1981 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Montreal, Game 3
Ray Burris was called on in the potential clincher against Larry Christenson, hoping to keep the Phillies alive. In the second, Chris Speier's amazing postseason continued with another RBI single to give the Expos the lead. However, Manny Trillo's two-run single in the bottom of the second gave the Phillies the lead. Two more RBI singles made it 4–1 in the sixth. Two more runs for the Phillies in the seventh gave them six for the night. The Expos would get another on a sacrifice fly in the seventh but the score would remain 6–2 as the Phillies won.


1981 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Montreal, Game 4
Arguably the best game of the series took place in Game 4. Scott Sanderson started against Dickie Noles. The Phillies jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the first on a two-run homer by Mike Schmidt. Keith Moreland's two-run single made it 4–0 in the third. But the Expos refused to go quietly. Gary Carter homered to lead off the fourth to make it 4–1. A Jerry White sacrifice fly made it 4–2 in the fifth. The Expos would tie the game thanks to Chris Speier's RBI single and he would later score.


1981 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Montreal, Game 4
Gary Matthews would homer to give the Phillies the lead. Gary Carter would double to tie the game again in the seventh. In the bottom of the tenth, George Vukovich would walk the game off with a leadoff homer off Jeff Reardon. It tied the series at two games apiece and set up the deciding Game 5.


1981 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Montreal, Game 5
In Game 5, the defending Champions sent their best, Steve Carlton, to the mound. Carlton would once again face Steve Rogers. Carlton was hoping to avenge his Game 1 loss. Both pitchers kept the game scoreless into the fifth inning. A single and two walks loaded the bases for Rogers. In what proved to be the series winning hit, Rogers singled to center, scoring Larry Parrish and Chris Speier. An RBI double by Parrish in the sixth made it 3–0. That would be all Rogers would need.


1981 National League Division Series, Philadelphia vs. Montreal, Game 5
He allowed only six hits and one walk in a complete game shutout of the defending World Champions. His brilliance led the Expos to the NLCS and their first ever postseason series win. The Expos franchise would not advance in the postseason for another 38 years, until a win in the 2019 National League Wild Card Game as the Washington Nationals. They would not win another postseason series until the 2019 NLDS.


1981 National League season
The 1981 National League was contested as the second division/tier of Speedway in the United Kingdom.


1981 National League season, Summary
The league started with 20 teams with Nottingham Outlaws dropping out and Wolverhampton Wolves joining up, having moved down from the British League.


1981 National League season, Summary
Berwick Bandits were forced to quit after 26 league meetings, their record being expunged. Middlesbrough Tigers comfortably won their first ever title.


1981 National League season, Summary
Exeter Falcons rider Tony Sanford died following an accident at the County Ground Stadium on 7 September. He was racing in a match against Milton Keynes when he hit a barrier near the final bend. A memorial trophy was held in subsequent years in his memory.


1981 National League season, National League Knockout Cup
The 1981 National League Knockout Cup was the 14th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Edinburgh Monarchs were the winners of the competition.


1981 National League season, National League Knockout Cup, Final
Edinburgh were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 101–89.


1981 National Panasonic Classic
The 1981 National Panasonic Classic was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts in Perth, Australia that was part of the Category 4 tier of the 1981 WTA Tour. It was the second edition of the tournament and was held from 16 November through 22 November 1981. Third-seeded Pam Shriver won the singles title and earned $22,000 first-prize money.


1981 National Panasonic Classic, Finals, Doubles
Barbara Potter /  Sharon Walsh defeated  Betsy Nagelsen /  Candy Reynolds 6–4, 6–2


1981 National Panasonic Series
The '1981 National Panasonic Series' was an Australian motor racing contest for Formula Pacific and Australian Formula 2 racing cars. It was the inaugural National Panasonic Series.


1981 National Panasonic Series
The series, which was sponsored by National Panasonic, was won by Bruce Allison, driving a Ralt RT4.


1981 National Panasonic Series, Schedule
The series was contested over four rounds with two heats per round.


1981 National Panasonic Series, Points system
"Points" were allocated on a 20-19-18-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the first 20 places in each heat at each round and then aggregated for each driver to determine the actual round placings. Series points were then awarded, on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis, for the first six round placings.


1981 National Panasonic Series, Series results
The above table lists only the first three placings in the series.


1981 National Soccer League
The National Soccer League 1981 season was the fifth season of the Australian National Soccer League (NSL). The league was known as the Philips Soccer League (PSL) in a sponsorship arrangement with Dutch electronics company Philips. The champions were Sydney Slickers, winning their third title.


1981 National Soccer League, Changes from 1980
The league increased from 14 to 16 teams prior to the 1981 season. Despite finishing second last—ordinarily a relegation position—in 1980, West Adelaide (known as Adelaide Hawks in 1981) were retained for 1981. Wooden-spooner St George were the only team to be relegated, with three new teams being introduced - Preston Makedonia (nicknamed Rams in 1981) Sydney Olympic (Sydney Olympians in 1981) and Wollongong City (Wollongong Wolves).


1981 National Soccer League, Changes from 1980
Prior to the season commencing, in what was described as "Australianisation" of the national league, nicknames were imposed on the clubs, some of which were not popular with the teams themselves. Marconi President, Tony Labbozzetta expressed his dislike of the enforced nickname Leopards, suggesting "Call us Datsun", referring to a naming rights deal the club had made with the Japanese carmaker. Along with the new nicknames, new macho logos were introduced.


1981 National Soccer League, Changes from 1980
John Clark, a marketing executive at the Australian Soccer Federation, claimed that "we are not trying to take ethnicism out of soccer" and that they were trying to appeal to boys "not following in their fathers' footsteps, boys now into space invaders, Buck Rogers in the 25th century, who aren't following soccer."


1981 National Soccer League, Changes from 1980
The league consisted of a double round-robin format, played between February and September. The league was required to finish by the end of September due to Australia's hosting of the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship in October. Unlike the 1980 season, a post-season finals series was not held and the league championship was awarded to the team at the top of the table. The final series was reintroduced the following year.


1981 National Soccer League (Canada) season
The 1981 National Soccer League season was the fifty eighth season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began in May, 1981 and concluded in October, 1981 with the NSL Championship final where Hamilton Steelers defeated Toronto Italia in a two-legged series final. Hamilton would achieve a treble by also securing the regular season title, and defeating Toronto Ukrainians for the NSL Cup.


1981 National Soccer League (Canada) season, Overview
News of a potential Canadian national soccer league was confirmed when the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) officially sanctioned a proposal from a group known as Sports Professionals International Inc. Meanwhile on the National Soccer League (NSL) front the office of the league commissioner was established with league secretary Job Jones serving as the inaugural officeholder. A Canadianization policy was adopted by the league ownership in an attempt to limit the ethnically associated clubs. The membership in the league remained identical as the previous season with the Serbian White Eagles, and Sudbury Cyclones departing. The league retained its American representative with Detroit Besa returning and replacing the Buffalo Blazers.


1981 National Soccer League (Canada) season, Overview
The Hamilton Italo-Canadians returned under the name Hamilton Steelers. Toronto Italia participated in the Toronto International Soccer Tournament against Barcelona S.C., S.L. Benfica, and Leeds United F.C..


1981 National Society of Film Critics Awards
The 16th National Society of Film Critics Awards, given on 5 January 1982, honored the best filmmaking of 1981.


1981 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Picture
1. Atlantic City2. Reds3. Prince of the City4. Pixote (Pixote: a Lei do Mais Fraco)5. Pennies from Heaven


1981 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Director
1. Louis Malle – Atlantic City2. Sidney Lumet – Prince of the City3. Héctor Babenco – Pixote (Pixote: a Lei do Mais Fraco)


1981 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Actor
1. Burt Lancaster – Atlantic City2. Gene Hackman – All Night Long3. Henry Fonda – On Golden Pond


1981 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Actress
1. Marília Pêra – Pixote (Pixote: a Lei do Mais Fraco)2. Faye Dunaway – Mommie Dearest3. Diane Keaton – Reds


1981 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Supporting Actor
1. Robert Preston – S.O.B. 2. Jerry Orbach – Prince of the City3. Jack Nicholson – Reds


1981 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Supporting Actress
1. Maureen Stapleton – Reds2. Mona Washbourne – Stevie3. Lisa Eichhorn – Cutter's Way


1981 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Screenplay
1. John Guare – Atlantic City2. Warren Beatty and Trevor Griffiths – Reds3. Dennis Potter – Pennies from Heaven3. Jay Presson Allen and Sidney Lumet – Prince of the City


1981 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Cinematography
1. Gordon Willis – Pennies from Heaven2. Vilmos Zsigmond – Blow Out3. Vittorio Storaro – Reds


1981 Nations motorcycle Grand Prix
The 1981 Nations motorcycle Grand Prix was the fourth race of the 1981 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 8–10 May 1981 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.


1981 Navy Midshipmen football team
The 1981 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by ninth-year head coach George Welsh.


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
Abbott, Todd (So.) DEAlberico, Tim (So.) SEBachman, Ron (So.) DTBarnes, Ed #57 (So.) LBBates, Phil #43 (Sr.) FBBauer, Steve #94 (So.) MONBehning, Mark (So.) OTBess, Donnie #44 (Jr.) LBBourn, Don (So.) TEBrandl, Matt #58 (Sr.) OGBrown, Steve #95 (So.) DEBrown, Todd #29 (Jr.) SEBrungardt, Tim #32 (So.) IBBuchanan, Eric (So.) DECampbell, Grant #24 (Jr.) PCarlstrom, Tom #78 (Sr.) OGChandler, Rick #39 (So.) LBClark, Bret #10 (So.) SCorbeil, Jim #92 (So.) LBCraig, Roger #21 (Jr.) IBCurry, Tom #1 (So.) WBDamkroger, Steve #35 (Jr.) LBDaum, Mark (So.) LBDeBus, Robert (So.) LBDhein, Doug (So.)


