1981 Toyota Super Diesels season
The 1981 Toyota Superdiesels season was the seventh season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


1981 Toyota Super Diesels season, Colors
For the Open Conference:    (dark)    (light)For the Reinforced All-Filipino:      (dark)      (light)


1981 Toyota Super Diesels season, Summary
Former Royal Tru-Orange coach Ed Ocampo is the new head coach of Toyota now with a new moniker "Superdiesels". Import Andrew Fields is on his third year of duty, teaming up with Melton Wertz. The Superdiesels lost to Crispa, 97-112, in the opening day on March 8. After four games, Melton Wertz was replaced by Victor King. The Superdiesels were the last team to enter the four-team semifinal round. Toyota finished with an impressive five wins and one loss slate in the semifinals and will play arch rival Crispa Redmanizers in the Open Conference finals.


1981 Toyota Super Diesels season, Summary
The championship series between Toyota and Crispa will be the 10th and what turned out to be the final time the two rivals meet in the finale. The Superdiesels won the series opener, but lost the next two games and trailed 1-2 against Crispa and on a verge of another disappointing finish. The Superdiesels won Game Four to forced a deciding match.


1981 Toyota Super Diesels season, Summary
On July 25 with a huge turnout of fans on hand to witness the final game of the series to be officiated by two NBA referees, Jim Capers and Lee Jones, Toyota won over Crispa, 103-97, Andrew Fields' three-point play in the last one minute and twenty seconds of the game turned out to be the winning basket for the Superdiesels. Center Ramon Fernandez was the top local scorer for his team, averaging 23 points per game and posting his highest output in Game two with 29 big points and tallying 20 points in Game five.


1981 Toyota Super Diesels season, Summary
Toyota had the smallest of imports due to the handicap ruling in the Reinforced Filipino Conference in 6-0 Archie Talley. The Superdiesels were tied with Crispa on top of the one-round elimination phase.


1981 Toyota Super Diesels season, Summary
In the round of six, the Superdiesels lost their first two matches against the Redmanizers, 110-111,  and U-Tex Wranglers, 121-125. They were booted out of contention by Yco-Tanduay after suffering their third loss in four games at the hands of the Esquires. It marks the first time in seven seasons and 20 conferences that Toyota failed to advance in the semifinal round.


1981 Toyota Super Diesels season, Occurrences
After back-to-back wins at the start of the semifinal round in the Open Conference, the Toyota Superdiesels went down to its first setback as they bowed to Crispa, 118-133 on July 7. The Superdiesels were seemingly affected by the shocking news a day earlier upon learning the death of their former coach Fort Acuña. The team showed up in their red uniforms with a piece of black cloth attached to their jerseys as a sign of mourning to the demise of their former coach.


1981 Toyota Super Diesels season, Award
Andrew Fields became the first recipient of the PBA Best Import Award when he powered Toyota to the Open Conference championship.


1981 Toyota Swiss Open
The 1981 Toyota Swiss Open was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Lugano, Switzerland that was part of the Toyota Series of the 1981 WTA Tour. It was the sixth edition of the tournament and was held from 11 May until 17 May 1981. First-seeded Chris Evert-Lloyd won the singles title and earned $20,000 first-prize money.


1981 Toyota Swiss Open, Finals, Doubles
Rosalyn Fairbank /  Tanya Harford defeated  Candy Reynolds /  Paula Smith 2–6, 6–1, 6–4


1981 Toyota Tennis Classic
The 1981 Toyota Tennis Classic was a women's singles tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. The event was part of the  category 2 tournaments of the 1981 Toyota Series. It was the sixth edition of the tournament and was held from September 21 through September 27, 1981. First-seeded Tracy Austin won the singles title and earned 75 ranking points.


1981 Toyota Tennis Classic, Finals, Doubles
Laura duPont /  Betsy Nagelsen defeated  Rosie Casals /  Candy Reynolds 6–4, 7–5


1981 Trans America Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament
The 1981 Trans America Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament was held at Hunter Field on the campus of Hardin–Simmons University in Abilene, Texas from April 30 through May 2. This was the third tournament championship held by the Trans America Athletic Conference, in its third year of existence. Mercer won their second tournament championship.


1981 Trans America Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding and format
The TAAC established two divisions beginning in 1981, and brought the two division winners and second place team from each division to the tournament. Each division winner played the opposite division runner up in the first round in the four team double elimination tournament. Hardin-Simmons claimed the West's top seed by tiebreaker.


1981 Trans America Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team
The following players were named to the All-Tournament Team. No MVP was named until 1985.


1981 Trans-Am Series
The 1981 Trans-Am Series was the sixteenth running of the Sports Car Club of America's premier series. All races ran for approximately one hundred miles.


1981 Transamerica Open
The 1981 Transamerica Open, also known as the Pacific Coast Championships, was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California in the United States. The event was part of the Super Series of the 1981 Volvo Grand Prix circuit. It was the 91st edition of the tournament and was held from September 21 through September 27, 1981. Fifth-seeded Eliot Teltscher won the singles title and earned $32,000 first-prize money.


1981 Transamerica Open, Finals, Doubles
John McEnroe /  Peter Fleming defeated  Mark Edmondson /  Sherwood Stewart 7–6, 6–4


1981 Transkei parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Transkei on 24 September 1981. The Transkei National Independence Party  won 74 of the 75 elected seats.


1981 Transkei parliamentary election, Aftermath
By-elections were held to fill the two vacant seats, both won by the Transkei National Independence Party.


1981 Trinidad and Tobago general election
General elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on 9 November 1981. The result was a victory for the People's National Movement, which won 26 of the 36 seats. Voter turnout was 56.4%.


1981 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team
The 1981 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team represented the University of Tulsa during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth year under head coach John Cooper, the Golden Hurricane compiled a 6–5 record (5–1 against conference opponents) and tied for the Missouri Valley Conference championship.


1981 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Kenny Jackson with 806 passing yards, Brett White with 640 rushing yards, and John Green with 252 receiving yards. Head coach John Cooper was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.


1981 Tunisian parliamentary election
Early parliamentary elections were held in Tunisia on 1 November 1981, following changes to the constitution to allow for multi-party politics after 18 years of one-party rule by the Socialist Destourian Party (PSD). The PSD contested the elections as the lead party of the National Front, an alliance with the Tunisian General Labour Union. Three other parties also nominated candidates; the Movement of Socialist Democrats, the Popular Unity Movement and the Tunisian Communist Party. In total 366 candidates (including 18 independents) contested the 136 seats.


1981 Tunisian parliamentary election
According to official results, the National Front won 94.2% of the vote and all 136 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Voter turnout was 84.9%. Opposition parties would not manage to enter the Chamber until 1994.


1981 Tuvaluan general election
General elections were held in Tuvalu on 8 September 1981.


1981 Tuvaluan general election, Campaign
A total of 26 candidates contested the 12 seats. As there were no political parties, all candidates ran as independents. Voter turnout was 85.0%.


1981 Tuvaluan general election, Campaign
In Nanumea one candidate, Telavi Faati, called for the island be independent.


1981 Tuvaluan general election, Results
Eight of the twelve incumbent MPs retained their seats, with two ministers losing theirs.


1981 Tuvaluan general election, Aftermath
Tomasi Puapua was elected Prime Minister with a 7–5 majority over the group a members of parliament headed by former Prime Minister Toaripi Lauti. Puapua appointed a five-member cabinet, keeping the portfolios of foreign affairs and local government for himself. Henry Naisali became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lale Seluka was appointed Minister for Commerce and Natural Resources, Falaile Pilitati became Minister for Social Services and Solomona Tealofi was appointed Minister for Works and Communications.


1981 U-Tex Wranglers season
The 1981 U/Tex Wranglers season was the seventh season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


1981 U-Tex Wranglers season, Summary
Former Boston Celtic Glenn McDonald, who won two titles with U/Tex as their import, became the new head coach of the Wranglers, replacing his former coach Tommy Manotoc, who transferred to San Miguel Beer.


1981 U-Tex Wranglers season, Summary
The Wranglers had a pair of 6-5 Francois Wise and 6-9 Darrell Allums as their imports for the Open Conference. U/Tex finish in a tie with San Miguel Beermen on top of the standings after 18 games in the eliminations. Both teams were left out by traditional powerhouses Toyota and Crispa during the semifinal round. U/Tex placed third by winning their series over the Beermen in five games.


1981 U-Tex Wranglers season, Summary
U/Tex lost their first two games in the Reinforced Filipino Conference with John Kazmer as their import, but since the arrival of Leroy Jackson, the Wranglers went on a six-game winning streak and placed third behind Toyota and Crispa at the end of the elimination phase. The Wranglers continued its winning run in the round of six and was the first team to land one of the two finals berth during the semifinal round.


1981 U-Tex Wranglers season, Summary
U/Tex and Crispa played in the PBA finals for the third time in the last five years. The Wranglers lost to the Redmanizers in four games in their best-of-five title series.


1981 U-Tex Wranglers season, Awards
William "Bogs" Adornado received his third MVP plum, becoming the PBA's first three-time Most Valuable Player Awardee. Adornado won his first two during the league's first two seasons in 1975–1976 while playing for Crispa Redmanizers.


1981 U.S. Clay Court Championships
The 1981 U.S. Clay Court Championships was a men's Grand Prix and women's Toyota Series tennis tournament held in Indianapolis in the United States and played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 13th edition of the tournament and was held from August 3 through August 9, 1981. Second-seeded José Luis Clerc and top-seeded Andrea Jaeger won the singles titles.


1981 U.S. Clay Court Championships, Finals, Men's Doubles
Kevin Curren /  Steve Denton defeated  Raúl Ramírez /  Van Winitsky 6–3, 5–7, 7–5


1981 U.S. Clay Court Championships, Finals, Women's Doubles
JoAnne Russell /  Virginia Ruzici defeated  Sue Barker /  Paula Smith 6–2, 6–2


1981 U.S. Clay Court Championships – Men's Doubles
Third-seeds Kevin Curren and Steve Denton won the title and shared $12,000 after beating Raúl Ramírez and Van Winitsky in the final.


