterback Steve Smith threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Carter. Michigan's defense was otherwise stymied in the first half by a record 12 penalties for 118 yards, including an unsportsmanlike conduct infraction against the Michigan bench (announced in the press box as "illegal use of the mouth"). Michigan's defense held UCLA to a total of 58 yards (only five rushing) in the first half, and Paul Girgash intercepted a Tom Ramsey pass. Both team missed field goals in the half, including a 53-yard attempt by Haji-Sheikh as the half ended. Michigan led, 10–0, at halftime.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl
Early in the third quarter, Anthony Carter fumbled a punt, and UCLA's Don Rogers recovered the ball at the Michigan 19-yard line. Ramsey threw a 17-yard pass to JoJo Townsell, and Michigan's lead was narrowed to 10-7. Shortly thereafter, Haji-Sheikh kicked a 47-yard field goal for Michigan. At the start of the fourth quarter, Michigan drove 74 yards capped by a one-yard touchdown run by Woolfolk. Michigan's two-point conversion failed, and the Wolverines led, 19-7. With seven-and-a-half minutes left in the game, Ramsey threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Tim Wrightman to narrow the lead to five points. On the next drive, Steve Smith ran nine yards for a touchdown on a bootleg to extend the lead to 26-14. Michigan scored a final touchdown on a five-yard run by backup quarterback B. J. Dickey.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl
In his final game for Michigan, Woolfolk rushed for 186 yards on 27 carries and was selected as the game's Most Valuable Player. The Los Angeles Times wrote: "Michigan's dominance along both the offensive and defensive lines was near total." Quarterback Steve Smith completed 9 of 15 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown. Anthony Carter caught six passes for 127 yards. On defense, the Wolverines held UCLA to only 33 rushing yards. Overall, the Wolverines out-gained the Bruins by 483 yards to 195 yards.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Award season
Michigan led the nation with five of its players, all on offense, receiving first-team honors from one or more of the selectors on the 1981 All-America college football team. The honorees were:


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Award season
Thirteen Michigan players were selected by the AP and/or UPI as first or second-team players on the 1981 All-Big Ten Conference football team.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Award season
They were: Anthony Carter at wide receiver (AP-1, UPI-1), Ed Muransky at offensive tackle (AP-1, UPI-1), Butch Woolfolk at running back (AP-1, UPI-1), Kurt Becker at offensive guard (AP-1, UPI-1), Bubba Paris at offensive tackle (AP-1, UPI-2), Stan Edwards at running back (AP-2, UPI-2), Keith Bostic at defensive back (AP-2, UPI-2), Tony Jackson at defensive back (AP-2, UPI-2), Paul Girgash at linebacker (AP-2), Don Bracken at punter (AP-2), Norm Betts at tight end (UPI-2), Robert Thompson at defensive lineman (UPI-2), and Brian Carpenter at defensive back (UPI-2).


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Personnel, Professional football
The following players were claimed in the 1982 NFL Draft.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Personnel, Professional football
A total of twenty-three (23) members of the 1981 Michigan football team went on to play professional football.


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Personnel, Professional football
They are: Kurt Becker (Chicago Bears, 1982–88, 1990, Los Angeles Rams, 1989), Marion Body  (Michigan Panthers, 1983), Keith Bostic (Houston Oilers, 1983–88), Cleveland Browns, 1990), Don Bracken (Green Bay Packers, 1985–90, Los Angeles Rams, 1992-93), Anthony Carter (Michigan Panthers, 1983–84, Oakland Invaders, 1985, Minnesota Vikings, 1985–93, Detroit Lions, 1994-95), Milt Carthens (Indianapolis Colts, 1987), Evan Cooper (Philadelphia Eagles, 1984–87, Atlanta Falcons, 1988-89), Jerry Diorio (Detroit Lions, 1987), Tom Dixon (Michigan Panthers, 1984), Craig Dunaway (Pittsburgh Steelers, 1983), Stanley Edwards (Houston Oilers, 1982–86, Detroit Lions, 1987), Paul Girgash (Michigan Panthers, 1984), Ali Haji-Sheikh (New York Giants, 1983–85, Atlanta Falcons, 1986, Washington Redskins, 1987), Mike Hammerstein (Cincinnati Bengals, 1986–90), Stefan Humphries (Chicago Bears, 1984–86, Denver Broncos, 1987-88), Eric Kattus (Cincinnati Bengals, 1986–91, New York Jets, 1992), Ed Muransky (Los Angeles Raiders, 1982–84, Orlando Renegades, 1985), Bubba Paris (San Francisco 49ers, 1983–90, Indianapolis Colts, 1991, Detroit Lions 1991), Lawrence Ricks (Kansas City Chiefs, 1983–84), Carlton Rose (Washington Redskins, 1987), Rich Strenger (Detroit Lions, 1983–87), Robert Thompson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1983–84, Detroit Lions, 1987), and Butch Woolfolk (New York Giants, 1982–84, Houston Oilers, 1985-86, Detroit Lions, 1987–88).


1981 Michigan Wolverines football team, Personnel, Coaching staff
Michigan's assistant coaches in 1981 included six individuals who went on to success as head coaches -- Miles (who won the 2007 national championship with LSU), Carr (who won the 1997 national championship with Michigan), McCartney (who led Colorado to a national title in 1990), Vanderlinden (head coach at Maryland for four years), Moeller (who led Michigan to three Big Ten championships and a No. 5 ranking in 1992), and Schudel (head coach at Ball State from 1985–1994).


1981 Micronesian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in the Federated States of Micronesia on 3 March 1981. All candidates for seats in Congress ran as independents.


1981 Mid Glamorgan County Council election
The 1981 Mid Glamorgan County Council election was held in May 1981 and were the third elections to Mid Glamorgan County Council, electing 85 councillors. They were preceded by the 1977 elections and followed by the 1985 elections.


1981 Mid Glamorgan County Council election, Ward Results, Aberdare No.1: Llwydcoed (two seats)
Labour comfortably held both seats. Plaid Cymru, who held a seat in the ward from 1973 to 1977, did not field a candidate.


1981 Mid Glamorgan County Council election, Ward Results, Caerphilly No.4 (one seat)
Bertie Rowland, a long-serving Labour councilor on the former Glamorgan County Council, regained the seat that he narrowly lost four years previously.


1981 Mid Glamorgan County Council election, Ward Results, Penybont No.2 (two seats)
Walters had previously represented the neighbouring Penybont No.1 Ward which was also lost by the Conservatives.


1981 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament
The 1981 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament took place from May 16 to 18 of that year. The top four regular season finishers of the league's ten teams met in the double-elimination tournament held at Bill Theunissen Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. This was the first time the Mid-American Conference held a postseason tournament to determine a champion. Fourth seeded Eastern Michigan won the first tournament to earn the conference's automatic bid to the 1981 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


1981 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding and format
The top four finishers were seeded one through four based on conference winning percentage only. The teams played a double-elimination tournament.


1981 Midas
1981 Midas, provisional designation 1973 EA, is a vestoid asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid, approximately 2 kilometers in diameter.


1981 Midas
It was discovered on 6 March 1973 by American astronomer Charles Kowal at Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California. It was named after King Midas from Greek mythology.


1981 Midas, Classification and orbit
The moderately bright V-type asteroid is also an Apollo asteroid, as well as a Venus and Mars-crosser. The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.6–2.9 AU once every 2 years and 4 months (864 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.65 and an inclination of 40° with respect to the ecliptic.


1981 Midas, Classification and orbit
Midas has a low minimum orbit intersection distance with Earth of 0.0036 AU (540,000 km; 330,000 mi), which corresponds to 1.5 lunar distance (Earth–Moon distance). However, it does not pose an impact risk for the foreseeable future. On 19 March 1947 it passed 0.0298 AU (4,460,000 km; 2,770,000 mi) from Earth. The last notable close approach was on 21 March 2018 passing 0.08957 AU (13,399,000 km; 8,326,000 mi) from Earth and shining at an apparent magnitude of +12.4. The next notable close approach will be on 14 September 2032 passing slightly closer at 0.08635 AU (12,918,000 km; 8,027,000 mi) from Earth. As no precoveries are known, the asteroid's observation arc begins with its discovery observation at Palomar in 1973.


1981 Midas, Classification and orbit
With a semi-major axis of 1.78 AU, when 1 AU from the Sun (and passing Earth's orbit) the asteroid is moving at 35.7 km/s with respect to the Sun. For comparison Earth orbits the Sun at 30 km/s.


1981 Midas, Physical characteristics
Three rotational lightcurves obtained from photometric observations gave a concurring rotation period of 5.24 hours with a relatively high brightness variation of 0.65, 0.8 and 0.87 in magnitude, respectively (U=3/2/3).


1981 Midas, Physical characteristics
According to the survey carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite, Midas measures 1.95 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.293, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.266 and calculates an identical diameter of 1.95 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 15.6.


