1981 Oklahoma Sooners football | |
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Sun Bowl champion | |
Conference | Big Eight Conference |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 14 |
AP | No. 20 |
Record | 7–4–1 (4–2–1 Big 8) |
Head coach |
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Offensive coordinator | Galen Hall (9th season) |
Offensive scheme | Wishbone |
Defensive coordinator | Gary Gibbs (1st season) |
Captains |
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Home stadium | Oklahoma Memorial Stadium |
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 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. They played their home games at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and competed as members of the Big Eight Conference. They were coached by head coach Barry Switzer. The Sooners defeated the Houston Cougars 40–14 to win the 1981 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 12 | Wyoming * | No. 3 | W 37–20 | 75,920 | [1] | |||
September 26 | 4:00 p.m. | at No. 1 USC * | No. 2 | ABC | L 24–28 | 85,651 | [2] | |
October 3 | No. 20 Iowa State | No. 5 |
| T 7–7 | 76,385 | [3] | ||
October 10 | 11:30 a.m. | vs. No. 3 Texas * | No. 10 | ABC | L 14–34 | 75,587 | [4] | |
October 17 | Kansas |
| W 45–7 | 75,644 | [5] | |||
October 24 | Oregon State * |
| W 42–3 | 75,658 | [6] | |||
October 31 | Colorado | No. 19 |
| W 49–0 | 75,638 | [7] | ||
November 7 | at Kansas State | No. 17 | W 28–21 | 33,200 | [8] | |||
November 14 | at Missouri | No. 15 | L 14–19 | 67,364 | [9] | |||
November 21 | No. 5 Nebraska |
| ESPN | L 14–37 | 75,833 | [10] | ||
November 28 | at Oklahoma State | KTUL | W 27–3 | 51,100 | [11] | |||
December 26 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Houston * | CBS | W 40–14 | 33,816 | [12] | ||
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1981 Oklahoma Sooners football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
| Defense
| Special teams
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Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Oklahoma | 7 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
Oklahoma State | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Lewis Field • Stillwater, Oklahoma
Fred Sims scored three short-yardage touchdowns to lead Oklahoma to a 27–3 win over their instate rivals in a steady drizzle. Sims, who carried 23 times for 66 yards, scored on runs of two and five yards in the second quarter and a one-yard run in the third. [14]
Week | |||||||||||||||
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Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Final |
AP | 2 (7) | 3 | 3 (12) | 2 (15) | 5 | 10 | — | — | 19 | 17 | 15 | — | — | — | 20 |
Coaches Poll | 2 (3) | 2 (3) | 3 (14) | 2 (10) | 6 | 12 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 11 | — | — | — | 14 |
The following players were drafted into the National Football League following the season. [15]
Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
3 | 67 | Bill Bechtold | Center | Los Angeles Rams |
5 | 113 | Terry Crouch | Guard | Baltimore Colts |
8 | 207 | Mike Reilly | Linebacker | Los Angeles Rams |
9 | 241 | Lyndle Byford | Tackle | Kansas City Chiefs |
Billy Ray Sims is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons from 1980 to 1984. Sims played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, where he was a two-time consensus All-American, and won the Heisman Trophy in 1978. He was the first overall pick in the 1980 NFL draft, selected by the Detroit Lions. After three pro-bowl selections, his career was prematurely ended by a knee injury suffered in 1984.
Robert Dean Boyd was an American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). Boyd spent his entire nine-year career as a cornerback for the Baltimore Colts from 1960 to 1968. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners.
The 1975 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1975 NCAA Division I football season. The team was helmed by Barry Switzer in his third season as head coach. After sailing through their first eight games, Oklahoma suffered a surprising home loss to Kansas, which snapped a 28-game winning streak. With only two regular season games and a bowl trip left, any hopes for a repeat national championship looked slim.
The 1974 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. This was the first of three national championship squads for head coach Barry Switzer. Only one opponent played the Sooners within 14 points and four failed to score a touchdown. At the same time, OU led the nation in scoring offense with an average of 43 points per game to finish the season as the only undefeated team in the country at 11–0.