1981 U.S. Clay Court Championships – Men's Doubles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1981 U.S. Clay Court Championships – Men's Singles
Second-seed José Luis Clerc retained the title by defeating Ivan Lendl in the final and claimed first prize money of $32,000.


1981 U.S. Clay Court Championships – Men's Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1981 U.S. Clay Court Championships – Women's Doubles
Second-seeded JoAnne Russell and Virginia Ruzici won the title and $9,600 first-prize money after defeating Sue Barker and Paula Smith in the final.


1981 U.S. Clay Court Championships – Women's Doubles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1981 U.S. Clay Court Championships – Women's Singles
Top-seed Andrea Jaeger won the final and $27,500 first prize money by defeating second-seeded Virginia Ruzici in the final.


1981 U.S. Clay Court Championships – Women's Singles, Seeds
The top eight seeds received a bye into the second round. A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1981 U.S. Open (golf)
The 1981 U.S. Open was the 81st U.S. Open, held June 18–21 at the East Course of Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia. David Graham won his second major title and became the first Australian to win the U.S. Open, three strokes ahead of runners-up George Burns and Bill Rogers.


1981 U.S. Open (golf)
After a first round 66, Jim Thorpe made history as the first African-American since 1896 to lead the U.S. Open. Burns took a one-stroke lead over Graham with a 66 in the second round, then increased his lead to three strokes after 54 holes.


1981 U.S. Open (golf)
In the final round on Sunday, Graham shot one of the most precise rounds in U.S. Open history. He hit every green in regulation, missed just one fairway, and recorded four birdies, missing several other opportunities from within 10 feet (3 m). The only bogey was a three-putt at the fifth, after his approach shot stopped above the hole. After a string of eight pars, Graham finally passed Burns with birdies at the 14th and 15th holes. Graham carded a 67 to Burns' 73 to win by three strokes. Rogers shot 69 to tie Burns for 2nd and won the British Open four weeks later.


1981 U.S. Open (golf)
This was the fourth U.S. Open played at Merion, all at its East Course. Previous editions were hosted in 1934, 1950, and 1971. At 6,544 yards (5,984 m), the same length as 1971, it was the shortest U.S. Open course since 1947. With heavy rains softening the course before the tournament, 93 rounds of par 70 or better were recorded. Fifteen players were under par after 36 holes, but only five finished under par for the four rounds. Five more were at even par 280, including defending champion Jack Nicklaus, a four-time winner.


1981 U.S. Open (golf)
After 1981, the U.S. Open was not played at Merion until 2013.


1981 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Second round
Amateurs: Rassett (E), Norton (+8), Pavin (+9), DeFrancesco (+10), White (+10), Sindelar (+11), Faxon (+12), Lawrence (+14), Sanchez (+14), Moore (+15), Mudd (+15), Yokoi (+15), Biancalana (+16), Jones (+16), Ludwig (+16), Magee (+17), Hurter (+21), Brodie (+22).


1981 U.S. Pro Indoor
The 1981 U.S. Pro Indoor was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was a WCT tournament that was part of the 1981 Volvo Grand Prix circuit. The tournament was played at the Spectrum Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States and was held from January 26 through February 1, 1981. Seventh-seeded Roscoe Tanner won the singles title.


1981 U.S. Pro Indoor, Finals, Doubles
Marty Riessen /  Sherwood Stewart defeated  Brian Gottfried /  Raúl Ramírez 6–2, 6–2


1981 U.S. Pro Indoor – Doubles
Peter Fleming and John McEnroe were the defending champions, but McEnroe did not participate this year. Fleming partnered Sandy Mayer, losing in the semifinals.


1981 U.S. Pro Indoor – Doubles
Marty Riessen and Sherwood Stewart won the title, defeating Brian Gottfried and Raúl Ramírez 6–2, 6–2 in the final.


1981 U.S. Pro Indoor – Singles
Jimmy Connors was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals this year.


1981 U.S. Pro Indoor – Singles
Roscoe Tanner won the title, defeating Wojtek Fibak, 6–2, 7–6, 7–5 in the final.


1981 U.S. Pro Tennis Championships
The 1981 U.S. Pro Tennis Championships was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor green clay courts at the Longwood Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. The event was part of the Super Series of the 1981 Volvo Grand Prix circuit. It was the 54th edition of the tournament and was held from July 13 through July 19, 1981. First-seeded José Luis Clerc won the singles title.


1981 U.S. Pro Tennis Championships, Finals, Doubles
Pavel Složil /  Raúl Ramírez defeated  Hans Gildemeister /  Andrés Gómez 6–4, 7–6


1981 U.S. Women's Open
The 1981 U.S. Women's Open was the 36th U.S. Women's Open, held July 23–26 at La Grange Country Club in LaGrange, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago.


1981 U.S. Women's Open
Three strokes back after 54 holes, Pat Bradley shot a final round 66 (−6) to win her only U.S. Women's Open, one stroke ahead of runner-up Beth Daniel. It was the second of Bradley's six major titles.


1981 U.S. Women's Open
Kathy Whitworth had her best chance to win the U.S. Women's Open, the only major championship to elude her. She co-led after 18 and 36 holes, and led by a stroke over Bonnie Lauer after the third round. Both faded on Sunday as Whitworth carded a 74 (+2) to finish five strokes back in solo third. With that, she became the first to exceed one million dollars in career earnings on the LPGA Tour.


1981 U.S. Women's Open
The course hosted the championship seven years earlier in 1974.


1981 UAE national football team results
This article details the fixtures and results of the UAE national football team in 1981.


1981 UAE national football team results
The national side were invited to the 1981 Merdeka Cup run annually by the Malaysian football federation in honour of the Hari Merdeka which is a national day of Malaysia commemorating the independence of the Federation of Malaya from British colonial rule. This gave the national team an opportunity to play competitive football against other Asian nations generally from outside of the Persian Gulf region.


1981 UC Davis Aggies football team
The 1981 UC Davis football team represented the University of California, Davis in the 1981 NCAA Division II football season. UC Davis competed in the Far Western Conference (FWC).


1981 UC Davis Aggies football team
The Aggies were led by head coach Jim Sochor in his 12th year. They played home games at Toomey Field. UC Davis finished the season as champion of the FWC for the 11th consecutive season and it was their 12th consecutive winning season. The Aggies finished the regular season with a record of six wins and four losses (6–4, 4–1 FWC). The Aggies outscored their opponents 163–140 for the 1981 season.


1981 UC Davis Aggies football team
The conference loss against Humboldt State broke a streak of 38 consecutive conference victories that started in the 1973 season. However, the four conference wins to end the season started a new streak that would last the next nine years, 52 straight conference wins.


1981 UC Davis Aggies football team, NFL Draft
No UC Davis Aggies players were selected in the 1982 NFL Draft.


1981 UCF Knights football team
The 1981  UCF Knights football season was Don Jonas's third and final year as the head coach of the Knights. Jonas led the team to an overall record of 4–6. The Knights competed as an NCAA Division III Independent. This would be the final year the school competed at the Division III level.


1981 UCF Knights football team
The team played their home games at Orlando Stadium, now known as the Citrus Bowl, in Downtown Orlando.


1981 UCI Road World Championships
The 1981 UCI Road World Championships took place on 30 August 1981 in Prague, Czechoslovakia.


1981 UCI Road World Championships, List of professional riders
NB : List of teams by number of riders then alphabetically. The maximum number of riders per team was 12, plus the titleholder Bernard Hinault. The number of riders at the start was 112 with 69 finishers (43 abandoned)


1981 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race
The men's road race at the 1981 UCI Road World Championships was the 48th edition of the event. The race took place on Sunday 30 August 1981 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. The race was won by Freddy Maertens of Belgium.


1981 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
The 1981 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place in Brno, Czechoslovakia in 1981. Fourteen events were contested, 12 for men (5 for professionals, 7 for amateurs) and 2 for women.


1981 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Competitors, The Netherlands
The next riders were selected by the KNWU after the Dutch national championships and were published on 10 August 1981.


1981 UCLA Bruins football team
The 1981 UCLA Bruins football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth year under head coach Terry Donahue, the Bruins compiled a 7–4–1 record (5–2–1 Pac-10), finished in a tie for fourth place in the Pacific-10 Conference, and lost to Michigan in the 1981 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl.


1981 UCLA Bruins football team
UCLA's offensive leaders in 1981 were quarterback Tom Ramsey with 1,793 passing yards, running back Kevin Nelson with 883 rushing yards, and wide receiver Cormac Carney with 539 receiving yards.


1981 UCLA Bruins football team
This was the Bruins' final season at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, their home field since 1928, sharing with the USC Trojans. UCLA moved to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for the 1982 season.


1981 UCLA Bruins football team, Season summary, at USC
Norm Johnson's game-winning 46-yard field goal attempt was blocked in the final seconds and UCLA lost its opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl.


1981 UCLA Bruins football team, 1982 NFL Draft
The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.


1981 UEFA Cup Final
The 1981 UEFA Cup Final was an association football match played over two legs between AZ '67 of the Netherlands and Ipswich Town of England. The first leg was played at Portman Road, Ipswich, on 6 May 1981 and the second leg was played on 20 May 1981 at the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam. It was the final of the 1980–81 season of European cup competition, the UEFA Cup. Both Ipswich and AZ '67 were appearing in their first European final.


1981 UEFA Cup Final
Each club needed to progress through five rounds to reach the final. Matches were contested over two legs, with a match at each team's home ground. The majority of Ipswich's ties were won by at least two goals, the exception being the second round against Bohemians of Prague, which Ipswich won 3–2 on aggregate. AZ '67's early ties were one-sided: they won the first three rounds by at least five goals on aggregate but their quarter-final and semi-final ties were won on aggregate by a single goal.