1981 Midas, Physical characteristics
In 1987, Midas was also detected by radar from Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex at a distance of 0.08 AU with a measured maximal radar cross-section of 0.1 km2.


1981 Midas, Naming
This minor planet was named after the figure from Greek mythology, Midas, the King of Phrygia, who turned whatever he touched to gold. He received this ability as an award, but soon realized that this gift was a curse when his daughter turned into a statue after he had touched her. Relieved of his power by bathing in the river Pactolus, other accounts also tell his death caused by starvation. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 15 October 1977 (M.P.C. 4237).


1981 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team
The 1981 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team represented Middle Tennessee State University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Th team finished with a 6–5 record, 4–4 (tied for fourth) in the Ohio Valley Conference.


1981 Midwestern City Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1981 Midwestern City Conference Men's Basketball Tournament (now known as the Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament) was held March 3–5 at campus sites (quarterfinals), Frederickson Fieldhouse in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (semifinals), and Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio (finals).


1981 Midwestern City Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Oklahoma City defeated Xavier in the championship game, 82–76, to win their first MCC/Horizon League men's basketball tournament.


1981 Midwestern City Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The Chiefs, however, did not receive a bid to the 1981 NCAA Tournament.


1981 Midwestern City Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
All seven conference members participated in the tournament and were seeded based on regular season conference records. The top seed (Xavier) was given a bye into the semifinal round while the remaining six teams were placed into the initial quarterfinal round.


1981 Milan–San Remo
The 1981 Milan–San Remo was the 72nd edition of the Milan–San Remo cycle race and was held on 21 March 1981. The race started in Milan and finished in San Remo. The race was won by Alfons de Wolf of the Vermeer Thijs team.


1981 Millner by-election
A by-election for the seat of Millner in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly was held on 21 November 1981. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labor member and Leader of the Opposition Jon Isaacs. Labor candidate and future Leader of the Opposition Terry Smith won the election against CLP candidate John Robinson.


1981 Milwaukee Brewers season
The 1981 Milwaukee Brewers season was the franchise's 13th overall season and 12th season based in Milwaukee. The Brewers finished first in American League East during the second half of the split season (caused by the 1981 Major League Baseball strike) and compiled an overall record of 62 wins and 47 losses. The team advanced to the postseason for the first time in franchise history due to their second-half first-place finish, but lost to the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. Rollie Fingers became the first relief pitcher in the history of the American League to win the MVP Award.


1981 Milwaukee Brewers 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 Milwaukee Brewers 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 Milwaukee Brewers season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1981 Milwaukee Brewers season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1981 Milwaukee Brewers season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1981 Milwaukee Brewers season, Farm system
The Brewers' farm system consisted of five minor league affiliates in 1981. The Butte Copper Kings won the Pioneer League championship.


1981 Milwaukee Police strike
The 1981 Milwaukee Police Strike was a police strike in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States.


1981 Milwaukee Police strike, Background
Three police-involved deaths in Milwaukee in 1981 have been cited as causes for a general increase in racial tension in the city that year. In December, two Milwaukee Police officers – John Machjewski and Charles Mehlberg – were shot and killed by Robert Lee Collins, an African-American man, while investigating a reported robbery at Alfred's House of Bourbon, a tavern. Following the deaths, Alderman Roy Nabors publicly stated that the shooting might have been motivated by the suspect's fear of the police. Nabors later said his comments had been taken out of context.


1981 Milwaukee Police strike, Event
At approximately 8:00 p.m. on December 23, 1981, officers of the 1700-man Milwaukee Police abandoned their posts, citing Nabors' comments as evidence of the disregard they claimed city officials showed for the police. Mayor Henry Maier declared a state of emergency and, in response to a demand from the president of the Milwaukee Professional Police Association that the Milwaukee Common Council hear a list of police grievances before officers would return to work, convened an extraordinary session of the council. Maier also issued a request to bars and taverns in the city to voluntarily agree to close early for the duration of the strike.


1981 Milwaukee Police strike, Event
The first hours of the strike were met with confusion, with some police districts having a single police supervisor as the entire law enforcement presence. In one case, two officers on patrol didn't learn a strike had been called until an hour after it began. During the strike, law enforcement in Milwaukee was provided by a combination of police supervisors who had not joined the walk-out and 200 specially-assigned deputies of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office. Nonetheless, media reported that at least two police stations appeared to have shut-down with a hand-written sign on the locked doors of the district 7 station reading "we are not conducting any business at this time."


1981 Milwaukee Police strike, Event
Police returned to work late on December 24, 1981 – approximately 16 hours after the strike began – after the Milwaukee Common Council agreed to publicly denounce Nabors, as well as to increase police funding.


1981 Milwaukee Police strike, Event
As of 2009, Robert Collins was incarcerated at the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility.


1981 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
The 1981 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1981 Big Ten Conference football season. In their third year under head coach Joe Salem, the Golden Gophers compiled a 6–5 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 274 to 264. It was the final season in Memorial Stadium.


1981 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
Quarterback Mike Hohensee received the team's Most Valuable Player award, while flanker Chester Cooper was named offensive MVP, and linebacker Jim Fahnhorst was named the defensive MVP. Fahnhorst and offensive tackle Ken Dallafior were named All-Big Ten first team. Cooper, offensive lineman Bill Humphries, defensive end Karl Mecklenburg, and defensive lineman Fred Orgas were named All-Big Ten second team. Defensive lineman Brent Harms and Fred Orgas, free safety Mike Robb, and safety Rick Witthus were named Academic All-Big Ten.


1981 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
Several Minnesota players ranked among the Big Ten leaders, including the following:


1981 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
Total attendance for the season was 301,248, which averaged to 43,035. The season high for attendance was against Michigan.


1981 Minnesota Twins season
The 1981 Minnesota Twins finished a combined 41–68, seventh in the American League West. In the strike split season, the Twins were 17–39, seventh place in the first half and 24–29, fourth place in the second half. 469,090 fans attended Twins games, the lowest total in the American League. It was also their 21st and final season at Metropolitan Stadium, before moving their home games to the Metrodome the next season. The franchise would not play another outdoor home game until 2010, when Target Field opened.


1981 Minnesota Twins season, Regular season
Only one Twins player made the All-Star Game: relief pitcher Doug Corbett.


1981 Minnesota Twins season, Regular season
On August 24, first baseman Kent Hrbek made his major league debut, in a Yankee Stadium game. His twelfth-inning home run beat the Yankees 3-2. Later that week, Herbie was topped by catcher Tim Laudner, who debuted on August 28 and hit home runs in his first two games.


1981 Minnesota Twins season, Regular season
On September 20, Gary Gaetti made his major league debut and started at third base for the Twins. In his first at bat in the second inning, he homered off Texas Rangers pitcher Charlie Hough to become the third Twin to homer in his first-ever at bat. Gaetti joined Rick Renick (1968) and Dave McKay (1975). Later, Andre David (1984) and Eddie Rosario (2015) will join the trio in Twins history.


1981 Minnesota Twins season, Regular season
The Twins played their final game at Metropolitan Stadium on September 30, losing 5-2 to the Kansas City Royals. The club played their last outdoor home game for the next twenty-eight seasons in 56-degree temperature in front of 15,900 fans. "The Met" had been the Twins' home since their Minnesota opener on April 21, 1961 (also a loss). Gary Ward had the final Twins hit in the Met, a single in the ninth inning. Pete Mackanin homered in the second for the final Twins Met Stadium home run.


1981 Minnesota Twins season, Regular season, Offense
John Castino batted .268 with 6 HR and 37 RBI. Shortstop Roy Smalley had 7 HR and collected 22 RBI.


1981 Minnesota Twins season, Regular season, Pitching
Reliever Doug Corbett was the Twins' only bright spot on the mound, racking up 17 saves.


1981 Minnesota Twins 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 Minnesota Vikings season
The 1981 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 21st in the National Football League, their 15th under head coach Bud Grant, and their final season at Metropolitan Stadium. They finished with a 7–9 record, and missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.


1981 Minnesota Vikings season
The Vikings attempted 709 passes in 1981 (44.3 per game), a league record that stood for 30 years until it was broken by the 2012 Detroit Lions.


1981 Minnesota Vikings season, Regular season
After opening the season with back-to-back losses, the Vikings ran off five straight wins and sat near the top of the NFC at midseason. After splitting their next four games, the Vikings were 7–4 and poised for a playoff run—however, they lost their last five games to close out the year.


1981 Minnesota Vikings season, Regular season
The Vikings were led by quarterback Tommy Kramer, who enjoyed the most productive season of his career, throwing for 3,912 yards and 26 touchdowns. However, Kramer also threw 24 interceptions in 1981. The Vikings set an NFL record for pass attempts with 709.


1981 Minnesota Vikings season, Regular season
A trio of offensive standouts paced the Vikings in 1981 at the skill positions. Running back Ted Brown was the team's main ball carrier, rushing for 1,063 yards, and also came in third in the NFL with 83 pass receptions; he scored eight touchdowns. Veteran wide receiver Sammy White also eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his career (1,001) and tight end Joe Senser, who would later become a color analyst on radio for the Vikings, logged 1,004 yards receiving with eight touchdowns; Senser went to the Pro Bowl for the 1981 season.


