# 1981 NCAA Division II football season

The 1981 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began in August 1981, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 12, 1981, at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas. During the game's five-year stretch in McAllen, the "City of Palms", it was referred to as the Palm Bowl.
Southwest Texas State defeated North Dakota State in the championship game, 42–13, to win their first Division II national title.

## Conference realignment
### Conference changes

* Prior to the 1981 season, the Mid-Continent Conference was shifted from Division II to Division I-AA; its four members, Eastern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Western Illinois, and Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State), all made the transition. Northern Michigan and Youngstown State, who had been members of the Mid-Continent the previous season, departed the league before the shift. NMU remained in Division II while YSU departed for the Ohio Valley Conference in Division I-AA.

### Membership changes

| School | 1980 Conference | 1981 Conference |
| Eastern Washington | Evergreen (NAIA) | D-II Independent |
| Liberty | NAIA Independent | D-II Independent |
| Mankato State | Northern | North Central |
| Northern Michigan | Mid-Continent | D-II Independent |
| Portland State | I-AA Independent | D-II Independent |
| Southwest Missouri State | MIAA | Mid-Continent (I-AA) |
| St. Cloud State | Northern | North Central |
| Youngstown State | Mid-Continent (D-II) | Ohio Valley (I-AA) |

## Conference standings

1981 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings :
| 1981 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T CalState Northridge $ 2 –0 –06 –4 –1 Cal Poly Pomona 1 –1 –04 –7 –0 Cal Poly 0 –2 –04 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1981 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northern No. 2 Virginia Union xy$^ 7 –0 –011 –1 –0 Elizabeth City State ^ 6 –1 –08 –3 –0 No. 10 Hampton 5 –2 –08 –2 –0 Norfolk State 3 –4 –04 –5 –1 Virginia State 3 –4 –04 –6 –0 Saint Paul's (VA) 0 –7 –00 –10 –0 Southern North Carolina Central xy 6 –1 –07 –4 –0 Winston-Salem State 4 –3 –05 –5 –0 Johnson C. Smith 3 –4 –04 –6 –0 Fayetteville State 2 –5 –03 –5 –0 Livingstone 1 –6 –03 –7 –0 Bowie State * 2 –5 –05 –5 –0 Championship: Virginia Union 45, North Carolina Central 7 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant * – ineligible for conference title Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll for Virginia Union and NAIA Division I poll for Hampton | 1981 Far Western Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T UC Davis + 4 –1 –06 –4 –0 Cal State Hayward + 4 –1 –06 –4 –1 Humboldt State 3 –2 –06 –4 –0 Chico State 3 –2 –05 –5 –0 Sacramento State 1 –4 –05 –6 –0 San Francisco State 0 –5 –03 –7 –0 + – Conference co-champions |
| 1981 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Grand Valley State $ 6 –0 –07 –2 –0 No. 3 Hillsdale ^ 5 –1 –010 –2 –0 Ferris State 3 –3 –04 –4 –0 Wayne State (MI) 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 Northwood 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Saginaw Valley State 2 –4 –03 –7 –0 Michigan Tech 0 –6 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1981 Gulf South Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Jacksonville State $^ 6 –0 –08 –3 –0 No. T–10 North Alabama 4 –2 –08 –2 –0 Livingston 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Mississippi College 3 –3 –06 –4 –0 Tennessee–Martin 3 –3 –04 –7 –0 Troy State 1 –5 –03 –7 –0 Delta State 0 –6 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll | 1981 Heartland Collegiate Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Franklin (IN) + 6 –1 –08 –2 –0 Indiana Central + 6 –1 –07 –4 –0 Saint Joseph's (IN) 5 –2 –06 –3 –0 Ashland 5 –2 –06 –4 –0 Butler 2 –5 –03 –7 –0 Evansville 2 –5 –03 –8 –0 Georgetown (KY) 1 –6 –01 –9 –0 Valparaiso 1 –6 –01 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions |
| 1981 Lone Star Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Southwest Texas State $^ 6 –1 –013 –1 –0 No. 9 Texas A&I 5 –2 –09 –2 –0 Abilene Christian 5 –2 –08 –2 –0 Angelo State 5 –2 –08 –3 –0 No. 17 East Texas State 4 –3 –07 –4 –0 Sam Houston State 2 –5 –03 –7 –0 Howard Payne 1 –6 –03 –7 –0 Stephen F. Austin 0 –7 –01 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll for Southwest Texas State and Texas A&I and NAIA Division I poll for East Texas State | 1981 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T NE Missouri State $ 4 –1 –06 –4 –0 Missouri-Rolla 3 –1 –16 –3 –1 NW Missouri State 3 –2 –06 –4 –0 Central Missouri State 2 –2 –14 –4 –3 SE Missouri State 2 –3 –02 –9 –0 Lincoln (MO) 0 –5 –00 –11 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant | 1981 North Central Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 North Dakota State $^ 7 –0 –010 –3 –0 North Dakota 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Northern Colorado 4 –3 –05 –4 –0 South Dakota * 3 –3 –15 –6 –0 Nebraska–Omaha 3 –4 –05 –6 –0 South Dakota State * 2 –4 –14 –6 –0 Morningside 2 –5 –05 –6 –0 Augustana (SD) 2 –5 –03 –7 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant * – South Dakota and South Dakota State split two head-to-head games, which counted as a tie for each team in the conference standings. Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1981 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Moorhead State $* 6 –0 –010 –1 –1 Minnesota Duluth 5 –1 –09 –1 –0 Minnesota Morris ^ 4 –2 –07 –3 –1 Southwest State (MN) 3 –3 –06 –4 –0 Northern State 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Winona State 1 –5 –01 –9 –0 Bemidji State 0 –6 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1981 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T East Division Millersville xy 5 –0 –08 –3 –0 Kutztown 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 East Stroudsburg 3 –2 –04 –6 –0 Mansfield 3 –2 –04 –6 –0 Cheyney 1 –4 –02 –8 –0 Bloomsburg 0 –5 –00 –10 –0 West Division No. 8 Shippensburg xy$^ 6 –0 –012 –1 –0 California (PA) 4 –2 –05 –5 –0 Clarion 3 –3 –06 –4 –0 Lock Haven 3 –3 –06 –4 –0 Indiana (PA) 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Slippery Rock 2 –4 –02 –7 –0 Edinboro 1 –5 –02 –6 –0 Championship: Shippensburg 34, Millersville 17 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from AP Poll | 1981 NCAA Division II independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Northern Michigan ^   –  11 –1 –0 West Chester   –  8 –3 –0 Eastern Washington   –  7 –3 –0 Saint Mary's   –  7 –3 –0 Southern Connecticut State   –  6 –3 –1 Arkansas–Pine Bluff   –  5 –4 –2 Central Connecticut   –  5 –5 –0 Mankato State   –  5 –5 –0 New Haven   –  4 –4 –2 Towson State   –  5 –5 –0 Morgan State   –  4 –5 –0 St. Cloud State   –  4 –6 –1 Central State (OH)   –  4 –7 –0 Sonoma State   –  3 –7 –0 Kentucky State   –  2 –6 –0 Santa Clara   –  2 –8 –0 Portland State   –  2 –9 –0 American International   –  1 –8 –0 Liberty   –  1 –9 –0 ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll |

