1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, First quarter
After the Virginia Tech kickoff and a short return, Miami began the first drive of the game at its 32-yard line. The game's first play was an incomplete pass from Miami quarterback Jim Kelly. After a one-yard rush, Kelly completed his first pass of the game, an 18-yard toss that drove Miami to the Tech 49-yard line and gave the Hurricanes a first down. Miami then committed a 15-yard penalty, pushing the Hurricanes back into their side of the field. On the second play after the penalty, Kelly completed a 29-yard pass that gave Miami a first down.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, First quarter
The Hurricanes were further aided by a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty against Virginia Tech, giving Miami a first down at the Tech 20-yard line. From there, it took Miami just three plays to score a touchdown, the final play being a 15-yard pass from Kelly to Larry Brodsky. With 12:37 remaining in the quarter, Miami took a 7–0 lead.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, First quarter
Following Miami's post-touchdown kickoff, Virginia Tech began its first offensive possession of the game at its 24-yard line. A three-yard rush from fullback Scott Dovel was followed by two rushes from Tech's Cyrus Lawrence: one for eight yards and a second for 17 more. These drove Tech into Miami territory and gave the Gobblers a first down. Once there, however, Miami's defense stiffened and Tech was forced to punt. Miami recovered the ball at its 12-yard line, and the Hurricanes began their second possession of the game.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, First quarter
Fullback Chris Hobbs and running back Smokey Roan alternated carries, picking up yardage and first downs before entering Virginia Tech territory. On the Hurricanes' first play on Tech's side of the field, however, Miami committed two penalties, pushing the Hurricanes back 20 yards. Following the penalties, Miami was unable to pick up a first down and punted back to the Gobblers.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, First quarter
Tech recovered the punt at its 30-yard line and began its second possession. Lawrence rushed for five yards, and Miami committed a five-yard offsides penalty, giving Tech a first down by penalty. Dovel and Lawrence then combined for another first down after two plays. Tech was unable to gain another first down and punted the ball away. Attempting to field the ball, Miami's Fred Marion fumbled the ball, which was recovered by a Tech defender at the Miami 25-yard line. Despite beginning with excellent field position, Tech was unable to score. On the first play after the fumble recovery, Tech attempted to run a trick play involving a pass by Lawrence. The pass was intercepted by a Miami defender at the Hurricanes' one-yard line, and Miami's offense returned to the field.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, First quarter
From their one-yard line, the Hurricanes ran a short rush up the middle, then Kelly connected on a 28-yard pass to tight end Mark Cooper for a first down. Three short rushes by fullback Speedy Neal resulted in 12 yards and a first down. With time running out in the quarter, Kelly attempted and completed a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Rocky Belk, driving the Hurricanes to the Tech 30-yard line and bringing the quarter to an end. Miami led, 7–0 at the end of the first quarter.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Second quarter
Miami began the second quarter in possession of the ball and facing a first down at the Virginia Tech 30-yard line. From there, it took Miami just four plays to score. Roan ran for seven yards, Kelly completed an 11-yard pass, threw an incomplete pass, then Hobbs ran 12 yards for the touchdown. The score and following extra point gave Miami a 14–0 lead with 13:47 remaining before halftime.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Second quarter
Virginia Tech received the post-touchdown kickoff and was promptly penalized 10 yards for an illegal block during the kickoff. Despite the initial setback, Tech made good the penalty with two passes from quarterback Steve Casey. After gaining one first down, the Gobblers gained several more with a combination of passes from Casey and rushes from Lawrence. Tech drove into Miami territory and penetrated the Hurricanes' red zone, in the process gaining a first down after facing a fourth down near midfield. Attempting to pass for a touchdown, however, Casey threw an interception at the goal line to a Miami defender. The Hurricanes thus again denied Tech a scoring opportunity and the Miami offense began anew.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Second quarter
The Hurricanes picked up a first down on one rush each from Hobbs and Roan, but were unable to gain another. After a Miami punt, Tech returned to offense from its 46-yard line. Casey picked up a first down on a pass, then gained another after a seven-yard scramble that followed a three-yard rush by Lawrence. Lawrence then gained a first down on his own after rushing for nine yards and five yards, driving the Gobblers to the Miami 15-yard line in the process.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Second quarter
After entering the Miami red zone, however, Tech was unable to gain a first down and Casey was sacked for a loss of 13 yards. Facing a fourth down and needing 20 yards for a first down, Tech coach Bill Dooley sent in kicker Dennis Laury to attempt a 42-yard field goal. The kick was successful, and with 29 seconds left in the first half, Tech cut Miami's lead to 14–3.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Second quarter
Miami was penalized 15 yards for roughing the kicker during the field goal attempt, allowing Tech to kick off from the Miami 45-yard line following the score. Instead of kicking off to Miami, Tech attempted an onside kick, which would allow Tech to retain possession if the ball was recovered by the kicking team after traveling 10 yards from the point at which it was kicked. The ball did not travel the needed 10 yards, however, and Miami began offense at its 37-yard line, where the ball rolled out of bounds.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Second quarter
On Miami's first play after the kick, Kelly attempted a long pass into Tech territory, but the ball was intercepted by Tech's Mike Schamus at the Gobblers' 12-yard line. With just 21 seconds remaining in the first half, Tech attempted to gain quick yardage in an effort to close within field goal distance. Though Lawrence picked up 15 yards and a first with a rush, the Gobblers were unable to enter the Miami side of the field before time expired. At the end of the first half, Miami still held a 14–3 lead.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Third quarter
Because Miami received the ball to begin the game, Virginia Tech received the ball to begin the second half. After Miami's kickoff and a touchback, Tech began the first possession of the second half at its 20-yard line. The Gobblers picked up a quick first down off a rush each by Lawrence, Dovel, and Casey. Lawrence picked up another with two rushes that resulted in 13 yards and drove the Gobblers to their 44-yard line.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Third quarter
There, Casey completed his longest pass of the game — a 42-yard throw to tight end Rob Purdham — that gave Tech a first down at the Miami 14-yard line. Tech continued to drive, picking up short yardage with multiple rushes. The Gobblers suffered a near-disaster when Lawrence fumbled the ball, but Tech retained possession when the ball rolled out of bounds at the one-yard line. Two plays after the fumble, Lawrence vaulted over the goal line for Tech's first and only touchdown of the game. Following the extra point, Tech cut Miami's lead to 14–10 with 8:52 remaining in the quarter.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Third quarter
Following the Tech kickoff, Miami began a drive at its 20-yard line and went three and out. Following the Hurricanes' punt, Tech's offense began work at its 22-yard line. Despite having a chance to take the lead with a successful drive, the Gobblers also went three and out, punting back to Miami and allowing the Hurricanes to begin a possession at their 33-yard line. This possession was more successful than Miami's first of the second half. Kelly ran for four yards, then completed a six-yard pass for a first down.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Third quarter
Tech committed a 15-yard grabbing-the-facemask penalty, and Kelly completed a 15-yard pass that pushed the Miami offense to the Tech 22-yard line. Young picked up 12 yards and a first down with a rush to the left, but Kelly was sacked for a loss of 13 yards, negating the gain. Unable to gain another first down or a touchdown, Miami was forced to settle for a field goal attempt. The 31-yard attempt was good, and Miami expanded its lead to 17–10 with 29 seconds remaining in the quarter.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Third quarter
Tech received Miami's kickoff for a touchback, and the Gobblers' offense began work at the Tech 20-yard line. Lawrence ran for six yards, and time ran out in the quarter. With one quarter remaining, Miami held a 17–10 lead.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Fourth quarter
Tech began the fourth quarter in possession of the ball and facing a second down at its 26-yard line. Despite needing just another four yards for a first down, Tech was unable to gain the needed yardage and was forced to punt. During the kick, Miami was penalized five yards, and began its first possession of the fourth quarter at its 18-yard line after the penalty. Kelly completed an 18-yard pass for a first down, but Miami was unable to gain another. After punting to Tech, the Gobblers were likewise unable to gain a first down and went three and out after committing a delay of game penalty.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Fourth quarter
Tech's punt was short, and Miami began a possession at the Tech 41-yard line. The Hurricanes picked up a first down with two rushes by Roan for a total of 14 yards. Despite further short gains by Roan, the Hurricanes were stopped short by the Tech defense and were unable to gain another. Miami sent in kicker Dan Miller, who kicked a 37-yard field goal to give Miami a 20–10 lead with 6:27 remaining in the game.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Fourth quarter
Tech received Miami's post-score kickoff needing to score quickly in order to have a chance to have a second opportunity on offense — needed because Tech was now two scores behind. Tech returned the kickoff to the 24-yard line but were penalized 12 yards for an illegal block. Casey passed for an eight-yard gain and ran for three yards for a first down. After that gain, things went against the Gobblers. Casey was penalized 15 yards for intentional grounding, and Tech was unable to gain another first down.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Fourth quarter
The Gobblers punted, and Miami took over on offense at its 46-yard line. In possession of the lead, Miami began to run out the clock, executing multiple rushing plays in succession in order to force the game clock to continue to count down. Tech's defense forced a stop, but because Miami punted the ball with just 2:20 remaining in the game, there was little chance that Tech would be able to make up the needed two scores.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary, Fourth quarter
Tech received the ball at its 16-yard line, and Casey completed a quick 14-yard pass to Purdham for a first down. But Tech was unable to gain another first down, and after four plays were stopped short, Tech turned the ball over to Miami after Casey threw an incomplete pass on fourth down. Miami received the ball with 1:24 remaining and ran a series of inconsequential plays to draw down the clock and bring the game to an end. Miami earned the win, 20–10.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Statistical summary
In recognition of their performances during the Peach Bowl, Miami quarterback Jim Kelly and nose guard Jim Burt were named the game's offensive and defensive most valuable players of the game, respectively. Kelly finished the game having completed 11 of his 22 pass attempts for 179 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Burt, the other MVP, accumulated nine tackles—the second-most of any player in the game—including seven unassisted tackles and one tackle for loss.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Statistical summary
Virginia Tech running back Cyrus Lawrence finished the game with 27 carries for 137 rushing yards and a touchdown. The 27 carries remain the most ever recorded by a single Virginia Tech player in a bowl game. Tech quarterback Steve Casey led the Gobblers in passing yardage, completing nine of his 23 pass attempts for 119 yards and one interception.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Statistical summary
The Hurricanes' ground offense was led by Smokey Roan, who carried the ball 16 times for 86 yards. Second to Roan for Miami was Chris Hobbs, who contributed 66 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Hurricanes wide receiver Larry Brodsky finished with four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown. Miami turned the ball over four times during the course of the game. Tech's 80-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter remains tied for the longest ever recorded by a Tech offense during a bowl game. Conversely, the 99-yard drive allowed to Miami remains the longest scoring drive Tech's defense has ever allowed in a bowl game.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Statistical summary
On defense, Virginia Tech linebacker Ashley Lee's 15 tackles remains the most ever recorded by a Tech defender in a bowl game. Three Tech players were tied for second on the team with eight tackles. Behind defensive MVP Burt, Miami had one player with eight tackles and two with seven. Fred Marion, one of the Hurricanes with seven tackles, also intercepted a Tech pass and broke up another pass.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Postgame effects
In exchange for their participation, each team received $663,389. Miami's win brought the Hurricanes to a final record of 9–3 for the 1980 college football season. Likewise, the loss dropped Virginia Tech to a final record of 8–4. Miami's win also was its first bowl-game victory since a similar win over Tech in the 1966 Liberty Bowl.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Postgame effects
The 1980 Peach Bowl victory is sometimes cited as the turning point in the Miami football program, as the Hurricanes went 9–2 and 7–4 over the next two season before participating in the 1984 Orange Bowl, the championship game of the 1983 college football season. Tech also participated in a 1984 bowl game; the 1984 Independence Bowl, which followed the 1984 college football season. The Gobblers did not win a bowl game until the 1986 Peach Bowl; however, the game had lasting effects on Virginia Tech's football recruiting efforts. Eventual star players Bruce Smith and Jesse Penn signed letters of intent with Virginia Tech following the game.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Postgame effects
Miami had a handful of players selected in the 1981 NFL Draft: Cornerback John Swain was picked with the 101st overall selection, Jim Joiner with the 263rd pick, and Pat Walker with the 290th pick. Miami quarterback Jim Kelly, a sophomore during the 1981 Peach Bowl, was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft and went on to become a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his performance during 10 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. In 2002, Kelly was named to the Peach Bowl Hall of Fame in honor of his performance in the 1980 game.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Later aftermath
Miami and Virginia Tech would both be charter members of the Big East Conference's football league in 1991, and in 2004, both schools moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference - which now has a tie-in for what is now called the Chick-Fil A Bowl.


