1981 Utah Utes football team

1981 Utah Utes football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Record	8–2–1 (4–1–1 WAC)
Head coach	Wayne Howard (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Ron McBride (5th season)
Defensive coordinator	Tom Gadd (5th season)
Home stadium	Robert Rice 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 Utah Utes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Utah as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth and final season under head coach Wayne Howard, the Utes compiled an overall record of 8–2–1 with a mark of 4–1–1 against conference opponents, tying for third place in the WAC. Home games were played on campus at Robert Rice Stadium in Salt Lake City.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	7:30 pm	Utah State *	Robert Rice Stadium Salt Lake City, UT (Battle of the Brothers)		W 10–0	29,010	[1]
September 12	8:30 pm	at No. 20 Arizona State *	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ		L 10–52	64,558	[2]
September 19	7:30 pm	Portland State *	Robert Rice Stadium Salt Lake City, UT		W 46–0	24,122	[3]
September 26	12:00 pm	at Northwestern *	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL		W 42–0	25,256	[4]
October 2	7:30 pm	UTEP	Robert Rice Stadium Salt Lake City, UT		W 38–10	26,851	[5]
October 17	1:30 pm	at Colorado State	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO		W 24–13	15,933	[6]
October 24	8:30 pm	at UNLV *	Las Vegas Silver Bowl Paradise, NV		W 69–28	27,883	[7]
October 31	1:30 pm	San Diego State	Robert Rice Stadium Salt Lake City, UT		W 17–14	28,513	[8]
November 7	7:00 pm	at New Mexico	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	ABC	T 7–7	14,420	[9]
November 14	1:30 pm	Wyoming	Robert Rice Stadium Salt Lake City, UT		W 30–27	28,206	[10]
November 21	1:30 pm	No. 18 BYU	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT (Holy War)		L 28–56	47,163	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

^{[12] [13] [14]}

Roster

1981 Utah Utes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class G 68 Darryl Haley Sr RB 33 Del Rodgers Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DT 99 Steve Clark Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Wayne Howard Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

NFL draft

Five Utah players were selected in the 1982 NFL draft.

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL team
Darryl Haley	Offensive tackle	2	55	New England Patriots
Del Rodgers	Running back	3	71	Green Bay Packers
Jack Campbell	Offensive tackle	6	144	Seattle Seahawks
Steve Clark	Defensive end	9	239	Miami Dolphins
Wayne Jones	Offensive tackle	10	276	Miami Dolphins

References

1. "Utes shut out Aggies". The Daily Spectrum. September 6, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
2. "ASU's Riggs bulldozes Utah". Oakland Tribune. September 13, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Utah routs Portland State". Statesman Journal. September 20, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Utah rips Wildcats 42–0; loss string hits 23". The Rock Island Argus. September 27, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Utah cruises to 38–10 victory over hapless UTEP". The Daily Herald. October 4, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Utah rolls past Rams". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 18, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Utes halt Rebels". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 25, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "FG lifts Utes over SDS". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 1, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "New Mexico ties Utah". The Arizona Republic. November 8, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Utah tops Wyoming". Rapid City Journal. November 15, 1981. Retrieved November 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "BYU crushes Utah". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. November 22, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "1982 Utah Football Media Guide". University of Utah Athletic Department. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
13. "Ute Record Book" (PDF). University of Utah. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
14. "1981 Utah Utes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 1, 2024.