1981 UEFA Cup Final
Watched by a crowd of 27,532 at Portman Road, Ipswich took the lead in the first leg when John Wark scored from the penalty spot. Second half goals from Frans Thijssen and Paul Mariner meant Ipswich won the first leg 3–0. Therefore, in the second leg at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam, Ipswich had to avoid losing by three clear goals to win the competition. A crowd of 28,500 watched Ipswich take an early lead courtesy of a Thijssen goal. AZ '67 quickly equalised through Kurt Welzl before taking the lead after a goal from Johnny Metgod. Wark scored again for Ipswich to equalise the leg, but AZ '67 struck back through Pier Tol and Jos Jonker. No further goals were scored and Ipswich won the final 5–4 on aggregate to win their first and, as of 2020, only European trophy.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Background
The UEFA Cup was an annual football club competition organised by UEFA between 1971 and 2009 for eligible clubs. It was the second-tier competition of European club football, ranking below the UEFA European Cup. From 2010, the UEFA Cup evolved into the Europa League. Ipswich Town had made their first appearance in European football in the 1962–63 European Cup and, before the 1980–81 season, their most successful tournament was the 1973–74 UEFA Cup, where they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Lokomotive Leipzig. This was Ipswich's eighth European campaign. AZ's first European experience was in the 1978–79 UEFA Cup where they reached the second round, losing 5–4 on penalties to FC Barcelona. The 1980–81 UEFA Cup campaign was their third season in European football.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Background
Ipswich Town qualified for the 1980–81 UEFA Cup as a result of finishing third in the Football League First Division the previous season, behind Manchester United, who also qualified for the UEFA Cup, and Liverpool, who qualified for the 1980–81 European Cup. AZ '67 finished the 1979–80 Eredivisie season in second place, three points behind champions Ajax. Ipswich and AZ had faced each other in two matches before, in the two-legged first round of the 1978–79 European Cup Winners' Cup which the English club won 2–0 on aggregate.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Route to the final, Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich's 1980–81 UEFA Cup campaign commenced in the first round against the Greek team Aris Salonika. The first leg, at Ipswich's home ground Portman Road, was an ill-disciplined match which saw Aris' Giorgos Foiros sent off after a second yellow card towards the end of the first half. Ipswich were awarded three penalties, all of which were converted by John Wark, who scored a fourth from open play.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Route to the final, Ipswich Town F.C.
Paul Mariner struck a fifth for Ipswich before Aris scored from the spot through Theodoros Pallas in what would be a consolation goal in a 5–1 win for Ipswich, described as a "sparkling" victory by the Belfast Telegraph. Two weeks later, Aris won 3–1 in the return leg, taking an early 2–0 lead with goals from Thalis Tsirimokos and Konstantinos Drampis, before Eric Gates pulled one back for Ipswich. Although Zeleliolis scored a third for Aris midway through the second half, Ipswich progressed to the next round 6–4 on aggregate, where they faced Bohemians of Prague.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Route to the final, Ipswich Town F.C.
A 3–0 home win saw Wark score twice more; he was then substituted off with a tendon injury, to be replaced by Kevin Beattie who scored a third for Ipswich with a free kick, described in The Times as a "thunderbolt". The goal would prove to be pivotal as Ipswich, without regular goalkeeper Paul Cooper, midfielder Frans Thijssen and striker Mariner, all through injury, lost the away leg 2–0 with goals from Antonín Panenka and Tibor Mičinec. Ipswich still qualified for the third round 3–2 on aggregate.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Route to the final, Ipswich Town F.C.
Three weeks later, Ipswich faced Widzew Łódź from Poland, who had defeated Manchester United and Juventus in previous rounds, at Portman Road. Wark once again found the net, scoring a hat-trick; goals from Alan Brazil and Mariner completed a comprehensive 5–0 victory. The only negative was a trip to hospital for Mick Mills for 15 stitches in a cut to his shin. On a frozen pitch which many observers considered to be dangerous, Widzew Łódź won the away leg 1–0 with Marek Pięta scoring for them but went out 5–1 on aggregate. The lead from the first leg allowed the Ipswich manager Bobby Robson to withdraw Mariner and Arnold Mühren: he noted at the time that he was prioritising Ipswich's league challenge.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Route to the final, Ipswich Town F.C.
After a three-month break, Ipswich faced the French team AS Saint-Étienne in the quarter-finals in March 1981, the first leg being held in the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. The Dutch player Johnny Rep put the home team in the lead after 16 minutes, but a brace from Mariner and goals from Mühren and Wark ensured Ipswich took a 4–1 lead into the second leg. The victory against the French team has been described by the Ipswich Star as one of the greatest performances in Ipswich's history.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Route to the final, Ipswich Town F.C.
Robson noted: "We have demolished a good side with one of the best victories anyone has achieved in Europe in the past ten years." Ipswich won the game at Portman Road 3–1 with goals from Terry Butcher, Mariner and another penalty from Wark, while Saint-Étienne's consolation goal came from Jacques Zimako. Winning the tie 7–2 on aggregate, Ipswich progressed to the semi-finals where they met the German side 1. FC Köln.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Route to the final, Ipswich Town F.C.
Both legs finished 1–0 to Ipswich: Wark scored again in the home leg, his 12th goal of the European campaign, and Butcher headed in a Mills free kick in Cologne. The 2–0 aggregate victory ensured that Ipswich qualified for their first (and, as of 2021, their only) European cup final, where they would face Dutch team AZ '67.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Route to the final, AZ '67
AZ '67 started their European campaign in the first round at home against the Luxembourg team Red Boys Differdange, against whom AZ had won 16–1 on aggregate in the opening round of the 1977–78 UEFA Cup. This time, the first leg ended 6–0 with goals from Hugo Hovenkamp, Kristen Nygaard, Jan Peters (2), Kurt Welzl and Pier Tol. The second leg, played in front of 1,500 spectators at the Stade du Thillenberg, Differdange, ended in a 4–0 victory to the Dutch team, which included a Kees Kist hat-trick.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Route to the final, AZ '67
In the second round, AZ faced the Bulgarian side Levski Spartak with the first leg held at the Georgi Asparuhov Stadium in Sofia. Kist put the Dutch club ahead early in the second half but Emil Spasov equalised and the game ended 1–1. The second leg was one-sided as AZ won 5–0 in front of 15,000 spectators at the Alkmaarderhout. Tol scored the opening goal in the first half, and second-half goals from Nygaard, Kist, Peters, and a second from Tol ensured a 6–1 aggregate victory and qualification for the third round against the Yugoslav team Radnički Niš.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Route to the final, AZ '67
The first leg was played at the Čair Stadium in Niš in front of a crowd of 27,000 and once again saw AZ take the lead through a first-half Tol goal. Radnički Niš equalised early in the second half with a penalty from Dragan Pantelić before AZ regained the lead with a goal from Kist. With less than ten minutes remaining, Aleksandar Panajotović equalised for Niš and the game ended 2–2. At home, AZ once again dominated their opposition, with another Kist hat-trick and goals from Nygaard and Welzl ending the game 5–0 and the tie 7–2 on aggregate to the Dutch club.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Route to the final, AZ '67
Three months later, AZ faced their quarter-final opponents Lokeren of Belgium. The first leg was played at the Alkmaarderhout in front of 13,400 spectators. Two first half goals, from Tol and Welzl, settled the match and AZ took a 2–0 advantage into the second leg. The second leg saw AZ's only defeat on their route to the final, losing 1–0 to a first-half René Verheyen goal, but the Dutch side still progressed to the semi-final, winning 2–1 on aggregate. The first leg of the semi-final, against French opponents Sochaux took place at the Stade Auguste Bonal in Montbéliard.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Route to the final, AZ '67
Peter Arntz opened the scoring for AZ early in the match, but Bernard Genghini equalised soon after, and the game ended 1–1. The second leg, at the Alkmaarderhout, saw Sochaux take an early lead through Genghini before goals from Metgod, Jonker and Peters gave the Dutch team an aggregate 4–2 lead. Thierry Meyer scored a late consolation goal for the French club but the game ended 3–2 to AZ, and the Dutch team qualified for their first European cup final.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, First leg, Summary
Heading into the first leg of the 1981 UEFA Cup Final, several of the Ipswich team played despite carrying injuries: Thijssen was suffering a groin strain, Mariner had an Achilles tendon injury, and Cooper was forced to wear a protective covering for an arm injury sustained in the previous domestic match against Middlesbrough. Gates had also just recovered from a calf injury. This was the club's 65th match of the season. AZ '67, who had defeated Feyenoord in the Eredivisie to win the Dutch league title with six games to spare in their previous match, were able to play their full-strength side, Kist replacing Welzl in the starting eleven.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, First leg, Summary
The first leg took place at Portman Road on 6 May 1981 in front of a crowd of 27,532. Ipswich were denied a strong penalty appeal in the second minute of the first half when the referee, Adolf Prokop, waved away appeals after Gates was brought down by AZ's Richard van der Meer. Butcher exploited AZ's renowned weakness in the air, but his header went just wide, before a shot from Gates was palmed out by the AZ goalkeeper Eddy Treijtel.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, First leg, Summary
During the first third of the match, Ipswich won several corners without capitalising but were caught offside numerous times by a disciplined AZ defensive line. Ipswich took the lead through Wark, who had recently been named the PFA Players' Player of the Year, scoring from the penalty spot after 30 minutes following a Hovenkamp handball. It was Wark's 13th goal of the European campaign and which ensured that he had scored in every round of the competition. Russell Osman cut out Tol's subsequent breakaway chance before Thijssen's 39th-minute strike flew over the bar. No further goals were scored and the half ended 1–0 to Ipswich.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, First leg, Summary
A minute into the second half, Ipswich doubled their lead with a header from Dutchman Frans Thijssen after his initial shot was saved by Treijtel. A third goal for Ipswich, this time from Mariner after Brazil had beaten his opposition player and put in a low pass to the near post, saw the English team win the game and take a 3–0 lead into the second leg at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, First leg, Summary
Such was Ipswich's dominance that they restricted AZ to a single shot on target throughout the match, and only conceded the first corner midway through the second half. Thijssen was named man of the match. After the game, the AZ coach Georg Keßler was circumspect: "there are another 90 minutes to play, but naturally it will be very difficult for us." Robson's future at Ipswich was subject to debate as he had been linked to other clubs including Sunderland, who had offered him a then-British record of £1 million over ten years. He noted: "if we lose this three goal lead in the second leg, I am definitely leaving this club, you can quote me on that."


