| 1981 Colorado Buffaloes football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Eight Conference |
| Record | 3–8 (2–5 Big 8) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Gene Hochevar (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Multiple |
| Defensive coordinator | Doug Knotts (3rd season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| MVP | Pete Perry |
| Captain | Pete Perry, Bob Sebro |
| Home stadium | Folsom Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 11 Nebraska $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Oklahoma | 4 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Missouri | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa State | 2 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas State | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1981 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Big Eight Conference during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the third and final season for Chuck Fairbanks' as head coach, and the first year of blue jerseys for the Buffaloes, which were phased out in 1984. [1] [2] [3]
The Buffaloes finished at 3–8 (2–5 in Big 8, seventh) for a third consecutive losing season. Home games were played on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder. After a shutout loss at Kansas, [4] CU defeated last-place Kansas State by three points at home in the season finale to avoid the conference cellar.
Fairbanks resigned in early June 1982 to become head coach, president, and minority owner of the New Jersey Generals of the new United States Football League (USFL). [2] [5] His overall record at CU was a disappointing 7–26 (.212), 5–16 (.238) in conference. Bill McCartney, the defensive coordinator at Michigan under Bo Schembechler, was announced as Colorado's new head coach on June 9, [6] [7] [8] and led the program for thirteen seasons, through 1994.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 12 | Texas Tech * | W 45–27 | 34,884 | |
| September 19 | Washington State * |
| L 10–14 | 35,277 |
| September 26 | No. 11 BYU * |
| L 20–41 | 43,259 |
| October 3 | at No. 16 UCLA * | L 7–27 | 40,347 | |
| October 10 | at Nebraska | L 0–59 | 76,168 | |
| October 17 | Oklahoma State  |
| W 11–10 | 36,101 |
| October 24 | at No. 14 Iowa State | L 10–17 | 50,103 | |
| October 31 | at No. 19 Oklahoma | L 0–49 | 75,638 | |
| November 7 | Missouri |
| L 14–30 | 35,782 |
| November 14 | at Kansas | L 0–27 | 31,500 | |
| November 21 | Kansas State |
| W 24–21 | 23,921 |
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| 1981 Colorado Buffaloes football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
| Defense
| Special teams
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William Paul McCartney is a former American football player and coach and the founder of the Promise Keepers men's ministry. He was the head coach at the University of Colorado Boulder for thirteen seasons (1982–1994), compiled a 93–55–5 (.624) record, and won three consecutive Big Eight Conference titles (1989–1991). McCartney's 1990 team was crowned as national champions by the Associated Press, splitting the title with Georgia Tech, first in the final Coaches' Poll.
Charles Leo Fairbanks was an American football coach who was a head coach at the high school, college and professional levels. He served as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1967 to 1972 and at the University of Colorado from 1979 to 1981, compiling a career college record of 59–41–1 (.589). Fairbanks was also the head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) from 1973 to 1978, amassing a record of 46–41 (.529), and for the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL) in 1983, tallying a mark of 6–12.
Eddie Crowder was an American football player and coach. He was an All-American quarterback (QB) and safety at the University of Oklahoma (OU) in the early 1950s and a successful head coach and athletic director (AD) at the University of Colorado (CU) in the 1960s and 1970s.
The 1971 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Big Eight Conference during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Eddie Crowder, the Buffaloes were 9–2 in the regular season, and played their home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
The 1969 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Eddie Crowder, Colorado finished the regular season at 7–3, and played their home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
The Colorado–Nebraska football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Colorado Buffaloes and Nebraska Cornhuskers. The teams first played in 1898, and began competing annually as conference opponents in 1948. The rivalry intensified in the 1980s as Colorado improved under head coach Bill McCartney, reaching its peak in the 1990s with several top-ten meetings. Conference realignment placed the teams in the same division, where they continued to meet annually through 2010, after which Colorado moved to the Pac-10 and Nebraska moved to the Big Ten.
The 1986 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Big Eight Conference during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Bill McCartney, Colorado opened with four losses, but finished the regular season at 6–5. It was their best conference record in a quarter century, and they were invited to the Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston on New Year's Eve.
The 1982 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Bill McCartney, the Buffaloes finished at 2–8–1, their fourth consecutive losing season. Home games were played on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
The 1988 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Big Eight Conference during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Bill McCartney, Colorado finished the regular season at 8–3, and played their home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
The 1979 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Chuck Fairbanks, the Buffaloes finished at 3–8, and played home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
The 1984 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by third-year head coach Bill McCartney, the Buffaloes finished at 1–10, their sixth consecutive losing season. Home games were played on campus at sixty-year-old Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
The 1985 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Bill McCartney, the Buffaloes switched to a wishbone offense and finished the regular season at 7–4. Home games were played on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
The 1983 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by second-year head coach Bill McCartney, the Buffaloes finished at 4–7, their fifth consecutive losing season. Home games were played on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
The 1978 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Bill Mallory, the Buffaloes compiled an overall record of 6–5 with a mark of 2–5 in conference play, placing seventh in the Big 8. Colorado played home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
The 1980 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by second-year head coach Chuck Fairbanks, the Buffaloes finished at 1–10, their second consecutive losing season, and played home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
The 1961 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder as a member of the Big Eight Conference during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. Led by third-year head coach Sonny Grandelius, Colorado finished the regular season at 9–1, and played home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado. Joe Romig was the team's captain.
The 1973 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. Led by 11-year head coach Eddie Crowder, the Buffaloes compiled an overall record of 5–6 overall with a mark of 2–5 in conference play, tying for sixth place in the Big 8. Colorado played home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
The 1958 Colorado Buffaloes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Colorado in the Big Seven Conference during the 1958 NCAA University Division football season. Led by 11th-year head coach Dallas Ward, the Buffaloes compiled an overall record of 6–4 with a mark of 4–2 in conference play, placing third in the Big 7. The team played its home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
The 1959 Colorado Buffaloes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Colorado in the Big Seven Conference during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. Led by first-year head coach Sonny Grandelius, the Buffaloes compiled an overall record of 5–5 with a mark of 3–3 in conference play, tying for third place in the Big 7. The team played its home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
The 1962 Colorado Buffaloes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1962 NCAA University Division football season. Led by William E. Davis in his only season as head coach, the Buffaloes compiled an overall record of 2–8 with a mark of 1–6 in conference play, placing seventh in the Big 8.
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