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
OTEngebritson, Monte #83 (So.) TEEvans, Brent #48 (Jr.) LBFelici, Tony #46 (Jr.) DEFischer, Dan #26 (Jr.) SFryar, Irving #27 (So.) WBGdowski, Tom #93 (Jr.) DTGill, Turner #12 (So.) QBGlathar, Kurt #69 (Jr.) OGGraeber, Ken (So.) MGGreene, Ricky (So.) IBGrimminger, Harry (So.) OGHaase, David #4 (So.) SHagerman, Mark #9 (Jr.) PKHansman, Bob #98 (So.) LBHarris, Neil #11 (So.) CBHaywood, Calvin (So.) MONHeath, John #52 (So.) LBHerrmann, Doug #63 (So.) DTHill, Dan #84 (Jr.) TEHill, Pete #41 (Fr.) FBHinds, Tom (Jr.) OG


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
Hineline, Curt #59 (Sr.) MGHoback, Rob (Jr.) LBHolbrook, Tim #23 (Jr.) MONHuebert, Randy #31 (Sr.) WBHurley, Dan #73 (Sr.) OTIodence, Brian #14 (Sr.) CBJeffries, Jim (So.) MONJohnson, Brad #55 (Jr.) CKammerer, Kyle (So.) OGKeeler, Mike #61 (So.) DTKimball, Scott (So.) SEKnox, Mike #44 (Fr.) LBKramer, Brian (So.) OGKrejci, Jeff #2 (Sr.) SKrenk, Mitch #89 (Jr.) TEKwapick, Jeff #70 (Jr.) OTLarsen, Pat #3 (Jr.) CBLewis, Rodney #5 (Sr.) CBLindquist, Ric #15 (Sr.) CBLindstrom, Scott #56 (Jr.) MGLonowski, Jack #67 (Sr.)


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
DTLyday, Allen #18 (Jr.) CBMandelko, Mike #68 (Jr.) OGMann, Ricky #16 (So.) SMason, Nate #8 (Jr.) QBMathison, Bruce #19 (Jr.) QBMauer, Mark #17 (Sr.) QBMcCashland, Mike (So.) MONMcCowan, Randy #37 (Jr.) IBMcElroy, Mike #54 (Sr.) CMcLaughlin, Scott (So.) CMcWhirter, Steve #45 (Jr.) LBMerrell, Jeff #74 (Jr.) MGMoravec, Mark #40 (Jr.) FBMuehling, Brad #53 (So.) CMurphy, Jim (So.) DBNeil, Eddie #13 (Jr.) PKNelson, Randy (So.) OTOrton, Greg (So.) OGPatterson, Bill (So.) IBPetersen, Tim (So.) CBPraeuner, Wade #85 (So.) DERaridon, Scott #72 (So.) OTReinhardt, John (So.) MGRidder, Dave #86 (So.) DERimington, Dave #50 (Jr.) C


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
Ripa, Dan (So.) FBRogan, Dennis #42 (So.) IBRozier, Mike #30 (So.) IBSantin, John #36 (Jr.) LBSchaffer, Scott (So.) WBSchmuecker, Dan #77 (So.) OTSchoening, Lynn #91 (Jr.) PKSculley, Mike #51 (Sr.) MGSeibel, Kevin #49 (Jr.) PKSchark, Doug (So.) TESherlock, John #66 (So.) OTSimmons, Ricky #7 (Jr.) WBSims, Sammy #6 (Sr.) MONSmail, Bob #47 (Sr.) MGSmith, Jeff #28 (So.) IBSmith, Paul #25 (Jr.) FBSorenson, John (So.) SESpratte, Todd #81 (So.) DESteels, Anthony #33 (Sr.) WBSteinkuhler, Dean #71 (So.) OGStephens, Greg #82 (Jr.) TEStromath, Dave #99 (Sr.) DTStuckey, Rob (So.) DTSundberg, Craig (So.) QBTheiss, Randy #65 (Jr.) OTThomas, Anthony (So.) OGThompson, Jim (So.) WBTramner, Mike #64 (So.) MGTraynowicz, Mark (So.) OTValla, Ronald (So.) PKVan Lent, Bill #90 (Jr.) DTVan Norman, Kris #38 (Jr.) MONVergith, Tom #22 (Jr.) SEWaechter, Henry #75 (Sr.) DTWaechter, Kevin #76 (Jr.) DTWalton, Jerry (So.) SWeber, Bill #87 (So.) DEWeed, Dan (So.) CWees, Dennis #62 (Jr.) MG


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
Wilkening, Doug #34 (So.) FBWilliams, Jamie #80 (Jr.) TEWilliams, Jimmy #96 (Sr.) DEWilliams, Toby #97 (Jr.) DTWoodard, Scott #88 (Sr.) SEZierke, Mike (So.) DT


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Iowa
Unranked Iowa jumped out to 10-0 lead by halftime on their way to paying back the 0-57 defeat handed to them by the Cornhuskers last year, and Nebraska was unable to answer in kind. Three 4th quarter Nebraska forays into Hawkeye territory produced no points, and an Iowa interception with 39 seconds remaining closed the book on the upset. Iowa went on to play in the Rose Bowl.


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Florida State
Nebraska held a close 10-7 lead at halftime, but the momentum quickly turned in favor of the Cornhuskers when WB Irving Fryar scored on an 82-yard punt return, followed up six game clock seconds later when DE Tony Felici's off-the-bench opportunity allowed him to recover a Florida State fumble on the kickoff and return it 13 yards for another touchdown. Nebraska sealed the deal on a 94-yard touchdown run by IB Roger Craig, tying the standing Nebraska record. Felici's defensive performance earned him the starting position.


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Penn State
No major records fell on this day, as each team fought to overcome the other and the scoring lead was exchanged five times. Penn State running back and future NFL star Curt Warner rolled up 238 yards, nearly matching the entire Nebraska team ground production. Penn State pulled ahead on an early 4th-quarter touchdown and added a field goal with 4:54 remaining to extend their lead to 6 points, and the Cornhuskers were unable to muster a response before time expired. Nebraska fell out of the rankings for the first time since a one-week absence early in the 1977 season.


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Auburn
Auburn put up a 1st-quarter field goal to take the lead, and the score remained 3-0 at halftime. Through the course of the game, however, Auburn coughed up 10 fumbles, losing half of them, and never scored again. Nebraska quarterback Turner Gill took over after halftime, and with help from the turnovers, Nebraska overcome the weight of their worst season start since 1960 and put up 17 points in the second half to even up their season record at 2-2.


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Colorado
This game marked the first start for Nebraska QB Turner Gill and IB Mike Rozier, and the Cornhuskers finally came to life. Gill tied an existing Nebraska record by passing for four touchdowns, as Nebraska piled up 719 offensive yards and set a new NCAA record with 42 first downs while racking up all 59 points before the start of the 4th quarter, while the Blackshirts posted their first shutout of the season.


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas State
Entering the game, the Huskers were ranked #19 in the AP poll, beginning an NCAA-record streak of 348 consecutive appearances in the AP rankings. For the third straight game, the Nebraska defense prevented a touchdown, as the Cornhuskers rolled up 674 offensive yards and handled Kansas State with ease, showing that the return of Nebraska to the rankings at #19 was appropriate. Despite recovering three of eight Nebraska fumbles and the opportunity to capitalize accordingly, the Wildcats still managed only 8 first downs, and they barely avoided the shutout with a single 3rd-quarter field goal.


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Missouri
This slugfest of two nearly evenly ranked teams contained plenty of action if not points, as the stalemate dragged on until time nearly ran out. Finally, with just 23 seconds left in the 4th quarter, Nebraska FB Phil Bates punched a three-yard run into the end zone. Like all the other scoring attempts preceding the eventual touchdown, even the PAT failed, and Nebraska departed Columbia with the 6–0 win.


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas
The Blackshirts extended their touchdown-prevention streak to five games, yet Nebraska was still behind 9-3 at halftime due to the prolific field goal production from Kansas PK Bruce Kallmeyer. Adjustments made during the break had an immediate effect, however, and despite Kallmeyer putting two more kicks between the uprights, the Cornhusker offense ran off four touchdowns with the help of IB Mike Rozier's career-best 179 yards to pull away.


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State
The high-flying Oklahoma State defense, ranked #1 in the nation when the Cornhuskers rolled into town, were obliterated by Nebraska's 546 yards of offense. Nebraska QB Turner Gill led his squad to scores on their first three possessions, and handed over the controls shortly after halftime, but the Cornhuskers continued to score with ease. The Nebraska defense allowed just one score, a 3rd-quarter touchdown, which ended their touchdown-free streak at 22 quarters.


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Iowa State
The Cornhuskers struggled to put Iowa State behind them, catching up with them to enter halftime tied at 7, and it wasn't until the 4th quarter that the worn-down Cyclones allowed a 63-yard punt return touchdown by WB Irving Fryar as they gave up 24 unanswered points to decide the outcome. However, Nebraska QB Turner Gill suffered a leg injury that eventually became serious enough to cause nerve damage, putting him out for the rest of the season and also casting a shadow over his athletic future.


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma
Oklahoma started out strong but failed to produce points to match their ability to march down the field, hampered by losing 3 of 5 fumbles over the course of the game. Despite the early concern, the Sooners went to the locker room at the half trailing 24-7 after a successful campaign by backup Nebraska QB Mark Mauer, and Oklahoma was never able to recover. Nebraska finished with an unbeaten conference slate and headed to Miami as conference champions.


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Clemson
Nebraska failed to capitalize on the opportunity for a national championship, coming in as #4 to attempt a takedown of the #1 Tigers as both the #2 and #3 teams dropped their own bowl games, but in a hard fought game that showed a near match of squads statistically, Clemson simply outplayed the Cornhuskers and took advantage of Nebraska mistakes to hold on to their 7-point lead for the final nine minutes to keep their claim on the #1 ranking, departing Miami with the 1981 national title.


1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, NFL and pro players
The following Nebraska players who participated in the 1981 season later moved on to the next level and joined a professional or semi-pro team as draftees or free agents.


