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RetroSeasons
RetroSeasons recaps past sports seasons through stories, photos, videos, and stats from every team, league, and stadium in history. Coverage includes the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, as well as vintage media from defunct teams and leagues.
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National Football League logo

National Football League (NFL)
1981 NFL Teams

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Leagues Football NFL 1981 Teams

Recap

Oakland defeated Philadelphia 27-10 in Super Bowl XV at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, to become the first wild-card team to win a Super Bowl, January 25.

Edgar F. Kaiser, Jr., purchased the Denver Broncos from Gerald and Allan Phipps, February 26.

The owners adopted a disaster plan for re-stocking a team should the club be involved in a fatal accident, March 20.

The owners awarded Super Bowl XVIII to Tampa, to be played in Tampa Stadium on January 22, 1984, June 3.

A CBS-New York Times poll showed that 48 percent of sports fans preferred football to 31 percent for baseball.

The NFL teams hosted 167 representatives from 44 predominantly black colleges during training camps for a total of 289 days. The program was adopted for renewal during each training camp period.

NFL regular-season attendance-13.6 million for an average of 60,745-set a record for the fourth year in a row. It also was the first time the per-game average exceeded 60,000. NFL games in 1981 were played before 93.8 percent of total stadium capacity.

ABC and CBS set all-time rating highs. ABC finished with a 21.7 rating and CBS with a 17.5 rating. NBC was down slightly to 13.9.

Close
1981 San Francisco 49ers Season
1981 San Francisco 49ers
13-3 (.813)
Won Super Bowl
1981 Cincinnati Bengals Season
1981 Cincinnati Bengals
12-4 (.750)
Lost Super Bowl
1981 Dallas Cowboys Season
1981 Dallas Cowboys
12-4 (.750)
Lost AFC/NFC Championship
1981 San Diego Chargers Season
1981 San Diego Chargers
10-6 (.625)
Lost AFC/NFC Championship
1981 Miami Dolphins Season
1981 Miami Dolphins
11-4 (.719)
Lost Division Championship
1981 Buffalo Bills Season
1981 Buffalo Bills
10-6 (.625)
Lost Division Championship
1981 New York Giants Season
1981 New York Giants
9-7 (.563)
Lost Division Championship
1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season
1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9-7 (.563)
Lost Division Championship
1981 New York Jets Season
1981 New York Jets
10-5 (.656)
Lost Wild Card Game
1981 Philadelphia Eagles Season
1981 Philadelphia Eagles
10-6 (.625)
Lost Wild Card Game
1981 Denver Broncos Season
1981 Denver Broncos
10-6 (.625)
Missed Playoffs
1981 Kansas City Chiefs Season
1981 Kansas City Chiefs
9-7 (.563)
Missed Playoffs
1981 Detroit Lions Season
1981 Detroit Lions
8-8 (.500)
Missed Playoffs
1981 Green Bay Packers Season
1981 Green Bay Packers
8-8 (.500)
Missed Playoffs
1981 Pittsburgh Steelers Season
1981 Pittsburgh Steelers
8-8 (.500)
Missed Playoffs
1981 Washington Redskins Season
1981 Washington Redskins
8-8 (.500)
Missed Playoffs
1981 St. Louis Cardinals Season
1981 St. Louis Cardinals
7-9 (.438)
Missed Playoffs
1981 Atlanta Falcons Season
1981 Atlanta Falcons
7-9 (.438)
Missed Playoffs
1981 Minnesota Vikings Season
1981 Minnesota Vikings
7-9 (.438)
Missed Playoffs
1981 Oakland Raiders Season
1981 Oakland Raiders
7-9 (.438)
Missed Playoffs
1981 Houston Oilers Season
1981 Houston Oilers
7-9 (.438)
Missed Playoffs
1981 Chicago Bears Season
1981 Chicago Bears
6-10 (.375)
Missed Playoffs
1981 Seattle Seahawks Season
1981 Seattle Seahawks
6-10 (.375)
Missed Playoffs
1981 Los Angeles Rams Season
1981 Los Angeles Rams
6-10 (.375)
Missed Playoffs
1981 Cleveland Browns Season
1981 Cleveland Browns
5-11 (.313)
Missed Playoffs
1981 New Orleans Saints Season
1981 New Orleans Saints
4-12 (.250)
Missed Playoffs
1981 Baltimore Colts Season
1981 Baltimore Colts
2-14 (.125)
Missed Playoffs
1981 New England Patriots Season
1981 New England Patriots
2-14 (.125)
Missed Playoffs

1981 NFL

  • Season Overview
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