1981 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

1981 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Conference Big Ten Conference
1981 record 7–4 (6–3 Big Ten)
Head coach Mike White (2nd season)
Home stadium Memorial Stadium
1981 Big Ten football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 15 Ohio State + 6 –2 –0  9 –3 –0
No. 18 Iowa + 6 –2 –0  8 –4 –0
No. 12 Michigan 6 –3 –0  9 –3 –0
Illinois 6 –3 –0  7 –4 –0
Wisconsin 6 –3 –0  7 –5 –0
Minnesota 4 –5 –0  6 –5 –0
Michigan State 4 –5 –0  5 –6 –0
Purdue 3 –6 –0  5 –6 –0
Indiana 3 –6 –0  3 –8 –0
Northwestern 0 –9 –0  0 –11 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois during the 1981 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second year under head coach Mike White, the Illini compiled a 7–4 record and finished in three-way tie for third place in the Big Ten Conference.[1]

The team's offensive leaders were quarterback Tony Eason with 3,360 passing yards, running back Calvin Thomas with 390 rushing yards, and wide receiver Oliver Williams with 760 receiving yards.[2] Several Illinois players ranked among the Big Ten leaders, including the following:

  • Tony Eason led the conference with 248 pass completions, a 61.1 pass completion percentage, 3,360 passing yards, a 140.0 passing efficiency rating, 20 passing touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and 3,331 total yards.[3]
  • Oliver Williams ranked third in the conference with six receiving touchdowns and 20.0 yards per reception and ranked fifth in the conference with 760 receiving yards.[3]
  • Kirby Wilson ranked second in the conference with 546 kickoff return yards.[3]
  • Mike Bass ranked third in the conference with 33 extra points made, fifth with 10 field goals and a 58.8% field goal percentage, and sixth with 63 points scored.[3]

Schedule

Date Opponent Site Result Attendance
September 5 at No. 8 Pittsburgh* Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA L 6–26    
September 12 at Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI W 27–17    
September 19 Syracuse* Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL W 17–14    
October 3 Minnesota Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL W 38–29    
October 10 at Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN (Purdue Cannon) L 20–44    
October 17 at Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH (Illibuck Trophy) L 27–34    
October 24 Wisconsin Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL W 23–21    
October 31 No. 16 Iowa Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL W 24–7    
November 7 at No. 12 Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI L 21–70    
November 14 Indiana Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL W 35–14    
November 21 at Northwestern Dyche Stadium • Evanston, IL (Sweet Sioux Tomahawk) W 49–12    
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll.


Roster

1981 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
QB 3 Tony Eason Jr
C 55 Adam Lingner Jr
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
LB 34 Jack Squirek Sr
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

References

  1. ↑ "1981 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  2. ↑ "1981 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "1981 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
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