1981 Nepalese general election
General elections were held in Nepal on 9 May 1981 to elect members of the Rastriya Panchayat. 80% of the seats were elected through adult universal suffrage; this was the first election through universal suffrage held in Nepal in 22 years. However, political parties were banned at the time, and the main underground opposition forces (the Nepali Congress and various communist groups) called for a boycott of the election.


1981 Nepalese general election
The election were the first to be held after the 1980 constitutional amendment. In total there were 112 elected seats, whilst 28 were appointed by the King. According to official reports, 63% of the eligible voters took part in the polls. However, there were some inconsistencies in the report of voting numbers. Voter turnout was 52.2%.


1981 Nepalese general election, Constituencies
40 out of the 75 districts of Nepal formed two-member constituencies whilst the less populated 35 districts formed single-member constituencies. The 15 mountain districts were all single-member constituencies. The hill districts elected 57 seats, the inner-terai districts eight seats and the terai districts 32 seats.


1981 Nepalese general election, Campaign
Initially there were 1,451 total candidates, of whom 353 later withdrew. 70 of the candidates, spread over 43 different districts, had also contested the 1959 parliamentary election. Virtually all candidates campaigned on slogans such as "God and Motherhood", portraying themselves as opponents of corruption and inflation. With the absence of organised political parties in the election, the campaign was rather low-scale. Mass rallies were not held, not even in Kathmandu. Most candidates relied heavily on door-to-door campaigning and canvassing through family, caste and ethnic networks. Candidates also used posters and vehicles with loudspeakers. The spending ceiling of each candidate was fixed at 30,000 Nepalese rupees.


1981 Nepalese general election, Campaign
Candidates had to pay a security deposit of 1,500 Nepalese rupees in order to contest the election.


1981 Nepalese general election, Results
The incumbent prime minister, Surya Bahadur Thapa, contested and was elected from the Dhankuta district. He got 40,546 votes in total. Two pre-panchayat prime ministers contested the election, Matrika Prasad Koirala and Dr. K.I. Singh. Matrika Prasad Koirala contested in the Morang district. He was supported, unofficially, by Surya Bahadur Thapa. Koirala did however lose the election, whilst K.I. Singh was elected.


1981 Nepalese general election, Results
Overall, the result was a setback for the ruling elite. Although all candidates were officially independents, various candidates were well known as having the backing of the government. In total about 70% of the "official" candidates lost their seats. In the elected Rastriya Panchayat, there were 57 newcomers to the assembly.


1981 Nepalese general election, Results
The defeats of the government endorsed side was partially due to divisions inside the government endorsed camp. In Morang district the royal house and the prime minister supported opposing candidates, eventually resulting in the defeat for both.


1981 Nepalese general election, Results
The candidate who received the highest number of votes was Hem Bahadur Malla, a cabinet minister. Malla got 76,720 votes. The elected member with the lowest number of votes was Tej Bahadur Bham, who got 3,137 votes. independent supporters of reintroducing parliamentary democracy who were elected were Arjun Narsingh K.C., Prakash Chandra Lohani and  Shribhadra Sharma.


1981 Nepalese general election, Results
Whilst the Nepali Congress leadership had called for boycott, the dissident fraction led by Bakhan Singh Gurung had launched 36 candidates. Four of them were elected; Dr. K.I. Singh, Bakhan Singh Gurung, Kashi Nath Gautam and Bhagwat Yadav. The pro-Soviet Communist Party led by Keshar Jung Rayamajhi had launched over 45-50 candidates, but none got elected.


1981 Nepalese general election, Results
Some independent leftwing candidates were elected, such as Govinda Nath Upreti (Kavre), Rup Chandra Bista (Makwanpur) and Karna Bahadur Hyuju (Bhaktapur).


1981 Nepalese general election, Results
Twenty-eight women candidates contested the election, out of whom two were elected; Nani Mainya Dahal and Bhadra Kumari Ghale. Dahal, a relatively unknown person in Nepalese politics at the time, swept the Kathmandu district polls. Her election was seen as a mistrust vote against the establishment.


1981 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
The 1981 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Nevada competed as a member of the Big Sky Conference (BSC). The Wolf Pack were led by sixth-year head coach Chris Ault and played their home games at Mackay Stadium.


1981 Nevada Wolf Pack football team, Previous season
The Wolf Pack finished the 1980 season 6–4–1 and 4–3 in BSC play to finish tied in second place.


1981 New England Patriots season
The 1981 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League and 22nd overall.


1981 New England Patriots season
Looking to improve on two consecutive winning seasons, including a 10-6 mark in 1980, the Patriots instead regressed significantly and ended the season with a record of two wins and fourteen losses, and finished tied for last in the AFC East Division with the Baltimore Colts, with whom they also tied for the worst record in the league. Their performance resulted in head coach Ron Erhardt losing his job at the end of the season.


1981 New England Patriots season
The Patriots lost their first four games, and then ten of their last eleven, including the last nine games of the season. Eight of their losses were by margins of seven or fewer points; the largest margin of defeat was only 14 points. The Patriots were defeated in both the first and last games of the season by the Baltimore Colts; the Patriots' bookend losses proved to be Baltimore’s only two wins of the 1981 season.


1981 New England Patriots season
It was known that the loser of that last game would have the first pick in the 1982 NFL Draft, and the game was nicknamed “The Stupor Bowl.” With the Patriot loss, the team had the first pick, choosing University of Texas defensive end Kenneth Sims, an eventual draft “bust” as first overall pick in the NFL draft. 22 years later, in their Super Bowl XXXVIII-winning season, the Patriots went 14-2, becoming the second team in NFL history to have both a 2-14 season and a 14-2 season.


1981 New Hampshire Wildcats football team
The 1981 New Hampshire Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented the University of New Hampshire as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In its tenth year under head coach Bill Bowes, the team compiled a 7–3 record (2–3 against conference opponents) and finished fourth out of six teams in the Yankee Conference.


1981 New Jersey State Senate election
The 1981 New Jersey State Senate elections were held on November 3.


1981 New Jersey State Senate election
The election coincided with a tightly contested gubernatorial election between Thomas Kean and James Florio. Republicans gained five seats, narrowing the Democratic majority to four.


1981 New Jersey State Senate election, Background, Redistricting
As required, the New Jersey legislature redistricted its state legislative districts in advance of the 1981 election. The new districts resulted in many Senators running for re-election in newly re-numbered districts.


1981 New Jersey State Senate election, Background, ABSCAM scandal
A Federal Bureau of Investigation investigation resulted in the retirements of Senators Joseph A. Maressa and Angelo Errichetti, both of whom accepted bribes from the FBI under the guise of Arab oil sheikhs. Errichetti was convicted; Maressa was not prosecuted but opted to retire.


1981 New Jersey gubernatorial election
The 1981 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1981. Republican Thomas Kean narrowly defeated Democrat James Florio with 49.46% of the vote following a recount of the ballots. The difference between the two was less than 2000 votes out of more than 2 million cast.


1981 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Voter intimidation
State Democrats accused the Republican National Committee of intimidating minority voters in Newark, Camden, and Trenton by setting up the Ballot Security Task Force which sent out mailers to voters in these cities and posted armed off-duty police officers and large signs at certain precincts.


1981 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Results
The results of the initial ballot counting was close with Kean leading Florio by 1,677 votes. Two television networks had actually called the race for Florio at the time. A recount took place over the next month and Kean was certified the winner besting Florio by 1,797 votes out of over 2.3 million votes cast.


1981 New Mexico Lobos football team
The 1981 New Mexico Lobos football team was an American football team that represented the University of New Mexico in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Joe Morrison, the Lobos compiled a 4–7–1 record (3–4–1 against WAC opponents) and were outscored by a total of 231 to 225.


1981 New Mexico Lobos football team
The team's statistical leaders included Robin Gabriel with 1,783 passing yards, Mike D. Carter with 595 rushing yards, Keith Magee with 706 receiving yards, and kicker Pete Parks with 49 points scored.


1981 New Mexico State Aggies football team
The 1981 New Mexico State Aggies football team was an American football team that represented New Mexico State University in the Missouri Valley Conference during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth year under head coach Gil Krueger, the Aggies compiled a 3–8 record. The team played its home games at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, New Mexico.


1981 New Orleans Saints season
The 1981 New Orleans Saints season was the Saints' fifteenth season in the National Football League. Hoping past success would bring a bright future to New Orleans the Saints hired Bum Phillips to be their new head coach. With the first pick overall the Saints draft Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers out of South Carolina. Phillips banked on Rogers giving the Saints the same boost that Earl Campbell did when Phillips drafted him out of Texas three years earlier.


1981 New Orleans Saints season
Rogers won the Offensive Rookie of the Year, as he rushed all-time rookie record of 1,674 yards, a record which was eclipsed just two years later when Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams rushed for 1,808. However, the Saints would continue to struggle finishing with a 4–12 record. It was the Saints’ thirteenth of fifteen seasons with five or fewer wins, and eighth with double-digit defeats.


1981 New Orleans Saints season
Despite the team finishing with a bad record, they did have two special moments. The first was in week eight, when they upset the Cincinnati Bengals, who would go to the Super Bowl after winning the AFC championship. The second came four weeks later when Phillips returned to Houston, where his new team defeated his old one 27–24.


1981 New Orleans Saints season
New Orleans swept the NFC West division rival Los Angeles Rams for the first time since they were placed in the same division for the 1970 season.


1981 New South Wales referendum
The 1981 New South Wales referendum was held on 19 September 1981, the same day as the state election. The referendum contained two questions:


1981 New South Wales referendum, Amendments to the constitution
The primary change by the proposal to extend the maximum term was to alter  section 7B of the Constitution Act 1902 to provide for a maximum term of 4 years rather than 3.