1981 Miracle Indoor Championships
The 1981 Miracle Indoor Championships, also known as the Melbourne Indoor Championships,  was an Association of Tennis Professionals men's tournament played on indoor carpet courts in the Frankston suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was the second edition of the tournament, which was part of the  1981 Grand Prix tennis circuit, and was held from 19 October until 25 October 1981. First-seeded Peter McNamara won the singles title after his opponent Vitas Gerulaitis defaulted the match at 5–5 in the final set in a protest against what he viewed as bad umpiring and line judging.


1981 Miracle Indoor Championships, Finals, Doubles
Peter McNamara /  Paul Kronk defeated  Sherwood Stewart /  Ferdi Taygan 3–6, 6–3, 6–4


1981 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team
The 1981 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election
A special election to determine the member of the United States House of Representatives for Mississippi's 4th congressional district was held on June 23, 1981, with a runoff held two weeks later on July 6. Democrat Wayne Dowdy defeated Republican Liles Williams in the runoff by 912 votes. Dowdy replaced Republican U.S. Representative Jon Hinson, who resigned from Congress following his arrest for engaging in sodomy.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election
Mississippi's state law requires the Governor of Mississippi to call for a special election to be held to fill any vacancies. The election date is held 40 to 60 days after the Governor has officially sent out notice. All candidates run on one ballot, with a runoff election scheduled for the first- and second-place finishers if no candidate received 50% of the vote.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election
After Hinson's resignation, Republican Liles Williams won a primary nominating convention and faced multiple Democrats in the first round of the campaign. Williams finished in first place but failed to reach the majority vote required to avoid a runoff. He was seen as the favorite to with the election against the Democratic Mayor of McComb, Wayne Dowdy, who reached the runoff election with him. Williams ran his campaign sticking closely to President Ronald Reagan's policies – the 4th district had backed Reagan in the 1980 presidential election. Dowdy opposed the Reagan administration's tax cuts, specifically citing its cuts to Social Security and education. Another key point in the campaign was the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which Dowdy publicly supported renewing.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election
In an upset, Williams lost to Dowdy in a closely fought runoff election by 912 votes. Dowdy successfully put together a coalition of rural whites and African American voters. His support of the Voting Rights Act successfully mobilized African American voters in the district and was seen as being a key factor in his victory. Dowdy continued to serve in the U.S. Congress until he decided to run for the open U.S. Senate seat in 1988 and lost to Congressman Trent Lott.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, Background, District and campaigns
Mississippi's 4th congressional district was created in 1841, and had consistently been held by Democrats for over a century as part of the Solid South. Democrats held the 4th for 90 years since the end of Reconstruction, until the election of Republican Prentiss Walker in 1965 on the back of support from Republican Presidential nominee Barry Goldwater. Thad Cochran's victory in 1972 led to longer-term Republican control of the seat and cemented GOP dominance in the district for a decade. After Cochran's 1978 election to the U.S. Senate, Jon Hinson easily held the seat for Republicans in a 1978 election.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, Background, District and campaigns
In 1981, Mississippi's 4th district contained much of the Southwestern portion of the state, just South of the Mississippi Delta. 53% of the district's registered voters came from Hinds County, where the district reached into portions of Jackson, Mississippi. 11 other mostly rural counties made up the rest of the district, including predominantly African-American Claiborne County.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, Background, Hinson scandal and resignation
Prior to his election to Congress, Jon Hinson was charged in 1976 with committing an obscene act at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington, D.C. He admitted during an August 1980 press conference to both the charge and to being one of the survivors of the 1977 fire at Cinema Follies, a theater frequented by the LGBT community. Hinson decided to preempt his opponents from leaking the information and held the press conference, stating clearly: "I am not, never have been, and never will be a homosexual. I am not a homosexual. I am not a bisexual."


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, Background, Hinson scandal and resignation
Hinson went on to win reelection in 1980. Even though a sizable majority of the electorate opposed Hinson, the Democratic nominee Britt Singletary and Leslie B. McLemore, an African American independent, evenly split the remaining vote between them and allowed Hinson to win. Hinson's vote share among white voters in the district dropped precipitously from his 1978 performance, which Mississippi reporter Bill Minor felt was "probably because of the homosexual questions."


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, Background, Hinson scandal and resignation
In 1981, Hinson was arrested by United States Capitol Police at the Library of Congress on the felony charge of committing oral sodomy. Minority U.S. House Whip Trent Lott of Mississippi threatened to start House proceedings against Hinson, and his GOP allies in Mississippi quickly withdrew support from him. U.S. Senator Thad Cochran, Mississippi GOP Chairman Clarke Reed, former Mississippi GOP Chairman Wirt Yerger, and Haley Barbour among others in the state's GOP delegation and leadership called for Hinson's resignation.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, Background, Hinson scandal and resignation
Democrats mostly stayed out of the fray, with Governor William Winter saying "it is not for me to judge" in regards to Hinson's scandal. The person Hinson was engaged in sexual activity with when caught was African American, and the racial component made the charge harder for Hinson to overcome. Leslie B. McLemore, who had run against Hinson as an independent in 1980, said, "The fact that the employee Hinson was caught with was black added insult to injury here in Mississippi."


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, Background, Hinson scandal and resignation
Congressman Hinson admitted himself to a Washington-area hospital "for professional care, counseling, and treatment" for a dissociative reaction, according to Hinson's administrative assistant. Hinson initially pleaded not guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge of attempted sodomy. Hinson later changed his plea to "no contest" and received a 30-day suspended jail term along with a year's long probation, provided that he continued to seek medical treatment. In a March letter to Governor Winter, Hinson announced he would be resigning effective April 13, 1981. After Hinson's resignation, the election was scheduled for June 23, 1981.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, Background, Hinson scandal and resignation
Later in his life, Hinson became public with his homosexuality. Hinson would later go on to be an LGBT advocate in Virginia and fought against the ban on LGBT servicemembers in the military. Hinson admitted that when he first became a U.S. Representative, he was "still closeted and into heavy denial." He died of respiratory failure resulting from complications from AIDS in 1995. He never returned to his native Mississippi after his resignation.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, First round, Campaign
The Republicans decided to hold a convention to nominate one candidate, nervous that a wide field of Democrats could lock out their party from being in a runoff. They endorsed Liles Williams, a businessman from Clinton, at a nominating convention in April. The Democrats chose not to endorse a particular candidate in the first round. Williams emerged as the early frontrunner in the race due to his money lead and endorsements from President Ronald Reagan, Vice President George H.W. Bush and other Republican leaders. U.S. Senator Thad Cochran endorsed Williams two weeks out from Election Day. Labor groups in the district largely backed Democratic candidates: Wayne Dowdy was endorsed by the Mississippi AFL–CIO and both Dowdy and Britt Singletary were endorsed by the Mississippi Association of Educators.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, First round, Campaign
One of the largest issues in the first round was the amount of money the campaigns had on hand. Democrat Michael Herring said, "I've learned that to be a viable candidate, you've got to have one speech and a lot of money to snow people on TV." Williams led the fundraising with more than $206,000 raised a week before the election, leading Democrats Britt Singletary and Ed Ellington to both focus on attacking Williams's money haul for the last week of the campaign.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, First round, Campaign
Both Singletary and Ellington attacked Williams for the amount of outside money that he received in particular, with Singletary saying, "[Williams] is not his own man." Other candidates tried to carve out niches to make it to the runoff. Robert Weems ran for the Republican nomination with the campaign slogan of "Vote Right, Vote White, Vote Weems". He was kicked out of his leadership position with the Ku Klux Klan after going to a Jackson house party attended by neo-Nazis.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, First round, Campaign
Singletary tried to capitalize on his role as the Democratic nominee in the 4th congressional district from 1980, and State Senator Ed Ellington attempted to use his experience in the Mississippi Legislature as a way to make the runoff. The Clarion-Ledger felt that Williams was a lock for first place, and that the real battle was for the second slot in the runoff to face him. Wayne Weidie with The Political Scene felt that Singletary would be the Democrat to make the runoff.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, First round, Campaign
The extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 became a contentious issue in the campaign leading into the runoff. Where Singletary had focused extensively on tying Hinson's scandals to Williams, Dowdy was the only major candidate from either party to support the Act's extension. The other candidates in the race believed that Dowdy had "completely alienated his white base".