1981 Penn Quakers football team
The 1981 Penn Quakers football team represented the University of Pennsylvania in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season.


1981 Penn State Nittany Lions football team
The 1981 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was selected national champion by Dunkel, an NCAA-designated major selector, while Clemson was the consensus national champion.


1981 Penn State Nittany Lions football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
Following the game, Penn State accepted an invitation to the Fiesta Bowl.


1981 Penn State Nittany Lions football team, Game summaries, Pittsburgh
The Nittany Lions snapped the Panthers' 17-game winning streak in convincing fashion.


1981 Penn State Nittany Lions football team, NFL Draft
Ten Nittany Lions were drafted in the 1982 NFL Draft.


1981 Pepsi Grand Slam
The 1981 Pepsi Grand Slam was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Boca West Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. It was a special event, not part of the 1980 Volvo Grand Prix circuit but the title is recognized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). It was the sixth and last edition of the tournament and was held from February 14 through February 15, 1981. Four–time winner and defending champion Björn Borg withdrew a day before the tournament began after coming down with the flu. He was replaced by Vitas Gerulaitis. John McEnroe won the singles title and $150,000 first prize money.


1981 Pepsi Grand Slam
This tournament was televised by CBS Sports immediately following their telecast of the 1981 Daytona 500 held some 220 miles further north up Florida's coast in Daytona Beach, Florida.


1981 Peter Jackson Classic
The 1981 Peter Jackson Classic was contested from July 2–5 at Summerlea Golf & Country Club. It was the 9th edition of the Peter Jackson Classic, and the third edition as a major championship on the LPGA Tour.


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1981 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 49th season in the National Football League, they made the postseason for the fourth straight season (first time in franchise history the Eagles had made the postseason four straight times). The team was coming off a Super Bowl loss to the Oakland Raiders the previous season. Because they made the Super Bowl in 1980, they were picked by many to not only reach the Super Bowl, but to win it as well. The Eagles began the 1981 season with 6 straight wins, their best ever start to a season at the time.


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season
The Eagles would win then 3 of their next 5 games to sit at 9–2. They would then lose their next 4 games to slip to 9–6 and were in danger of missing out on the playoffs. The next week, they hammered the Cardinals 38–0 to clinch a playoff berth for the fourth straight season. In the playoffs, they met their arch rivals the Giants. It was New York's first playoff appearance in 18 years. In the game, the Giants would stun the eagles 27–21, ending the Eagles season as well as hopes for a second straight Super Bowl appearance. The Eagles would not make the playoffs again until 1988. They also wouldn't reach the Super Bowl again until 2004.


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Offseason, NFL Draft
After going 12–4 and winning the NFC title and losing in Super Bowl XV to the Oakland Raiders in the 1980 season the Eagles would be picking next to last in the 12 rounds of the draft


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Offseason, NFL Draft
The 1981 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1981. ESPN would cover all 12 rounds live for the first time. ESPN would then show a replay later that night. This would be over 2 days.


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Offseason, NFL Draft
The Philadelphia Eagles would get the 27th pick in the 12 rounds. The Eagles would draft 10 players in this year's draft.


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Regular season
The 1981 season schedule was set by how the Eagles finished in 1980, 1st in NFC East. The way it was laid out, 4 of the 5 teams in the same 5 team division could end up having 10 to 14 common opponents during the 1981 season. Also, when the last regular season game is over you know who you play the following year.


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 1
Played at Giants StadiumThe Meadowlands on an AstroTurf playing surface in 70F degrees with an 11 MPH wind


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 2
Played at Veterans Stadium on an AstroTurf playing surface weather= 74 °F (Sunny)


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 3
Played at  Rich Stadium on AstroTurf playing surface in 55F degrees with an 8 MPH wind


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 4
Played at Veterans Stadium on an AstroTurf playing surface weather= 68 °F (Sunny)


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 5
Played at Veterans Stadium on AstroTurf playing surface weather= 62 °F (Clear)


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 6
Played at Louisiana Superdome on an AstroTurf playing surface in 72F degrees indoors


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 7
Played at Metropolitan Stadium on a grass playing surface in 44F degrees with a 27 MPH wind


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 8
Played at Veterans Stadium on an AstroTurf playing surface weather= 55 °F (Rain)


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 9
Played at Veterans Stadium on an AstroTurf playing surface weather= 60 °F (Cloudy)


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 10
Played at the Busch Memorial Stadium on an AstroTurf playing surface in 57F degrees with an 8 mph wind.


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 11
Played at Veterans Stadium on AstroTurf weather= 54 °F (Light rain)


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 12
Played at Veterans Stadium on an AstroTurf playing surface weather= 46 °F (Cloudy)


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 13
Played at Orange Bowl on grass playing surface in 73F degrees with an 8 MPH wind


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 14
Played at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium on a grass playing surface in 43F degrees with a 21 MPH wind


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 15
Played at Texas Stadium on an AstroTurf playing surface in 44F degrees with a 9 MPH wind


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game summaries, Week 16
Played at Veterans Stadium on AstroTurf playing surface weather= 29 °F (Sunny)


1981 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, Playoffs, NFC Wildcard Game
Played at Veterans Stadium on AstroTurf playing surface weather= 38 °F (Light drizzle)


1981 Philadelphia Phillies season
The Philadelphia Phillies' 1981 season was a season in American baseball.


1981 Philadelphia Phillies 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 Philadelphia Phillies 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 Philippine constitutional plebiscite
National plebscite and local plebscites was held on April 7, 1981 in the Philippines. The plebiscite was set to amend the following revisions made by the Interim Batasang Pambansa, pursuant to Batasang Pambansa Blg. 122:


1981 Philippine constitutional plebiscite
Also were held in certain areas the creation of three municipalities in Bohol, South Cotabato and Zamboanga del Norte:


1981 Philippine constitutional plebiscite, Results
The majority of the Filipino people voted "Yes" to the terms and constitutional amendments.


1981 Philippine presidential election and referendum
The 1981 Philippine presidential election and national referendum was held on June 16, 1981. President Ferdinand E. Marcos of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) defeated retired general and World War II veteran Alejo Santos of the Nacionalista Party in a landslide victory. Most opposition parties boycotted the election as a sign of protest over the 1978 election for the Interim Batasang Pambansa (National Assembly), which they condemned as fraudulent. At the same time, a national referendum was held on the question in holding elections for barangay elections in 1982.


1981 Philippine presidential election and referendum
Marcos' 80% margin of victory is the most lopsided Philippine presidential election ever, beating out Manuel L. Quezon's landslide victory of 64% in 1941. Marcos getting 88% of the vote is also the largest in Philippine presidential election history, also beating Quezon's 1941 record of 82%. This is also the most votes received by a person in the Philippines for a single-winner election; for multiple-winner elections, it was beaten by Mar Roxas in 2004. This was also the presidential election with the most number of candidates, with 13, although nine candidates with the fewest votes collectively just got 0.13% of the vote.


1981 Philippine presidential election and referendum
Marcos would have served another six-year term ending in 1987, but it was cut short by the 1986 snap election that eventually resulted in his ouster in the People Power Revolution.