1981 New South Wales referendum, Amendments to the constitution
The proposal to require Members of Parliament to disclose pecuniary interests was to add section 14A to the Constitution Act 1902 which provided that


1981 New South Wales state election
Elections were held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 19 September 1981. The result was a second "Wranslide": a landslide victory for the Labor Party under Neville Wran. Labor increased its already sizeable majority, winning what is still its biggest-ever share of seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly–69 out of 99 seats, 69.7 percent of the chamber.


1981 New South Wales state election
The Liberals suffered the double indignity of losing the seat contested by their leader Bruce McDonald to an independent, and of being reduced to the same number of seats in parliament as their ostensible junior coalition partner, the National Country Party. In fact it was the second election in a row in which the sitting Liberal leader had failed to win a seat; Peter Coleman had been rolled in his own seat in 1978. Both the Liberals and National Country Party finished with 14 seats.


1981 New South Wales state election
The election marked another milestone for electoral reform in New South Wales. The allocation of preferences became optional, and partisan gerrymandering was eliminated. Additionally, the practice of creating smaller rural seats to boost country representation was ended. Two further reforms were proposed—and passed—in referendums put to voters on the same day.


1981 New South Wales state election
Ted Mack, mayor of North Sydney Council, won the seat of North Shore from Opposition Leader McDonald. John Hatton was re-elected unopposed in the seat of South Coast.


1981 New South Wales state election, Results, Legislative Assembly
New South Wales state election, 19 September 1981Legislative Assembly << 1978–1984 >>


1981 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1981 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countries. They were announced on 31 December 1980 to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1981.


1981 New Year Honours
Names and titles of recipients are shown as they appeared in this honours list.


1981 New Year Honours, Australia, Order of the British Empire, Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE)
Air Marshal Neville Patrick McNamara, A.O., C.B.E., D.F.C. 011353, Royal Australian Air Force.


1981 New Year Honours (New Zealand)
The 1981 New Year Honours in New Zealand were appointments by Elizabeth II on the advice of the New Zealand government to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. The awards celebrated the passing of 1980 and the beginning of 1981, and were announced on 31 December 1980.


1981 New Year Honours (New Zealand)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


1981 New York City Marathon
The 1981 New York City Marathon was the 12th edition of the New York City Marathon and took place in New York City on 25 October.


1981 New York City mayoral election
The New York City mayoral election of 1981 occurred on Tuesday, November 3, 1981, with Democratic incumbent Mayor Ed Koch being re-elected to a second term by a landslide margin.


1981 New York City mayoral election
Koch, a Democrat, also received the endorsement of and ran on the Republican Party ballot line.


1981 New York City mayoral election
Koch received an overwhelming 74.64% of the vote citywide. Koch also swept all five boroughs by landslide margins, breaking 60% of the vote in Manhattan and breaking 70% of the vote in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.


1981 New York City mayoral election
Koch's closest competitor was the short-lived New York Unity Party nominee Frank J. Barbaro, who received 13.31%.


1981 New York City mayoral election
Finishing in a distant third and fourth were the Conservative Party nominee, John A. Esposito, who received 4.92%, and Liberal Party nominee, Mary T. Codd, who received 3.41%.


1981 New York City mayoral election
Koch defeated his nearest competitor by a landslide 61.35% Democratic margin of victory and was sworn into his second term in January 1982.


1981 New York City mayoral election, Results
Koch had 738,288 Democratic votes  and 174,334 Republican votes. Others = 45,485. Jeronimo Dominguez – Right to Life – 32,790 2.7%; Judith Jones – Libertarian – 6,902 0.6%; Wells Todd – Socialist Workers – 5,793 0.5%Koch won the Democratic Primary with 347,351 votes (59.8%), defeating Barbaro who had 209,369 votes (36.0%) and Melvin Klenetsky who had 24,352 votes (4.2%). Koch also won the Republican Primary, defeating Esposito by 44,724 to 22,354.


1981 New York Cosmos season
The 1981 New York Cosmos season was the 11th season for the New York Cosmos in the now-defunct North American Soccer League. Despite winning their fifth straight premiership by five points over the Chicago Sting, the Cosmos lost to the Sting in Soccer Bowl '81.


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


1981 New York Cosmos season, Results, Regular season
Pld = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points6 points for a win, 1 point for a shootout win, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each goal scored (up to three per game).


1981 New York Cosmos season, Results, Regular season, Matches
March 29, 1981: New York Cosmos 3, San Jose Earthquakes 0 Spartan Stadium Attendance 20,671


1981 New York Film Critics Circle Awards
The 47th New York Film Critics Circle Awards honored the best filmmaking of 1981. The winners were announced on 21 December 1981 and the awards were given on 31 January 1982.


1981 New York Giants season
The 1981 New York Giants season was the franchise's 57th season in the National Football League. The Giants qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 18 years with a 9–7 record, which placed them third in the National Football Conference East Division. The Giants qualified for the postseason thanks to an overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the last game of the season, coupled with a loss by the Green Bay Packers. In the Wild Card playoffs, the Giants defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27–21 in Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium. New York's season ended with a 38–24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional round. The 49ers would go on to win Super Bowl XVI.


1981 New York Giants season, Offseason, NFL Draft
The Giants drafted linebacker Lawrence Taylor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Taylor would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.


1981 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 12
This was the Giants' first win over the Eagles since 1975.


1981 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Heading into their last regular season game, the Giants needed a win over the Dallas Cowboys to remain in postseason contention. Dallas, the NFC East champions, required a victory against New York, along with a loss by the San Francisco 49ers, to clinch home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. Neither team scored in the first half; Giants kicker Joe Danelo missed two field goal attempts from inside 30 yards in the first quarter. The Giants opened the scoring during their second possession of the second half, as Scott Brunner completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Tom Mullady.


1981 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Dallas Cowboys
On the final play of the third quarter, Dallas wide receiver Tony Hill caught a 44-yard pass from Danny White; three plays later, White threw a touchdown pass to Doug Cosbie, which allowed the Cowboys to tie the game, 7–7. On the Giants' next drive, Brunner threw an interception to Michael Downs; after taking possession in Giants territory, the Cowboys went in front on a 36-yard field goal by Rafael Septién.


1981 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Dallas held a three-point lead into the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, when a Tony Dorsett fumble gave the Giants the ball at the Cowboys' 45-yard-line. Inside the final minute, Danelo attempted a game-tying field goal from 40 yards. His kick was good, and the game was forced into overtime. The Giants had the first possession of overtime after winning the coin toss, but were forced to punt.


1981 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Dallas Cowboys
On the Cowboys' second play of their first overtime drive, Dorsett was unable to field a pitch by White; Lawrence Taylor recovered the fumble and the Giants gained possession at the Dallas 40-yard-line. Danelo's ensuing 33-yard field goal attempt was unsuccessful, hitting an upright. The Giants then forced another Cowboys turnover, as White was intercepted by Byron Hunt, who returned the ball to the Dallas 24-yard-line. Danelo was called on again, and his 35-yard field goal clinched a 13–10 victory for the Giants. The following day, the New York Jets defeated the Green Bay Packers, giving the Giants their first playoff berth since 1963.


1981 New York Jets season
The 1981 New York Jets season was the 22nd season for the franchise and its twelfth in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 4–12 record from 1980 under head coach Walt Michaels. The Jets sputtered early, starting 0–3 and (combined with the previous season's 4–12 finish) fueling a quarterback controversy and altercation between quarterback Richard Todd and sports writer Steve Serby and speculation about Michaels’ job. After the 0–3 start, however, the Jets would catch fire, and go on a 10–2–1 run. The team ultimately finished the season with a record of 10–5–1 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1969, breaking a twelve-season drought. In the playoffs, however, they fell to their division rivals, the Buffalo Bills, 31–27.


1981 New York Mets season
The New York Mets' 1981 season was the 20th regular season for the Mets. They went 41–62 and finished in fifth place in the National League East. They were managed by Joe Torre. They played home games at Shea Stadium. The season is remembered for a summer strike that cut the season in half.


1981 New York Mets season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In


1981 New York Mets season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In


1981 New York Yankees season
The 1981 New York Yankees season was the franchise's 78th season in New York City and 80th season overall. Games were suspended for 50 days due to the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, causing a split season. The Yankees competed as members of the American League East, finishing first in the first half of the season, and tying for fifth in the second half of the season; overall, they won 59 games while losing 48.


1981 New York Yankees season
The team advanced to the postseason due to their first-half first-place finish, where they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League Division Series and the Oakland Athletics in the American League Championship Series, capturing the Yankees' only pennant of the 1980s. The Yankees then lost the World Series in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees played their home games at Yankee Stadium and were managed by Gene Michael until September 5, and by Bob Lemon thereafter.


1981 New York Yankees season, Regular season
The team finished in first place in the American League East for the first half of the season with a 34-22 record, but finished fifth in the second half with a 25-26 record, for an overall record of 59-48. The season was suspended for 50 days due to the infamous 1981 players strike and the league chose as its playoff teams, the division winners from the first and second halves of the season, respectively.


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


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


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


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


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


1981 New York Yankees season, Postseason, ALCS
New York Yankees win the Series over the Oakland Athletics, 3-0


1981 New Zealand National Soccer League
The 1981 New Zealand National Soccer League was the 12th season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Wellington Diamond United won the league for a second time, having previously been champions in 1976. The league was the closest until this point, with only four points separating the top five teams.


1981 New Zealand National Soccer League, Promotion and relegation
Promotion was automatic, with the three lowest placed sides in the 1980 league (Stop Out, Blockhouse Bay, and Nelson United) replaced by the winners of the northern, central, and southern leagues (Takapuna City, Miramar Rangers, and Woolston WMC respectively).


1981 New Zealand National Soccer League, Team performance
The league was decided by goals for only the fourth time, and for the first time neither of the top two teams came from Auckland. Wellington Diamond United's efficient, if unspectacular, style of play won the day. The team which took them all the way in the title chase was unexpectedly Dunedin City, with the best performance ever recorded by a side from the deep south. Dunedin City were one point away from achieving the league and cup double, having won the 1981 Chatham Cup earlier in the season.


