1981 Oklahoma State Cowboys football
ConferenceBig Eight Conference
Record7–5 (4–3 Big 8)
Head coach
Home stadiumLewis Field
Seasons
← 1980
1982 →
1981 Big Eight Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 11 Nebraska $ 7 – 0 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
No. 20 Oklahoma 4 – 2 – 1 7 – 4 – 1
Kansas 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
Oklahoma State 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
No. 19 Missouri 3 – 4 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
Iowa State 2 – 4 – 1 5 – 5 – 1
Colorado 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Kansas State 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented Oklahoma State University in the Big Eight Conference during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third season under head coach Jimmy Johnson, the Cowboys compiled a 7–5 record (4–3 against conference opponents), tied for third place in the conference, and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 216 to 197.[1][2]

The team's statistical leaders included Shawn Jones with 788 rushing yards, John Doerner with 877 passing yards, John Chesley with 350 receiving yards, and placekicker Larry Roach with 71 points scored.[3][4]

The team played its home games at Lewis Field in Stillwater, Oklahoma.[5]

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 19Tulsa*
W 23–2147,000
September 26San Diego State*
  • Lewis Field
  • Stillwater, OK
L 16–2345,000[6]
October 3at North Texas State*
W 9–017,500[7]
October 10at Kansas
W 20–7
October 17at Colorado
L 10–1136,101
October 24Louisville*
  • Lewis Field
  • Stillwater, OK
W 19–11
October 31at Missouri
W 16–1257,541
November 7No. 11 Nebraska
  • Lewis Field
  • Stillwater, OK
L 7–5448,500
November 14Kansas Statedagger
  • Lewis Field
  • Stillwater, OK
W 31–1049,300
November 21at Iowa State
W 27–746,387
November 28Oklahoma
L 3–2751,100
December 12vs. Texas A&M*
L 16–3348,600
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

After the season

The 1982 NFL Draft was held on April 27–28, 1982. The following Cowboys were selected.[8]

Round Pick Player Position NFL team
11 301 Ron Ingram Wide receiver Philadelphia Eagles
12 313 Ricky Young Linebacker Chicago Bears

References

  1. ^ "1981 Oklahoma State Cowboys Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  2. ^ "Oklahoma State Cowboy Football 2016 Guide" (PDF). Oklahoma State University. p. 173. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  3. ^ 2016 Football Guide, pp. 168, 170.
  4. ^ "1981 Oklahoma State Cowboys Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  5. ^ 2016 Football Guide, pp. 217, 219.
  6. ^ Steve Dolan (September 27, 1981). "San Diego State is 23-16 Winner". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  7. ^ "Roach boots Cowboys over Mean Green". The Daily Oklahoman. October 4, 1981. Retrieved October 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "1982 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
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