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, First round, Results
The results were seen as a strong win for the GOP and marked Williams as the favorite in the runoff. The extension of the Voting Rights Act was one of the main reasons why Dowdy made it through the first round. The Clarion-Ledger noted that Williams ran up respectable numbers in African American precincts and was in a strong position to gain the votes needed to win. The election itself was marred by poll workers asking for social security numbers from voters, which was heavily criticized by the League of Women Voters and local residents.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, First round, Results
Poll workers in Hinds County were instructed to ask for the numbers to help purge the voter rolls of inactive voters, but the County Election Commission failed to notify the public about the procedure. One poll worker when asked did not know why they were collecting the social security information. A District Commissioner had to go on local radio stations to stop poll workers from asking for the numbers. The Election Commission and the Circuit Clerk were inundated with phone calls from irate voters throughout the day and State Senator Henry Kirksey felt that it was a violation of the Voting Rights Act.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, Runoff election, Campaign
After the first round results, Democrat Wayne Dowdy faced Republican Liles Williams in a two-week runoff campaign. In late June, Williams had raised $276,514 while Dowdy had only brought in $115,691. Williams was seen as the favorite to win the runoff. Williams ran his campaign sticking closely to President Ronald Reagan's policies – the 4th district had backed Reagan in the 1980 presidential election. Dowdy opposed the Reagan administration's tax cuts, specifically citing its cuts to Social Security and education. Letters bearing Reagan's signature were sent to 85,000 of the district's Republicans to support Williams.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, Runoff election, Campaign
President Reagan made a phone call that was piped through to a Republican rally. Addressing a cheering crowd, Reagan told Williams "We're waiting for you up here and need your help." Dowdy criticized Williams as a "rubber stamp" for President Reagan's policies, although Dowdy avoided directly criticizing Reagan himself throughout the campaign. Dowdy instead focused on local issues and couched criticism of Reagan through that lens.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, Runoff election, Campaign
Another key point in the campaign was the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which Dowdy publicly supported keeping. Dowdy would talk about his support for the legislation in debates when pressed, and avoided talking about the issue in his television ads. However, in front of the African American community, Dowdy aggressively and publicly supported the Act. Medgar Evers's niece cut a radio ad for Dowdy targeting African Americans and invoked Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy to vote Dowdy.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, Runoff election, Campaign
Dowdy challenged Williams to a series of 12 Lincoln–Douglas-style debates across the 4th district, which the Williams campaign characterized as "grandstanding". The two eventually agreed to a televised debate on WAPT. In the final stretch of the campaign, Williams continued his fundraising advantage. The Clarion-Ledger and The Jackson Daily News both endorsed Williams in the closing stretch of the runoff.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, Runoff election, Results
In an upset, Wayne Dowdy won a narrow election by just 912 votes. Election turnout went past 110,000 voters for one of the largest contemporary runoff turnouts nationwide. Dowdy won with a coalition of African Americans who supported his stance on the Voting Rights Act, along with rural white voters. Williams ran ads attacking labor unions, which helped drive rural white voters towards Dowdy. The Clarion-Ledger noted that rural and African American turnout was up past expectations, and felt this increase was responsible for Dowdy's win. Dowdy credited African American voters for his win, saying they were "very, very helpful".


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, Runoff election, Results
Speculation that some of Senator Ed Ellington's vote in Hinds County would shift to Williams in a runoff ended up not coming to fruition. Williams did not concede defeat on Election night and decided to wait until the results could be confirmed with full accuracy. He conceded defeat the next afternoon at a 2PM press conference once an arithmetically accurate count had been completed.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, Runoff election, Results
Dowdy denied that his victory was a plebiscite on President Reagan's policies, saying that it was a "vote between two candidates" and pushed back on his race's national implications. Dowdy explained that their campaign went to "great lengths not to run against [President Reagan]." The Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Tony Coelho called the victory a repudiation of "the idea of a Solid South for Reagan." Republicans publicly attributed Williams's loss to the challenges created by Hinson's scandals. The Washington Post reported, however, that Republicans in DC were concerned about the implications of losing a conservative House seat for the 1982 midterm elections.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, General election, Runoff election, Results
Voters were generally not asked for their social security number, although some voters in Hinds County were still asked for them.


1981 Mississippi's 4th congressional district special election, Aftermath
Liles Williams announced his candidacy in 1982 to face Congressman Dowdy in a rematch from their special election matchup. Unlike in the special where Williams was the heavy favorite, Congressman Dowdy was viewed as the stronger contender for re-election while Reagan's numbers sagged nationally. Dowdy was able to fend off both Williams and an African American challenger and comfortably won re-election by over 11,000 votes. Congressman Dowdy continued to serve in the U.S. Congress until he decided to run for the open U.S. Senate seat in 1988 and lost to Congressman Trent Lott.


1981 Missouri Tigers football team
The 1981 Missouri Tigers football team represented the University of Missouri during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. They participated in the Big 8 Conference and played their home games at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri. The Tigers were led by head coach Warren Powers and finished the season with a record of 8–4 overall, 3–4 in Big 8 play. They were invited play in the Tangerine Bowl, in which they defeated Southern Miss by a score of 19–17.


1981 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1981 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was played after the conclusion of the 1980–1981 regular season. The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds were played at campus sites, with the final contested at Levitt Arena on the campus of Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.


1981 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The Creighton Bluejays defeated the Wichita State Shockers in the championship game, 70-64, and as a result won their 2nd MVC Tournament title and earned an automatic bid to the 1981 NCAA Tournament.


1981 Molde FK season
The 1981 season was Molde's 20th season in the second tier of Norwegian football and their first since their relegation from 1. divisjon in 1980. This season Molde competed in 2. divisjon (second tier) and the Norwegian Cup.


1981 Molde FK season
In the league, Molde finished in 2nd position in 2. divisjon group B, 2 points behind winners Sogndal and qualified for promotion play-offs. Molde won promotion to the 1982 1. divisjon after winning the play-offs on goal difference against Brann and Pors.


1981 Molde FK season
Molde participated in the 1981 Norwegian Cup. Molde reached the fourth round where they were eliminated by Bryne. Molde lost the fourth round 2–4 on away ground after extra time.


1981 Molde FK season, Squad
Source:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1981 Molde FK season, Competitions, Promotion play-offs
Molde won the qualification round and was promoted to the 1. divisjon.


1981 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1981 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on 31 May 1981. It was the sixth race of the 1981 Formula One World Championship.


1981 Monaco Grand Prix
The 76-lap race was won by Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve, driving a Ferrari. Brazilian Nelson Piquet took pole position in his Brabham-Ford and led until he crashed out on lap 54. Australian Alan Jones finished second in a Williams-Ford, with Frenchman Jacques Laffite third in a Ligier-Matra.


1981 Monaco Grand Prix, Race
The start of the race was delayed after a fire in the Loews Hotel kitchens, which necessitated the fire service pumping large quantities of water to put the fires out. Water then seeped through the floors of the hotel and into the tunnel, delaying the race for an hour. Nelson Piquet led for much of the race, but crashed out late on.


1981 Monaco Grand Prix, Race
New race leader Alan Jones then suffered a fuel feed problem in the latter stages of the race, allowing Gilles Villeneuve in his Ferrari, to take his first victory since 1979 as well as becoming the first, and to this day, the only Canadian to win in Monaco as well as the only driver from the whole of North America to win in Monaco. Championship leader Carlos Reutemann retired with gearbox problems, breaking a 15-race streak of consistently finishing in the points.


1981 Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three
Results from the 1981 Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three held at Monte Carlo on May 30, 1981, in the Circuit de Monaco.


1981 Mongolian National Championship
The 1981 Mongolian National Championship was the seventeenth recorded edition of the Mongolian National Championship for football, with the first tournament taking place in 1955 and no tournament held in 1965 or apparently in 1977. It would appear however that championships were contested between 1956 and 1963, as sources note that a team called Aldar, the Mongolian Army Sports Club, won the title on numerous occasions during that time. Nonetheless, the 1981 national championship was won by Tengeriin Bugnuud, a team from Bat-Ölzii, a sum (district) of Övörkhangai Province in southern Mongolia, their seventh title following their first victory in the 1967 championship.


1981 Mongolian legislative election
Parliamentary elections were held in Mongolia on 21 June 1981. At the time, the country was a one-party state under the rule of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party. The MPRP won 344 of the 370 seats, with the remaining 26 seats going to non-party candidates, who had been chosen by the MPRP due to their social status. Voter turnout was reported to be 100%, with only five of the 792,896 registered voters failing to cast a ballot.


1981 Montana Grizzlies football team
The 1981 Montana Grizzlies football team represented the University of Montana in the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. A charter member of the Big Sky Conference, the Grizzlies were led by second-year head coach Larry Donovan and played their home games at Dornblaser Field in Missoula.


1981 Montana Grizzlies football team
Montana had an overall record of 7–3 and finished third in the Big Sky at 5–2.


1981 Montana Grizzlies football team
Montana was the only team to defeat Idaho State in 1981; a tie-breaking field goal with seconds remaining was the difference. The Bengals went on to win the conference title and the Division I-AA championship.


1981 Montana State Bobcats football team
The 1981 Montana State Bobcats football team represented the Montana State University as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by Sonny Lubick in his fourth and final year as head coach, the Bobcats compiled an overall record of 3–7 and a mark of 1–6 in conference play, placing seventh in the Big Sky.