1981 Philippine presidential election and referendum, Lifting of martial law
On January 17, 1981, President Marcos announced the lifting of martial law via Proclamation No. 2045; in his address, he also inaugurated the "New Republic." Although martial law has ended, Marcos retained all presidential decrees, legislative powers and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus. The lifting of martial law was speculated to be due to the election of U.S. President Ronald Reagan, with whom Marcos wanted to have close relationship with and who was to be inaugurated only three days later, and the arrival of Pope John Paul II in the country. In February, the Interim Batasang Pambansa (parliament) passed a constitutional amendment that changed the parliamentary system of government to a semi-presidential modeled on that of France. The electorate approved the amendment in a plebiscite held in April. Marcos then called for a presidential election to be scheduled in June.


1981 Philippine presidential election and referendum, Campaign
The opposition, as early as April, had decided to boycott the election. The United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO), the main opposition umbrella group, wanted to clean the voters' list, a revamping of the Commission on Elections, a campaign to be held nationwide and that UNIDO accredited as a minority party. Marcos did not accept the demands which led UNIDO to call for a boycott. This caused for Marcos to be reportedly dismayed as he could not legitimize the election without a viable opposition candidate. UNIDO also refused to participate as Benigno Aquino Jr. (who was in exile in Massachusetts) was not allowed to participate since only people fifty years old or older were allowed to participate (Aquino was 48 years old at the time).


1981 Philippine presidential election and referendum, Campaign
Marcos instructed Nacionalista Party president José Roy to find a token candidate to oppose him. The Nacionalista Party was then a moribund political entity because Marcos, who was elected twice before under its banner, had alternately lured and coerced the vast majority its members to his new Kilusang Bagong Lipunan. The Nacionalista Party chose former Defense Secretary and Bulacan governor Alejo Santos as their standard bearer. Santos, who was appointed by Marcos as chairman of the board of the Philippine Veterans Bank, had Francisco Tatad, Marcos' former information minister, as his campaign manager. The other main candidate was Bartolome Cabangbang of the Federalist Party, whose platform was for the Philippines to become the 51st state of the United States.


1981 Philippine presidential election and referendum, Campaign
With UNIDO pressing for a boycott, the government issued a statement that abstention was a mortal sin; the Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Jaime Sin responded that the people "were free to exercise their moral judgment whether to vote or not." Those who did not vote on the April plebiscite were issued summons to force them to vote. Marcos won overwhelmingly, but with people remembering the American colonial era and wanting a change from the martial law conditions, Cabangbang surprisingly got 4% of the vote.


1981 Philippine presidential election and referendum, Aftermath
Marcos was inaugurated on June 30, 1981, at the Quirino Grandstand, with then-United States Vice President George H.W. Bush in attendance. This is when Bush made the infamous praise for Marcos: "We love your adherence to democratic principles and to the democratic process."


1981 Philippine presidential election and referendum, Aftermath
On August 21, 1983, Senator Aquino returned from exile in the United States, but was assassinated at Manila International Airport. Growing unrest followed, and Marcos was forced to call the snap election of 1986, where UNIDO and Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan participated and nominated Aquino's widow Corazon Aquino as their standard bearer. Marcos claimed victory over Aquino despite reports of massive cheating, but he was removed from power a few hours after his oath-taking on February 25, 1986.


1981 Pitcairnese airfield referendum
A referendum on building an airfield was held in the Pitcairn Islands in March 1981. With the island only accessible by boat, around 90% voted in favour of constructing an airfield. The Island Council supported the construction of an airfield. However, construction was too expensive for the British Authorities.


1981 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 1981 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The one-loss Panthers were selected as national champion by NCAA-designated major selector National Championship Foundation and also by Montgomery Full Season Championship. The school does not claim a national championship for this season.


1981 Pittsburgh Pirates season
The 1981 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 100th season of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise; their 95th in the National League. The Pirates finished fourth in the National League East in the first half of the season with a record of 25–23 and sixth in the second half with a record of 21–33.


1981 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season
Officials of the Louisiana Superdome met with Pirates management in April 1981 about moving the club to New Orleans when the Pirates were unhappy with their lease at Three Rivers Stadium.


1981 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 1981 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 49th in the National Football League. After enduring an injury plagued 9–7 season the previous year, and missing the playoffs for the first time since 1971, the Steelers had hoped that the 1980 season was just a small hiatus from contending for championships. However, while the Steelers had flashes of their former glory years after starting the season with 2 unimpressive losses, the 1981 season would end in an 8-8 record and eventually prove the end of the Steelers great dynasty of the 1970s.


1981 Pittsburgh mayoral election
The Mayoral election of 1981 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1981. The incumbent mayor, Richard Caliguiri of the Democratic Party chose to run for his second full term.


1981 Pittsburgh mayoral election, Results
Caliguiri won by a particularly large margin, eclipsing 80% of the vote, a figure that even surpasses the city's heavily Democratic voter registration advantage. This is in part due to the particularly polarizing nature of Republican candidate Fred Goehringer, a KDKA broadcaster. Goehringer was a Barry Goldwater admirer but campaigned against Caligiuri's Renaissance III corporate benefits, alienating some GOP power brokers. A total of 83,683 votes were cast.


1981 Plaid Cymru presidential election
The 1981 Plaid Cymru presidential election was held following the resignation of Gwynfor Evans, who had led the party since 1945. The election followed both the defeat at the 1979 general election of Evans in Carmarthen and the defeat earlier that year of the Yes side in 1979 devolution referendum.


1981 Plaid Cymru presidential election
The contest was between Caernarfon MP Dafydd Wigley and Meirionnydd Nant Conwy MP Dafydd Elis Thomas, both of whom had entered the House of Commons in February 1974.


1981 Plaid Cymru presidential election
The contest was won by Dafydd Wigley, who went on to serve until 1984.


1981 Playa Azul earthquake
The 1981 Playa Azul earthquake occurred on October 24, 1981, at 21:22 local time (03:22 UTC on October 25). It was located near Playa Azul, Michoacán, Mexico. The magnitude of the earthquake was Mw 7.2, or Ms 7.3. Three deaths were reported, two from Michoacán and one from  Mexico City. Some buildings were damaged in both Michoacán and Mexico City. A small tsunami was registered in Acapulco with a maximum height of 9 cm.


1981 Playa Azul earthquake, Tectonic setting
The southwestern coast of Mexico lies above the convergent boundary where the Rivera Plate and Cocos Plate are being subducted beneath the North American Plate along the Middle America Trench. The area is seismically very active with large thrust type earthquakes occurring along the plate interface and normal fault type earthquakes occurring at a somewhat deeper level within the descending slab. The plate interface seismicity in this area is strongly segmented, with separate Jalisco, Michoacán, Guerrero and Colima segments being recognised. The southeastern end of the Michoacan segment coincides with the broad Orozco fracture zone within the Cocos Plate. During the 1970s, with no major earthquakes recorded since at least 1911, the segment was recognised as a major seismic gap.


1981 Playa Azul earthquake, Earthquake
This earthquake was an interplate earthquake that occurred in the central part of the Michoacán seismic gap. The 1985 Michoacán earthquake broke the two remaining parts of the Michoacán gap, i.e. those to the north and south of the 1981 Playa Azul earthquake rupture zone. The 1981 Playa Azul earthquake had a focal mechanism of reverse faulting from a shallow-dipping thrust fault. The maximum slip of this earthquake was estimated to be about 4.04 m. According to the calculation of C. Mendoza, along the dipping interface the area of maximum slip was concentrated below the hypocenter, and there was another area of significant slip, of about 1 metre (3.3 ft), above the hypocenter.


1981 Playa Azul earthquake, Damage
Michoacan suffered widespread damage with some buildings also affected in Mexico City. There were 2 deaths and 17 people injured in Michoacán and 1 death and 11 people injured in Mexico City. One source reports a total of 9 deaths associated with this earthquake.


1981 Playa Azul earthquake, Damage
Power outages and telephone service interruptions were widespread in Mexico City. Thousands of people got stuck in darkness in the Mexico City Metro.


1981 Player's Canadian Open
The 1981 Player's International Canadian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. The men's tournament was held at the Jarry Park Stadium in Montreal in Canada and was part of the 1981 Volvo Grand Prix while the women's tournament was held at the National Tennis Centre in Toronto in Canada and was part of the 1981 WTA Tour. The men's tournament was held from August 10 through August 16, 1981, while the women's tournament was held from August 17 through August 23, 1981.


1981 Player's Canadian Open, Finals, Men's Doubles
Raúl Ramírez /  Ferdi Taygan defeated  Peter Fleming /  John McEnroe 2–6, 7–6, 6–4


1981 Player's Canadian Open, Finals, Women's Doubles
Martina Navratilova /  Pam Shriver defeated  Candy Reynolds /  Anne Smith 7–6, 7–6


1981 Player's Canadian Open – Men's Singles
Lendl successfully defended his title, defeating Eliot Teltscher in the final, 6–3, 6–2.


1981 Polish hunger demonstrations
In mid-1981, amid a widespread economic crisis and food shortages in the Polish People's Republic, thousands of Poles, mainly women and their children, took part in several hunger demonstrations, organized in cities and towns across the country. The protests were peaceful, without rioting, and the biggest one took place on 30 July 1981 in Łódź. The situation in Communist Poland was serious enough that it prompted Adam Michnik to write, "Poland faces hunger uprisings".


1981 Polish hunger demonstrations, Background
The summer of 1981 was a very turbulent time in Communist Poland. The creation of Solidarity, the first independent mass political movement in the Eastern Bloc, raised the hopes of millions of Poles, and in the mid-1980s, Solidarity was by far the biggest non-religious organization of the country, with around 10 million members. However, at the same time, the economic crisis was so serious and food shortages in Poland were so common, that in several cities the so-called hunger demonstrations (or hunger processions) took place. The biggest protests occurred in Łódź, the city which suffered in particular from meat shortages.


1981 Polish hunger demonstrations, Background
According to the Rzeczpospolita daily, the summer of 1981 was the "bottom of the crisis". Virtually all products were lacking, including meat, coffee, laundry detergents, sugar, and cigarettes. In Warsaw, buses of the public transit authority had no spare tires and the company announced that only main routes would be kept, adding that the public had to get used to a situation in which "there are shortages of meat, soap, cigarettes and of a decent transportation system". The situation was summarized by a grim Solidarity poster that appeared on Polish streets in early summer 1981. It showed a black skull with a crossed knife and fork under it. The first result of the ninth party congress: a cut in food rations, the poster said, referring to the 20 percent reduction in meat allotments.


