1981 Widener Pioneers football team

1981 Widener Pioneers football
NCAA Division III champion MAC champion
Stagg Bowl, W 17–10 vs. Dayton
Conference	Middle Atlantic Conference
Record	13–0 (8–0 MAC)
Head coach	Bill Manlove (13th season)

1981 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Northern Division
Delaware Valley x	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
Juniata x	6	–	1	–	0			6	–	2	–	1
Albright	4	–	2	–	1			5	–	3	–	1
Lycoming	4	–	2	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
Susquehanna	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Upsala	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Fairleigh Dickinson–Florham	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	8	–	0
Wilkes	0	–	7	–	0			0	–	9	–	0
Southern Division
Widener x^	8	–	0	–	0			13	–	0	–	0
Johns Hopkins	6	–	2	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
Swarthmore	6	–	2	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
Franklin & Marshall	5	–	3	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Gettysburg	5	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Western Maryland	5	–	3	–	0			5	–	3	–	1
Lebanon Valley	4	–	4	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Muhlenberg	3	–	5	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Ursinus	1	–	6	–	1			2	–	6	–	1
Moravian	0	–	7	–	1			2	–	8	–	1
Dickinson	0	–	8	–	0			0	–	9	–	0
x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

The 1981 Widener Pioneers football team represented Widener University as a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) during the 1981 NCAA Division III football season. In their 13th season under head coach Bill Manlove, the Pride compiled a 13–0 record and won the NCAA Division III championship.[1]

The team played its home games in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	Delaware Valley*	Chester, PA	W 21–6
September 19	at Juniata*	Huntingdon, PA	W 37–13
September 26	Johns Hopkins	Chester, PA	W 26–13
October 3	at Muhlenberg	Allentown, PA	W 17–3
October 10	Gettysburg	Chester, PA	W 38–19
October 17	Dickinson	Chester, PA	W 31–0
October 24	at Moravian	Bethlehem, PA	W 23–0
October 31	at Franklin & Marshall	Lancaster, PA	W 17–7
November 7	Ursinus	Chester, PA	W 43–14
November 14	at Swarthmore	Swarthmore, PA	W 16–6
November 21	at West Georgia*	Grisham Stadium Carrollton, GA (NCAA Division III quarterfinal)	W 10–3
November 28	Montclair State*	Chester, PA (NCAA Division III semifinal)	W 23–12		[2]
December 5	vs. Dayton*	Phenix City, AL (Stagg Bowl)	W 17–10	6,000	[3]
*Non-conference game

References

1. "1981 Football Schedule - NCAA Division III Champions". Widener Athletics. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
2. Elliott Denman (November 29, 1981). "Widener's second half rally stops Montclair, 23-12". Asbury Park Press. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Frank Dolson (December 6, 1981). "Widener captures Division III title, tips Dayton, 17-10". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1E, 12E – via Newspapers.com.