The 1981 Jackson State Tigers football team represented Jackson State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by sixth-year head coach W. C. Gorden, the Tigers compiled and overall record of 9–2–1 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, winning the SWAC title. Jackson State advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Championship playoffs, where they lost to Boise State in the quarterfinals.
| 1981 Jackson State Tigers football | |
|---|---|
SWAC champion | |
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 7–19 at Boise State | |
| Conference | Southwestern Athletic Conference |
| Record | 9–2–1 (5–1 SWAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Jackson State $^ | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grambling State | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alcorn State | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi Valley State | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prairie View A&M | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | Alabama State* | T 14–14 | [1] | |||
| September 12 | Tennessee State* |
| W 31–23 | [2] | ||
| September 19 | at Prairie View A&M | W 29–0 | [3] | |||
| September 26 | vs. Mississippi Valley State | No. 4 | W 42–0 | [4] | ||
| October 3 | at Southeastern Louisiana* | No. 4 | W 51–14 | [5] | ||
| October 10 | at Florida A&M* | No. 3 | W 14–6 | [6] | ||
| October 17 | Southern | No. 3 |
| W 41–0 | [7] | |
| October 24 | Grambling State | No. T–1 |
| L 7–15 | 35,467 | [8] |
| November 7 | at Texas Southern | No. T–7 | W 37–21 | [9] | ||
| November 14 | Kentucky State* | No. 7 |
| W 34–0 | [10] | |
| November 26 | Alcorn State | No. 4 |
| W 13–10 | [11] | |
| December 5 | No. 5 Boise State* | No. 4 |
| L 7–19 | 11,500 | [12] |
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References
edit- ^ "Alabama State rally ties Tigers". The Montgomery Advertiser. September 6, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Taylor leads JSU past Tenn. State". The Clarion-Ledger. September 13, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jackson takes win over Prairie View". The Paris News. September 20, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Smith, Danny (September 27, 1981). "Delta Devils fall 42–0 to JSU". The Greenwood Commonwealth. p. 10. Retrieved October 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
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- ^ "Jackson State trounces SLU". The Shreveport Times. October 4, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jackson State rattles FAMU". The St. Petersburg Times. October 11, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jackson St., 41–0". Daily World. October 18, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Grambling tops Jackson St. 15–7". The Clarion-Ledger. October 25, 1981. Retrieved March 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "J-State defeats Texas Southern". The Clarion-Ledger. November 8, 1981. Retrieved June 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jackson State rips Thorobreds 34–0". Lexington Herald-Leader. November 15, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jackson State drubs Alcorn to reach playoff". Sun Herald. November 27, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Broncos top Jackson State". The Idaho Statesman. December 6, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jackson State Yearly Results (1980–1984)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