1981 Polish hunger demonstrations, Background
According to the statistics, released at the end of July 1981, meat supplies had fallen 17% in the first six months of the year, and the government of Poland tried to control the situation by limiting meat allotments for the population of the country. It was announced, that starting in August 1981, some 16 million citizens would be able to purchase up to 3 kg (6.6 lb) of meats monthly, instead of 3.7 kg (8.2 lb) before (provided that there was any meat on the market).


1981 Polish hunger demonstrations, Background
This announcement raised angry comments, Solidarity demanded control of food production, and there were rumors that the government was keeping meat away from the public. People were spending days, if not weeks, in lines to buy necessary products. In many cases, special Queue Social Committees were formed, which nominated the Head of the Queue – a person who drew up a list of those waiting, and at appointed times, checked the names. Those who did not show up lost their place in the line.


1981 Polish hunger demonstrations, First demonstrations
The first recorded hunger demonstration took place on 25 July 1981, in the town centre Kutno, at a crucial railroad junction. Some 2,000 people participated in it, and it was the first street protest in Poland since August 1980, as Solidarity had previously been trying to limit its actions to factories. The demonstration in Kutno was organized by the local Solidarity office, Interfactory Founding Committee (Międzyzakładowy Komitet Założycielski). The demonstrators in Kutno carried banners proclaiming: We are tired of being hungry, We are tired of queueing, and We demand life on the level of a civilised country, carrying empty pots and pans.


1981 Polish hunger demonstrations, First demonstrations
In the following days, demonstrations were organized in numerous cities across whole country, such as Częstochowa, Białystok, Tarnów, Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Olsztyn, Tarnowskie Góry, Konin, Kraków, Piotrków Trybunalski, Bełchatów (July 30, 3,000 participants), Pabianice, Szczecin (July 31, 5,000 participants), Kalisz, and a series of protests in Łódź, where the first demonstration took place on Monday, 27 July at 3 p.m. Banners, held by the residents of Łódź, stated among others: "Our children are hungry", "We stand in lines 24 hours a day", "We want to split bread, not Poland", "The hungry of all countries – unite!


1981 Polish hunger demonstrations, First demonstrations
", and "We are not going to work hungry". In the following days, further demonstrations took place in Łódź – on 29 July, and on 30 July, when up to 50,000 people protested, blessed on the way by the Bishop of Łódź, Józef Rozwadowski. Most of participants were women and their children, with men walking on the sides and trying to protect the demonstrators. As Jacek Kuroń later said:"Those crowds wielding banners broke the principle of not leaving factories to take to the streets. They created an atmosphere of such tension that the government probably panicked".


1981 Polish hunger demonstrations, Demonstration in Łódź
The biggest demonstration took place in Łódź, on 30 July 1981, and was organized by a group of local Solidarity activists, such as Andrzej Slowik, Grzegorz Palka, Jerzy Kropiwnicki and . Łódź was the city in which food shortages were common and chronic. In mid-1981, the only rationed foodstuffs still available there were butter and flour.


1981 Polish hunger demonstrations, Demonstration in Łódź
It has been estimated that between 30,000 and 50,000 women and children marched on that day along Łódź's main artery, Piotrkowska Street. A reporter of the Życie Warszawy daily described the black procession in Łódź as "Something  sublime, yet at the same time depressing. The demonstration takes place in silence, with a feeling of mourning. Most participants are women of different ages, who sing hymns, such as Boże, coś Polskę (God Save Poland) or patriotic songs, including the Rota. The banners read: We want to eat, The hungry of all countries – unite, Our children are hungry, We have no strength to work.


1981 Polish hunger demonstrations, Demonstration in Łódź
James M. Markham of The New York Times wrote on 30 July 1981: "As planned, policemen halted cross traffic along the route of two and a half miles as the angry placards were borne toward City Hall. They proclaimed: Bread, Hunger, Who Wants to Starve Us? We Are Hungry, The Hungry Will Eat the Authorities and Enough of Lying Explanations. The biggest applause was for the last placard in the procession: How Do You Eat Ration Coupons? With a Knife and Fork? Knots of people broke into applause, holding their hands above their heads. A few older people cried".


1981 Polish hunger demonstrations, Demonstration in Łódź
Jerzy Kropiwnicki of Łódź's office of Solidarity was one of the main organizers of the protests. This is his recollection of the demonstration:


1981 Polish hunger demonstrations, Demonstration in Łódź
"In those years, Łódź became famous in Poland with the so-called hunger march, frequently shown on public TV during the Martial law. The communist propaganda was trying to convince the Poles that food shortages were directly connected with strikes. However, back in mid-1981, when the situation in Łódź became tragic and there was no guarantee for one to purchase a piece of cheese or a fish, we realized that we could not control the workers any longer. Therefore, instead of another strike, we organized a street protest.


1981 Polish hunger demonstrations, Demonstration in Łódź
It all began with a demonstration of vehicles belonging to the Państwowa Komunikacja Samochodowa (Motor Transport Company) and several construction companies, which blocked the center of the city. A few days later, along Piotrkowska Street, the biggest demonstration in the history of Łódź started. Some estimates claim that there were 50,000 participants, even though we wanted women only to take part in it. The men walked on the sides, and the handicapped were in front".


1981 Pontins Professional
The 1981 Pontins Professional was the eighth edition of the professional invitational snooker tournament which took place in May 1981 in Prestatyn, Wales.


1981 Pontins Professional
The tournament featured eight professional players. The quarter-final matches were contested over the best of 9 frames, the semi-final matches over the best of 9 frames, and the final over the best of 17 frames.


1981 Pontins Professional
Terry Griffiths won the event for the first time, beating Willie Thorne 9–8 in the final.


1981 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
The 1981 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix was a women's singles tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Tennis Sporthalle Filderstadt in Filderstadt in West Germany. The event was part of the Category 4 tier of the 1981 Toyota Series. It was the fourth edition of the tournament and was held from 26 October through 1 November 1981. First-seeded Tracy Austin won the singles event, her fourth successive singles title at the event, and the accompanying $22,000 first-prize money.


1981 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Finals, Doubles
Mima Jaušovec /  Martina Navratilova defeated  Barbara Potter /  Anne Smith 6–4, 6–1


1981 Portland Timbers season
The 1981 Portland Timbers season was the seventh season for the Portland Timbers in the now-defunct North American Soccer League.


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


1981 Portland Timbers season, North American Soccer League, Regular season, Northwest Division standings
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = PointsSource:


1981 Pot Black
The 1981 Pot Black was a professional invitational snooker tournament, which was held in the Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham. 8 players were competing in 2 four player groups. The matches are one-frame shoot-outs in the group stages, 2 frame aggregate scores in the semi-finals and the best of 3 frames in the final.


1981 Pot Black
Broadcasts were on BBC2 and started at 21:00 on Tuesday 30 December 1980  Alan Weeks presented the programme with Ted Lowe as commentator and top referee John Williams replaced Sydney Lee after 13 years after Lee retired to ill health.


1981 Pot Black
First time players this year are Canadians Kirk Stevens and Jim Wych. The latter made the final against fellow Canadian Cliff Thorburn before losing 0–2.


1981 Prague Skate
The 1981 Prague Skate was held in November 1981. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.


1981 Preakness Stakes
The 1981 Preakness Stakes was the 106th running of the $275,000 Grade 1 Preakness Stakes thoroughbred horse race. The race took place on May 16, 1981, and was televised in the United States on the ABC television network. Pleasant Colony, who was jockeyed by Jorge Velásquez, won the race by one length over runner-up Bold Ego. Approximate post time was 5:41 p.m. Eastern Time. The race was run on a fast track in a final time of 1:54-3/5. The Maryland Jockey Club reported total attendance of 84,133, this is recorded as second highest on the list of American thoroughbred racing top attended events for North America in 1981.


1981 President's Cup Football Tournament
The 1981 President's Cup International Football Tournament (Korean: 제11회 대통령배 국제축구대회) was the 11th competition of Korea Cup. The competition was held from 13 to 26 June 1981. South Korea and Racing de Córdoba played out a 2–2 draw and shared the trophy.


1981 President's Cup Football Tournament, Knockout stage, Final
The final match originally had to play extra time, but the game was finished early by the agreement between both directors due to a violent atmosphere. The players of Racing de Córdoba received one red and five yellow cards in the final.


1981 Presto Fun Drinks season
The 1981 Presto Fun Drinks season was the seventh season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


1981 Presto Fun Drinks season, New coach
Jimmy Mariano takes over from fellow olympian Alfonso "Boy" Marquez on the Presto bench at the start of the season.


1981 Presto Fun Drinks season, Summary
The Presto Fun Drinkers had a pair of Harold Johnson and Myles Patrick for their imports in the Open Conference. After two games, Patrick was replaced by Earl Tatum, who played four games before getting injured and left without any replacement.


1981 Presto Fun Drinks season, Summary
The handicap ruling favored the team in the Reinforced Filipino Conference as the Fun Drinkers enlisted the services of Lew Massey, often called "Sweet Lew", Massey is a prolific scoring machine from North Carolina State and the second round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1978 NBA Draft.


1981 Presto Fun Drinks season, Summary
The Fun Drinkers enters the quarterfinal phase of the Reinforced Filipino Conference with a 5-4 won-loss slate. Presto made it to the semifinal round along with Crispa, U-Tex and Yco-Tanduay by winning three of their five outings in the round of six.


1981 Presto Fun Drinks season, Summary
On the last playing date of the semifinals on November 14, the Fun Drinkers beat Yco-Tanduay, 121-114, to finish with three wins and three losses and tied with Crispa, which beat first finalist U-Tex in the nightcap. The CFC ballclub lost to the Redmanizers, 114-119, in the playoff game on November 17 in their closest bid to advance in the championship for the first time.


