1981 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

1981 Western Illinois Leathernecks football
Mid-Con co-champion
Conference	Association of Mid-Continent Universities
Record	5–6 (2–1 Mid-Con)
Head coach	Pete Rodriguez (3rd season)
Home stadium	Hanson Field
Seasons ← 1980 1982 →

1981 Association of Mid-Continent Universities football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Northern Iowa +	2	–	1	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Eastern Illinois +	2	–	1	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Western Illinois +	2	–	1	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Southwest Missouri State	0	–	3	–	0			3	–	5	–	2
+ – Conference co-champions

The 1981 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University as a member of the Association of Mid-Continent Universities during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. They were led by third-year head coach Pete Rodriguez and played their home games at Hanson Field. The Leathernecks finished the season with a 5–6 record overall and a 2–1 record in conference play, making them conference co-champions with Eastern Illinois and Northern Iowa. ^{[1] [2]}

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	at Illinois State *	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	L 7–31	9,179	[3]
September 12	South Dakota State *	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 17–13		[4]
September 19	at Drake *	Drake Stadium Des Moines, IA	L 6–21	10,185	[5]
September 26	Southwest Missouri State	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 19–7	9,003	[6]
October 3	at Northeast Missouri State *	Stokes Stadium Kirksville, MO	W 17–7		[7]
October 10	Northern Iowa	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 21–14	6,200	[8]
October 17	at Eastern Illinois	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	L 8–20	5,000	[9]
October 24	No. 2 Northern Michigan *	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	L 14–28	11,794	[10]
October 31	at New Mexico State *	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, NM	L 24–31		[11]
November 7	at Youngstown State *	Rayen Stadium Youngstown, OH	L 22–34		[12]
November 14	Howard *	Hanson Stadium Macomb, IL	W 20–17		[13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Western Illinois Football Record Book" (PDF). Western Illinois University Athletics. p. 71. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
2. "Eastern Illinois loses". The Southern Illinoisan . Associated Press. November 1, 1981. p. 14. Retrieved November 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
3. Lewis, Mark (September 6, 1981). "ISU destroys Western". The Pantagraph . p. C1. Retrieved November 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Jacks come up short". Argus Leader . September 13, 1981. p. 1C. Retrieved November 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
5. Grett, Wayne (September 20, 1981). "Unbeaten Drake pins Leathernecks, 21-6". Des Moines Register . p. 1D. Retrieved November 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
6. Mayes, Warren (September 27, 1981). "Errors cost SMS league loss to Western Illinois". Springfield News-Leader . p. 3F. Retrieved November 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
7. "W. Illinois 17, NE Missouri 7". Belleville News-Democrat . UPI. October 4, 1981. p. 6B. Retrieved November 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Western Illinois hands UNI its 5th loss, 21-14". The Gazette . UPI. October 11, 1981. p. 6C. Retrieved November 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
9. Fallstrom, Bob (October 18, 1981). "Davis rushes from nobody to somebody". Herald and Review . p. B1. Retrieved November 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Western falters late". The Dispatch . UPI. October 25, 1981. p. 30. Retrieved November 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Aggies ring Leathernecks". The Santa Fe New Mexican . Associated Press. November 1, 1981. p. B3. Retrieved November 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Leathernecks upended". The Dispatch . UPI. November 8, 1981. p. 32. Retrieved November 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Punt return sparks Western by Howard". The Pantagraph . Associated Press. November 15, 1981. p. C7. Retrieved November 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.