1981 New Zealand National Soccer League, Team performance
City had led the league early on, but a mid-season form slump ruined their chances of taking the league. Mount Wellington also led the league for a while aften an excellent run of seven wins in which they only conceded one goal. Gisborne City was the other team to have briefly perched on top of the league, with an unbeaten run in the early weeks of the season.


1981 New Zealand National Soccer League, Team performance
New Zealand's successful 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign ruined their season, however; despite being granted postponements of several matches due to the loss of several top players and coach Kevin Fallon, they could not maintain their form once they resumed, and the backlog proved too much for them to cope with.


1981 New Zealand National Soccer League, Team performance
Fifth-placed Hanimex North Shore United were also briefly in contention for the title, and only finished four points behind the eventual winners. With three matches to play, they were being picked as possible champions, but two defeats in their last three matches saw to their hopes. Sixth place went to Christchurch United, who set an unlikely league record with six scoreless draws during the season, including their first three matches. Tellingly, the team managed only one away win, though seven of the remaining ten matches away from Christchurch were drawn.


1981 New Zealand National Soccer League, Team performance
Manurewa, like Gisborne, were granted dispensation for their heavy loss of personnel to the national side. When they resumed, they lay low in the table, and even though they had several games in hand, the chances of them challenging for the prize money had evaporated. Miramar Rangers finished their first league season comfortably, but unspectacularly, placed eighth. As with Eastern Suburbs in 1978 the team bolstered its ranks from England, bringing in Peter Mendham from Norwich City, and his six-match stint with Miramar saw them briefly enter the upper half of the table.


1981 New Zealand National Soccer League, Team performance
The lower reaches of the table contained Hamilton, who narrowly avoided relegation after a first half of the season containing just one win. They improved in the second half of the league, but were still lucky not to return to the regional leagues. Less lucky were newcomers Takapuna City and Woolston WMC. Takapuna proved experts at losing matches where they had led, having five reversals, most spectacularly a match against Woolston where they had led 3–0 before letting through five goals.


1981 New Zealand National Soccer League, Team performance
A young squad paid for their inexperience, and the statistic of seven penalties awarded against them with none for them is telling. Woolston managed little better in 1981 than their previous one season in the league in 1978, although at least this time they finished one place off the basement. The third Christchurch-based team in the league had the dubious honour of finishing last; it was clear that the city could not support three clubs in the league. Rangers completed what was until that time the worst season for any league club — no wins, only ten goals, and just five points in 22 matches.


1981 New Zealand Royal Visit Honours
The 1981 New Zealand Royal Visit Honours were appointments by Elizabeth II to the Royal Victorian Order, to mark her visit to New Zealand in October that year. The honours were announced between 15 October and 20 October 1981.


1981 New Zealand Royal Visit Honours
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


1981 New Zealand Royal Visit Honours, Royal Victorian Order, Member, fourth class (MVO)
In 1984, Members of the Royal Victorian Order, fourth class, were redesignated as Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO).


1981 New Zealand bravery awards
The 1981 New Zealand bravery awards were announced via a Special Honours List on 17 December 1981, and recognised seven people for acts of bravery in 1980 or 1981.


1981 New Zealand bravery awards, Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct
For services on 14 November 1980 when they went to the assistance of the pilot and two passengers of a helicopter which had crashed into a tree in the Arawhata River valley.


1981 New Zealand bravery awards, Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct
For services on 30 December 1980, at Rabbit Island, Nelson, when he struggled with an emotionally disturbed armed man to rescue a young girl who had been abducted and raped. Had it not been for Mr Fowler's intervention the girl would have been murdered.


1981 New Zealand bravery awards, Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct
For services on 18 March 1981 in assisting the Police in securing the arrest of a drug dealer. Despite being struck by a baseball bat he restrained the offender and prevented further assault and possible injury to fellow officers. As a result of injuries sustained he suffered the loss of sight in one eye.


1981 New Zealand bravery awards, Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct
For services on 25 March 1981 when they went to the site of a crashed RNZAF Skyhawk. The area was heavily forested and exceptionally rugged, and in attempting to establish if the Skyhawk pilot was alive, they placed themselves at great risk and displayed considerable courage.


1981 New Zealand bravery awards, Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air
For services on 14 November 1980, as the pilot of the helicopter which went to the assistance of the pilot and two passengers of a helicopter which had crashed into a tree in the Arawhata River valley.


1981 New Zealand general election
The 1981 New Zealand general election, held on 28 November 1981, was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 40th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, win a third term in office, but the opposition Labour Party, led by Bill Rowling, won the largest share of the votes cast.


1981 New Zealand general election, Background
Before the election, the National Party governed with 50 seats, while the opposition Labour Party held 40 seats. The Social Credit Party held two (one of which had been taken from National in a recent by-election). The National Party had won a landslide victory in the 1975 election, but in the 1978 election, although remaining in office, had lost ground. The style of Robert Muldoon's leadership was growing increasingly unpopular, both with his party and with the public, and there had been an abortive leadership challenge by Brian Talboys in 1980. Some commentators believed that the 1981 election would mark an end to Muldoon's government.


1981 New Zealand general election, Background
Some pundits have since claimed that the Springbok Tour increased votes for National in provincial electorates, despite the tour not being seen as a major election issue.


1981 New Zealand general election, Background
The opposition Labour Party was led by Bill Rowling, who had been leader of the party in the past two elections. While Rowling had performed poorly against Muldoon in 1975, and was generally viewed by the public as weak, he had gradually recovered a measure of public respect. In the previous election, Labour had won a plurality of the vote, but did not win a majority of the seats. Many believed that this time, Labour would manage to convert its support into seats, although that did prove not to be the case.


1981 New Zealand general election, Background
Not all of Muldoon's opponents gave their support to Rowling and the Labour Party, however. The small Social Credit Party, traditionally New Zealand's "third party", was enjoying strong support, but the first-past-the-post electoral system made it difficult for Social Credit to win seats. After the East Coast Bays by-election, Social Credit reached as high as 30% in opinion polls, but it then declined.


1981 New Zealand general election, Background, MPs retiring in 1981
Five National MPs and seven Labour MPs intended to retire at the end of the 39th Parliament.


1981 New Zealand general election, Election day
The election was held on 28 November. 2,034,747 people were registered to vote, and 91.4% turned out. That was a markedly higher turnout than recorded for the previous election, but as the official statistics for that election are regarded as highly misleading, the comparison is probably not valid. It is likely that turnout in the 1981 election was about the same as in the election before it.


1981 New Zealand general election, Summary of results
The 1981 election saw the National Party win 47 of the 92 seats in parliament, a drop of three from before the election (National lost Hunua, Kapiti, Miramar and Wellington Central but won Taupo). This meant that National kept its majority by only a single seat, which became highly problematic over the next parliamentary term. The Labour Party won 43 seats, a gain of three (Labour won Hunua, Kapiti, Miramar and Wellington Central but lost Taupo). The Social Credit Party managed to retain its two seats, East Coast Bays and Rangitikei. No party initially held a majority until a recount flipped the seat of Gisborne from Labour to National, which gave National a working majority of one.


1981 New Zealand general election, Summary of results
For the second election in a row, Labour won more votes than National, but fewer seats, allowing National to retain government despite not winning the popular vote. Social Credit won more than 20% of the popular vote but only two seats. This result, and that of 1978, contributed to New Zealand adopting the Mixed Member Proportional system of proportional representation in the 1990s.


1981 New Zealand general election, Detailed results, Individual electorate results
The tables below shows the results of the 1981 general election:


1981 New Zealand rugby league season
The 1981 New Zealand rugby league season was the 74th season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand.


1981 New Zealand rugby league season, International competitions
New Zealand defeated France twice. New Zealand included; Fred Ah Kuoi, Ray Baxendale, Mark Broadhurst, Tony Coll, Olsen Filipaina, captain Mark Graham, James Leuluai, Michael O'Donnell, Dane O'Hara, Gary Prohm, Alan Rushton, Howie and Kevin Tamati, Shane Varley, Graeme West, Dennis Williams and Wally Wilson.


1981 New Zealand rugby league season, International competitions
The South Island lost to France 16-12 at the Addington Showgrounds. The South Island included Bernie Green, captain Ray Baxendale, Wayne Dwyer, Barry Edkins and Wayne Wallace. France also defeated Central Districts, New Zealand Māori and Northern Districts. Auckland defeated France 20-10 at Carlaw Park. Auckland included; Nick Wright, Gary Prohm, Marcus Pouesi, James Leuluai, Dane O'Hara, Ron O'Regan, captain Shane Varley, Lyndsay Proctor, Les Beehre, Pat Poasa, Kevin Schaumkel, Tom Conroy and Ian Bell. Reserves; Gary Kemble and Mark Gillespie.


1981 New Zealand rugby league season, International competitions
Graeme West won the New Zealand Rugby League's player of the year award.


1981 New Zealand rugby league season, National competitions, Rugby League Cup
Canterbury held the Rugby League Cup at the end of the season. They defended the trophy 31-30 against Northland, scoring as the final hooter sounded, the West Coast 13-10 and Wellington 16-12.


1981 New Zealand rugby league season, National competitions, Inter-district competition
The South Island won the Inter-Districts competition on count back.


1981 New Zealand rugby league season, National competitions, Inter-district competition
Auckland defeated the South Island 28-27. Central Districts defeated Auckland 19-10.


1981 New Zealand rugby league season, National competitions, Inter-district competition
The South Island included; Michael O'Donnel, David Field, Wally Wilson, Ray Baxendale, Wayne Wallace, Barry Edkins and Alan Rushton.


1981 New Zealand rugby league season, Australasian competition
Central Districts were eliminated after two Rounds of the Tooth Cup after losing 51-11 to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and 31-5 to the Penrith Panthers.


1981 New Zealand rugby league season, Club competitions, Auckland
Mt Albert won the Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial Trophy, Rukutai Shield, Stormont Shield and Kiwi Shield. They defeated Glenora 18-7 in the Fox Memorial Grand Final. Otahuhu won the Roope Rooster, Ellerslie won the Sharman Cup and Richmond won the Norton Cup.