1981 Presto Fun Drinks season, Awards
Rafael "Cho" Sison was voted the season's Rookie of the year.


1981 Primera División de Chile
The 1981 Campeonato Nacional was Chilean league top tier's 49th season. Colo-Colo was the tournament's champion, winning its thirteenth title.


1981 Primera División de Fútbol Profesional
The 1981 Primera División de Fútbol Profesional season. At the end of the regular season, the top 4 teams took part in a Final series. FAS were named Champions after defeating Independiente 4–3 on penalties, after 1–1 draw.


1981 Primera División de Fútbol Profesional, List of foreign players in the league
This is a list of foreign players in 1981 Seasons. The following players:


1981 Primera División de Fútbol Profesional, List of foreign players in the league
(player released mid season) (player Injured mid season) Injury replacement player


1981 Princeton Tigers football team
The 1981 Princeton Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Princeton University during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Princeton finished third in the Ivy League.


1981 Princeton Tigers football team
In their fourth year under head coach Frank Navarro, the Tigers compiled a 5–4–1 record but were outscored 323 to 233. Jonathon D. Helmerich and Lawrence D. Van Pelt were the team captains.


1981 Princeton Tigers football team
Princeton's 5–1–1 conference record placed third in the Ivy League standings. The Tigers outscored Ivy opponents 181 to 155.


1981 Princeton Tigers football team
This would be Princeton's last season in the NCAA's top level of football competition. Shortly after the season ended, the NCAA reassigned all of the Ivy League teams to the second-tier Division I-AA, which would later be renamed the Football Championship Subdivision.


1981 Princeton Tigers football team
Princeton played its home games at Palmer Stadium on the university campus in Princeton, New Jersey.


1981 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The 1981 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was a horse race held at Longchamp on Sunday 4 October 1981. It was the 60th running of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.


1981 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The winner was Gold River, a four-year-old filly trained in France by Alec Head and ridden by Gary Moore. The filly won by three quarters of a length and a nose from Bikala and April Run in a time of 2:35.2.


1981 Prize of Moscow News
The 1981 Prize of Moscow News was the 16th edition of an international figure skating competition organized in Moscow, Soviet Union. It was held December 9–13, 1981. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating and ice dancing.


1981 Pro Bowl
The 1981 Pro Bowl was the NFL's 31st annual all-star game which featured the outstanding performers from the 1980 season. The game was played on Sunday, February 1, 1981, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final score was NFC 21, AFC 7.


1981 Pro Bowl
Sam Rutigliano of the Cleveland Browns led the AFC team against an NFC team coached by Atlanta Falcons head coach Leeman Bennett. The referee was Gordon McCarter.


1981 Pro Bowl
Rookie placekicker Eddie Murray of the Detroit Lions was named the game's Most Valuable Player.


1981 Pro Bowl
Players on the winning NFC team received $5,000 apiece while the AFC participants each took home $2,500. The game was the first in NFL history played in February.


1981 Purdue Boilermakers football team
The 1981 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University during the 1981 Big Ten Conference football season.


1981 Purdue Boilermakers football team
Several Purdue players ranked among the Big Ten leaders, including the following:


1981 Pushkin Tu-104 crash
On 7 February 1981, a Tupolev Tu-104 passenger jet crashed during take off from Pushkin Airport near Leningrad (today's Saint Petersburg), Russia, resulting in the death of all 50 people on board, including 28 high-ranking Soviet military personnel. The official investigation concluded that the aircraft was improperly loaded.


1981 Pushkin Tu-104 crash, Accident
At 18:00 local time, the Tu-104 lined up on runway 21 and commenced its take-off run during snowing weather conditions. After rotation, the aircraft pitched up beyond normal take-off attitude, and eight seconds after lift off, at an altitude above ground level of 50 m (160 ft), the Tupolev stalled and entered a right bank. The aircraft continued to roll right until it struck the ground 20 m (66 ft) from the departure end of the runway, crashing nearly inverted and bursting into flames, killing 49 of the 50 people on board. One person in the cockpit was ejected from the nose of the aircraft, and was found alive in the snow not far from the crash site, but died on the way to a hospital.


1981 Pushkin Tu-104 crash, Aircraft
The Tupolev Tu-104A involved was serial number 76600402 and registered as СССР-42332 to the Soviet Navy. The construction of the airliner was completed on 26 November 1957.


1981 Pushkin Tu-104 crash, Investigation
The investigation of the accident revealed that the crew allowed the aircraft to be improperly loaded. Evidence was uncovered that led investigators to believe that some military officers did not comply with seating assignments given by the crew and that these officers pressured the crew to make the flight in an unsafely loaded aircraft.


1981 Pushkin Tu-104 crash, Investigation
Another factor reported by witnesses was that large rolls of printing paper were loaded on board, and these are believed to have rolled rearward during acceleration on take off, causing the center of gravity to shift aft of acceptable limits, thereby reducing the stability of the aircraft in pitch, making lowering the nose impossible for the crew.


1981 Pushkin Tu-104 crash, Casualties
The Tupolev Tu-104A was carrying many of the Pacific Fleet's senior officers from Leningrad, where they had been attending meetings with the naval command, to Vladivostok, via Khabarovsk. Among the dead were 16 admirals and generals, including the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Emil Spiridonov, and his wife. They were both interred with most of the other victims of the crash in the Serafimovskoe Cemetery in Leningrad, where a memorial to the dead was erected on the orders of the Navy's commander-in-chief, Sergey Gorshkov.


1981 Pushkin Tu-104 crash, Casualties
A memorial service is held annually on 7 February at the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral in St Petersburg, and on the 20th anniversary of the crash, the line: "Those who died in the line of duty on 7 February 1981", and an Orthodox cross were added to the memorial stele commemorating the Pacific Navy sailors.


1981 Quebec general election
The 1981 Quebec general election was held on April 13, 1981, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by Premier René Lévesque, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Claude Ryan.


1981 Quebec general election
The PQ won re-election despite having lost the 1980 Quebec referendum on sovereignty-association, the party's proposal for political independence for Quebec in an economic union with the rest of Canada. To some extent, they were helped by Claude Ryan's old-fashioned campaign style: he refused to tailor sound bites for the evening news and ran a campaign generally unsuited for television coverage. Despite finishing only three percent behind the PQ, the Liberals still finished a distant second, with 42 seats to the PQ's 80. Historically, provincial elections in Quebec produce large disparities between the popular vote and the actual seat count.


1981 Quebec general election
The Union Nationale, which had won 11 seats in a modest comeback in the 1976 general election, was reduced to five seats at dissolution by numerous floor crossings, retirements and resignations. Among the departures was that of its leader in the 1976 election, Rodrigue Biron, who crossed the floor to the PQ. The once-proud party lost all of its remaining seats, never to return. The party essentially ended at this point, though it lingered in desultory fashion until 1989.


1981 Queen's Birthday Honours (Australia)
The 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours for Australia were appointments to recognise and reward good works by citizens of Australia and other nations that contribute to Australia. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Official Birthday celebrations and were announced on 13 June 1981 in Australia.


1981 Queen's Birthday Honours (Australia)
The recipients of honours are displayed as they were styled before their new honour and arranged by honour with grades and then divisions i.e. Civil, Diplomatic and Military as appropriate.


1981 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards
The 1981 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards (Chinese: 1981年度十大中文金曲得獎) was held in 1981 for the 1980 music season.


1981 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards, Top 10 song awards
The top 10 songs (十大中文金曲) of 1981 are as follows.


1981 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
The 1981 Railway Cup Hurling Championship was the 55th staging of the Railway Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1927. The cup began on 1 March 1981 and ended on 17 March 1981.


1981 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
Connacht were the defending champions, however, they were beaten by Leinster in the semi-final.


1981 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
On 17 March 1981, Munster won the cup after a 2-16 to 2–06 defeat of Leinster in the final at Cusack Park. This was their 35th Railway Cup title overall and their first title since 1978.


1981 Rhode Island Rams football team
The 1981 Rhode Island Rams football team represented the University of Rhode Island in the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Bob Griffin and played their home games at Meade Stadium. They competed as a member of the Yankee Conference.


1981 Rhode Island Rams football team
Finishing conference play with a 4–1 record, the Rams were named Yankee Conference co-champions with UMass. With their win over UMass, the Rams received the automatic bid to the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs, marking Rhode Island's first ever playoff appearance.


1981 Rice Owls football team
The 1981 Rice Owls football team was an American football team that represented Rice University in the Southwest Conference during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth year under head coach Ray Alborn, the team compiled a 4–7 record.


1981 Richmond Spiders football team
The 1981 Richmond Spiders football team represented Richmond College during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Spiders were led by second-year head coach Dal Shealy and played their home games at City Stadium. The Spiders finished with a 4–7 record.


1981 Richmond WCT
The 1981 Richmond WCT, also known by its sponsored name United Virginia Bank Classic, was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia, United States. The event was part WCT Tour which was incorporated into the 1981 Volvo Grand Prix circuit. It was the 11th edition of the tournament and was held from February 2 through February 8, 1981. Eighth-seeded Yannick Noah won the singles title and the $35,000 first-prize money.


1981 Richmond WCT, Finals, Doubles
Tim Gullikson /  Bernard Mitton defeated  Brian Gottfried /  Raúl Ramírez 3–6, 6–2, 6–3


1981 Romania rugby union tour of Scotland
The 1981 Romania rugby union tour of Scotland was a series of three matches played by the Romania national rugby union team in Scotland in September 1981. Romania won both of their three matches but lost the international match against the Scotland national rugby union team. Scotland awarded full international caps to its players for the match, becoming the first British country to do so for a match against Romania.


1981 Rome Grand Prix
The 23rd Gran Premio di Roma (Rome Grand Prix), was Round Five of the 1981 European Championship for F2 Drivers. This was held at the Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi, to the north of Rome, on 10 May.


1981 Rome Grand Prix, Report, Entry
A total of 32 F2 cars were entered for the event, of which 27 took part in qualifying.


1981 Rome Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Eje Elgh took pole position for the Maurer Motorsport, in their Maurer-BMW MM81, averaging a speed of 105.59 mph.