The 1950 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1950 college football season, the 56th season of Sooner football. Led by fourth-year head coach Bud Wilkinson, they played their home games at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, and competed in the Big Seven Conference.
The 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first season of Division I-A college football. Division I-A was created in January 1978 when Division I was subdivided into Division I-A and I-AA for football only. It was anticipated that 65 Division I football schools would transition to Division I-AA. Instead, just eight programs voluntarily opted for Division I-AA for the 1978 season, where they joined 35 schools that had reclassified from Division II. One school, UNLV, moved from Division II to I-A, bringing the total number of I-A institutions to 138 for the 1978 season.
The 1946 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma as a member of the Big Six Conference during the 1946 college football season. Led by Jim Tatum in his first and only season as head coach, the Sooners compiled an overall record of 8–3 with a mark of 4–1 in conference play, sharing the Big 6 title with Kansas. Oklahoma was invited to the Gator Bowl, where they defeated NC State. With the aid of first-year backfield coach Bud Wilkinson, who became the team's head coach the following year, Tatum installed the new split-T offense.
The 1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The 1978 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The 2009 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the 115th season of Sooner football. The team was led by two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award winner, Bob Stoops, in his 11th season as head coach. They played their home games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. They were a charter member of the Big 12 Conference.
The 1978 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football 1978 NCAA Division I-A season. Oklahoma Sooners football participated in the former Big Eight Conference at that time and played its home games in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium where it has played its home games since 1923. The team posted an 11–1 overall record and a 6–1 conference record to earn a share of the conference title under head coach Barry Switzer. This was Switzer's sixth conference title in six seasons since taking the helm in 1973.
The 1979 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football 1979 NCAA Division I-A season. Oklahoma Sooners football participated in the former Big Eight Conference at that time and played its home games in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium where it has played its home games since 1923. The team posted an 11–1 overall record and a 7–0 conference record to earn the Conference title outright under head coach Barry Switzer who took the helm in 1973. This was Switzer's seventh conference title and fourth undefeated conference record in seven seasons.
The 1980 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. Oklahoma was a member of the Big Eight Conference and played its home games in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The team posted a 10–2 overall record and a 7–0 conference record to earn the conference title outright under head coach Barry Switzer who took the helm in 1973. This was Switzer's eighth conference title and fifth undefeated conference record in eight seasons.
The 1981 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Longhorns finished the regular season with a 9–1–1 record and defeated Alabama in the 1982 Cotton Bowl Classic.
The 1982 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma during the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season. They played their home games at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and competed as members of the Big Eight Conference. They were coached by head coach Barry Switzer. The Sooners lost to Arizona State 32–21 in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona.
The 1980 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University in the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Bobby Bowden and played their home games at Doak Campbell Stadium. The team was selected co-national champion by Rothman (FACT).
The 1981 Missouri Tigers football team represented the University of Missouri as a member of the Big Eight Conference during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Warren Powers, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 8–4 with a mark of 3–4 in conference play, placing fifth in the Big 8. Missouri was invited to the Tangerine Bowl, in which they defeated Southern Miss by a score of 19–17. The team played home game at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri.
The 1980 Orange Bowl was the 46th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday, January 1. Part of the 1979–80 bowl game season, it matched the fourth-ranked independent Florida State Seminoles and the #5 Oklahoma Sooners of the Big Eight Conference. Favored Oklahoma overcame an early deficit and won 24–7.
The 1981 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented Oklahoma State University in the Big Eight Conference during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third season under head coach Jimmy Johnson, the Cowboys compiled a 7–5 record, tied for third place in the conference, and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 216 to 197.
The 1981 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cougars were led by 20th-year head coach Bill Yeoman and played their home games at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The team competed as members of the Southwest Conference, finishing in third. Houston was invited to the 1981 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, where they lost to Oklahoma, 40–14.