1981 Monte Carlo Open
The 1981 Monte Carlo Open was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Monte Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France that was part of the 1981 Volvo Grand Prix circuit. It was the 75th edition of the tournament and was held from 13 April until 20 April 1981. Jimmy Connors and Guillermo Vilas were considered runners-up since the final, which was already postponed to Monday due to rain, was abandoned due to further rain at 5–5 in the first set.


1981 Monte Carlo Open, Finals, Singles
No winner as the final was abandoned. Jimmy Connors and  Guillermo Vilas 5–5Jimmy Connors and  Guillermo Vilas both received  runners-up finishes.


1981 Monte Carlo Open, Finals, Doubles
Heinz Günthardt /  Balázs Taróczy defeated  Pavel Složil /  Tomáš Šmíd 6–3, 6–3


1981 Monterrey WCT
The 1981 Monterrey WCT was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts in Monterrey, Mexico. The event was part of the WCT Tour which was incorporated into the 1981 Volvo Grand Prix circuit. It was the third edition of the tournament and was held from January 19 through January 25, 1981. Fourth-seeded Johan Kriek won the singles title.


1981 Monterrey WCT, Finals, Doubles
Kevin Curren /  Steve Denton defeated  Johan Kriek /  Russell Simpson 7–6, 6–3


1981 Montreal Alouettes season
The 1981 Montreal Alouettes finished the season in 3rd place in the East Division with a 3–13 record. They appeared in the East Semi-Final, where they lost to the Ottawa Rough Riders 20-16. After the season the Alouettes folded after owner Nelson Skalbania lost $2 million, and the CFL revoked the franchise from him with the team now heavily in debt.


1981 Montreal Alouettes season, Offseason
The Alouettes were purchased by Nelson Skalbania. Skalbania proceeded by signing several American stars. His biggest acquisition was Los Angeles Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo (who appeared in Super Bowl XIV) to a $300,000 contract. The other signings included wide receiver James Scott, kick return specialist Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, running back David Overstreet and defensive end Keith Gary.


1981 Montreal Alouettes season, Regular season
Despite the high-profile talent, the Alouettes finished the season with only 3 wins, but because of how weak the East Division was that year, the team did earn a playoff berth (the crossover rule, which allows a fourth place team with a better record than a third place team in the other division to qualify, had not yet been implemented). Skalbania lost two million dollars and the CFL revoked his ownership.


1981 Montreal Expos season
The 1981 Montreal Expos season was the 13th season in franchise history. They made it to the postseason for the first time in franchise history (the franchise's next appearance in the playoffs was in 2012, as the Washington Nationals). Their playoff run ended in the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with Rick Monday hitting a ninth-inning solo home run in game 5, subsequently referred to as "Blue Monday" by Expos fans. This was the closest the Expos ever got to a World Series appearance while in Montreal.


1981 Montreal Expos season
The season was separated into two halves due to the 1981 Major League Baseball strike.


1981 Montreal Expos season, Spring training
After holding spring training at City Island Ball Park in Daytona Beach, Florida, from 1973 to 1980, the Expos returned to West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium in West Palm Beach, Florida – a facility they shared with the Atlanta Braves – for spring training in 1981. It was their fifth season at the stadium; they also had conducted spring training there from 1969 to 1972. The Expos would train at Municipal Stadium through 1997.


1981 Montreal Expos 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 Moroccan riots
The 1981 Moroccan riots (Arabic: احتجاجات 1981 بالمغرب, also referred to as شهداء كوميرة The Bread Martyrs), also known as the Casablanca bread riots, broke out on May 29, 1981 in Casablanca, Morocco—a major event in the Years of Lead under Hassan II of Morocco. The revolt was driven by price increases in basic food supplies. This intifada was the first of two IMF riots in Morocco—dubbed the "Hunger Revolts" by the international press—the second taking place in 1984 primarily in northern cities such as Nador, Al Hoceima, Tetouan, and Ksar el-Kebir.


1981 Moroccan riots, Context
Morocco was ecoomically strained from six years in the Western Sahara War. The cost of basic foods soared, with the prices of flour up 40%, sugar 50%, oil 28%, milk 14%, and butter 76%. A general strike was organized in response.


1981 Moroccan riots, Events
Thousands of young people from the impoverished shanty towns surrounding Casablanca formed large mobs and proceeded to destroy symbols of wealth in the city, including buses, banks, pharmacies, grocery stores, and expensive cars. Police and military units fired into the crowds. The government's official death toll was 66, while the opposition reported a much higher number of 637. Most of the fatalities were youths from the slums shot to death.


1981 Moss Side riot
In July 1981, the inner-city district of Moss Side in Manchester, England, was the scene for mass rioting. By that time, the area had been a key settlement for migrants from the Caribbean for over thirty years. The rioting at Moss Side started at the local police station and later moved into the surrounding streets over two days. Key factors seen as fuel for this riot were racial tension and mass unemployment brought on by the early 1980s recession. Unemployment was at a post-war high across the nation during 1981, but was much higher than the national average in Moss Side. There were also frequent allegations of police officers racially abusing and using excessive force against black youths in the area.


1981 Moss Side riot, Initial riot and police response
On 8 July 1981, a crowd of more than 1,000 youths besieged the police station at Moss Side, Manchester. All windows in the building were broken, and twelve police vehicles were set on fire. Police reinforcements equipped with riot shields and protective crash helmets were deployed around the station. A second attempt was made by crowds to attack the police station and during this a policeman was shot with a crossbow bolt through his leg.


1981 Moss Side riot, Community meeting
Following the violence, Chief Constable James Anderton of Greater Manchester met with local community leaders including councillors, churchmen and youth workers. Agreements made in this meeting were later disputed. James Anderton stated in his official report about the riots that per request from the community leaders, he ordered his officers to maintain a low profile and avoid further confrontations, to allow the leaders time to ease tension among the young people and disperse the crowds. The community leaders that attended the meeting denied that they had demanded that police withdraw from Moss Side. Anderton later told the Greater Manchester Police Committee that the community leaders had failed to deliver on their promise to restore peace and were simply unable to admit their lack of influence over the people engaged in the rioting.


1981 Moss Side riot, Stopping the riot
The "low profile" approach of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and the efforts of the community leaders failed to stop the rioting which lasted for some 48 hours over two nights, with much burning and looting of shops all the way down Princess Road, Claremont Road and the surrounding areas, including Rusholme.


1981 Moss Side riot, Stopping the riot
The Moss Side riots ended on the night of 11 July, when Anderton ordered his officers to advance and clear the streets of rioters in a massive show of force. James Anderton had used the previous two days to build up enough officers trained and equipped in public order tactics. A mobile task force of 560 officers in 50 transit vans and Land Rovers had been assembled in local police stations around the area of rioting.


1981 Moss Side riot, Stopping the riot
As part of the planned dispersal operation, Anderton authorized use of vehicle based rapid dispersal tactics; previously only used by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the British Army in Northern Ireland. These tactics involved vehicles containing "snatch squads" being driven at high speed into groups of rioters, with officers then leaping out to make arrests.


1981 Moss Side riot, Stopping the riot
Over two hours, 150 people were arrested with no police injuries reported. Afterwards, the Moss Side section of Princess Road (a main road south from Manchester centre) was closed for several days while adjacent buildings and gas mains damaged in the riot and fires were made safe.


1981 Moss Side riot, Stopping the riot
It has been reported that Anderton had earlier given a speech to the assembled officers at Moss Side Police Station encouraging them to restore order as rapidly as possible and promising them his full support in the event of any complaints of excessive force.


1981 Moss Side riot, Stopping the riot
Anti -racism campaigner Louise Da-Cocodia helped transport victims of the Moss Side riot to hospital, and later sat on the Hytner inquiry panel investigating the causes of the unrest.


1981 Moss Side riot, Conclusion and response
The police response to the riot resulted in a new low in confidence in the police in the local area. The absence of police during the looting on Princess Road followed by a large-scale police response afterward which resulted in the assault and arrest of innocent people, including a local reggae band, drew criticism. Among others, a local community organiser looking to help the injured was stopped and verbally abused by police. County councillor and vice-chair of the police Gabrielle Cox described the events as "the death of the community". After the riots there were allegations from local residents, community leaders and lawyers that groups of police officers in vans had been observed cruising the streets of Moss Side during the riots, racially abusing and using indiscriminate violence against any young people seen on the streets.


1981 Moss Side riot, Conclusion and response
Interviewed in a 1992 BBC documentary on his career following his retirement as Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, James Anderton described his strategy during the Moss Side riots:


1981 Moss Side riot, Conclusion and response
"When trouble arises and violence occurs on the street, you hit it fast and hard. And that's what we did the following night. We hit the rioters fast and hard with all the force at our disposal-legitimate and lawful force-and we crushed the riots in Manchester in 24 hours."


1981 Moss Side riot, Conclusion and response
Outside of the affected area, Anderton's handling of riots received praise from the wider media, politicians, and public. The use of snatch squads and vehicles to disperse rioters was unique in British public order policing at that time, and the response of Greater Manchester Police was contrasted favourably with the perceived loss of control and high police casualties during the earlier Toxteth riots. William Whitelaw, the Home Secretary, described the dispersal operation as a "conspicuous success".