1981 New Zealand rugby league season, Club competitions, Auckland
John Ackland (Mt Albert) won the Lipscombe Cup, Ron O'Regan (City Newton) won the Rothville Trophy, Kevin Schaumkel (Glenora) and Marcus Pouesi (Mt Albert) won the Bert Humphries Memorial, Emil Vaafusuaga (Otahuhu) and Dean Bell (Manukau) shared the Tetley Trophy, Dennis Williams (Glenora)	won the Painter Rosebowl Trophy	 and Mike McClennan (Mt Albert) won the Hyland Memorial Cup.


1981 New Zealand rugby league season, Club competitions, Auckland
Dennis Williams joined the Glenora Bears. Graham Mattson was the head coach of the new Papatoetoe Panthers club, also serving on their inaugural committee.


1981 New Zealand rugby league season, Club competitions, Auckland
Eastern United, a combined senior team from the Howick and Pakuranga, were coached by Murray Eade. After a poor season, he was replaced at the end of the year.


1981 New Zealand rugby league season, Club competitions, Canterbury
Eastern Suburbs won the Canterbury Rugby League's Pat Smith Challenge Trophy.


1981 New Zealand rugby union tour of Romania and France
The 1981 New Zealand rugby union tour of Romania and France was a series of ten matches played by the New Zealand national rugby union team (the All Blacks) in Romania and France in October and November 1981. The All Blacks won eight of the ten games, including the international match against Romania and both internationals against France. The only team to defeat the All Blacks was a French regional selection, and the All Blacks were also held to a draw by another regional team.


1981 Newry and Mourne District Council election
Elections to Newry and Mourne District Council were held on 20 May 1981 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used six district electoral areas to elect a total of 30 councillors.


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


1981 Newry and Mourne District Council election, Districts results, Area B
1977: 2 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent Nationalist1981: 4 x SDLP1977-1981 Change: SDLP (two seats) gain from Alliance and Independent Nationalist


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


1981 Newry and Mourne District Council election, Districts results, Area D
1977: 3 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent Nationalist1981: 3 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x IIP1977-1981 Change: IIP gain from Alliance, Independent Nationalist joins IIP


1981 Newry and Mourne District Council election, Districts results, Area E
1977: 4 x SDLP, 1 x Independent Nationalist, 1 x Independent Republican1981: 3 x SDLP, 2 x Anti H-Block, 1 x IIP1977-1981 Change: Anti H-Block (two seats) gain from SDLP and Independent Republican, Independent Nationalist joins IIP


1981 Newry and Mourne District Council election, Districts results, Area F
1977: 2 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance1981: 2 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x IIP1977-1981 Change: IIP gain from Alliance


1981 Newtownabbey Borough Council election
Elections to Newtownabbey Borough Council were held on 20 May 1981 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used four district electoral areas to elect a total of 21 councillors.


1981 Newtownabbey Borough Council election, Districts results, Area A
1977: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance1981: 2 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Independent Unionist1977-1981 Change: DUP and Independent Unionist gain from UUP and Alliance


1981 Newtownabbey Borough Council election, Districts results, Area B
1977: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Newtownabbey Labour, 1 x Loyalist1981: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Newtownabbey Labour1977-1981 Change: Loyalist joins UUP


1981 Newtownabbey Borough Council election, Districts results, Area C
1977: 2 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x UPNI1981: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent Unionist1977-1981 Change: UUP and Independent Unionist gain from Alliance and UPNI


1981 Newtownabbey Borough Council election, Districts results, Area D
1977: 2 x Alliance, 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP1981: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent Unionist1977-1981 Change: Independent Unionist gain from Alliance


1981 Nicholls State Colonels football team
The 1981 Nicholls State Colonels football team represented Nicholls State University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Colonels were led by first-year head coach Sonny Jackson. They played their home games at John L. Guidry Stadium and were an NCAA Division I-AA Independent. They finished the season 5–5–1.


1981 Nippon Professional Baseball season
The 1981 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 32nd season of operation for the league.


1981 Nippon Professional Baseball season, Pacific League Playoff
The Pacific League teams with the best first and second-half records met in a best-of-five playoff series to determine the league representative in the Japan Series.


1981 Nivea Tennis Classic
The 1981 Nivea Tennis Classic, also known as the South Pacific Classic was an Association of Tennis Professionals men's tournament held on outdoor grass courts at the Milton Courts in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia that was part of the  1981 Grand Prix tennis circuit. It was the eighth and last edition of the tournament and was held from 5 October until 11 October 1981. Second-seeded Mark Edmondson won the singles title, his third at the event after 1976 and 1978.


1981 Nivea Tennis Classic, Finals, Doubles
Rod Frawley /  Chris Lewis defeated  Mark Edmondson /  Mike Estep 7–5, 4–6, 7–6(7–4)


1981 North American Soccer League season
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1981. This was the 14th season of the NASL.


1981 North American Soccer League season, Overview
There were a total of 21 teams participating. Three teams (Houston, Rochester and Washington) folded, while four others (Memphis, Detroit, New England and Philadelphia) moved to new cities. Playoff series were switched from the two matches plus a mini-game tiebreaker used since 1977, to a best-of-three full matches played on three separate dates. The Chicago Sting defeated the New York Cosmos in Soccer Bowl '81 on September 26 to win the championship.


1981 North American Soccer League season, Overview
When Major League Baseball players went on strike on June 12, there was speculation that other sports, especially soccer, would see larger crowds. However, the 157 NASL matches played during the baseball work stoppage (which ended August 9) drew an average attendance of only 13,419, less than the full-season average of 14,084.


1981 North American Soccer League season, Regular season
W = Wins, L = Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PT= point system


1981 North American Soccer League season, Regular season
6 points for a win in regulation and overtime, 4 point for a shootout win,0 points for a loss,1 bonus point for each regulation goal scored, up to three per game.


1981 North American Soccer League season, Playoffs
15 teams qualified for the playoffs – each first and second-place team across the divisions plus the five next best teams. Division winners were seeded 1 through 5, the second-place teams were seeded 6 through 10, and the last five teams were seeded 11 through 15 regardless of division placing. The top seed received a bye, and the remaining 14 teams paired off to play the first round. Series winners would be reseeded by season point total after each round.


1981 North American Soccer League season, Playoffs
The 'best of two' format used from 1978 to 1980 was discarded for a more straightforward best of three games format in the first three rounds.


1981 North American Soccer League season, Playoffs, First round
#Due to a scheduling conflict between the Calgary Boomers and the Billy Graham Crusade, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers hosted both Games 1 and 2 (instead of Game 1 only), there-by gaining home field advantage even though they were the lower seed.


1981 North American Soccer League season, Playoffs, First round
*Seattle Sounders hosted Game 2 (instead of Game 1) due to a scheduling conflict with the Mariners baseball club.


1981 North American Soccer League season, Playoffs, Soccer Bowl '81
*From 1977 through 1984 the NASL had a variation of the penalty shoot-out procedure for tied matches. The shoot-out started 35 yards from the goal and allowed the player 5 seconds to attempt a shot. The player could make as many moves as he wanted in a breakaway situation within the time frame. Even though this particular match was a scoreless tie after overtime, NASL procedure also called for the box score to show an additional "goal" given to the winning team.


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


1981 North Dakota State Bison football team
The 1981 North Dakota State Bison football team was an American football team that represented North Dakota State University during the 1981 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the North Central Conference. In their third year under head coach Don Morton, the team compiled a 10–3 record, finished as NCC champion, and lost to Southwest Texas State in the NCAA Division II Championship Game.


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


1981 North Down Borough Council election, Districts results, Area A
1977: 2 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x UPNI, 1 x Independent Unionist1981: 1 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x UPNI, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent Unionist1977-1981 Change: DUP gain from Alliance


1981 North Down Borough Council election, Districts results, Area B
1977: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Vanguard1981: 2 x DUP, 2 x UPUP, 1 x Alliance1977-1981 Change: UPUP (two seats) and DUP gain from UUP (two seats) and Vanguard


1981 North Down Borough Council election, Districts results, Area C
1977: 2 x Alliance, 2 x UUP, 1 x Vanguard1981: 2 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x UPUP, 1 x DUP1977-1981 Change: UPUP and DUP gain from UUP and Vanguard


1981 North Down Borough Council election, Districts results, Area D
1977: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x UUUP1981: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x DUP1977-1981 Change: DUP gain from UUUP


1981 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
The 1981 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was part of the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The season has no official bounds but cyclones tend to form between April and December. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northern Indian Ocean. There are two main seas in the North Indian Ocean—the Bay of Bengal to the east of the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Sea to the west of India.


1981 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
The official Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in this basin is the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) releases unofficial advisories. An average of five tropical cyclones form in the North Indian Ocean every season with peaks in May and November. Cyclones occurring between the meridians 45°E and 100°E are included in the season by the IMD.


1981 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems
There were 12 depressions that developed during the season. The first formed on June 20 in the northern Bay of Bengal. It soon moved ashore and dissipated on June 24. In August, there were two depressions and a cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal. The first formed in the Bay of Bengal on August 3, which dissipated after moving ashore eastern India the next day. The other formed on August 12, moved ashore two days later, and dissipated on August 16. A land depression existed over eastern India on September 9. Another Bay of Bengal depression formed on September 17 and moved ashore India a day later. From October 31 to November 2, a depression existed in the central Bay of Bengal. A depression existed off southwest Myanmar from November 8–10.


1981 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, August cyclonic storm
On August 7, a cyclonic storm formed in the northern Bay of Bengal. It moved ashore Odisha the next day, and progressed northwestward through India. It was last observed on August 10 over western India.


1981 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, September cyclonic storm
A depression formed in the Bay of Bengal on September 24, and quickly intensified into a cyclonic storm while moving northwestward. On September 26, the storm moved ashore Odisha. It eventually turned northward, dissipating over Chhattisgarh on September 28. Many huts were reported to be damaged due to gust winds over the coastal villages of Odisha.


