1981 Princeton Tigers football
ConferenceIvy League
Record5–4–1 (5–1–1 Ivy)
Head coach
Captains
  • Jonathon D. Helmerich
  • Lawrence D. Van Pelt
Home stadiumPalmer Stadium
Seasons
← 1980
1982 →
1981 Ivy League football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Yale + 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
Dartmouth + 6 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Princeton 5 – 1 – 1 5 – 4 – 1
Harvard 4 – 2 – 1 5 – 4 – 1
Brown 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Cornell 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Columbia 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
Penn 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions

The 1981 Princeton Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Princeton University during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Princeton finished third in the Ivy League.

In their fourth year under head coach Frank Navarro, the Tigers compiled a 5–4–1 record but were outscored 323 to 233. Jonathon D. Helmerich and Lawrence D. Van Pelt were the team captains.[1]

Princeton's 5–1–1 conference record placed third in the Ivy League standings. The Tigers outscored Ivy opponents 181 to 155.[2]

This would be Princeton's last season in the NCAA's top level of football competition. Shortly after the season ended, the NCAA reassigned all of the Ivy League teams to the second-tier Division I-AA,[3] which would later be renamed the Football Championship Subdivision.

Princeton played its home games at Palmer Stadium on the university campus in Princeton, New Jersey.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 19 at Dartmouth
L 13–32 6,981 [4]
September 26 at Delaware*
L 8–61 10,110 [5]
October 3 at Brown
W 20–17 5,800 [6]
October 10 Columbia
  • Palmer Stadium
  • Princeton, NJ
W 21–14 12,360 [7]
October 17 at Army*
L 0–34 39,515 [8]
October 24 at Harvard
T 17–17 17,500 [9]
October 31 at Penn
W 38–30 20,333 [10]
November 7 Maine*
  • Palmer Stadium
  • Princeton, NJ
L 44–55 6,887 [11]
November 14 Yale
  • Palmer Stadium
  • Princeton, NJ (rivalry)
W 35–31 20,303 [12]
November 21 Cornell
  • Palmer Stadium
  • Princeton, NJ
W 37–14 9,009 [13]
  • *Non-conference game

Roster

1981 Princeton Tigers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 9 Bob Holly
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

References

  1. ^ "Results". Princeton Football Record Book. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University. p. 30. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  2. ^ "Year-by-Year History". Ivy League Football Media Guide (PDF). Princeton, N.J.: Ivy League. 2017. p. 29. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  3. ^ Roberts, Ernie (December 4, 1981). "Big Guys on Block Bully Ivy, HC Football". The Boston Globe. Boston, Mass.
  4. ^ Robbins, Paul (September 20, 1981). "Dartmouth Opens by Routing Princeton, 32-13". The Sunday Rutland Herald. Rutland, Vt. sect. 2, p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Simmons, Bill (September 27, 1981). "Delaware Massacres Princeton". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 9-D – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Ahern, John (October 4, 1981). "Princeton, Holly Stop Brown". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 84 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ O'Brien, Ken (October 11, 1981). "Holly Drives Tigers". The Home News Sunday. New Brunswick, N.J. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Army Shuts Out Princeton, 34-0". Poughkeepsie Journal. Poughkeepsie, N.Y. October 11, 1981. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Monahan, Bob (October 25, 1981). "Harvard Gains Tie". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 86 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Shister, Gail (November 1, 1981). "Princeton QB Tosses Quakers for a 38-30 Loss". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 9-F – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ O'Brien, Ken (November 8, 1981). "Maine Bests Tigers". The Home News Sunday. New Brunswick, N.J. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Yale Upset, 35-31". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. November 15, 1981. p. 71 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Van Sickle, Kenny (November 23, 1981). "Blackman Sees Better Days Ahead for Big Red". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, N.Y. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
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