1981 Rome Grand Prix, Report, Race
The race was held over 65 laps of the Vallelunga circuit. Eje Elgh took the winner spoils for Maurer Motorsport outfit, driving their Maurer-BMW MM81. Elgh won in a time of 1 h 16 min 1.14 s, averaging a speed of 102.01 mph. Second place went to another Swede, Stefan Johansson in the Docking Spitzley Team Toleman’s Lola-Hart T850. The podium was completed by the work March driver, Thierry Boutsen, in his March-BMW 812.


1981 Rose Bowl
The 1981 Rose Bowl was the 67th Rose Bowl game and was played on January 1, 1981, at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. The game featured the Michigan Wolverines beating the Washington Huskies by a score of 23–6. The game marked the first time Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler won a bowl game after seven prior bowl game losses.


1981 Rose Bowl, The matchup
The 1981 Rose Bowl matched the Big Ten Conference and Pacific-10 Conference champions. Both teams, Michigan from the Big Ten, and Washington from the Pac-10, came into the game with identical 9–2 regular season records. Michigan had lost games against Notre Dame and South Carolina, and Washington had lost to Oregon and Navy. Washington came into the game having won the Pac-10 title with a 20–10 upset victory over USC.


1981 Rose Bowl, The matchup
Despite the identical records, Michigan was favored, due largely to the impressive play of its defense. The Michigan defense did not allow a touchdown in the last 18 quarters of the regular season and gave up only 10 first-quarter points and three touchdown passes all year. The streak included a shutout of a Purdue team led by quarterback Mark Herrmann and a victory over Ohio State in which the Buckeye offense led by Art Schlichter was held to three points. Washington Coach Don James noted, "Michigan is playing defense so much better than anybody else in the country right now."


1981 Rose Bowl, The matchup
Michigan's defense was led by co-captain and linebacker, Andy Cannavino, who led the team with 160 tackles (54 more than any other player on the team) to become the second leading all-time tackler in the school's history. The defense also featured linebacker, Mel Owens, tackle, Mike Trgovac, and safety Keith Bostic.


1981 Rose Bowl, The matchup
On offense, Michigan had All-American wide receiver, Anthony Carter, who broke the school's career record for touchdowns as a sophomore. Prior to the 1981 Rose Bowl, Schembechler called Carter "the most gifted athlete I've ever been around." Michigan also featured an offensive line that included All-American George Lilja and future NFL players, Ed Muransky, Kurt Becker, and Bubba Paris.


1981 Rose Bowl, The matchup
Washington was led by senior quarterback and Pac-10 Player of the Year, Tom Flick, who had passed for 2,178 yards in 1980. Washington also had a superb placekicker, Chuck Nelson, who led the team in scoring with 85 points on 31 extra points and 18 field goals. Don James noted that the biggest difference between the two teams was Washington's reliance on the passing game, and Michigan's reliance on the run.


1981 Rose Bowl, Pre-game focus on Schembechler's bowl record
Michigan's long-time coach Bo Schembechler was the focus of much of the pre-game press coverage. Schembechler had gone winless in seven prior bowl games (five Rose Bowls, one Orange Bowl, and one Gator Bowl). Bo's record led to jokes by the media, including one Gannett reporter who opened his pre-game story by noting: "It's bowl time, so they're playing Michigan's song again. No not The Victors, you know, Taps." And a UPI story opened with this line: "Why doesn't Bo Schembechler eat cereal for breakfast? He's afraid he'd lose the bowl."


1981 Rose Bowl, Pre-game focus on Schembechler's bowl record
Michigan's players noted their desire to win the 1981 Rose Bowl for their coach. All-American center George Lilja noted, "We want to win for our coach as much as for ourselves." Michigan's co-captain, Andy Cannavino joked, "If we win, maybe it'll look good on our resume when we go in to apply for a regular job. Maybe the boss will be sympathetic to the fact that we got Bo Schembechler his first Rose Bowl." The press also noted that, even though Michigan's players wanted "desperately" to win for their coach, Schembechler himself "seems as laid back as a native Californian." Schembechler refused to predict a victory but said, "The pressure is on us to win, but I guarantee you, our players will play their hearts out."


1981 Rose Bowl, Game summary
Early in the game, Washington reached the Michigan one-yard line, but the Michigan defense stopped Washington's Toussaint Tyler on fourth down. One official initially signaled a touchdown, but changed the call after the other official reported "he clearly saw the ball was not in." The first quarter ended with no score, and the highlights of the first quarter were Michigan's goal-line stand and a Rose Bowl record set by Michigan's Don Bracken with a 73-yard punt.


1981 Rose Bowl, Game summary
In the second quarter, Washington's placekicker Chuck Nelson kicked a 35-yard field goal, but Michigan then took the lead with a six-yard touchdown run by Butch Woolfolk. Nelson added a 26-yard field goal, and the half ended with Michigan leading 7–6.


1981 Rose Bowl, Game summary
Michigan drove the ball 83-yard to start the second half, scoring on a 25-yard field goal from placekicker Ali Haji-Sheikh. After the game, Schembechler said the opening drive of the second half was the "turning point." He noted, "To take the kick and drive down the field on them, I think might have taken something out of them."


1981 Rose Bowl, Game summary
In the third quarter, Michigan's quarterback John Wangler completed a seven-yard touchdown pass to All-American wide receiver Anthony Carter, and Michigan led 17–6. Michigan added another touchdown in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run by Stan Edwards. The Michigan defense shut down the Washington offense in the second half, not allowing the Huskies to score. The Wolverines outgained the Huskies 304 yards to 105 in the second half.


1981 Rose Bowl, Game summary
Butch Woolfolk was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1981 Rose Bowl after rushing for 182 yards in 26 carries. Stan Edwards added 68 rushing yards, and Anthony Carter compiled 101 yards of total offense (33 rushing, 68 receiving).


1981 Rose Bowl, Game summary
Despite allowing Washington to gain 374 total yards of offense in the game (including 282 yards passing by Flick), Michigan extended its streak to 22 quarters without giving up a touchdown.


1981 Rose Bowl, Post-game press coverage
As had the pre-game coverage, much of the post-game coverage focused on Bo Schembechler, who had "broken the jinx" by winning his first bowl game after seven straight defeats. After the game, the Michigan players carried Schembechler off the field on their shoulders as the coach held his arms above his head in victory. In the post-game press conference, Schembechler said, "I stood here five times before a loser. Now I'm smoking a cigar and smiling. ... Right now, I'm on top of the world. I feel great about everything."


1981 Rose Bowl, Post-game press coverage
Michigan finished the season ranked No. 4 in both the AP and UPI polls—their highest ranking in any season under Schembechler in which they won the Rose Bowl. (Michigan finished No. 3 in 1976 after losing the Rose Bowl, No. 2 in 1985 after winning the Fiesta Bowl, and No. 4 again in 1988 after Schembechler's only other Rose Bowl victory. Schembechler finished 2–8 in Rose Bowls and never won a national championship in his 21 seasons as head coach. ).


1981 Rose Bowl, Post-game press coverage
It was Michigan's first bowl win in sixteen years, since January 1965. The win broke the Pac-10's six-game winning streak in the Rose Bowl; it was only the second win for the Big Ten in the last twelve, and the Pac-10 won the next six.


1981 Royal Bank of Scotland World Women's Curling Championship
The 1981 Royal Bank of Scotland World Women's Curling Championship, the women's world curling championship, was held from 16–21 March at the Perth Ice Arena in Perth, Scotland.


1981 Royal Bank of Scotland World Women's Curling Championship, Teams
Skip : Laura van ImhoffThird: Hermance van den HoutenSecond: Annemie de JonghLead: Hanneke Veening


1981 Royal Bank of Scotland World Women's Curling Championship, Teams
Skip : Anne Jøtun BakkeThird: Bente HoelSecond: Elisabeth SkogenLead: Hilde Jøtun


1981 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
The 1981 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their ninth season under head coach Frank R. Burns, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 5–6 record while competing as an independent and were outscored by their opponents 208 to 139. The team's statistical leaders included Ralph Leek with 926 passing yards, Albert Ray with 679 rushing yards, and Andrew Baker with 356 receiving yards.


1981 Rwandan parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Rwanda on 28 December 1981, the first since 1969. The country was still a one-party state, but now with the National Revolutionary Movement for Development as the sole legal party in place of MDR-Parmehutu, following the 1978 constitutional referendum. The Legislative Assembly, renamed National Development Council, was enlarged from 47 to 64 seats, with two candidates fighting each constituency. Voter turnout was 96%.


1981 Ryder Cup
The 24th Ryder Cup Matches were held 18–20 September 1981 at the Walton Heath Golf Club in Walton-on-the-Hill, Surrey, England, southwest of London. The United States team won the competition by a score of 181⁄2 to 91⁄2 points. It was the largest margin of defeat for a European team (since 1979) at the Ryder Cup until 2021. It is also the largest margin of defeat for the host team on European soil.


1981 Ryder Cup
Seve Ballesteros was not selected for the European team after an ongoing dispute with the European Tour concerning appearance money. Tony Jacklin was also left off the team.


1981 Ryder Cup
It was the sixth and final Ryder Cup for Jack Nicklaus as a competitor and he won all four of his matches. He had failed to make the team for the first time in 1979. Bernhard Langer made his Ryder Cup debut in 1981 and was 1–2 in pairs and halved his singles match.


1981 Ryder Cup, Format
The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. The competition format was adjusted slightly from the 1979 event, with the order of play swapped on the first two days and the third day singles matches held in a single session:


1981 Ryder Cup, Format
With a total of 28 points, 141⁄2 points were required to win the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 18 holes.


1981 Ryder Cup, Teams
Ten of the European team were selected using a points list based on money earned in European Tour Events. The final event was the Benson & Hedges International Open which finished on 24 August. Eamonn Darcy finished in a tie for second place in this tournament, lifting him from 12th to 7th in the list and relegating Mark James to 11th place. The two remaining places were chosen immediately after the Benson & Hedges International by a selection committee consisting of John Jacobs (the captain), Neil Coles and Bernhard Langer. They chose Mark James and Peter Oosterhuis, who was playing on the PGA Tour and had recently won the Canadian Open.


