1981 Jackson State Tigers football team

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	W. C. Gorden (6th season)
Home stadium	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium

1981 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
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
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

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.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	Alabama State*		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	T 14–14		[1]
September 12	Tennessee State*		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	W 31–23		[2]
September 19	at Prairie View A&M		Edward L. Blackshear Field Prairie View, TX	W 29–0		[3]
September 26	vs. Mississippi Valley State	No. 4	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	W 42–0		[4]
October 3	at Southeastern Louisiana*	No. 4	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA	W 51–14		[5]
October 10	at Florida A&M*	No. 3	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 14–6		[6]
October 17	Southern	No. 3	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (rivalry)	W 41–0		[7]
October 24	Grambling State	No. T–1	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 7–15	35,467	[8]
November 7	at Texas Southern	No. T–7	Robertson Stadium Houston, TX	W 37–21		[9]
November 14	Kentucky State*	No. 7	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	W 34–0		[10]
November 26	Alcorn State	No. 4	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (rivalry)	W 13–10		[11]
December 5	No. 5 Boise State*	No. 4	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	L 7–19	11,500	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[13]

References

1. "Alabama State rally ties Tigers". The Montgomery Advertiser. September 6, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Taylor leads JSU past Tenn. State". The Clarion-Ledger. September 13, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Jackson takes win over Prairie View". The Paris News. September 20, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Smith, Danny (September 27, 1981). "Delta Devils fall 42–0 to JSU". The Greenwood Commonwealth. p. 10. Retrieved October 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
5. "Jackson State trounces SLU". The Shreveport Times. October 4, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Jackson State rattles FAMU". The St. Petersburg Times. October 11, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Jackson St., 41–0". Daily World. October 18, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Grambling tops Jackson St. 15–7". The Clarion-Ledger. October 25, 1981. Retrieved March 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "J-State defeats Texas Southern". The Clarion-Ledger. November 8, 1981. Retrieved June 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Jackson State rips Thorobreds 34–0". Lexington Herald-Leader. November 15, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Jackson State drubs Alcorn to reach playoff". Sun Herald. November 27, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Broncos top Jackson State". The Idaho Statesman. December 6, 1981. Retrieved August 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Jackson State Yearly Results (1980–1984)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2019.