1981 Moss Side riot, Conclusion and response
James Anderton's Greater Manchester Police were the only police force in England at that time equipped with protective riot helmets with visors for use by its officers in public situations. This was unlike the Metropolitan Police in Brixton, and the Merseyside police in Toxteth, who sent their officers to face petrol bombs and missile attacks in traditional helmets and tunics.


1981 Moss Side riot, Conclusion and response
In a 2006 retrospective on the 25th anniversary of the riots, Manchester Central's Chief Supt Dave Thompson said that the police had simply not met the needs of the community. Academic Gus John said that "police used to criminalise young people for no good reason", and that the community saw the hypocrisy of certain officers who stopped and searched youths in Moss Side while on duty but drank and smoked at the area's illegal shebeens while off-duty. In 1998 during the Lawrence Review Chief Constable David Wilmot of the Greater Manchester Police stated that there was institutional racism in the force. Anderton declined to comment on the 25th anniversary review.


1981 Moss Side riot, Conclusion and response
In the long term, investment totalling £400 million into the community improved conditions in the area. This particularly focused on the Alexandra Park Estate, which had been at the centre of the riots. The estate had poor housing and was a focal point for drug dealing in Manchester. In 2005 Chief Constable Michael Todd established a community-centred policing structure for Moss Side, consisting of dedicated staff of an inspector, four sergeants and 35 constables.


1981 Moyle District Council election
Elections to Moyle District 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 16 councillors.


1981 Moyle District Council election, Districts results, Area A
1977: 3 x Independent, 1 x SDLP1981: 3 x SDLP, 1 x Independent1977-1981 Change: SDLP (two seats) gain from Independent (two seats)


1981 Moyle District Council election, Districts results, Area B
1977: 2 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 2 x Independent Unionist, 2 x Independent1981: 3 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 2 x Independent Unionist, 1 x Independent1977-1981 Change: UUP gain from Independent


1981 Moyle District Council election, Districts results, Area C
1977: 2 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Independent1981: 2 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Independent1977-1981 Change: No change


1981 Mr. Olympia
The 1981 Mr. Olympia contest was an IFBB professional bodybuilding competition held on October 10, 1981, at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio. Following the 1980 Mr. Olympia political controversy, a number of favored bodybuilders boycotted the event, including Frank Zane, Mike Mentzer, and Boyer Coe. Franco Columbu followed Arnold Schwarzenegger's suit (1980 Mr Olympia) and came out of retirement for a one time appearance and won the Olympia.


1981 Ms. Olympia
The 1981 Ms. Olympia contest was an IFBB professional bodybuilding competition was held on August 22, 1981, at the Sheraton Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the 2nd Ms. Olympia competition held.


1981 Munster Senior Hurling Championship Final
The 1981 Munster Senior Hurling Championship final was a hurling match played at Semple Stadium on 5 July 1981 to determine the winners of the 1981 Munster Senior Hurling Championship, the 94th season of the Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship, a tournament organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The final was contested by Limerick and Clare, with Limerick winning by 3-12 to 2-9.


1981 Munster Senior Hurling Championship Final
The Munster final between Limerick and Clare was the 4th Munster final meeting between the two teams. Limerick were hoping for their 16th Munster title and a second successive title. Clare were hoping for their 4th Munster title and their first win since 1932.


1981 Murjani WTA Championships
The 1981 Murjani WTA Championships was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Amelia Island Plantation on Amelia Island, Florida in the United States that was part of the 1981 WTA Tour. It was the second edition of the tournament and was held from April 20 through April 26, 1981. First-seeded Chris Evert-Lloyd won the singles title and earned $32,000 first-prize money.


1981 Murjani WTA Championships, Finals, Doubles
Kathy Jordan /  Anne Smith defeated  Joanne Russell /  Virginia Ruzici 6–3, 5–7, 7–6(7–2)


1981 Murjani WTA Championships – Doubles
Rosemary Casals and Ilana Kloss were the defending champions, but Kloss did not compete this year. Casals teamed up with Wendy Turnbull and lost in semifinals to Kathy Jordan and Paula Smith.


1981 Murjani WTA Championships – Doubles
Kathy Jordan and Paula Smith won the title by defeating JoAnne Russell and Virginia Ruzici 6–3, 5–7, 7–6 in the final.


1981 Murjani WTA Championships – Doubles, Seeds
The first four seeds received a bye into the second round.


1981 Murjani WTA Championships – Singles
Martina Navratilova was the defending champion, but lost in the final to Chris Evert Lloyd with a double bagel.


1981 Murjani WTA Championships – Singles, Seeds
The first eight seeds received a bye into the second round.


1981 NAIA Division I football season
The 1981 NAIA Division I football season was the 26th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 12th season of play of the NAIA's top division for football.


1981 NAIA Division I football season
The season was played from August to November 1981 and culminated in the 1981 NAIA Division I Champion Bowl, played this year on December 19, 1981 at Burlington Memorial Stadium in Burlington, North Carolina (near the campus of Elon College).


1981 NAIA Division I football season
Defending national champion Elon defeated Pittsburg State in the Champion Bowl, 3–0, to win their second NAIA national title.


1981 NAIA Division II football season
The 1981 NAIA Division II football season, as part of the 1981 college football season in the United States and the 26th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 21st season of play of the NAIA's lower division for football.


1981 NAIA Division II football season
The season was played from August to November 1981 and culminated in the 1981 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played at Louis Calder Stadium in Sherman, Texas.


1981 NAIA Division II football season
Austin and Concordia–Moorhead tied in the championship game, 24–24, and were declared co-national champions. It was Austin's first NAIA national title and Concordia's third.


1981 NAIA Ice Hockey Championship
The 1981 NAIA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament involved eight schools playing in single-elimination bracket to determine the national champion of men's NAIA college ice hockey. The 1981 tournament was the 14th men's ice hockey tournament to be sponsored by the NAIA. The tournament began on March 5, 1981 and ended with the championship game on March 7, 1981.


1981 NAIA Ice Hockey Championship
Ed Saugestad was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1981.


1981 NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1981 NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament was held in March at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The 44th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The championship game featured Bethany Nazarene College and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. It was the first time the championship game that went into overtime. Bethany Nazarene edged out Alabama-Huntsville with the final score of 86-85 (OT). 1981 was also the first year the NAIA held a women's national basketball championship tournament.


1981 NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament
For the second time since 1963, the year the award was established, there was a tie for the leading scorer. Todd Thurman, and George Torres both scored 104 over course of the 1981 tournament. There have been no ties since. And for the first time since the Coach of the Year Award was established, Ken Anderson, won Coach of the Year for the second time. No other coach has won the award twice.


1981 NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament, 1981 NAIA bracket, 3rd place game
The third place game featured the losing teams from the national semifinalist to determine 3rd and 4th places in the tournament. This game was played until 1988.


1981 NAIA World Series
The 1981 NAIA World Series was a double-elimination tournament to determine the baseball champion of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The tournament was held at Chaparral Stadium on the campus of Lubbock Christian College in Lubbock, Texas from June 2 through June 8. The Grand Canyon Antelopes won the tournament, the team's second consecutive NAIA baseball championship.


1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the thirty-third season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 10th modern-era Cup Season. It was the first year of the Gen 3 car. Because of the energy crisis, manufacturers were downsizing their cars to be more fuel-efficient, which NASCAR reflected by mandating a 110-inch wheelbase that still exists today. The season began at Riverside International Raceway with the first Winston Western 500 on January 11, 1981 and ended with the same event on November 22. Darrell Waltrip won his first championship with point margin of fifty-three points over Bobby Allison. Ron Bouchard was named Rookie of the Year.


1981 NBA All-Star Game
The 1981 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game which was played February 1, 1981, at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio. This was the 31st edition of the National Basketball Association All-Star Game and was played during the 1980–81 NBA season. Coaches: Billy Cunningham, Philadelphia 76ers (Eastern Conference) and John MacLeod, Phoenix Suns (Western Conference); MVP: Nate Archibald, Boston (25 minutes, 9 points).


1981 NBA All-Star Game
Injury replacements: Eastern Conference — Cleveland forward Mike Mitchell for Atlanta forward Dan Roundfield (right calf); Western Conference — none.


1981 NBA Finals
The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1980–81 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It pitted the 62–20 Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the 40–42 Western Conference champion Houston Rockets. This series has the distinction of featuring for the second time in NBA history, and last to date, a team with a losing record in the Finals. The previous team was the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959. This, along with 1986, was one of the only two NBA championships of the 1980s not to feature the Lakers.


1981 NBA Finals, Background, Houston Rockets
Prior to the season, the NBA moved the Rockets and San Antonio Spurs from the Central Division of the Eastern Conference to the Midwest Division of the Western Conference. The Rockets and Spurs traded places with the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. The Midwest Division also took in the expansion Dallas Mavericks.