1981 Ryder Cup, Teams
Players chosen by the selection committee are shown in yellow.


1981 Ryder Cup, Teams
11 of the American team were selected from a points list. Qualification based on the points list finished after the Western Open on July 5. Bill Rogers earned his place by finishing 5th in this final event, while Jack Nicklaus only assured his place in the team after a final round 69 and a tie for 7th place.


1981 Ryder Cup, Teams
The final place in the team was allocated to the winner of the 1981 PGA Championship (which finished on August 9), provided he was not in the top 11, in which case the 12th player in the points list would qualify (Howard Twitty). With his victory in the PGA Championship, Larry Nelson gained the last slot. Nelson had finished 17th in the points list.


1981 Ryder Cup, Teams
Nelson qualified by virtue of winning the 1981 PGA Championship.


1981 Ryder Cup, Individual player records
Each entry refers to the Win–Loss–Half record of the player.


1981 SANFL Grand Final
The 1981 SANFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football competition. Port Adelaide beat Glenelg by 95 to 44.


1981 SANFL season
The 1981 South Australian National Football League season was the 102nd season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.


1981 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1981 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament took place from March 4–7, 1981 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in Birmingham, Alabama. The Ole Miss Rebels, who represents the University of Mississippi won their first SEC tournament title in the championship game by defeating the Georgia Bulldogs by a score of 66–62. Ole Miss also received the SEC’s automatic bid to the 1981 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament. Television coverage was regionally syndicated by the now-defunct TVS Television Network.


1981 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament
The 1981 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament took place from January 29 though February 1, 1981 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.


1981 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament
Auburn won the tournament by beating Alabama in the championship game.


1981 SMU Mustangs football team
The 1981 SMU Mustangs football team represented the Southern Methodist University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Mustangs offense scored 365 points while the defense allowed 137 points. At season's end, the Mustangs were given the National Championship Foundation's (NCF) national championship and secured the Southwest Conference championship.


1981 SMU Mustangs football team
However, the Mustangs had been put on probation by the NCAA for recruiting violations and, per its terms, were banned from participating in any bowl game in 1981 should they have won enough games to qualify. Since SMU's performance would have given them an automatic berth in the Cotton Bowl, the team decided to treat its final regular season game against Arkansas as their bowl game and nicknamed it the "Polyester Bowl".


1981 SMU Mustangs football team
SMU finished at #5 in the final Associated Press poll of the season. Because its rules prevent schools under probation from being considered, the Mustangs were not ranked in the UPI Coaches Poll at all during the season.


1981 Sacramento State Hornets football team
The 1981 Sacramento State Hornets football team represented Sacramento State University during the 1981 NCAA Division II football season.


1981 Sacramento State Hornets football team
Sacramento State competed in the Far Western Conference (FWC). The Hornets were led by fourth-year head coach Bob Mattos. They played home games at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California. The team finished the season with a record of five wins and six losses (5–6, 1–4 FWC). Overall, the team outscored its opponents 256–186 for the season.


1981 Sacramento State Hornets football team, Team players in the NFL
No Sacramento State players were selected in the 1982 NFL Draft.


1981 Samoa National League
The 1981 Samoa National League, or also known as the Upolo First Division, was the 3rd edition of the Samoa National League, the top league of the Football Federation Samoa. SCOPA won their first title and Vaivase-tai won their third title, completing a three title streak.


1981 San Diego Chargers season
The 1981 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League (NFL) and its 22nd overall. The team failed to improve on their 11–5 record from 1980 and finished 10-6. In the playoffs, they beat the Dolphins in a game known as the Epic in Miami and lost to the Bengals in a game known as the Freezer Bowl.


1981 San Diego Chargers season
1981 was the second straight season in which the Chargers reached the AFC Championship Game, as well as their second consecutive loss.


1981 San Diego Chargers season
During this season, the Chargers lost two key players by way of trade. Before Week 3, wide receiver John Jefferson was dealt to the Green Bay Packers, while defensive end Fred Dean would be dealt to the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers by Week 5. The Chargers brought in Wes Chandler from New Orleans to replace Jefferson - after a slow start, he finished with 857 yards from 12 games (he had 1,142 yards on the season, counting his four games with the Saints).


1981 San Diego Chargers season
The other starting wideout was Charlie Joiner, who had one of his best seasons at age 34, gaining a career-high 1,188 yards and matching his career-best with 7 touchdowns. Rounding out the trio of receiving stars, tight end Kellen Winslow led the league in receptions for the second consecutive year, finishing with 88 catches for 1,075 yards and 10 touchdowns.


1981 San Diego Chargers season
Quarterback Dan Fouts broke the NFL record for passing yardage for the third consecutive season, averaging 300 yards per game for the first time as he totalled 4,802. His touchdown-to-interception ratio was the best of his career, at 33 to 17. He was helped in this by a strong offensive line, anchored by veterans Russ Washington and Doug Wilkerson, which conceded only 19 sacks from 16 games, their best performance through Fouts' 15 years with the club. Running back Chuck Muncie enjoyed his best season, running for 1,144 yards and 19 touchdowns, tying the then-NFL season record for rushing touchdowns. With rookie James Brooks and John Cappelletti also contributing, San Diego rushed for over 2,000 yards for the only time during the pass-focussed Don Coryell's tenure.


1981 San Diego Chargers season
While the offense was soaring to new heights, the defense collapsed in Dean's absence, becoming among the league's worst. They continued to be tough against the run, but with veteran safety Glen Edwards absent with injury through the first half of the season, they dropped to dead last against the pass - the 4,311 yards they conceded were a new NFL record. On the plus side, they did manage an above-average 23 interceptions, with Willie Buchanon snagging a team-leading 5. San Diego's sack count declined somewhat from 60 to 47, tied for third-best in the NFL. New starter John Woodcock tied with Gary Johnson as team-leaders, each managing 9.5 sacks.


1981 San Diego Chargers season
On special teams, James Brooks put in a strong performance: his 13.2 yards per punt return was 2nd best in the league; with 23.7 yards per kickoff return, he ranked seventh. Rolf Benirschke made 19 of 26 field goals, including two late game-winners.