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Second leg, Summary
Ipswich were able to name an unchanged line up for the second leg of the 1981 UEFA Cup Final. Both Thijssen and Mariner had responded positively to treatment during the two-week break between the final legs. Van der Meer was the only injury problem for AZ '67.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Second leg, Summary
The second leg took place at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam on 20 May 1981 in front of a crowd of 28,500. Ipswich took 6,000 travelling fans to the game. Thijssen scored four minutes into the game following a poor clearance of a Gates corner by AZ's Peter Arntz, giving Ipswich a 4–0 aggregate lead. Almost immediately AZ struck back: Hovenkamp's long ball into the area to Metgod brought Cooper out to challenge, but Metgod chipped the ball to Austrian striker Welzl whose header made the score 1–1.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Second leg, Summary
Welzl clipped the post shortly afterwards before a Peters cross was headed home by an unmarked Metgod. Wark scored in the 38th minute with a well-struck shot from a corner, before Tol headed in a Jonker pass to make the aggregate score 5–3. Cooper made two saves late in the second half which were described by Mike Green writing in the Aberdeen Press and Journal as "superb", including one to deny a Welzl header from 6 yards (5.5 m). Jonker scored AZ's fourth of the day with a 25-yard free kick with 16 minutes to go. Despite most of the later action taking place in the Ipswich penalty area, the English club held on to win 5–4 on aggregate, and Cooper was named man of the match.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Second leg, Summary
Mühren, one of two Dutchmen playing for Ipswich, later recalled: "most teams would have given up, but AZ suddenly had wings ... AZ seemed possessed that night ... we really had to give all we had to reach the end, by the skin of our teeth – relieved and happy." Robson noted: "it was a little bit of a knife edge and showed we needed those three goals from the home match. It was a nervy performance."


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Post-match
Ipswich's Wark set a competition record by scoring 14 goals, equalling the long-standing scoring record in a European competition, set by José Altafini of A.C. Milan in the 1962–63 European Cup. The tally was later exceeded by Jürgen Klinsmann, who scored 15 in the 1995–96 UEFA Cup. A civic reception was held on 24 May 1981 where around 50,000 supporters were present at Ipswich Town Hall to see the team and the trophy.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Post-match
At the event, Robson announced that he would remain with Ipswich for the following season, having turned down Sunderland and opting not to apply for the Manchester United manager's position. He left Ipswich in 1982 to become the England national football team manager, leading England to the semi-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup. This was the best result for the nation since another former Ipswich manager, Alf Ramsey, led the country to World Cup victory in 1966.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Post-match
Ipswich's defence of the UEFA Cup started in September 1981 against Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen. The first leg ended 1–1 with Thijssen scoring for Ipswich and John Hewitt equalising. The second leg at Pittodrie saw both Gordon Strachan and John Wark score from the penalty spot before Peter Weir settled the tie with two goals. Ipswich went out of the cup 4–2 on aggregate. After that, Ipswich's most successful campaign to-date was when they made it to the third round of the 2001–02 UEFA Cup.


1981 UEFA Cup Final, Post-match
The season after the final, AZ '67 played in the European Cup where they were eliminated in the second round 5–4 on aggregate by Liverpool. Subsequently, AZ '67's most successful European football campaign was when they reached the semi-final of the 2004–05 UEFA Cup where they lost 4–3 on aggregate to the Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon.


1981 UEFA European Under-18 Championship
The UEFA European Under-18 Championship 1981 Final Tournament was held in West Germany.


1981 UEFA European Under-18 Championship squads
Players in bold have later been capped at full international level.


1981 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
The 1981 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 55th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.


1981 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Summary
The National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) released the annual returns, with totalisator turnover down 10%, at £72,950,373 and attendances down 10%, recorded at 4,943,396 from 5291 meetings. Attendances had decreased significantly for the second year running, although party due to 200 less meetings it was a worrying time for the industry. Track tote retention remained 17% and government tote tax 4%.


1981 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Summary
Decoy Boom, a fawn bitch was voted Greyhound of the Year. She won the BBC TV Trophy, GRA Stakes, Scottish Marathon, Stow Marathon and Longcross Cup.


1981 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Tracks
Chesterton Greyhound Stadium and Maidstone joined the NGRC permit scheme. Two independents opened Brownhills and Skegness.


1981 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, News
Tim Hale and Derek Bowman replaced Racing Manager Harry Bridger at Leeds; the track owners Ladbrokes later announced the site would be used for industrial development in the near future.


1981 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, News
Towards the end of the year the country suffered terrible weather and the majority of the horse racing fixtures were cancelled. This meant that extra afternoon race meetings were organised to help the betting shops. Extra fixtures were organised by Hackney, Bristol, Monmore, Cambridge, Romford and Crayford. This provided an opportunity for tracks to negotiate a better deal for the future to combat the drop in attendances blamed on the betting shops, however they failed to do so preferring to take short term cash benefits instead.


1981 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, News
The Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) announced that they had repaid two thirds of their debt. The business was doing well from its greyhound racing income which begged the question as to how the company allowed themselves to get into such debt in the first place.


1981 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, News
Leading trainer Pat Mullins died in March after collapsing whilst working at his kennels in Manningtree. He had suffered a heart attack the previous year and had been warned by doctors to avoid stress. His wife Linda Mullins would take over the kennels. The leading independent trainer Charlie Lister took out an NGRC licence and would soon gain some success, his first breakthrough was with Swift Band, who won the 1981 East Anglian Derby.


1981 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Competitions
Marbella Sky won the Scottish Greyhound Derby at Shawfield Stadium, and later finished runner up in the Edinburgh Cup at Powderhall Stadium. The greyhound (still a puppy) faced an exciting future but was then stolen from the Wakefield kennels of his trainer Ray Andrews. He was never recovered.


1981 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Competitions
A new major event was inaugurated at Wembley called the Blue Riband and would replace the long running Wembley Spring Cup which had been one of the first major competitions in the greyhound racing calendar. The Grand National at White City went to Bobcol trained by Norah McEllistrim; the black dog had already won the Springbok crown the previous year. The hurdler went on to score a hat-trick when travelling to Powderhall and winning the Scottish Grand National.


1981 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Competitions
Lauries Panther, a black and white dog, whelped in April, 1980 by Shamrock Sailor out of Lady Lucy, was owned by Laurie James and trained at Romford by Terry Duggan and appeared on the racing scene in the Bobby Jack Puppy Cup run at Wimbledon Stadium in November, followed by the Christmas Puppy Cup at Romford. He performed well and would be aimed at the Pall Mall Stakes the following year.


1981 UK Athletics Championships
The 1981 UK Athletics Championships was the national championship in outdoor track and field for the United Kingdom held at Antrim Stadium, Antrim. It was the first time that a national track and field championship was held in Northern Ireland.


1981 UK Athletics Championships
It was the fifth edition of the competition limited to British athletes only, launched as an alternative to the AAA Championships, which was open to foreign competitors. However, due to the fact that the calibre of national competition remained greater at the AAA event, the UK Championships this year were not considered the principal national championship event by some statisticians, such as the National Union of Track Statisticians (NUTS). Many of the athletes below also competed at the 1981 AAA Championships.


1981 UK Athletics Championships
David Ottley won his fourth straight title in the men's javelin throw. Among the athletes to defend their 1980 UK titles were Cameron Sharp (men's 100 metres), Carol Tyson (race walk) and Louise Miller (high jump). Three athletes won UK title doubles, all of them women: Linsey MacDonald won the short sprint double, Gillian Dainty took both middle-distance titles, while Venissa Head was both shot put and discus throw champion.


1981 UK Athletics Championships
The main international track and field competition for the United Kingdom that year was the 1981 European Cup. Reflecting the secondary status of the UK event at national level, none of the British individual medallists there were present at UK Championships, though all members of the medal-winning women's 4 × 400 metres relay reached the podium in Antrim (Linda Forsyth, Michelle Scutt, Verona Elder and Joslyn Hoyte-Smith).


1981 UK Championship
The 1981 UK Championship (also known as the 1981 Coral UK Championship for sponsorship reasons) was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place at the Guild Hall in Preston, England, between 22 November and 5 December 1981. This was the fifth edition of the UK Championship, the fourth staging of the competition in Preston, and the fourth consecutive UK Championship to be sponsored by Coral. The televised stages were shown on the BBC from 28 November through to the end of the championship.


1981 UMass Minutemen football team
The 1981 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Yankee Conference. The team was coached by Bob Pickett and played its home games at Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 1981 season saw the Minutemen win their thirteenth Yankee Conference title. UMass finished the season with a record of 6–3 overall and 4–1 in conference play.


1981 UNLV Rebels football team
The 1981 UNLV Rebels football team was an American football team that represented the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as an independent during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth year under head coach Tony Knap, the team compiled a 6–6 record.


1981 US Open (tennis)
The 1981 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the USTA National Tennis Center in New York City in New York in the United States. It was the 101st edition of the US Open and was held from September 1 to September 13, 1981.


1981 US Open (tennis), Seniors, Men's Doubles
Peter Fleming /  John McEnroe  defeated  Heinz Günthardt /  Peter McNamara by Walkover


1981 US Open (tennis), Seniors, Women's Doubles
Kathy Jordan /  Anne Smith defeated  Rosemary Casals /  Wendy Turnbull 6–3, 6–3


1981 US Open (tennis), Seniors, Mixed Doubles
Anne Smith /  Kevin Curren defeated  JoAnne Russell /  Steve Denton 6–4, 7–6(7–4)


1981 US Open – Men's Doubles
The Men's Doubles tournament at the 1981 US Open was held on September 1–13, 1981 on the outdoor hard courts at the USTA National Tennis Center in New York City, United States. Heinz Günthardt and Peter McNamara forfeited the title to Peter Fleming and John McEnroe in the final.