1981 NBA Finals, Background, Houston Rockets
The Rockets that season were led by Moses Malone, who practically carried the Rockets to the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, Calvin Murphy, the shortest player in the league at the time, set two NBA records, sinking 78 consecutive free throws to break Rick Barry's mark of 60 set in 1976 and achieving a free-throw percentage of .958, breaking Rick Barry's record set with the Rockets in 1979. Other key contributors of the 1980–81 team were Rudy Tomjanovich, Robert Reid, Mike Dunleavy, Sr., Allen Leavell, Billy Paultz, Bill Willoughby, Calvin Garrett, Tom Henderson, and Major Jones.


1981 NBA Finals, Background, Houston Rockets
The Rockets clinched the last spot in the playoffs on the final night of the regular season following a loss by the Golden State Warriors to Seattle, as Golden State had the tiebreaker over Houston. Houston tied with Kansas City for second place in the Midwest behind San Antonio with a regular season record of 40–42 (this would be only the second time that an NBA team with a losing record would make the Finals, after 1959).


1981 NBA Finals, Background, Houston Rockets
Houston's playoff run began by drawing the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers and Magic Johnson in the first round. The Rockets upset Los Angeles, two games to one, with the Rockets winning both games in Los Angeles. The Western Conference Semifinals matchup featured the Rockets against the Spurs and multi-year scoring champion George Gervin in a Texas Shootout. The Rockets would win the series in seven games behind strong contributions from Murphy and Reid, including Murphy's career playoff high of 42 points in the climactic Game 7 at San Antonio.


1981 NBA Finals, Background, Houston Rockets
This set up an unlikely Conference Finals matchup with Kansas City, being that both teams finished the regular season with identical losing records, together compiling just 80 total victories of 164 games played. The Kings, led by Otis Birdsong, Scott Wedman, and Phil Ford fell to the Rockets in five games, and the Rockets would break into the NBA Finals for the first time, the first of four in franchise history. It would be the only time two conference finalists in the playoffs both had losing records, and the second and last time to date a team with a losing record made it all the way to the Finals round (the first being the 1959 Minneapolis Lakers).


1981 NBA Finals, Background, Boston Celtics
This was the Celtics' first appearance in The Finals since their 1976 championship winning team against the Phoenix Suns. The Celtics were not quite the same team as five years before, as they added the likes of Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale, a trio that would come to be known as "The Big Three." M. L. Carr, Cedric Maxwell, and Nate Archibald were also capable players off the bench, and key cogs in Boston's balanced offensive attack. However, the Celtics lost future Hall of Famers Dave Cowens and JoJo White to retirement. Still, the Celtics, led by Bird, won 62 games and managed to squeak past Philadelphia for the league's best record due to tiebreakers.


1981 NBA Finals, Background, Boston Celtics
The Celtics's playoff run started with a first-round bye, straight into the conference semifinals. Despite the layoff, the Celtics easily swept the Artis Gilmore-led Chicago Bulls, and then faced the defending Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers for the right to advance to The Finals. After a hard-fought and physical series, the Celtics eventually came back from a three-games-to-one deficit to defeat the Sixers, repeating a feat they accomplished in 1968. Five of the games in the series ended with the winning team on top by two points or less, including a 91-90 nail-biter in Game 7.


1981 NBA Finals, Background, Boston Celtics
Both teams had met in the playoffs the year earlier, when the Rockets were in their final season in the Eastern Conference. The 1980 Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup had a slightly different Celtics team, with Hall of Fame center Dave Cowens still playing for the team, as well not featuring perennial stars Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, both of whom would not arrive in Boston until the 1981 season. Rick Barry for Houston was also in the final season of his career in 1980. The Celtics blew out the Rockets in four-game sweep, by a total of 74 points in the 1980 Eastern Conference Semis.


1981 NBA Finals, Background, Road to the Finals
(*)The Celtics were tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA's best record, but the Celtics earned the division title and the overall top seed based on tie-breakers.


1981 NBA Finals, Background, Regular season series
The Boston Celtics won both games in the regular season series:


1981 NBA Finals, Series summary, Game 1
No one figured this series to be much of a Finals. Houston, in fact, had lost its previous dozen games to the Celtics, including a 4–0 series sweep in the previous years' playoffs. But Malone, who had averaged nearly 28 points and 15 rebounds over the season, would have none of the "Boston Curse". He came into the series fired up, going so far as to call the Celtics "chumps". The Celtics, meanwhile, were coming off three close games in the Eastern Conference Finals in upsetting the heavily favored Philadelphia 76ers. So, the Celtics were understandably flat.


1981 NBA Finals, Series summary, Game 1
Houston led 57–51 at the half and kept that intensity through the game. Late in the fourth period, with the Celtics trailing 87-84, Bird put up an 18-footer from the right side. As soon as he turned it loose, he immediately rushed in for the rebound. He caught the ball in midair as his momentum was carrying him out of bounds on the baseline just right of the lane. In an instant, he switched the ball to his left hand (a right-handed shot would have hit the side of the backboard) and flipped it in the basket. Bird would finish with 18 points, 21 rebounds, and nine assists. Moses Malone would grab 15 rebounds, but was held to 13 points.


1981 NBA Finals, Series summary, Game 1
The crowd went nuts over Bird's shot, with general manager Red Auerbach leading the cheers. Bill Russell, who was broadcasting the game for CBS, looked on in disbelief.


1981 NBA Finals, Series summary, Game 1
"Larry was able to make the play", said Russell, "because he not only knew where the ball was going to land, he knew that he knew."


1981 NBA Finals, Series summary, Game 1
The shot carried Boston to a 98–95 win and Auerbach proclaimed, "It was one of the best shots I've ever seen a player make."


1981 NBA Finals, Series summary, Game 2
Malone would come up big in this game, scoring 31 points and pulling down another 15 boards. Bill Willoughby would add 14 off the bench to make up for poor shooting by Robert Reid (0 for 7) and Calvin Murphy (4 for 13). Reserve guard Allen Leavell's late basket would give the Rockets the 92–90 victory. Bird would lead the Celtics once again with 19 points and 21 rebounds. The victory was Houston's eighth road win of the playoffs, a record that stood until the 1995 Rockets won nine playoff games en route to winning the championship.


1981 NBA Finals, Series summary, Game 3
With the series back in Houston, Robert Reid, matched up with Larry Bird, would begin to garner attention for his defense on the Celtics star, holding him to three baskets and eight points. But, the Celtics would not need Bird's scoring in this one. The Rockets shot a paltry 3 for 17 in the second quarter, fell behind by 17, and never recovered.


1981 NBA Finals, Series summary, Game 3
Cedric Maxwell led six Celtics in double figures with 19 points. His teammates, meanwhile, played some pretty good defense of their own, holding the Rockets to 71 points, the lowest output for an NBA team in a Finals game since the Syracuse Nationals scored 71 in the 1955 NBA Finals (which was, incidentally, the year the shot clock was introduced).


1981 NBA Finals, Series summary, Game 4
Reid continued his air-tight defense on Bird, holding him to another eight points, while scoring 19 himself. The star of this game was Mike Dunleavy, Sr., who had 28 points. Malone would add 24 points and 22 rebounds as the Rockets tied the series. Another key was the Rockets' relentless offensive rebounding and second-chance opportunities; they grabbed 28 offensive rebounds (Reid had 10 and Malone 9 with 4 put-back dunks) on the way to out-shooting the Celtics in attempts, 103 to 74.


1981 NBA Finals, Series summary, Game 5
The Rockets had a losing regular season record at 40–42, but, up to Game 5, they showed they definitely belonged in the finals with the Celtics. So, no one could blame Moses Malone for doing some trash-talking. Earlier, he had simply declared, "Boston ain't that good." Before Game 5, though, Malone went a little too far, saying, "I could get four guys off the street in Petersburg (Virginia, Malone's hometown) and beat them." This was all coach Bill Fitch would need to motivate his troops.


1981 NBA Finals, Series summary, Game 5
With Bird still struggling offensively, Cedric Maxwell shouldered the load, scoring 28 points and pulling down 15 rebounds and sparking several fast breaks to a Celtics rout, 109-80.


1981 NBA Finals, Series summary, Game 6
Motivated from Malone's previous barbs, the Celtics took it right to the Rockets back at The Summit, leading 84–67 in the final period. However, as coach Fitch looked on in disgust, the Celtics went five minutes without a basket as the Rockets, led by Calvin Garrett, reeled off 13 unanswered points in a furious comeback and eventually cut the lead to only 3, with the Houston crowd erupting louder after each basket. Larry Bird then finally broke out of his shooting doldrums to personally blunt the Rockets' rally. Bird hit a 15-foot jumper, fed series MVP Maxwell for a basket, and hit a back-breaking, 24-foot, three-point shot to put the Rockets away for good and send Boston to its 14th NBA Championship, and at last a championship ring for 11-year veteran Nate Archibald.