1981 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Storm One (1B)
The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression just east of Sri Lanka on October 25. The depression tracked northwestward, becoming a tropical storm on the 27th over southern India according to the JTWC. Over the Arabian Sea, it turned northeastward where, after reaching a peak of 120 km/h (75 mph) winds, it hit western India on November 2 as it recurved northeastward. The IMD last reported the system on November 3. Nearly 5700 huts were reported to be damaged due to gust winds over Gujarat at the time of landfall.


1981 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Cyclone Two (2B)
On November 20, Tropical Storm Two, having weakened from a cyclone that developed on the 17th, hit Bangladesh and dissipated soon after.


1981 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Cyclone Three (3B)
Cyclone Three, which formed from the monsoon trough in the Bay of Bengal on December 5, reached a peak of 85 mph winds on the 9th. It weakened as it continued northward, and hit near the Indian/Bangladesh border on 1300UTC of 10th as a 60 mph tropical storm. Widespread damage and flooding caused at least 200 fatalities and affected one million people.


1981 North Korean local elections
Elections to provincial, municipal, city, county and district people's assemblies were held in North Korea on March 5, 1981. In total, 3,705 provincial and municipal people's assembly deputies and 24,191 city, county, and district people's assembly deputies were elected.


1981 North Korean local elections
Voter turnout was reported as 100%, with candidates receiving a 100% approval rate.


1981 Northeast Louisiana Indians football team
The 1981 Northeast Louisiana Indians football team was an American football team that represented Northeast Louisiana University (now known as the University of Louisiana at Monroe) as an independent during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first year under head coach Pat Collins, the team compiled a 5–6 record.


1981 Northern Cypriot general election
General elections were held in Northern Cyprus on 28 June 1981. Rauf Denktaş was re-elected President, whilst his National Unity Party remained the largest party in the National Council, although it lost its majority.


1981 Northern Cypriot general election, Results, President
Denktaş was also supported by the Turkish Union Party, the Social Justice Party and the National Goal Party.


1981 Northern Illinois Huskies football team
The 1981 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Huskies competed in the highest division of football at the time, Division I-A. The Huskies played under the Mid-American Conference banner during this season. They were led by head coach Bill Mallory, and they played their home games at Huskie Stadium.


1981 Northern Ireland Classic
The 1981 Northern Ireland Classic was a one-off invitational snooker tournament, held from 3 to 7 November 1981 at the Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Jimmy White defeated Steve Davis by elevenframes to nine (11–9) in the final. Dennis Taylor made the highest break with 112.


1981 Northern Ireland Classic
Five of the top eight players in the rankings participated: Cliff Thorburn (1), Steve Davis (2), Terry Griffiths (3), Dennis Taylor (5) and Doug Mountjoy (6). Also participating were Kirk Stevens (10), Alex Higgins (11), and Jimmy White (21).


1981 Northern Ireland local elections
Elections for local government were held in Northern Ireland in 1981, contesting 526 seats in all.


1981 Northumberland County Council election
Local elections to Northumberland County Council, a county council in the north east of England, were held on 7 May 1981, resulting in a council with Labour members forming a majority.


1981 Northwestern Wildcats football team
The 1981 Northwestern Wildcats team represented Northwestern University during the 1981 Big Ten Conference football season. In their first year under head coach Dennis Green, the Wildcats compiled a 0–11 record (0–9 against Big Ten Conference opponents) and finished in last place in the Big Ten Conference. The team played its home games at Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Illinois.


1981 Northwestern Wildcats football team
Northwestern finished the season in the midst of a 34-game losing streak, the longest in NCAA Division I-A history. The streak began on September 22, 1979, and ended on September 25, 1982.


1981 Northwestern Wildcats football team
The team's offensive leaders were quarterback Mike Kerrigan with 1,317 passing yards, Jim Browne with 162 rushing yards, and Chris Hinton with 265 receiving yards. Ricky Edwards led the Big Ten with 30 kickoff returns and 611 kickoff return yards.


1981 Norwegian Football Cup
Lillestrøm won the Norwegian Cup after beating Moss 3-1 on 25 October. The goal scorers for Lillestrøm were André Krogsæter in the 16th minute, Tom Lund in the 32nd minute (penalty), and Gunnar Lønstad  in the 49th minute. For Moss, Stein Kollshaugen  scored in the 89th minute. This was the third time Lillestrøm won a Norwegian Cup. 22 895 spectators attended the game at Ullevål Stadion. The referee was Jan Erik Olsen.


1981 Norwegian Football Cup
Lillestrøm's winning team: Arne Amundsen, Erik Solér, Frank Grønlund, Tore Kordahl,Tor Inge Smedås, Bård Bjerkeland, Ole Dyrstad, Tom Lund, Gunnar Lønstad,André Krogsæter and  Roger Sjåstad, (Subs: Jon Erik Andersen, Thor Helge Bergan,  Stein Eilertsen and Arne Dokken.)


1981 Norwegian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 13 and 14 September 1981. The Labour Party remained the largest party in the Storting, winning 66 of the 155 seats. The Conservative Party made the strongest gains and formed a government on its own. In 1983 a majority coalition government with the Christian People's Party and the Centre Party was established.


1981 Norwegian parliamentary election, Results
Five seats were won by joint lists, all of which were taken by the Centre Party.


1981 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 1981 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. Gerry Faust was the new Notre Dame head coach. The offense scored 232 points, while the defense allowed 160 points. It was Notre Dame's first losing season in 18 years.


1981 Nottinghamshire County Council election
The 1981 Nottinghamshire County Council election was held on Thursday, 7 May. Following boundary changes to the county's electoral divisions, the whole council of eighty-eight members was up for election. The Labour Party regained control from the Conservatives, winning fifty-five seats. The Conservatives won thirty-two councillors and one Residents' association councillor was elected in the Hucknall East division.


1981 Nottinghamshire County Council election, Results by division
Each electoral division returned one county councillor. The candidate elected to the council in each electoral division is shown in the table below.


1981 Nova Scotia general election
The 1981 Nova Scotia general election was held on October 6, 1981, to elect members of the 53rd House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative party.


1981 Nova Scotia general election, Further reading
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1981 Nova Scotia general election, Further reading
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1981 Oakland Athletics season
The Oakland Athletics' 1981 season saw the A's finish with an overall record of 64 wins and 45 losses. They finished the season with the best record in the American League (and second best in all of baseball). Due to the infamous 1981 players strike, the league resorted to a split-season format; this new format saw the winners of both halves of the season playing in the first divisional playoff in MLB history. The A's qualified by posting the AL West's best record in the first half of the season. While they swept the Kansas City Royals in the AL West playoff, they were themselves swept by the New York Yankees in the 1981 American League Championship Series.


1981 Oakland Athletics season
The Athletics' 1981 season ranks among the organization's most interesting. The A's, only two years removed from a disastrous 54-108 finish, won their first AL West crown since 1975 under second-year manager Billy Martin. The "Billyball" A's began the season with a then-AL record 11 consecutive wins (this record was later broken by the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers, who raced out to a 13-0 start). The squad followed its first loss of the season, a tough 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners, with six more victories. Their 17-1 start (through 18 games) remains unmatched.


1981 Oakland Athletics season
The A's starting rotation (consisting of Rick Langford, Matt Keough, Steve McCatty, Mike Norris, and Brian Kingman) received national attention during the torrid start; the unit was collectively featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's April 27, 1981, edition. The periodic heroics of Tony Armas and Rickey Henderson also drew notice.


1981 Oakland Athletics season
The Athletics, however, slumped badly following the 17-1 start. While they regained some of their swagger during the season's second half, they ultimately played .500 baseball for the rest of the season. Even still, the A's won the AL West's first half with a 37-23 mark; they also led the division in total wins despite losing the second half to the Royals. The A's swept these 50-53 Royals in the ALDS. The A's themselves were humbled in the ALCS, as the Yankees outscored Oakland 20-4 in a humiliating three-game rout. The 1981 ALCS is perhaps best remembered as the purported birthplace of "the wave"; while the phenomenon's origin is disputed, it is most commonly attributed to Krazy George Henderson, who introduced it to the Athletics' crowd during the series' final game.


1981 Oakland Athletics season
Despite high expectations, the A's collapsed in 1982. A rash of injuries, among other factors, saw the team plummet to an abysmal 68-94 record. The firing of Billy Martin at seasons' end brought a swift and unceremonious end to the "Billyball" era. All told, the A's would have to wait until 1988 for their next postseason appearance. Only one member of the 1981 team (Rich Bordi) also played on the 1988 team.


1981 Oakland Athletics season, Offseason, Ownership
Athletics owner Charlie O. Finley's wife sought a divorce and would not accept part of a baseball team in a property settlement. With most of his money tied up in the A's or his insurance empire, Finley had to sell the team. Though Finley found a buyer in businessman Marvin Davis, who would have moved the Athletics to Denver, the tentative deal hit a snag when the Raiders announced their move to Los Angeles.


1981 Oakland Athletics season, Offseason, Ownership
Oakland and Alameda County officials, not wanting to be held responsible for losing Oakland's status as a big-league city in its own right, refused to let Finley break the lease with the Coliseum. Finley then looked to local buyers, selling the A's to San Francisco clothing manufacturer Walter A. Haas, Jr., president of Levi Strauss & Co. prior to the 1981 season.


1981 Oakland Athletics season, Offseason, Ownership
Haas restored the official name of the club to "Athletics" in 1981, but retained the nickname "A's" for marketing purposes. At first, the word "Athletics" was restored only to the club's logo, underneath the much larger stylized-"A" that had come to represent the team since the early days. Former owner Charlie Finley banned the word "Athletics" from the club's name because he felt that name was too closely associated with former Philadelphia Athletics owner Connie Mack.