1981 US Open – Men's Singles
Two-time defending champion John McEnroe successfully defended his title, defeating Björn Borg in the final, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–3 to win the Men's Singles tennis title at the 1981 US Open. Due to his later retirement from the sport, the final would be the last major match of Borg's career.


1981 US Open – Men's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. John McEnroe is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1981 US Open – Mixed Doubles
Wendy Turnbull and Marty Riessen were the defending champions but lost in the first round to Wendy White and Mike Bauer.


1981 US Open – Mixed Doubles
Anne Smith and Kevin Curren won in the final 6–4, 7–6 (7–4) against JoAnne Russell and Steve Denton.


1981 US Open – Mixed Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1981 US Open – Women's Doubles
Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova were the defending champions but only Navratilova competed that year with Pam Shriver.


1981 US Open – Women's Doubles
Navratilova and Shriver lost in the semifinals to Rosemary Casals and Wendy Turnbull.


1981 US Open – Women's Doubles
Kathy Jordan and Anne Smith won in the final 6–3, 6–3 against Casals and Turnbull.


1981 US Open – Women's Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1981 US Open – Women's Singles
Third-seeded Tracy Austin defeated Martina Navratilova 1–6, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–1) in the final to win the Women's Singles tennis title at the 1981 U.S. Open. First-seeded Chris Evert was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Martina Navratilova. The loss ended Evert's streak of six consecutive US Open finals.


1981 US Open – Women's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Tracy Austin is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1981 US Open – Women's Singles Qualifying
Players who neither had high enough rankings nor received wild cards to enter the main draw of the annual US Open Tennis Championships participated in a qualifying tournament held over several days before the event.


1981 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The 1981 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships took place between June 20–21 at Hughes Stadium on the campus of Sacramento City College in Sacramento, California. The 20K racewalk was held May 3 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The decathlon was held at the University of California, Santa Barbara on June 27-8. The meet was organized by The Athletics Congress.


1981 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
In addition to being the National Championship, it was the selection meet to international teams including the 1981 IAAF World Cup.


1981 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
This meet was headlined by Carl Lewis, who would dominate the headlines in the sport for the next decade and a half.


1981 USC Trojans football team
The 1981 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth year under head coach John Robinson, the Trojans compiled a 9–3 record (5–2 against conference opponents), finished in a tie for second place in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10), and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 284 to 170.


1981 USC Trojans football team
Quarterback John Mazur led the team in passing, completing 93 of 194 passes for 1,128 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Marcus Allen led the team in rushing with 433 carries for 2,427 yards and 22 touchdowns. Jeff Simmons led the team in receiving yards with 28 catches for 543 yards and one touchdown. Allen became the first player in NCAA history to rush for over 2,000 yards in one season. He also gained a total of 2,683 offensive yards, led the nation in scoring, and won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award and was also the Pac-10 player of the year.


1981 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Tennessee
Marcus Allen 22 Rush, 210 Yds, 4 TD (sat out most of second half)


1981 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, UCLA
George Achica blocked Norm Johnson's game-winning 46-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds to preserve the USC victory.


1981 USSR Chess Championship
The 1981 Soviet Chess Championship was the 49th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 27 November to 22 December 1981 in Bishkek. The title was won by  Garry Kasparov and Lev Psakhis. Semifinals took place in Bălți, Cheliabinsk, Nikolayev and Saratov; The First League (also qualifying to the final) wad held at Volgodonsk.


1981 USSR Chess Championship, Qualifying, Semifinals
Semifinals took place at Bălți, Cheliabinsk, Nikolayev and Saratov in July 1981. The winners respectively were Viktor Gavrikov, Leonid Yudasin, Vladimir Tukmakov and Georgy Agzamov gaining a direct promotion to the final.


1981 UTEP Miners football team
The 1981 UTEP Miners football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas at El Paso in the Western Athletic Conference during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. After an 0–2 start to the season, fifth-year head coach Bill Michael was fired and replaced with assistant Billy Alton. The Miners then ended the season with one win and eight more losses and finished with an 1–10 record.


1981 Uber Cup
The 1981 Uber Cup was the tenth edition of the Uber Cup, the women's badminton team competition. The tournament took place in the 1980-81 badminton season. Japan won its fifth title after beating Indonesia in the Final Round in Tokyo.


1981 Uganda Cup
1981 Uganda Cup was the seventh season of the main Ugandan football Cup.


1981 Uganda Cup, Overview
The competition has also been known as the Kakungulu Cup and was won by Coffee Kakira who beat Uganda Commercial Bank FC 5-4 on penalties in the final. The score was level at 1-1 at the end of normal play.


1981 Uganda Cup, Overview
Results are not available for the earlier rounds, although it is known that Kampala City Council FC conceded a contentious match to Uganda Commercial Bank in the semi-final. KCC players were subsequently accused of match-fixing in particular Godfrey Kateregga who had a one-on-one against UCB’s keeper Jimmy Bossa Jnr but instead turned and sent a long back pass to his goalkeeper John Tebusweke. There appears to have been a reciprocal arrangement where UCB conceded a vital league match in order to assist KCC take the league title. The scandal has been identified as one of the most serious match fixing episodes in Ugandan football.


1981 Uganda National League
The 1981 Uganda National League was the 14th season of the Ugandan football championship, the top-level football league of Uganda.


1981 Uganda National League, Overview
The 1981 Uganda National League was contested by 17 teams and was won by Kampala City Council FC, while Coffee Kakira, NIC, Lint Marketing Board, Nsambya Old Timers, Mbale Heroes, Wandegeya FC and AT Millers were relegated.


1981 Uganda National League, Leading goalscorer
The top goalscorer in the 1981 season was Issa Ssekatawa of Nytil FC with 18 goals.


1981 United Airlines Tournament of Champions
The 1981 United Airlines Tournament of Champions was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Grenelefe Golf & Tennis Resort in Haines City, Florida in the United States. It was part of the Toyota International Series circuit of the 1981 WTA Tour and classified as a Category 7 event. It was the second edition of the tournament and was held from April 28 through May 3, 1981. First-seeded Martina Navratilova won her second consecutive singles title at the event and earned $50,000 first-prize money.


1981 United Airlines Tournament of Champions, Finals, Doubles
Martina Navratilova /  Pam Shriver defeated  Rosie Casals /  Wendy Turnbull 6–2, 6–1


1981 United Bank Classic
The 1981 United Bank Classic, also known as the Denver WCT, was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts in Denver, Colorado in the United States that was part of the 1981 Grand Prix circuit. It was the tenth edition of the tournament and took place from March 2 through March 8, 1981. First-seeded Gene Mayer won the singles competition.


1981 United Bank Classic, Finals, Doubles
Butch Walts /  Andrew Pattison defeated  Mel Purcell /  Dick Stockton 6–3, 6–4


1981 United Kingdom budget
The 1981 United Kingdom budget was delivered by Geoffrey Howe, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, to the House of Commons on 10 March 1981. It was Geoffrey Howe's second budget and the second of the first Thatcher ministry. The budget represented a strongly monetarist response to the stagflation and high government borrowing which the UK was suffering at the time. The budget speech lasted for 91 minutes.


1981 United Kingdom budget, Background
The budget was given during a time of significant economic malaise in the United Kingdom, with unemployment having increased by almost one million in the prior 12 months and inflation running at around 15%.


1981 United Kingdom budget, Measures
The budget increased net taxes by £4 billion (in 1981 prices).


1981 United Kingdom budget, Measures
A new 20% tax on North Sea oil was introduced.


1981 United Kingdom budget, Measures
A one-off windfall tax on certain bank deposits was introduced, in the form of a 2.5% levy on deposits of banking businesses, charged by reference to non-interest bearing sterling deposits in excess of £10 million averaged over the final three months of 1980. The tax was estimated to raise £400 million in total revenues (in 1981 prices).


1981 United Kingdom budget, Measures
There was no increase in income tax personal allowances or tax rate thresholds, resulting in a significant real-terms income tax rise as inflation was around 15% per year at the time.


1981 United Kingdom budget, Measures
The 25p rate of tax introduced by Labour in 1978 was abolished.


1981 United Kingdom budget, Measures
Duties were raised significantly, with duty on petrol increased by 20p per gallon, duty on a packet of 20 cigarettes increased by 13p, duty on beer increased by 4p, duty on spirits increased by 60p, and duty on wine increased by 12p.


1981 United Kingdom budget, Reception
The budget was highly controversial. A number of Conservative MPs walked out of the Commons while the chancellor was still speaking. The leader of the Opposition Michael Foot said of it "This is a budget to produce over three million unemployed".


1981 United Kingdom budget, Reception
A group of 364 economists wrote a letter to The Times newspaper which was strongly critical of the budget and expressed the view that there was "no basis in economic theory or supporting evidence" for its measures, and that it threatened the UK's "social and political stability".


1981 United Kingdom budget, Reception
One week after the budget was delivered, the Conservative member Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler crossed the floor of the House to join the SDP during a debate on the budget resolutions.


1981 United Kingdom census
The United Kingdom Census 1981 was a census of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland carried out on 5 April 1981. The census will be released after 100 years.


1981 United Kingdom local elections
Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in May 1981. The results were a mid-term setback for the Conservative government, which lost 1,193 seats, leaving them with 10,545 councillors. The projected share of the vote was more respectable for the government, however: Labour 41%, Conservatives 38%, Liberals 17%. This was in spite of opinion polls showing a much wider Labour lead over the Conservatives. These were the first elections to be contested by Labour under the leadership of Michael Foot, who had succeeded James Callaghan in late 1980.


1981 United Kingdom local elections
Elections took place for the county councils and the Greater London Council, which elected 50 Labour councillors, 41 Conservatives and 1 Liberal.