## Conference summaries

* Conference Champions
* Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Virginia Union
* Far Western Football Conference – UC Davis and Cal State–Hayward
* Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Grand Valley State
* Gulf South Conference – Jacksonville State
* Heartland Collegiate Conference – Franklin and Indiana Central
* Lone Star Conference – Southwest Texas State
* Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Northeast Missouri State
* North Central Conference – North Dakota State
* Northern Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota State–Moorhead
* Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Shippensburg
* Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – New Mexico Highlands
* South Atlantic Conference – Elon
* Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Alabama A&M

## Postseason

The 1981 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the ninth single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas, for the first time.

### Playoff bracket

| First round Campus sites | First round Campus sites | First round Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Championship McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium McAllen, TX | Championship McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium McAllen, TX | Championship McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium McAllen, TX |
| Northern Michigan | Northern Michigan | 55 | | | | | | |
| Elizabeth City State | Elizabeth City State | 6 | | | | | | |
| Elizabeth City State | Elizabeth City State | 6 | Northern Michigan | Northern Michigan | 0 | | | |
| | | | Southwest Texas State | Southwest Texas State | 62 | | | |
| Southwest Texas State | Southwest Texas State | 38 | Southwest Texas State | Southwest Texas State | 62 | | | |
| Jacksonville State | Jacksonville State | 22 | | | | | | |
| Jacksonville State | Jacksonville State | 22 | | | | Southwest Texas State | Southwest Texas State | 42 |
| | | | | | | North Dakota State | North Dakota State | 13 |
| North Dakota State | North Dakota State | 24 | | | | | | | North Dakota State | North Dakota State | 13 |
| Puget Sound | Puget Sound | 10 | | | | | | |
| Puget Sound | Puget Sound | 10 | North Dakota State | North Dakota State | 18 | | | |
| | | | Shippensburg | Shippensburg | 6 | | | |
| Shippensburg | Shippensburg | 40 | Shippensburg | Shippensburg | 6 | | | |
| Virginia Union | Virginia Union | 27 | | | | | | |