1981 San Diego Chargers season
The season was chronicled on September 18, 2008 for America's Game: The Missing Rings, as one of the five greatest NFL teams to never win the Super Bowl.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1
The Chargers opened their season by blowing out Cleveland on Monday night. Despite John Jefferson's holdout, the offense piled up 535 total yards, committing no turnovers, sustaining no sacks, and only punting twice. Rookie James Brooks rushed for the opener 4:10 into the game, and San Diego led the rest of the way, with Chuck Muncie adding another touchdown on the ground before halftime. In the second half, Charlie Joiner had receptions of 51 and 57 yards, and Brooks, Hank Bauer and Ron Smith all caught touchdowns from Dan Fouts. It was Bauer's 20th and final Charger touchdown.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1
Fouts completed 19 of 25 for 330 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Joiner caught 6 passes for 191 yards, the most single-game yards he had as a Charger. Muncie rushed 24 times for 161 yards and a touchdown - with 23 receiving yards, it was the most yards he gained in any game through his career. Cleveland QB Brian Sipe put up 375 yards through the air, but was intercepted by Bob Gregor and Mike Williams as the Browns chased the game.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2
A back-and-forth final quarter saw San Diego survive with a goalline interception. As in their opener, they scored on their first possession, Joiner's 40-yard reception, setting up Muncie to score two plays later. Detroit responded with 13 unanswered points, capitalising on a pair of Charger turnovers, and led by six midway through the 3rd quarter. San Diego responded with a 9-play, 81-yard drive, featuring a 49-yard catch by Joiner and finishing with Winslow's first touchdown of the season.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2
Detroit scored a touchdown on the first play of the 4th quarter, then forced a punt and drove back into Charger territory. However, Leroy Jones then recovered a fumble, Fouts hit Dwight Scales for 44 yards on the next play, and Muncie scored two plays after that. The Lions then pulled off a fake punt, before eventually settling for a field goal and a 23-21 lead. Back came the Chargers, converting a couple of third downs before John Cappelletti scored from two yards out with 56 seconds left. Lions QB Gary Danielson was sacked by Jones on the ensuing drive, but came back with three straight completions to reach the Charger eight-yard line. From there, he was intercepted by Frank Duncan with a single second on the clock.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2
Jones had two of the Chargers' three sacks on the day. Fouts was 18 of 25 for 316 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Joiner continued to shoulder the receiving burden in Jefferson's absence, catching 7 passes for 166 yards.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3
Despite an 8-3 advantage in takeaways, San Diego had to withstand a fierce rally before holding off the Chiefs. Kansas City scored on the game's opening drive, but touchdown receptions by Winslow and Brooks on consecutive drives had San Diego up 14-7 after a quarter.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3
They extended their lead by going 84 yards in 8 plays, with Muncie scoring from the one; Linden King then intercepted Chief QB Bill Kenney, and Fouts found rookie tight end Eric Sievers in the end zone a play later: 28-7. Kenney then covered 76 yards in five straight completions to begin the Kansas City comeback, and Fouts was intercepted in Chief territory shortly before halftime.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3
In the 3rd quarter, Kansas City turned an interception into a further seven points. On the next drive, Muncie had a 30-yard run, a 32-yard reception and a 3-yard touchdown run. The Chiefs responded with an 80-yard touchdown drive, reducing the lead to 35-28. They reached midfield on their next possession, but Bob Gregor intercepted a tipped pass to stop the threat. Four plays later, the Chiefs pressured punter George Roberts into running; he was stopped well short of a first down, and Kansas City capitalised with a field goal.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3
Trailing by four, the Chiefs moved the ball close to midfield on their next drive, but Willie Buchanon recovered a fumbled pitch. The Chargers were forced to punt, but their defensive line then made the decisive play: Louie Kelcher deflected a Kenney pass, Leroy Jones intercepted the ball and flipped it to Gary Johnson for a touchdown with 1:53 to play.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3
Buchanon had two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Muncie had 93 yards on the ground (with two touchdowns) and 85 through the air.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4
San Diego flirted with an improbable comeback before subsiding to their first defeat of the season. Craig Morton, who posted a perfect passer rating on the day, threw touchdowns on four successive first half drives, the longest covering 93 yards, while the Chargers committed three turnovers and failed to score. When the Broncos added a fifth touchdown on their first possession of the third quarter, it was 35-0.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4
Dan Fouts found Ron Smith for a 39-yard touchdown five plays later, and the Chargers began to chip away at the lead. With Denver having switched to their backup quarterback, they gained only one first down on their next two drives, while San Diego added a 52-yard Benirschke field goal and John Cappelletti's short touchdown run. Buchanon recovered a fumble on the next play, and Fouts soon found Winslow for another score: that made it 35-24, with 11:14 still on the clock.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4
Morton returned to the game, and soon had Denver poised to clinch victory, with a 1st and goal at the 4. Kelcher then forced a fumble, which Buchanon recovered. Fouts was soon intercepted, but Wyatt Henderson forced yet another fumble, and Buchanon made his third recovery in a span of 6:27. Starting at their own 15, San Diego gained one first down before Cappelletti added his name to the list of fumblers, with Denver recovering and finally scoring the clinching touchdown seven plays later.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4
Kellen Winslow had 10 receptions, for 106 yards and a touchdown.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5
The Chargers overcame an early deficit to beat Seattle with something to spare. Following a scoreless 1st quarter, the Seahawks went ahead through Steve Largent's touchdown reception. San Diego responded quickly, Cappelletti going through the middle for 30 yards on the next play to spark a field goal drive. Their next drive went 83 yards in 11 plays, ending with Winslow's go-ahead touchdown.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5
In the 3rd quarter, Joiner's 12-yard reception capped a 12-play, 78-yard drive. Fouts fumbled shortly afterwards setting up the Seahawks in the red zone, but the Charger line held firm on a 4th and goal from the one yard line. Seattle did manage a field goal early in the 4th quarter, but San Diego responded with a 13-play, 80-yard drive, Joiner scoring the clinching touchdown with 3:54 on the clock.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5
Fouts completed 30 of 41 for 302 yards, with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Muncie was absent, but Cappelletti filled in with 85 yards rushing and 28 receiving. John Jefferson's replacement Wes Chandler had a quiet debut, with 5 receptions for 37 yards.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6
A thriller with many twists and turns saw San Diego out-passed and beaten in the final seconds. Vikings' QB Tommy Kramer was intercepted twice in the 1st quarter - one pick, by Buchanon, stopped a threatening drive; the other, by Gary Johnson, was run back to the Minnesota two-yard line. Muncie opened the scoring two plays later. Kramer bounced back on the next two possessions with a pair of touchdown passes. Fouts responded with a 60-yard bomb to Dwight Scales, who dove to catch the ball inside the 10, before getting to his feet untouched and leaping over the goal-line. The Chargers threatened to take a lead into the interval, but Benirschke missed from 31 yards out, and it remained 14-14.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6
The Chargers' kicker took his next chance, making a 39-yarder in the 3rd quarter. Kramer and Fouts then exchanged quick, pass-oriented touchdown drives, with Terry LeCount and Joiner getting touchdown receptions. Kramer started the next drive with a 63-yard completion, and a Rick Danmeier field goal made it 24-24. The Chargers responded with a 15 play, 74-yard touchdown drive.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6
Eight of those plays came inside the Minnesota 11: Fouts converted a 4th and inches with a sneak, leaving San Diego just short of the goal line; three runs into the line were then stuffed for no gain, before Muncie swept right and scored the go-ahead touchdown on 4th and goal.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6
Minnesota responded with a 4th down conversion of their own, but John Woodcock knocked the ball from Kramer's hands and recovered it himself at the Charger 32. San Diego then ran the clock down inside 3 minutes, before opting to go for it on 4th and 2 from the Viking 30. Muncie gained the first down, but fumbled, and Minnesota recovered. Given another chance, Kramer covered 72 yards in only 4 plays, the final 43 coming on a touchdown to LeCount.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6
With 1:51 on the clock, Danmeier missed the game-tying extra point attempt. However, he soon redeemed himself with an onside kick that skipped over the Charger line and was recovered by LeCount. Kramer and LeCount combined again for 18-yard, moving Minnesota into field goal range. Kramer fumbled the next snap, but Minnesota recovered - two plays later, Danmeier hit the winner from 38 yards out as time expired.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6
Muncie had 21 carries for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fouts was 20 of 38 for 310 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception, but was surpassed by Kramer, who became the first player to pass for 400 yards on the Chargers. He completed 27 of 43 for 444 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, while three of his receivers had 100-yard games.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7
Baltimore were on their way to setting an NFL record for most points conceded in a season. Unsurprisingly, the high-powered Charger offense put up a substantial score on them, though they had to overcome a bad start. Scales fumbled on the first San Diego possession, and Baltimore went 7-0 up midway through the 1st quarter. The Chargers responded with an 80-yard, 14-play touchdown drive.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7
Fouts' 11-yard scramble on 3rd and 10 was one of three third down conversions, and Muncie ran in the tying score from the 3. Woodrow Lowe came up with an interception on the next play from scrimmage, setting up a shorter drive that Cappelletti capped with a 12-yard reception. Following a Baltimore punt, the Chargers made it three touchdown drives in a row, Joiner scoring from 23 yards out. A Mike Williams interception stopped a Colts' threat, and Benirschke added a field goal shortly before halftime. In a processional second half, Muncie and Cappelletti rushed for further touchdowns, and Clarence Williams added another one on a pass.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7
In a balanced display, San Diego had 298 yards and three touchdowns through the air, with 172 yards and three more touchdowns on the ground. Rookie defensive end Keith Ferguson had three of the Chargers' six sacks. The AFC West was shaping up to be a three-horse race, with San Diego, Denver and Kansas City all at 5-2.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8
The 1-6 Bears took advantage of Dan Fouts' off day to shock San Diego. In the 1st quarter, Matt Suhey converted a 4th and 1 and later scored the opening touchdown. The Chargers almost tied the scores early in the 2nd quarter, but Joiner was stopped a yard short on 3rd and goal from the 18, and they settled for a field goal. Chicago's John Roveto also kicked a field goal, and it was 10-3 at half time.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8
San Diego's passing attack improved in the second half; Fouts found Joiner for 45 yards, but Benirschke missed a long field goal. Roveto appeared to have extended the Bears' lead on the next drive, but the Chargers were flagged for roughing the kicker, and the drive continued. After the San Diego defense were able to stop Walter Payton a yard short of the end zone, Roveto missed an 18-yard chip shot. The Chargers then drove 80 yards in 12 plays for the game-tying score, Fouts hitting Winslow to convert a 4th down three plays before Joiner scored from 22 yards out.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8
Chicago then produced a seven-minute drive, Suhey converting another 4th down before Payton restored the seven-point lead with 2:59 on the clock. San Diego quickly reached the Bear 39 in response, from where Fouts was twice nearly intercepted in the end zone. He went deep again on third down, where the ball was tipped in the air and caught by Chandler for his first Charger touchdown, 1:40 from time. The Bears punted on their final possession of regulation time, then Winslow was tackled at the Chicago 25 with no time on the clock.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8
The overtime coin toss went the Bears way, but San Diego twice forced them to punt. However, Fouts was intercepted both times in response. The second of these set Chicago up in Charger territory, and Roveto kicked the game-winner from 26 yards out, 9:30 into the extra period.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8
Fouts completed 3 of 18 in the first half, 10 of 19 in the second, and 0 of 6 in overtime. Joiner caught 5 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Chicago gained 195 yards on the ground, the most San Diego gave up all season.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9
Rolf Benirschke's late field goal lifted the Chargers to a crucial victory over the division-leading Chiefs. Gary Johnson got San Diego off to a good start with a fumble recovery after only two minutes. Muncie scored seven plays later, though the Chiefs levelled the scores on their next possession. In the second quarter, a Winslow fumble set Kansas City up in Charger territory, but John Woodcock had a fumble recovery of his own four plays later.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9
The offense then covered 71 yards in only five plays Fouts finding Joiner for 29 yards and Eric Sievers for 31, before Muncie scored from the four. Benirschke missed the extra point, but was converted a 29-yard field goal with 30 seconds left in the half. Kansas City lost their third fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and the Chargers kicker added another three points as time expired: 19-7.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9
San Diego were unable to cross midfield on the first four possessions of the second half, turning the ball over twice as Kansas City chipped away at their deficit. A touchdown and two field goals made it 20-19 to the Chiefs with 6:32 to play in the 4th quarter. San Diego began their winning drive on their own 26. Fouts converted a pair of 3rd downs with completions to Joiner and Winslow, then faced a 4th and 9 at the Kansas City 47 on the first play after the two minute warning. Wes Chandler's 23-yard catch kept the drive going. After one further first down, Benirschke kicked the game-winner from 22 yards out, with 13 seconds remaining.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9
The result once again produced a three-way tie atop the AFC West, with all three pretenders now at 6-3.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10
Cincinnati capitalised on Charger turnovers to score a blowout win. A fumble by Joiner led to the first Bengal touchdown, and they led 10-0 going into the 2nd quarter. A 26-yard Chandler reception pulled San Diego within three, and Mike Williams thwarted the next threat with an end zone interception. In response, Cincinnati forced a three-and-out and scored touchdowns on consecutive possessions, either side of a Fouts fumble.


1981 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10
Trailing 24-7 with less than two minutes to play before halftime, San Diego moved the ball quickly, a 27-yard Brooks run swiftly followed by a 56-yard Scales reception, which moved the ball to the Cincinnati four-yard line. However, Fouts was then intercepted by Louis Breeden, who returned the ball 102 yards for the game-breaking touchdown. The Bengals converted two further turnovers into points in the second half, with Chandler's late 51-yard touchdown a mere consolation score.