1981 Colorado Buffaloes football team

1981 Colorado Buffaloes football
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Record	3–8 (2–5 Big 8)
Head coach	Chuck Fairbanks (3rd season)
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
Seasons ←  1980 1982  →

1981 Big Eight Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
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
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

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.

Well after the season in June 1982, Fairbanks resigned 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.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	Texas Tech *	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	W 45–27	34,884	[9]
September 19	Washington State *	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	L 10–14	35,277	[10]
September 26	No. 11 BYU *	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	L 20–41	43,259	[11]
October 3	at No. 16 UCLA *	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	L 7–27	40,347	[12]
October 10	at Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE (rivalry)	L 0–59	76,168	[13]
October 17	Oklahoma State	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	W 11–10	36,101	[14]
October 24	at No. 14 Iowa State	Cyclone Stadium Ames, IA	L 10–17	50,103	[15]
October 31	at No. 19 Oklahoma	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	L 0–49	75,638	[16]
November 7	Missouri	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	L 14–30	35,782	[17]
November 14	at Kansas	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 0–27	31,500	[18]
November 21	Kansas State	Folsom Field Boulder, CO (rivalry)	W 24–21	23,921	[19]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^{[20] [21] [22]}

Roster

1981 Colorado Buffaloes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 16 Randy Essington So C 51 Rich Umphrey Sr G 63 Vince Rafferty So	Defense Pos. # Name Class SS 31 Jeff Donaldson So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Chuck Fairbanks (3rd year) Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

^{[23] [24]}

References

1. "CU Logo Evolution Fact Sheet". CUBuffs.com. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
2. Thorburn, Ryan (April 2, 2013). "Football: Former CU Buffs coach Chuck Fairbanks dies at 79". Boulder Daily Camera. Buffzone.com. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
3. McCallum, Jack (October 11, 1982). "UCLA now stands for Uncork Lots Of Aerials". Sports Illustrated. p. 32.
4. Woodling, Chuck (June 2, 1982). "Jayhawks' defense corrals Buffs, 27-0". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). p. 17.
5. "Fairbanks quits Colorado to coach in USFL". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. June 2, 1982. p. 17.
6. "Colorado talks with McCartney". Ludington Daily News. (Michigan). Associated Press. June 9, 1982. p. 9.
7. "McCartney gets Colorado post". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. June 10, 1982. p. 38.
8. "CU tabs McCartney new football coach". Lawrence Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. June 10, 1982. p. 15.
9. "Buffaloes roam past Texas Tech". Wichita Falls Times. September 13, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "14 points in last 2:36 send Buffs to defeat". Omaha World-Herald. September 20, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "BYU breezes; Colorado no match for McMahon & Co". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. September 27, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "UCLA coasts to win". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 4, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Cornhuskers crush Colorado 59–0". The Daily Sentinel. October 11, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Buffs sting Pokes". Tulsa World. October 18, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
15. "Iowa State holds on against Colorado". The Tampa Tribune-Times. October 25, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
16. "Shepard's in the driver's seat". The Daily Oklahoman. November 1, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
17. "MU endures 'darkest moment,' wins 30–14". The Kansas City Star. November 8, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
18. "Jayhawks overpower Colorado, 27–0". The Salina Journal. November 15, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
19. "Frosh leads Colorado past K-State, 24–21". The Des Moines Register. November 22, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
20. "1981 Colorado Buffaloes Schedule and Results". College Football @ Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference . Retrieved October 24, 2023.
21. "1981 Football Schedule". University of Colorado Boulder . Retrieved October 24, 2023.
22. "Colorado Football 2023 Record Book" (PDF). University of Colorado Boulder. p. 50. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
23. "Probable starters". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). September 19, 1981. p. 15.
24. "Saturday's game rosters". Lawrence Journal-World. (Kansas). November 13, 1981. p. 18.