The 1981 Southwest Texas State Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented Southwest Texas State University—now known as Texas State University–as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) during the 1981 NCAA Division II football season. The Bobcats played their home games at the newly opened Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos, Texas. Led by third-year head coach Jim Wacker, Southwest Texas State compiled an overall record of 13–1 and claimed the LSC title with a conference mark of 6–1. They won the NCAA Division II Football Championship with a win over North Dakota State, 42–13, in the Palm Bowl.[1][2]
| 1981 Southwest Texas State Bobcats football | |
|---|---|
NCAA Division II champion LSC champion | |
NCAA Division II Championship Game, W 42–13 vs. North Dakota State | |
| Conference | Lone Star Conference |
| Record | 13–1 (6–1 LSC) |
| Head coach |
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| Defensive coordinator | Tom Mueller (3rd season) |
| Home stadium | Bobcat Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Southwest Texas State $^ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 13 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Texas A&I | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abilene Christian | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Angelo State | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 East Texas State | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sam Houston State | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Howard Payne | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stephen F. Austin | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | Prairie View A&M* | W 56–0 | 8,500 | [3] | ||
| September 12 | at Texas Lutheran* |
| W 59–0 | 7,000 | [4] | |
| September 19 | Southeastern Louisiana* |
| W 35–10 | 10,000 | [5] | |
| September 26 | at Lamar* | No. 3 | W 24–7 | 17,050 | [6] | |
| October 10 | at Howard Payne | No. 1 |
| W 41–0 | 3,500 | [7] |
| October 17 | Sam Houston State | No. 1 |
| W 38–14 | 11,211 | [8] |
| October 24 | at Stephen F. Austin | No. 1 | W 38–6 | 12,137 | [9] | |
| October 31 | East Texas State | No. 1 |
| W 38–7 | 10,000–10,899 | [10][11] |
| November 7 | at Angelo State | No. 1 | W 31–7 | 13,000 | [12] | |
| November 14 | at No. T–10 Abilene Christian | No. 1 | W 38–31 | 13,000 | [13] | |
| November 21 | Texas A&I | No. 1 |
| L 14–21 | 17,600 | [14] |
| November 28 | No. 5 Jacksonville State* | No. 4 |
| W 38–22 | [15] | |
| December 5 | No. 1 Northern Michigan* | No. 4 |
| W 62–0 | [16][17] | |
| December 12 | vs. No. 6 North Dakota State* | No. 4 |
| W 42–13 | 9,415 | [18] |
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