1981 South Carolina State Bulldogs football
ConferenceMid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Ranking
APNo. 3
Record10–3 (5–0 MEAC)
Head coach
Home stadiumBulldog Stadium
Seasons
← 1980
1982 →
1981 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 South Carolina State $^ 5 – 0 – 0 10 – 3 – 0
Florida A&M 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Bethune–Cookman 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Howard 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Delaware State 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
North Carolina A&T 0 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1981 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team represented South Carolina State University) as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Bill Davis, the Bulldogs compiled an overall record of 10–3 and a mark of 5–0 in conference play, and finished as MEAC champions.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 5at Eastern Kentucky*
L 0–2611,400[1]
September 12Delaware State
W 29–08,227[2]
September 19North Carolina A&T
  • State College Stadium
  • Orangeburg, SC
W 31–612,038[3]
September 26at Howard
W 34–68,500[4]
October 3at Alcorn State*No. T–10
L 20–24[5]
October 10at Johnson C. Smith*
W 82–05,524[6]
October 17Morgan State
  • State College Stadium
  • Orangeburg, SC
W 41–318,000[7]
October 24vs. Florida A&MNo. 8
W 16–1521,614[8]
October 31Morris Brown*No. 6
  • State College Stadium
  • Orangeburg, SC
W 40–6[9]
November 7Bethune–CookmanNo. 4
  • State College Stadium
  • Orangeburg, SC
W 10–6[10]
November 14No. T–10 Grambling State*No. 3
  • State College Stadium
  • Orangeburg, SC
W 30–14[11]
December 5No. 6 Tennessee State*No. 3
W 26–25 OT12,000[12]
December 12at No. 2 Idaho State*No. 3
L 12–4112,300[13]

Roster

1981 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
C 53 Robert Brown Sr
OT 69 Marion Drummond Jr
WR 26 Edward Lee Sr
RB 44 Henry Odom Jr
WR 22 Zach Thomas Jr
QB 14 Rodney Whitehead So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 8 Barney Bussey So
DB 27 Tom Tutson Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 30 Al Gardner So
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster

References

  1. ^ "Defense leads way for Eastern in 26–0 win". The Courier-Journal. September 6, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "S.C. State blanks DelState 29–0". The Morning News. September 13, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "S.C. State tames Aggies". The Charlotte Observer. September 20, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Gaston powers Bulldogs to 34–6 walk over Howard". The Greenville News. September 27, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Lady luck gives Alcorn initial win". The Clarion-Ledger. October 4, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "S.C. State embarrasses J.C. Smith 82–0". The Charlotte Observer. October 11, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "S.C. State's 'back' attack gives Bulldogs 41–3 victory". The State. October 18, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Rattlers drop Classic". Fort Lauderdale News. October 25, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "S.C. State 40–6 victors". Anderson Independent-Mail. November 1, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Bulldogs clinch MEAC with 10–6 win over Wildcats". The Times and Democrat. November 8, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "State has no mercy on a Legend, 30–14". The Greenville News. November 15, 1981. Retrieved March 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "TSU loses 26–25 in overtime". The Tennessean. December 6, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Bengals bury South Carolina State 41–12". The Idaho Statesman. December 13, 1981. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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