The 1981 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team represented Eastern Illinois University as a member of the Association of Mid-Continent Universities during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season, and completed the 80th season of Panther football. The Panthers were led by fourth-year head coach Darrell Mudra and played their home games at O'Brien Stadium in Charleston, Illinois. Eastern Illinois finished the season with an overall record of 7–4 and shared the conference title with Northern Iowa and Western Illinois.[1][2][3]
| 1981 Eastern Illinois Panthers football | |
|---|---|
Mid-Con co-champion | |
| Conference | Association of Mid-Continent Universities |
| Record | 7–4 (2–1 Mid-Con) |
| Head coach |
|
| Home stadium | O'Brien Stadium |
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule edit
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | at South Dakota* | W 19–17 | |||
| September 12 | Southwest Missouri State | W 24–13 | |||
| September 19 | at Northeast Missouri State* |
| L 14–21 | ||
| September 26 | Central State (OH)* |
| W 58–0 | ||
| October 10 | at Illinois State* | L 3–25 | 7,808 | [4] | |
| October 17 | Western Illinois |
| W 20–8 | 5,000 | [5] |
| October 24 | at Youngstown State* |
| L 16–48 | ||
| October 31 | at Northern Iowa | L 17–38 | |||
| November 7 | Ferris State* |
| W 42–14 | ||
| November 14 | Indiana State* |
| L 14–27 | [6] | |
| November 21 | Delaware State* |
| W 24–16 | ||
| |||||
References edit
- ^ "EIU linemen inexperienced". Journal Gazette. August 15, 1981 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eastern faces task of rebuilding both lines". Journal Gazette. August 15, 1981 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "EIU coach disappointed". Journal Gazette. November 27, 1981 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Redbirds shock EIU crew". The Sunday Dispatch. October 11, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eastern Illinois .............. 20 Western Illinois ............... 8". Springfield Leader and Press. October 18, 1981 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Panthers lose 27-14". Journal Gazette. November 16, 1981 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "EIU Football Online Guide, 2019" (PDF). Eastern Illinois athletics. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