1981 United Kingdom local elections
In terms of the county councils, changes in party control were as follows;


1981 United Kingdom local elections
Conservative lose to no overall control: Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire


1981 United Kingdom local elections
Labour gained 988 overall seats, bringing their number of councillors to 8,999. These was the first electoral test for Labour leader Michael Foot, who had become Labour leader in November 1980.


1981 United Kingdom local elections
The Liberal Party gained 306 seats and finished with 1,455 councillors. The 1981 local elections were to be the last to be held before the Liberals formed an alliance with the new Social Democratic Party (SDP) in June 1981.


1981 United Kingdom local elections, England, Unicameral area
This was the last election to the council before it was abolished by the Local Government Act 1985.


1981 United Kingdom local elections, England, Metropolitan county councils
These were the last elections to the county councils before they were abolished by the Local Government Act 1985.


1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak
The 1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak is regarded as the largest recorded tornado outbreak in European history. In the span of 5 hours and 26 minutes during the late morning and early afternoon of 23 November 1981, 104 confirmed tornadoes touched down across Wales and central, northern and eastern England.


1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak
Although the majority of tornadoes were very weak, measuring FU-F1 on the Fujita scale, widespread property damage was reported, mainly from the small number of tornadoes which intensified to F2 strength. By the end of the outbreak, hundreds of properties across the country had been damaged.


1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak
Most of the tornadoes occurred in rural areas and small villages across central parts of the United Kingdom, although several large metropolitan areas were affected. The Liverpool area was the first to be struck by multiple tornadoes around 11:30, followed by the Manchester area around 12:00, the Hull area around 13:30 and the Birmingham area around 14:00. The strongest tornado of the outbreak, an F2 tornado, struck Holyhead in Anglesey, Wales at 10:30; the only other F2 tornado of the outbreak caused considerable damage in the village of Stoneleigh, Warwickshire around 14:00.


1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak
With 104 tornadoes, this single-day outbreak alone saw more confirmed tornadoes than any other whole year in British history – 1974 previously held the record, with 80 tornadoes across the whole year. At the time of the 1981 outbreak, there had only been one other tornado outbreak in recorded history which produced more than 100 tornadoes within 24 hours, that being the 1974 Super Outbreak in the United States. However, that outbreak included many more powerful tornadoes and resulted in hundreds of fatalities.


1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak, Meteorological background
On 22 November 1981, a rapidly deepening low-pressure extratropical cyclone was centred just off the northern coast of Scotland. The central pressure of this system was 994 mbar at 12:00 GMT on 22 November, deepening to 968 mbar by 12:00 GMT on 23 November.


1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak, Meteorological background
At the same time, a high-pressure anticyclone was pushing into southern England from mainland Europe. There was an unusually strong upper-level temperature gradient between the low- and high-pressure systems, with the low-pressure system funnelling in cold, arctic air from the north, clashing with humid, subtropical air moving up from southern Europe in the anticyclone.


1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak, Meteorological background
During the morning of 23 November, a cold front attached to the southern edge of the low-pressure area began to cross the United Kingdom from west to east. Fuelled by this temperature gradient and warm subtropical air to the south, a number of supercell thunderstorms became embedded within the southern edge of the cold front and its pre-frontal rain bands, spawning the first tornadoes over Wales around 10:30 GMT. By mid-afternoon, 104 tornadoes had been confirmed across the United Kingdom.


1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak, Meteorological background
Several days after the tornado outbreak, the high-pressure anticyclone to the south of the British Isles broke down, allowing colder arctic air to move in from the north, resulting in the start of a record-breaking cold wave.


1981 United Malays National Organisation leadership election
A leadership election was held by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party in 28 June 1981. It was won by then Deputy Prime Minister and then Deputy President of UMNO, Mahathir Mohamad.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection
A United Nations Secretary-General selection was held in 1981. Kurt Waldheim ran for an unprecedented third full term as Secretary-General, losing to Salim Ahmed Salim by one vote. However, the selection deadlocked through 16 rounds of voting as China vetoed Waldheim and the United States voted against Salim. The Security Council finally settled on a dark horse candidate who stayed home and did not campaign. Javier Pérez de Cuéllar was selected for a term beginning on 1 January 1982, becoming the first Secretary-General from Latin America.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection
The deadlock was finally broken by a system of straw polls, an innovation that became the standard method for selecting a Secretary-General in future open selections. Waldheim's defeat also confirmed the informal two-term limit on the office of Secretary-General, and Pérez's selection firmly established the principle of regional rotation.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Background
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. Therefore, candidates for the office can be vetoed by any of the permanent members.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Background
In 1981, Kurt Waldheim of Austria was finishing up his second term as Secretary-General, despite Chinese preferences for a Secretary-General from the Third World. In the 1971 selection, China preferred Felipe Herrera of Chile and vetoed Waldheim twice before abstaining. In the 1976 selection, China voted for Luis Echeverría Álvarez of Mexico and cast one symbolic veto against Waldheim. However, Waldheim crushed Echeverría in the second round by 14 votes to 3, and even China voted for Waldheim.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Candidates
On 11 September 1981, Waldheim announced his candidacy for an unprecedented third full term as Secretary-General. No previous Secretary-General had ever served more than two full terms. Although U Thant had been selected three times, his first two terms were short terms that added up to one full term. As Waldheim campaigned for re-selection, he received the endorsement of the United Kingdom and unofficial support from the United States, the Soviet Union, and France. However, Waldheim left Beijing empty-handed, and China again insisted that the next Secretary-General must come from the Third World.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Candidates
Salim Ahmed Salim of Tanzania was the only other candidate to be nominated. Salim was the President of the General Assembly and had the endorsement of the Organisation of African Unity and the Non-Aligned Movement, which added up to a majority of the votes in the General Assembly. In the Security Council, he could also count on China to veto the incumbent. However, Salim was opposed by the Reagan administration in the United States, which regarded him as an anti-American radical who was hostile to South Africa and supported Palestinian statehood. The Soviet Union also opposed Salim for his activism and his pro-China stance. However, the U.S. veto would allow the Soviet Union to abstain so that it could avoid voting against the Third World.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Candidates
Diplomats expected both candidates to receive the nine votes needed for selection as Secretary-General. However, the United States was expected to veto Salim, while China announced that it would veto Waldheim. Diplomats believed that China would eventually change its veto to an abstention, as it had done in 1971 and 1976.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Voting
On 27 October 1981, the Security Council met in closed session to select a Secretary-General. Salim won the first vote with 11 votes to Waldheim's 10. However, Salim was vetoed by the United States, and Waldheim was vetoed by China. Support for Salim dropped steadily until he received only 6 votes in the fourth round, as diplomats believed that the United States was irrevocably opposed to Salim's candidacy. However, China continued to veto Waldheim, and the Security Council adjourned after four ballots.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Voting
The Security Council voted twice more on 28 October 1981 and held another two ballots on 4 November 1981. Waldheim received 10–11 votes, while Salim received 8–9 votes. However, China continued to veto Waldheim, and the United States continued to veto or vote against Salim.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Voting
Vice President George H. W. Bush led the opposition to Salim, who had led the cheering in the General Assembly when Ambassador Bush lost a key vote on the Chinese seat at the U.N. in 1971. Meanwhile, Salim promised to act impartially if he became Secretary-General, as he would no longer have to represent his own country's interests as a Tanzanian delegate. Although he personally opposed apartheid, Salim said, "One is not secretary general of all nations minus South Africa, or anyone else."


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Voting
On 12 November 1981, U.S. representative Jeane Kirkpatrick checked into the hospital after suffering chest pains on a flight between Washington and New York City. After Kirkpatrick was released from the hospital, the Security Council met again on 17 November 1981 for a final effort. In eight rounds of voting, Waldheim dropped to 9 votes, his worst showing so far. Salim managed 9 votes in the first two rounds and then returned to his usual 8 votes. China and the United States each remained opposed to the other country's candidate.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Breaking the deadlock
Jeane Kirkpatrick described the situation as "a deadlock within a deadlock." The Security Council could not decide on a Secretary-General, but the Third World countries would not nominate any other candidates as long as Salim remained in the race. However, Salim would not withdraw from the race unless Waldheim also withdrew. Waldheim's aides claimed that they had been "deceived" by the Chinese into believing that there would only be a symbolic veto.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Breaking the deadlock
Carlos Ortiz de Rozas of Argentina, who had defeated Waldheim in the 1971 selection but was vetoed by the Soviet Union, expressed his opinion that no Secretary-General should serve more than two terms. Even Waldheim's supporters criticized him for allowing his personal ambition to damage the prestige of the Secretary-Generalship by seeking a third term.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Breaking the deadlock
U.S. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick suggested that the Security Council could start drafting candidates. As long as the candidate did not withdraw after being nominated, the Security Council could vote on him alongside Waldheim and Salim. Since Africa had already tried and failed to get Salim into the office, attention turned to potential candidates from Latin America.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Breaking the deadlock
In December, Olara Otunnu of Uganda took over the rotating Presidency of the Security-Council. Although Otunnu had led the campaign to select Salim, the new Security Council President sought to break the deadlock by asking both candidates to withdraw. On 3 December 1981, Kurt Waldheim announced that he would no longer allow his name to appear on further ballots. Salim Ahmed Salim waited a few days to see if the United States would withdraw its veto, but Salim also removed his name from the ballot on 8 December 1981. After six weeks of deadlock and an unprecedented 16 rounds of voting, the 1981 selection finally opened up to other candidates.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Breaking the deadlock, New candidates
Nine candidates were nominated for the position of position of Secretary-General. All of the candidates came from the Third World, as China had made it clear that it would only allow candidates from Africa, Asia, or Latin America.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Breaking the deadlock, New candidates
The Soviet Union was expected to veto several of the candidates. Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan had grown up in Europe and attended school in the United States. Shridath Ramphal headed the Commonwealth of Nations and had close ties to the United Kingdom. Latin American candidates were considered to fall within the U.S. sphere of influence. However, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar had extensive dealings with the Soviet Union, and he was the only Latin American candidate who was considered acceptable to the Soviets.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Breaking the deadlock, Straw poll and formal vote
Security Council President Olara Otunnu devised a procedure to narrow down the list of candidates. The Security Council would vote in a secret ballot, in which the permanent members received blue ballots and the non-permanent members received white ballots. The permanent members would vote to "discourage" candidates, while the rotating members would vote to "encourage" candidates. The President of the Security Council would ask candidates to withdraw from the race if they had been "discouraged" by a permanent member or did not receive enough votes from rotating members.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Breaking the deadlock, Straw poll and formal vote
On 11 December 1981, the Security Council met for the first straw poll. Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan won the poll but was vetoed by the Soviet Union. Javier Pérez de Cuéllar fell one vote short of the nine votes required for selection, but he received no vetoes. The Security Council applauded as Otunnu read out the results. With the selection now in its seventh week, the deadlock was finally broken. Pérez, a dark horse candidate who stayed in Lima during the selection and did not campaign for office, became the clear favorite. Otunnu immediately moved to a formal vote.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Breaking the deadlock, Straw poll and formal vote
The Security Council rallied around the favorite and selected Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru to be Secretary-General for a five-year term beginning 1 January 1982. The General Assembly ratified his selection by acclamation on 15 December 1981. Pérez became the first U.N. Secretary-General from Latin America.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Conclusions
Since the Third World held a majority of the votes in the General Assembly, diplomats expected that Waldheim would be the last European to hold the office, and all future Secretaries-General would come from the Third World. China's record 16 vetoes of Kurt Waldheim also established it as a power broker at the United Nations, after spending its first ten years on the sidelines.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Conclusions
However, the selection also demonstrated the limits to the Third World's diplomatic power. Although China succeeded in removing Kurt Waldheim, it was unable to replace him with a Third World activist like Salim Ahmed Salim. Both superpowers objected to Salim and were able to keep him out of office. The compromise candidate, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, had been closely associated with Waldheim and was acceptable to all sides. The Third World also failed to present a united front during the 16-round deadlock by voting as a bloc. A diplomat from the Third World explained, "China was allowed to save face but it was not in a position, in the end, to modify the prevailing order."


