1981 San Diego State Aztecs football team

1981 San Diego State Aztecs football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Record	6–5 (3–5 WAC)
Head coach	Doug Scovil (1st season)
Home stadium	Jack Murphy Stadium
Seasons ←  1980 1982  →

1981 Western Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 13 BYU $	7	–	1	–	0			11	–	2	–	0
Hawaii	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
Utah	4	–	1	–	1			8	–	2	–	1
Wyoming	6	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
New Mexico	3	–	4	–	1			4	–	7	–	1
Air Force	2	–	3	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
San Diego State	3	–	5	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
UTEP	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
Colorado State	0	–	8	–	0			0	–	12	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State University during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

The team was led by head coach Doug Scovil, in his first year, and played home games at Jack Murphy Stadium ^{[note 1]} in San Diego, California. They finished with a record of six wins and five losses (6–5, 3–5 WAC).

The Aztecs were chosen to participate in the annual Mirage Bowl in 1981. This counted as a regular season game, and was played at the end of the season in Tokyo, Japan. They played the Air Force Academy on Nov. 29.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	at Colorado State	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO	W 30–14	25,287	[1]
September 26	at Oklahoma State *	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK	W 23–16	45,000	[2]
October 3	at New Mexico	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	W 17–15	18,265	[3]
October 10	No. 12 Iowa State *	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA	W 52–31	45,750	[4]
October 17	BYU	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA	L 7–27	41,727	[5]
October 24	Hawaii	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA	L 10–28	33,167	[6]
October 31	at Utah	Robert Rice Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	L 14–17	28,513	[7]
November 7	Wyoming	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA	L 13–24	30,361	[8]
November 14	at UNLV *	Las Vegas Silver Bowl Whitney, NV	W 38–20	23,090	[9]
November 21	UTEP	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA	W 59–14	20,824	[10]
November 29	Air Force	Olympic Memorial Stadium Tokyo, Japan (Mirage Bowl)	L 16–21	60,000	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^{[12] [13]}

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1982 NFL draft. ^[14]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Matt Kofler	Quarterback	2	48	Buffalo Bills
Vernon Dean	Defensive back	2	49	Washington Redskins

The following finished their college career in 1981, were not drafted, but played in the NFL. ^[15]

Player	Position	First NFL team
Darryl Hall	Defensive back	1987 Los Angeles Rams
Rob Harrison	Defensive back	1987 Los Angeles Raiders

Team awards

Award	Player
Most Valuable Player (John Simcox Memorial Trophy)	Matt Kofler
Outstanding Offensive & Defensive Linemen (Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)	Matt Long, Off Mike Vance, Def
Team captains Dr. R. Hardy / C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy	Matt Kofler, Off Vernon Dean, Def
Most Inspirational Player	Jerome Franey

^[13]

Notes

1. San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (SDCCU Stadium) was known as Jack Murphy Stadium from 1981 through 1997. It had been called San Diego Stadium from its opening in 1967 through 1980.

References

1. Hank Wesch (September 20, 1981). "Aztec Aerial Circus Blitzes Rams 30-14". The San Diego Union. San Diego, California. p. H-1. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
2. Steve Dolan (September 27, 1981). "San Diego State is 23-16 Winner". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
3. Frank Maestas (October 4, 1981). "San Diego State Holds on To Beat New Mexico By 2". Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. p. D-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Iowa State 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 9, 2016.
5. "Kofler, Aztecs blitzed by BYU in WAC shootout". Daily Times-Advocate. October 18, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Aztecs dropped by hot Rainbows". The Blade-Tribune. October 25, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "FG lifts Utes over SDS". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 1, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. Steve Dolan (November 8, 1981). "San Diego State Loses Fourth in Row, 24-13". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Kofler on a roll as Aztecs snap losing streak". The Blade-Tribune. November 15, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Kofler leads Aztecs to a 59–14 win over UTEP". The Los Angeles Times. November 22, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "San Diego State Upset by Air Force". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 30, 1981. p. III-18. Retrieved January 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
12. "San Diego State 1981 Schedule" . Retrieved December 7, 2016.
13. "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
14. "1982 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
15. "San Diego St. Players/Alumni" . Retrieved December 8, 2016.