1981 NBA draft
The 1981 NBA draft was the 35th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip.


1981 NBA draft
The Dallas Mavericks won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Detroit Pistons were awarded the second pick. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was automatically eligible for selection. Before the draft, five college underclassmen announced that they would leave college early and would be eligible for selection. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 223 players.


1981 NBA draft
The Dallas Mavericks used their first pick to draft 1980 Naismith College Player of the Year Mark Aguirre from DePaul University. Aguirre, who had just finished his junior season in college, became the second underclassman to be drafted first overall, after Magic Johnson in 1979. The Detroit Pistons used the second overall pick to draft Isiah Thomas, a sophomore guard from Indiana University. Thomas had just won the 1981 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship with Indiana and was named as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.


1981 NBA draft
The New Jersey Nets used the third pick to draft another underclassman, Buck Williams, from the University of Maryland. Williams went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award and was also selected to the All-Star Game in his rookie season. This draft marked the first time that the first three selections were college underclassmen. Danny Ainge, the 1981 Wooden College Player of the Year, was selected in the second round with the 31st pick by the Boston Celtics.


1981 NBA draft
Ainge had been playing professional baseball since 1979 with the Toronto Blue Jays in the Major League Baseball (MLB) while also playing college basketball at Brigham Young University. He reportedly preferred to continue his baseball career, but the Celtics successfully persuaded him to play basketball instead. He is one of only twelve athletes who have played in both the NBA and MLB.


1981 NBA draft, Draft, Notable post-second round picks
The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.


1981 NBA draft, Trades, Draft-day trades
The following trades involving drafted players were made on the day of the draft.


1981 NBA draft, Trades, Pre-draft trades
Prior to the day of the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of picks between the teams.


1981 NBA draft, Draftee career notes
Isiah Thomas is the only player from this draft who has been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also named in the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996. He spent his entire 13-year career with the Detroit Pistons and won two NBA championships. He also one Finals Most Valuable Player Award, five consecutive All-NBA Team selections and twelve consecutive All-Star Game selections. After retiring as a player, Thomas went on to have a coaching career with the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks.


1981 NBA draft, Draftee career notes
Mark Aguirre, the first pick, won two NBA championships with Thomas and the Pistons. His other achievements include three All-Star Game selections. Buck Williams, the third pick, was selected to one All-NBA Team, three All-Star Games and four All-Defensive Teams. Tom Chambers, the eighth pick, was selected to two All-NBA Teams and four All-Star Games. Five other players from this draft, seventh pick Steve Johnson, ninth pick Rolando Blackman, 12th pick Kelly Tripucka, 20th pick Larry Nance and 31st pick Danny Ainge, were also selected to at least one All-Star Game each.


1981 NBA draft, Draftee career notes
Eddie Johnson, the 29th pick, is the only other player from this draft who has won an annual NBA award as a player; he won the Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1989. Aside from Thomas, four other players drafted also went on to have coaching careers in the NBA: Danny Ainge, 11th pick Frank Johnson, 14th pick Herb Williams and 179th pick Jay Triano.


1981 NBA draft, Draftee career notes
In the eighth round, the Golden State Warriors used the 171st pick to selected Yasutaka Okayama, a Japanese basketball player who was measured at 7 feet 8 inches (2.34 m) and 330 pounds (150 kg). Okayama, who attended and played junior varsity basketball at the University of Portland for one and a half years in 1976 as an exchange student, declined to try out for the Warriors and never played in the NBA. He is the tallest person ever drafted and would have been the tallest player in the NBA had he played in the league.


1981 NBA draft, Draftee career notes
The San Diego Clippers used their last pick in the draft, the 210th pick, to draft Tony Gwynn, who starred at both baseball and basketball at San Diego State University. Gwynn was also selected in the 1981 MLB draft by the San Diego Padres. He opted to play baseball and ended up playing 20 seasons with the Padres. He received multiple awards and honors during his playing career, is one of only 28 players in MLB history with 3,000 career hits, and was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame at his first opportunity in 2007.


1981 NBA draft, Draftee career notes
Kenny Easley, a college football star from the University of California, Los Angeles, was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 216th pick in the 10th round. Easley, who was selected fourth in the 1981 National Football League (NFL) Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, played seven seasons with the Seahawks and received several awards and honors before retiring in 1988 due to kidney problems that eventually led to a transplant.


1981 NBA draft, Notes
^ 1: Rolando Blackman was born in Panama, but grew up in the United States and has represented the United States national team.


1981 NBA playoffs
The 1981 NBA playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1980–81 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Cedric Maxwell was named NBA Finals MVP.


1981 NBA playoffs
The playoffs are notable for being the third and final time to date that a team with a losing record advanced to the NBA Finals (the St. Louis Hawks did it first in 1957 with a 34–38 record, the Minneapolis Lakers did it in 1959 with a 33–39 record), as the Rockets won their first Western Conference title despite having a 40–42 record.


1981 NBA playoffs
This was the only time in NBA history in which two teams with a losing record played each other in a Conference Finals, though the 1957 Western Division Finals did feature two teams with losing records. The Rockets and the Kansas City Kings, both with a 40–42 record, played in the Western Conference Finals which saw the Rockets prevail 4–1.


1981 NBA playoffs
The Kings' playoff series victories over the Blazers and Suns were their last in Kansas City. Their last playoff series in Kansas City was a 3-game sweep in the first round in 1984 by the Lakers. They moved to Sacramento after the 1984–85 season and didn't win a playoff series representing northern California until 2001.


1981 NBA playoffs
The Pacers became the last former ABA team to make their playoff debut, but were quickly swept by the 76ers 2–0.


1981 NBA playoffs
This is the last year to date that an NBA playoff game was played in March.


1981 NBA playoffs
The Celtics replicated their 1968 comeback by beating the Sixers in 7 after trailing 3–1. This is the only time a team came back from a 3–1 series deficit to win against the same team twice.


1981 NBA playoffs
This was the last time the Los Angeles Lakers were not the number one seed in the Western Conference until 1991.


1981 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (6) Indiana Pacers
This was the first playoff meeting between the Pacers and the 76ers.


1981 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (4) New York Knicks vs. (5) Chicago Bulls
This was the first playoff meeting between the Bulls and the Knicks.


1981 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Houston Rockets
This was the first playoff meeting between the Rockets and the Lakers.


1981 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (4) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) Kansas City Kings
This was the first playoff meeting between the Trail Blazers and the Kings.


1981 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) Boston Celtics vs. (5) Chicago Bulls
This was the first playoff meeting between the Celtics and the Bulls.


1981 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bucks winning the first meeting.


1981 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (1) Phoenix Suns vs. (5) Kansas City Kings
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning the first two meetings.


1981 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Houston Rockets
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Rockets winning the first meeting.


1981 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
John Hollinger of ESPN.com ranked this  as the greatest playoff series in NBA history


1981 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
This was the 16th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning eight of the first 15 meetings.


1981 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
In Game 4, the Sixers led 93–86 midway through the fourth quarter, when Cedric Maxwell scored and drew the foul on Darryl Dawkins. He completed the three-point play. Larry Bird pushed the ball up court after a Sixers turnover. He pulled up and hit a mid-range shot to make it 93–91. Then after a Dawkins miss, Bird grabbed the rebound and threw a quick outlet pass that led to a fast-break layup to tie it at 93.


1981 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
The teams traded baskets for four straight trips before the Sixers took a 101–97 lead with 4 minutes left. They traded baskets again, with Julius Erving finishing the scoring for the 76ers with a dunk over Robert Parish and two free throws for a 107–103 lead with 2:30 left. With over a minute left, Caldwell Jones lost his shoe in a scramble and played defense with it in one hand. Nate Archibald took advantage and drove right at Jones, who allowed him a free lane for an easy lay-up to make it 107–105 (he held the shoe instead of tossing it away to have both hands free or using it to his advantage to block the shot).


1981 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
In the final minute, Philadelphia committed a shot-clock violation, giving Boston a chance to tie or go ahead. But Parish's turn-around shot rolled out. The rebound was tipped between two Sixers players and almost went out-of-bounds before Erving got it to Maurice Cheeks with 30 seconds left. The Sixers used as much time as they could, but Bobby Jones missed a runner and Maxwell got the rebound with 7 seconds left. He passed it to Archibald, who forced a half-court pass to Bird that Bobby Jones intercepted to end the game and give Philadelphia a 3–1 series lead.


1981 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
Game 5 was back in Boston, and the Celtics were in a must-win situation. Bobby Jones' block on Gerald Henderson led to a fast-break lay-up by Andrew Toney to give the 76ers a 103–99 lead. The teams traded buckets the next four trips until a missed jumper by Bird and two Dawkins free throws made it 109–103 with 1:51 left. Dawkins got a steal, but Maxwell's game-saving block prevented a Philadelphia lay-up and led to an Archibald three-point play with 1:20 left that made it 109–106. Boston then got another block by Parish. The Sixers recovered the ball, but lost it out-of-bounds seconds later.