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, Conclusions
Many precedents were set in 1981 for future selections. Olara Otunnu won acclaim from diplomats for his role in breaking the deadlock. The straw poll procedure that he devised would be adapted for use in future Secretary-General selections. Kurt Waldheim's defeat confirmed the term limit of two full terms, and no Secretary-General would ever again run for a third term. China became the enforcer of regional rotation, announcing which regional group it would support in each selection. Contrary to expectations, Europe was not excluded from the rotation. After 35 years of U.N. Secretaries-General from the Third World, the 2016 selection was won by António Guterres of Portugal, who became the first European Secretary-General since Kurt Waldheim.


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, 1986 selection
As Javier Pérez de Cuéllar's first term came to a close in 1986, the United Nations faced mounting financial difficulties. After the United States Congress cut the U.S. contribution to the U.N., Pérez said that he would only serve another term if the Reagan administration would agree to pay the U.S. dues. Pérez, who had undergone quadruple-bypass surgery in August 1986, said, "I don't have to make a sacrifice and die with my ship." If he could live his life over again, he said he would have become a concert pianist instead of Secretary-General, "but in my country, that was only for girls."


1981 United Nations Secretary-General selection, 1986 selection
On 2 October 1986, ambassadors from the permanent members of the Security Council met with Pérez and drafted him to serve another term. On 10 October 1986, the Security Council voted unanimously to select Javier Pérez de Cuéllar for a second term as Secretary-General. Although Pérez received only "hints" of financial support for the U.N., he felt obligated to accept his selection. "To decline in such circumstances would have been tantamount to abandoning a moral duty toward the United Nations," he said in his acceptance speech.


1981 United Nations Security Council election
The 1981 United Nations Security Council election was held on 15 October 1981 during the Thirty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The General Assembly elected Guyana, Jordan, Poland, Togo, and Zaire (now D.R. Congo), as the five new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for two-year mandates commencing on 1 January 1982. Togo and Zaire were elected for the first time.


1981 United Nations Security Council election, Rules
The Security Council has 15 seats, filled by five permanent members and ten non-permanent members. Each year, half of the non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms. A sitting member may not immediately run for re-election.


1981 United Nations Security Council election, Rules
In accordance with the rules whereby the ten non-permanent UNSC seats rotate among the various regional blocs into which UN member states traditionally divide themselves for voting and representation purposes, the five available seats are allocated as follows:


1981 United Nations Security Council election, Rules
To be elected, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of those present and voting. If the vote is inconclusive after the first round, three rounds of restricted voting shall take place, followed by three rounds of unrestricted voting, and so on, until a result has been obtained. In restricted voting, only official candidates may be voted on, while in unrestricted voting, any member of the given regional group, with the exception of current Council members, may be voted on.


1981 United Nations Security Council election, Result
Voting was conducted on a single ballot. Ballots containing more states from a certain region than seats allocated to that region were invalidated.


1981 United States Grand Prix West
The 1981 United States Grand Prix West (officially the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach) was a Formula One motor race held on March 15, 1981, at Long Beach, California.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
Defending World Champion Alan Jones finished nine seconds ahead of teammate Carlos Reutemann, and won his first Long Beach Grand Prix, as the 1981 season finally began after a winter of controversy and legal battles. It was the third consecutive Grand Prix win for Jones, and his second consecutive in the United States, after seizing the 1980 Drivers' title with season-ending wins in Montreal, Canada and Watkins Glen, New York.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
The off-season had seen FISA (La Federation Internationale du Sport Automobile) and FOCA (the Formula One Constructors' Association) in conflict, ostensibly over FISA's scheduled ban of aerodynamic skirts on the cars, but also over financial control of the sport. After threatening to institute their own championship, FOCA agreed to the skirt ban on assurance of their continued control of the sport's finances and FISA's commitment to a four-year period of stability in the rules. Just 10 days prior to the season-opening race in Long Beach, the Concorde Agreement was signed in Paris, allowing all of the teams to appear.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
In the meantime, the South African race, run in February under FOCA's pre-agreement version of the rules, had been deprived of its World Championship status by the dispute, and the Argentinian race, originally scheduled in January, was moved to April.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
In addition to the new rules, Goodyear announced in December that it intended to withdraw immediately from all involvement in European racing. So, when the teams arrived in Long Beach for the first Championship race of the season, the Friday morning practice sessions were filled with frantic activity. Larger wings, softer springs and revised sidepods were in evidence for nearly everyone, trying to make up for the absence of the banned skirts. With all teams also using Michelin tires as well, many drivers were struggling to come to grips with a totally new set of challenges.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
When the teams arrived in the Los Angeles area town of Long Beach, the demanding and tight street circuit had been slightly modified from the year before- the second left-hander on Pine Avenue had been made a single-apex corner instead of a double-apex.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
On Saturday, yet another legal issue arose over the new twin-chassis Lotus 88, designed by Colin Chapman and Martin Ogilvie. A protest was lodged by a majority of the teams, although they did not specify what rules it was breaking. The car was initially approved by the FISA technical staff and passed by the scrutineers, allowing it to take part in Friday practice. Ultimately, however, the teams' appeal was allowed, the car was banned from the rest of the weekend and Lotus had to qualify and race the more conventional Lotus 81.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
On the track, in final qualifying, Riccardo Patrese and Alan Jones traded the top spot back and forth several times during the session. Patrese finally managed to take the pole, clinching his first ever and the first (and only) for his Arrows team, by .01 seconds. Jones's Williams teammate Reutemann was third, followed by Nelson Piquet's Brabham, the Ferrari of Gilles Villeneuve and Mario Andretti in his first race for Alfa Romeo. The all-American Tyrrell driver team had Eddie Cheever in eighth place, but Kevin Cogan missed the final qualifying spot by .07 seconds. It was the first time a Tyrrell had ever failed to make the grid.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
Sunday's weather, typical of Long Beach was perfect, but the first lap was not. Villeneuve made a wild charge down the outside off the grid and briefly took the lead, but he left his braking for the Queens Hairpin far too late. As he went wide, Patrese and the Williams pair of Reutemann and Jones all went through. Villeneuve was able to gather it in and rejoin in fourth, but Andrea de Cesaris did not, as he ran his McLaren into the back of both Alain Prost and Héctor Rebaque approaching the hairpin.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
After being hit, Prost's Renault slid across the track and shoved the Brabham of Rebaque into the wall. Prost and de Cesaris were out on the spot, but Rebaque was able to continue after pitting for four new tires. After one lap, the order was Patrese, Reutemann, Jones, Villeneuve, Piquet, Didier Pironi, Cheever and Andretti.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
For the first part of the race, Patrese led Reutemann by around one second with Jones another three seconds behind. Then, almost the length of the pit straight back, was Pironi, who had traded places with Villeneuve (fifth and third) but was now holding up a line of cars as Piquet desperately tried to get by.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
Lap 17 was a bad one for Ferrari as Piquet finally passed Pironi for fourth, and Villeneuve retired with a broken driveshaft. On lap 25, Reutemann took the lead from Patrese just a lap before Patrese pitted with a misfiring engine. He rejoined the race with a new spark box, but after two more stops for the same problem, finally retired with a broken fuel pickup.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
Patrese's retirement left Reutemann with a three-second lead over teammate Jones, who immediately began closing the gap by half a second per lap. Any questions about team orders letting the number one driver through were soon answered. On lap 32, while lapping Marc Surer's Ensign, Reutemann slid wide in the esses on Pine Avenue, and Jones went through for the lead. Within 12 laps, the defending World Champion had stretched out a lead of ten seconds. At the same time, Reutemann was extending his lead over Piquet to 36 seconds.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
On lap 41, Jacques Laffite tried to go by Cheever as they entered the right-hander after the pits. Instead, he ran into the back of the Tyrrell, bending the nose of his Ligier and damaging Cheever's gearbox. Laffite had to limp around the entire course, and as he was finally about to enter the pits, Bruno Giacomelli approached, with Jan Lammers between the two of them. Giacomelli started to pass both cars on the inside, but realized he couldn't when Laffite turned to enter the pit lane. Giacomelli tried to go around Lammers on the other side, but it was too late. He ran over Lammers's ATS, pushing him into the wall.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
Laffite's retirement interrupted an extended battle with Pironi, Cheever and Andretti for fourth place. Andretti passed Cheever for fifth on lap 43, then traded fourth several times with Pironi, before finally taking the position for good on lap 54. Pironi's Ferrari had developed a fuel feed problem and Cheever was also able to go by to take fifth. In making the pass, however, he lost his damaged second gear, by far the one most used on the tight street circuit.