1981 Oakland Athletics season, Offseason, Ownership
During the Finley era, average home attendance from 1968–1980 was 777,000 per season, with 1,075,518 in 1975 being the highest attendance for a Finley-owned team. In marked contrast, during the first year of Haas' ownership, the Athletics drew 1,304,052—in a season shortened by a player strike. Were it not for the strike, the A's were on a pace to draw over 2.2 million in 1981. The A's finished with the second-best overall record in baseball, and the best record in the American League.


1981 Oakland Athletics season, Spring training
The Oakland Athletics held spring training at Rendezvous Park in Mesa, Arizona.


1981 Oakland Athletics season, Regular season, Billyball, year two
Following the team's surprising success in 1980, manager Billy Martin was given the additional title of general manager in 1981. The team won the division title for the first time since 1975, winning the first half of the split season, then defeating the Royals in the divisional playoffs before losing to the Yankees in the ALCS.


1981 Oakland Athletics season, Regular season, Billyball, year two
While the team was successful, it came at a high price, both for the team and for the pitching staff. Following a season in which the team led the league in complete games with 94—an astonishing number for the time—the Athletics again led the league with 60 complete games out of 109 total games in the strike-shortened season. For the second time, the pitching staff completed more than half their total number of games and more than double the number of the team with the second-highest total (The Indians and Tigers each had 33).


1981 Oakland Athletics season, Regular season, Billyball, year two
The workload of the pitchers over the two seasons was blamed by the team's ownership for the team's fall to fifth place in 1982, which led to Martin's firing from both positions. Many of the pitchers suffered injuries, and none of the four main starting pitchers (Rick Langford, Steve McCatty, Mike Norris, Matt Keough) ever duplicated their success of 1980–81.


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


1981 Oakland Athletics season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games played; IP = Innings Pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned Run Average; SO = Strikeouts; BB = Bases on Balls


1981 Oakland Raiders season
The 1981 season was the Oakland Raiders' 22nd since they were founded, their 12th in the National Football League and their third under head coach Tom Flores. The team failed to improve on their 11–5 record from 1980, and the Raiders went 7–9 and became the fourth team in NFL history to enter a season as the defending Super Bowl champions and miss the playoffs. The 1981 Raiders set an NFL record by being shut out three consecutive times. The passing game fell off badly, being 26th and throwing 28 interceptions. After the defense led the NFL in interceptions and takeaways in 1980, they were dead last in 1981 and were –16 in turnover differential. It was also their last season in Oakland until 1995 and their losing record snapped a streak of 16 consecutive winning seasons.


1981 October Revolution Parade
The 1981 October Revolution Parade took place on Moscow's Red Square on November 7, 1981, and was dedicated to the 64th anniversary of the October Revolution. General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev was among the high-ranking party members who attended the parade. Taking the salute was Dmitry Ustinov, Minister of Defense of the USSR and Marshal of the Soviet Union. Commanding the parade was Petr Lushev, commander of the Moscow Military District. The music was performed by the Combined Orchestra of the Moscow Garrison and conducted by Major General Nikolai Mikhailov.


1981 Ohio Bobcats football team
The 1981 Ohio Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented Ohio University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third season under head coach Brian Burke, the Bobcats compiled a 5–6 record (5–4 against MAC opponents), finished in a tie for fifth place in the MAC, and were outscored by all opponents by a combined total of 257 to 228.


1981 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1981 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the 1981 Big Ten Conference football season. The Buckeyes compiled a 9–3 record, including the 1981 Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee, where they won, 31–28, against the Navy Midshipmen. Ohio State and Iowa were the only conference teams not to play one another, and they ended up in a tie for the Big Ten title. That cost the Buckeyes a possible outright conference championship and trip to the 1982 Rose Bowl as Iowa landed the Rose Bowl bid due to not going to the Rose Bowl longer than Ohio State.


1981 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
Several Ohio State players ranked among the Big Ten leaders, including the following:


1981 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 1981 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. They played their home games at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and competed as members of the Big Eight Conference. They were coached by head coach Barry Switzer. The Sooners defeated the  Houston Cougars 40–14 to win the 1981 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.


1981 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State
Fred Sims scored three short-yardage touchdowns to lead Oklahoma to a 27-3 win over their instate rivals in a steady drizzle. Sims, who carried 23 times for 66 yards, scored on runs of two and five yards in the second quarter and a one-yard run in the third.


1981 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Postseason, NFL draft
The following players were drafted into the National Football League following the season.


1981 Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball team
The 1981 Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball team represented Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in the 1981 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Cowboys played their home games at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The team was coached by Gary Ward in his fourth season at Oklahoma State.


1981 Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball team
The Cowboys reached the College World Series, finishing as the runner up to Arizona State.


1981 Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball team
The Cowboys also won the Big Eight Conference championship, the first in a string of sixteen consecutive conference titles which lasted until the league merged with the Southwest Conference.


1981 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team
The 1981 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented Oklahoma State University in the Big Eight Conference during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third season under head coach Jimmy Johnson, the Cowboys compiled a 7–5 record (4–3 against conference opponents), tied for third place in the conference, and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 216 to 197.


1981 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team
The team's statistical leaders included Shawn Jones with 788 rushing yards, John Doerner with 877 passing yards, John Chesley with 350 receiving yards, and placekicker Larry Roach with 71 points scored.


1981 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team
The team played its home games at Lewis Field in Stillwater, Oklahoma.


1981 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team, After the season
The 1982 NFL Draft was held on April 27–28, 1982. The following Cowboys were selected.


1981 Ole Miss Rebels football team
The 1981 Ole Miss Rebels football team represented the University of Mississippi during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The season opened with a close win over Tulane.


1981 Ole Miss Rebels football team, Season summary, Mississippi State
John Fourcade plunged from one yard out with two seconds left for the winning score in his final game.


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


1981 Omagh District Council election, Districts results, Area A
1977: 2 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Independent Nationalist1981: 2 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x IIP, 1 x DUP1977-1981 Change: IIP and DUP gain from UUP and Independent Nationalist


1981 Omagh District Council election, Districts results, Area B
1977: 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent Nationalist1981: 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x IIP1977-1981 Change: DUP gain from UUP, Independent Nationalist joins IIP


1981 Omagh District Council election, Districts results, Area C
1977: 3 x SDLP, 3 x UUP, 1 x Alliance1981: 2 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x IIP1977-1981 Change: DUP and IIP gain from SDLP and UUP


1981 Omagh District Council election, Districts results, Area D
1977: 1 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Republican Clubs1981: 2 x IIP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP1977-1981 Change: IIP (two seats) and DUP gain from UUP, Alliance and Republican Clubs


1981 Omloop Het Volk
The 1981 Omloop Het Volk was the 36th edition of the Omloop Het Volk cycle race and was held on 26 February 1981. The race started and finished in Ghent. The race was won by Jan Raas.


1981 Ontario general election
The 1981 Ontario general election was held on March 19, 1981, to elect members of the 32nd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.


1981 Ontario general election
The governing Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, led by Bill Davis, was re-elected for a twelfth consecutive term in office. The PCs finally won a majority government after winning only minorities in the 1975 and 1977 elections. The Liberal Party, led by Stuart Smith, was able to maintain its standing in the Legislature, while the New Democratic Party, led by Michael Cassidy, lost a significant number of seats, allowing the Tories to win a majority.


1981 Ontario general election, Results
1 Includes T. Patrick Reid, a Liberal MPP who was re-elected in 1977 as a Liberal-Labour candidate (he had previously been elected as Liberal-Labour in 1967 but was re-elected in 1971 and 1975 as a straight Liberal). In 1981 he ran again and was re-elected as a straight Liberal.


1981 Ontario general election, Results
A number of unregistered parties also fielded candidates in this election.


1981 Ontario general election, Results
There were a number of Rhinoceros Party candidates in the Toronto area, and the party may have also fielded candidates elsewhere in the province. The Workers Communist Party (Marxist–Leninist) a single candidate, Judy Darcy. Ronald G. Rodgers, founder of the Détente Party of Canada, contested a Toronto constituency.


1981 Ontario general election, Results
Social Credit leader Reg Gervais announced prior to the election that he planned to run in Nickel Belt, but could not follow through and resigned at a meeting of nominated candidates where John Turmel was appointed interim leader of the Ontario Social Credit Party during the campaign, though there has never been independent confirmation of this (nor is it clear if the Ottawa-area candidacies of Turmel and Raymond Turmel and Serge Girard and Dale Alkerton and Andrew Dynowski were approved by the remaining few members of the official Social Credit Party of Ontario).


1981 Ontario general election, Post-election changes
Hamilton West:  Stuart Smith resigned his legislative seat on January 25, 1982, and a by-election was called for June 17, 1982.


1981 Ontario general election, Post-election changes
York South:  Donald C. MacDonald resigned his legislative seat in 1982, and a by-election was called for November 4, 1982.


1981 Ontario general election, Post-election changes
Stormont—Dundas and Glengarry:  Osie Villeneuve died in 1983, and a by-election has called on December 15, 1983:


1981 Ontario general election, Post-election changes
Frontenac—Addington:  Liberal MPP J. Earl McEwen crossed the floor to join the Progressive Conservatives in 1984.


1981 Ontario general election, Post-election changes
Hamilton Centre:  Sheila Copps resigned her legislative seat in 1984, and a by-election was held on December 13, 1984:


1981 Ontario general election, Post-election changes
Ottawa Centre:  Michael Cassidy resigned his legislative seat in 1984, and a by-election was held on December 13, 1984.


1981 Ontario general election, Post-election changes
Ottawa East:  Albert J. Roy resigned his legislative seat in 1984, and a by-election was held on December 13, 1984:


1981 Ontario general election, Post-election changes
Prescott and Russell:  Don Boudria resigned his legislative seat in 1984, and a by-election was held on December 13, 1984:


1981 Ontario general election, Post-election changes
Wentworth North:  Eric Cunningham resigned his legislative seat in 1984, and a by-election was held on December 13, 1984:


1981 Ontario general election, Post-election changes
Eglinton:  Roy McMurtry resigned his seat in 1985 to take a government position in the United Kingdom.