1981 Virginia Cavaliers football team

1981 Virginia Cavaliers football
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Record	1–10 (0–6 ACC)
Head coach	Dick Bestwick (6th season)
Captains	Keith Lee Todd Kirtley [1]
Home stadium	Scott Stadium
Seasons ←  1980 1982  →

1981 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Clemson $	6	–	0	–	0			12	–	0	–	0
No. 9 North Carolina	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Maryland	4	–	2	–	0			4	–	6	–	1
Duke	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
NC State	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Wake Forest	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Virginia	0	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Virginia Cavaliers football team represented the University of Virginia during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cavaliers were led by sixth-year head coach Dick Bestwick and played their home games at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia. They competed as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finishing in last. At the conclusion of a 1–10 campaign, Bestwick was fired. ^[2] He had a record of 16–49–1 at Virginia.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	1:30 p.m.	West Virginia *	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	L 18–32	34,007	[3]
September 18	7:30 p.m.	at Rutgers *	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	L 0–3	22,816	[4]
September 26	1:30 p.m.	Duke	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	L 24–29	27,523	[5]
October 3	1:00 p.m.	at NC State	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC	L 24–30	42,200	[6]
October 10	1:00 p.m.	at No. 9 Clemson	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	L 0–27	63,000	[7]
October 17	7:00 p.m.	at South Carolina *	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	L 3–21	56,101	[8]
October 24	1:30 p.m.	Wake Forest	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	L 21–24	24,222	[9]
October 31	1:30 p.m.	VMI *	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	W 13–10	25,119	[10]
November 14	1:30 p.m.	No. 13 North Carolina	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA (South's Oldest Rivalry)	L 14–17	30,047	[11]
November 21	1:30 p.m.	at Maryland	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD (rivalry)	L 7–48	21,300	[12]
November 28	1:30 p.m.	Virginia Tech *	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA (rivalry)	L 3–20	39,027	[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^{[14] [15]}

Roster

1981 Virginia Cavaliers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class TE 87 Billy Griggs So	Defense Pos. # Name Class DT 99 Stuart Anderson Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Dick Bestwick Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "2017 Cavalier Football Fact Book" (PDF). Virginia Cavaliers Athletics. p. 122. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 28, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
2. Asher, Mark; Cohen, Larry (December 1, 1981). "Bestwick Is Fired As Virginia Coach". The Washington Post . p. D1.
3. "Cavs grounded". The Roanoke Times & World-News. September 13, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Kickers give undefeated Rutgers needed lift". The Sunday Record. September 19, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Duke squeaks by Virginia". The Daily News Leader. September 27, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "State defense holds off late Cavalier rally". The Rocky Mount Telegram. October 4, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Clemson blanks UVA, 27–0". The Danville Register. October 11, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Gamecocks down Cavs, 21–3". The Sun-News. October 18, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Schofield passing leads Deacons over Cavaliers, 24–21". The Times and Democrat. October 25, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Cavs nip VMI for 1st victory". The News and Observer. November 1, 1981. Retrieved February 3, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Tar Heels sneak past Cavaliers". Greensboro News & Record. November 15, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Wysocki, Esiason lead Terps' massacre of Cavs". Durham Morning Herald. November 22, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. "VPI overpowers Cavaliers, 20–3". Rocky Mount Telegram. November 29, 1981. Retrieved December 16, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
14. "1981 Virginia Cavaliers Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
15. "All-Time Virginia Box Score Game Statistics". Virginia Cavaliers Official Athletic Site. Retrieved June 5, 2021.