1981 United States Grand Prix West, Summary
The positions remained the same for the last quarter of the race with Jones and Reutemann easing up to take the third consecutive one-two for Williams. Piquet, having lost his shot at the leaders while bottled up behind Pironi, finished third, 35 seconds back. Mario Andretti thrilled the American crowd with his fourth place, just ahead of compatriot Eddie Cheever's Tyrrell in fifth. It was the first time for two Americans to finish in the points since Andretti and Mark Donohue at the 1975 Swedish Grand Prix.


1981 United States House of Representatives elections
There were five elections in 1981 to the United States House of Representatives:


1981 United States Virgin Islands constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in the United States Virgin Islands on 3 November 1981. The 30-member Constitutional Council was elected in 1980. The Council drew up and then adopted a draft constitution, but as with previous attempts in 1972 and 1979, the draft constitution was rejected by the voters.


1981 United States elections
The 1981 United States elections were off-year elections were held on Tuesday, November 3, 1981, comprising 2 gubernatorial races, 5 congressional special elections, and a plethora of other local elections across the United States. No Senate special elections were held.


1981 United States elections, Federal elections, United States House of Representatives special elections
In 1981, five special elections were held to fill vacancies to the 97th United States Congress. They were for Michigan's 4th congressional district, Maryland's 5th congressional district, Ohio's 4th congressional district, Mississippi's 4th congressional district, and Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district.


1981 United States elections, State and local elections
Several statewide elections were held this year, most notably the gubernatorial elections in two U.S. States.


1981 United States elections, State and local elections, Gubernatorial elections
Two gubernatorial elections were held in 1981 in New Jersey and the Commonwealth of Virginia and both states flipped parties.


1981 United States elections, State and local elections, Gubernatorial elections
Note: Candidates' vote percentages are rounded to the nearest tenth of one percent. Candidates earning 0.05% or more of the vote are included.


1981 United States elections, State and local elections, Legislative
Elections took place in the New Jersey Senate and Virginia House of Delegates. The Democrats maintained control of the New Jersey Senate but lost 2 seats. In Virginia, Democrats maintained control of the House of Delegates but lost 8 seats.


1981 United States gubernatorial elections
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 3, 1981, in two states and one territory. Both seats were open due to term limits, and both also switched parties, resulting in zero net change for both parties.


1981 United States gubernatorial elections, Election results
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1981 University of London Chancellor election
The 1981 University of London election for the position of Chancellor was called upon when the incumbent Chancellor, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother announced in December 1980 that she was retiring from the position. It was the first occasion in the university's history when the position was formally contested.


1981 University of London Chancellor election, Electorate and rules
The electorate consisted of the entire graduate body of the University of London, as assembled in Convocation, a right secured in 1898. Anyone holding a University of London degree and who had paid a £5 registration fee was entitled to vote, making for a total electorate of around 83,000.


1981 University of London Chancellor election, Electorate and rules
To be nominated a candidate required the signature of ten members of Convocation. In the event of only one candidate standing they would be declared elected nem con. If more than one candidate stood, a postal ballot would be conducted.


1981 University of London Chancellor election, Candidates
Nominations closed on 22 December 1980. The following candidates were nominated:


1981 University of London Chancellor election, Course of the election
There was much criticism voiced in the press by graduates about the way in which the election was handled. Initially Princess Anne was the only candidate nominated, leading to some criticism amongst graduates, even though every previous Chancellor had been elected unopposed. Several expressed dismay that the election had been called at very short notice (when a period of up to six months was permissible under the regulations) and at a time when the postal service was slower than usual, due to the extra demands of Christmas, making it harder to get the ten signatures together to stand. The University's standing committee came in for especial criticism for the deadlines it set.


1981 University of London Chancellor election, Course of the election
At the formal meeting of Convocation two motions were passed regarding the way the election had been conducted. The university's standing committee was censured for "unseemly and unbecoming haste" in the first motion, whilst the second motion demanded that in future there be a minimum of three months between the resignation/death of the Chancellor and the close of nominations.


1981 University of London Chancellor election, Result
The deadline for the return of ballots was 14 February. Originally the results of the election were due to be declared on 16 February but due to a higher than expected number of ballot papers being returned the declaration delayed by a day. In total some 42,212 ballot papers were submitted, in contrast to the last contested election by Convocation in which only 5,083 ballots were returned for the position of chairperson.


1981 Uruguayan Primera División, Overview
It was contested by 15 teams, and Peñarol won the championship.


1981 Utah State Aggies football team
The 1981 Utah State Aggies football team represented Utah State University during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA). The Aggies were led by sixth-year head coach Bruce Snyder and played their home games at Romney Stadium in Logan, Utah. They finished the season with a record of five wins, five losses, and one tie (5–5–1, 4–1 PCAA).


1981 Utah Utes football team
The 1981 Utah Utes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Utah during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Head coach Wayne Howard led the team to a 5–1–1 mark in the WAC and 8–2–1 overall.


1981 VFA season
The 1981 Victorian Football Association season was the 100th season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the 21st season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Port Melbourne Football Club, after it defeated Preston in the Grand Final on 20 September by 113 points; it was Port Melbourne's 14th Division 1 premiership, the second of three premierships won in a row between 1980 and 1982, and the fifth of six premierships won in nine seasons from 1974 until 1982. The Division 2 premiership was won by Camberwell; it was the club's second Division 2 premiership, and it was the last premiership ever won by the club.


1981 VFA season, Rule changes
After trialling it during the 1980 finals series, two field umpires were used during all Division 1 matches in 1981. Division 2 continued to be officiated by a single field umpire during the home-and-away season, and by two field umpires during finals.


1981 VFA season, Rule changes
One consequence of this was that the Liston Trophy voting procedure changed. Previously, in both the Liston Trophy and Field Medal, the field umpire and each of the two goal umpires had independently awarded votes to the best two players on the ground on a 2–1 basis. This year in Division 1, each field umpire but neither of the goal umpires awarded Liston Trophy votes on the same 2–1 basis as before; in Division 2, Field Medal voting procedures were unchanged.


1981 VFA season, Division 1
The Division 1 home-and-away season was played over 18 rounds; the top four then contested the finals under the Page–McIntyre system. The finals were played at the Junction Oval.


1981 VFA season, Division 2
The Division 2 home-and-away season was played over eighteen rounds; the top four then contested the finals under the Page–McIntyre system; all finals were played on Sundays at Toorak Park.


1981 VFA season, Notable events, Interleague matches
For the first time, the Association named separate representative teams for Division 1 and Division 2. The Division 1 team played a match against the Greater Northern Football League, which was a short-lived amalgamation between the Launceston-based Northern Tasmanian Football Association and the north-west coastal North Western Football Union. Division 2 played against the South Australian Football Association, a second-tier senior competition which had been formed in Adelaide in 1978.


1981 VFL Grand Final
The 1981 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the   Carlton Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on  26 September 1981. It was the 85th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1981 VFL season. The match, attended by 112,964 spectators, was won by Carlton by a margin of 20 points, marking that club's 13th premiership victory. This match was the last one where these two great rivals clashed in a grand final.


1981 VFL Grand Final, Background
It was a rematch of the two teams that competed in the 1979 Grand Final, which Carlton had won by just five points. Collingwood was searching for its first flag since winning the 1958 VFL Grand Final. They had appeared in three of the last four Grand Finals, losing them all.


1981 VFL Grand Final, Background
At the conclusion of the home and away season, Carlton had finished first on the VFL ladder with 17 wins and 5 losses. Collingwood had finished second, also with 17 wins, but with an inferior percentage.


1981 VFL Grand Final, Background
In the finals series leading up to the Grand Final, Collingwood was defeated by Geelong by 14 points in the Qualifying Final before defeating Fitzroy by 1 point in the First Semi-Final. They advanced to the Grand Final after beating Geelong by 7 points in the Preliminary Final. Carlton had a much easier finals run, defeating Geelong in the Second Semi-Final by 40 points to progress straight through to the Grand Final.


1981 VFL Grand Final, Match summary
Captained by Mike Fitzpatrick, Carlton scored the last six goals of the game to emerge victorious. At one stage late in the third quarter Collingwood led by 21 points after a burst of five unanswered goals, before Carlton scored two late goals to go into three quarter time just 9 points behind.


1981 VFL Grand Final, Match summary
Some infighting in the Collingwood huddle resulted in Carlton taking all the momentum into the last quarter. Ken Sheldon kicked the opening goal of the final quarter to get Carlton within four points and then Rod Ashman kicked one to put them in front. Collingwood laid down, scoring just two points in the quarter and goals from Mark Maclure and David McKay sealed the win for Carlton.


1981 VFL Grand Final, Match summary
The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Carlton's Bruce Doull for being judged the best player afield. Collingwood captain Peter Moore famously threw away his runner-up medal after this game in a show of disgust. This was his fifth appearance in a Grand Final, all without success.


1981 VFL Grand Final, Match summary
This defeat gave Collingwood their third successive Grand Final loss and their fourth in five years. It was the final grand final loss of the infamous "Colliwobbles." They next appeared in a Grand Final nine years later, winning the 1990 AFL Grand Final. The win was Carlton's 13th premiership, drawing them level with Collingwood for the most premierships in VFL history—a record that Collingwood had held outright since 1929.