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
Eastern Illinois +	2	–	1	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Northern Iowa +	2	–	1	–	0			7	–	4	–	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	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

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.