# 1981 NAIA Division I football season

The 1981 NAIA Division I football season was the 26th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 12th season of play of the NAIA's top division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1981 and culminated in the 1981 NAIA Division I Champion Bowl, played this year on December 19, 1981 at Burlington Memorial Stadium in Burlington, North Carolina (near the campus of Elon College).
Defending national champion Elon defeated Pittsburg State in the Champion Bowl, 3–0, to win their second NAIA national title.

## Conference changes

* This is the final season the NAIA officially recognizes a football champion from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Lone Star Conference. Both the GLIAC and the Lone Star became an NCAA Division II conferences, where both continue to sponsor football (with the exception of a ten-year hiatus for the GLIAC between 1989 and 1999).

## Conference standings

1981 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings :
| 1981 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Central Arkansas $^ 6 –0 –08 –3 –0 No. 11 Arkansas–Monticello 5 –1 –07 –2 –0 No. 18 Henderson State 3 –3 –07 –3 –0 No. 14 Southern Arkansas 3 –3 –07 –3 –0 Arkansas Tech 2 –4 –04 –5 –1 Ouachita Baptist 2 –4 –03 –6 –0 Harding 0 –6 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 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 Central States Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Pittsburg State $^ 7 –0 –010 –2 –0 No. 12 Missouri Western 5 –2 –08 –2 –0 Missouri Southern * 5 –2 –06 –4 –1 Kearney State 4 –3 –05 –4 –0 Fort Hays State 3 –4 –06 –5 –0 Wayne State (NE) 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 Washburn 2 –5 –03 –7 –0 Emporia State 0 –7 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant * – Missouri Southern forfeited a non-conference win over Evangel.Rankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1981 Evergreen Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 15 Oregon Tech $ 4 –0 –07 –2 –0 Eastern Oregon 3 –1 –05 –4 –0 Central Washington 2 –2 –06 –3 –0 Western Oregon 1 –3 –05 –4 –0 Western Washington 0 –4 –00 –9 –0 Southern Oregon *   –  6 –4 –0 $ – Conference champion * – Southern Oregon was ineligible for the conference titlepoll=NAIA Division I poll Rankings from AP Poll | 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 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 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 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 13 Northeastern State $ 3 –1 –09 –1 –0 SW Oklahoma State 2 –2 –03 –8 –0 SE Oklahoma State 2 –2 –03 –6 –0 East Central 2 –2 –02 –7 –0 NW Oklahoma State 1 –3 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference championSW Oklahoma State forfeited six victories including conference wins over Northeastern State and SE Oklahoma State.poll=NAIA Division I pollRankings from AP Poll | 1981 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 19 New Mexico Highlands $ 7 –1 –07 –3 –0 Mesa 6 –2 –07 –3 –0 No. 20 Southern Utah 6 –2 –07 –3 –0 Western State (CO) 5 –3 –05 –4 –0 Adams State 3 –4 –13 –5 –1 Fort Lewis 3 –5 –03 –7 –0 Southern Colorado 2 –6 –04 –6 –0 Colorado Mines 2 –5 –13 –5 –1 Western New Mexico 1 –7 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1981 South Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Elon $^ 6 –1 –012 –1 –1 Presbyterian 5 –2 –06 –5 –0 Carson–Newman 4 –3 –07 –4 –0 Catawba 3 –4 –05 –5 –0 Gardner–Webb 3 –4 –05 –5 –0 Mars Hill 3 –4 –05 –5 –0 Newberry 2 –5 –04 –7 –0 Lenoir–Rhyne 2 –5 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1981 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Concord +^ 7 –1 –09 –2 –0 No. 5 Fairmont State +^ 7 –1 –09 –2 –0 No. 16 Shepherd 6 –2 –07 –2 –0 West Virginia Tech 5 –3 –06 –4 –0 Salem 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 West Virginia State 2 –5 –13 –5 –1 West Virginia Wesleyan 2 –5 –12 –6 –1 West Liberty State 2 –6 –02 –7 –0 Glenville State 1 –7 –01 –8 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1981 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 9 Wisconsin–Eau Claire $ 8 –0 –09 –1 –0 Wisconsin–Whitewater 5 –3 –07 –3 –0 Wisconsin–Stout 5 –3 –07 –4 –0 Wisconsin–La Crosse 4 –4 –06 –4 –0 Wisconsin–Platteville 4 –4 –06 –4 –0 Wisconsin–Stevens Point 4 –4 –05 –5 –0 Wisconsin–Oshkosh 3 –5 –05 –5 –0 Wisconsin–River Falls 3 –5 –05 –5 –0 Wisconsin–Superior 0 –8 –00 –11 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1981 NAIA Division I independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Cameron ^   –  5 –5 –0 Central State (OK)   –  7 –2 –0 Wofford   –  6 –5 –0 Eastern New Mexico   –  5 –5 –0 Guilford   –  5 –5 –0 Kentucky State   –  2 –6 –0 Liberty Baptist   –  1 –9 –0 Langston   –  0 –10 –0 ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |

## Conference champions

| Conference | Champion | Record |
| Arkansas Intercollegiate | Central Arkansas | 6–0 |
| Central States | Pittsburg State | 7–0 |
| Evergreen | Oregon Tech | 5–0 |
| NIC | Moorhead State (MN) | 6–0 |
| Oklahoma | Northeastern State | 3–1 |
| RMAC | New Mexico Highlands | 7–1 |
| South Atlantic | Elon | 6–1 |
| WVIAC | Concord (WV) Fairmont State | 7–1 |
| WSUC | Wisconsin–Eau Claire | 8–0 |

## Postseason

| Quarterfinals December 5, 1981 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 5, 1981 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 5, 1981 Campus sites | Semifinals December 12, 1981 Campus sites | Semifinals December 12, 1981 Campus sites | Semifinals December 12, 1981 Campus sites | 1981 Champion Bowl December 19, 1981 Burlington, NC | 1981 Champion Bowl December 19, 1981 Burlington, NC | 1981 Champion Bowl December 19, 1981 Burlington, NC |
| Cameron† | Cameron† | 48 | | | | | | |
| Central Arkansas | Central Arkansas | 24 | | | | | | |
| Central Arkansas | Central Arkansas | 24 | Vacant | Vacant | – | | | |
| | | | Pittsburg State | Pittsburg State | – | | | |
| Moorhead State | Moorhead State | 13 | Pittsburg State | Pittsburg State | – | | | |
| Pittsburg State | Pittsburg State | 14 | | | | | | |
| Pittsburg State | Pittsburg State | 14 | | | | Pittsburg State | Pittsburg State | 0 |
| | | | | | | Elon* | Elon* | 3 |
| Hillsdale | Hillsdale | 14 | | | | | | | Elon* | Elon* | 3 |
| Fairmont State | Fairmont State | 12 | | | | | | |
| Fairmont State | Fairmont State | 12 | Hillsdale | Hillsdale | 13 | | | |
| | | | Elon | Elon | 41 | | | |
| Elon | Elon | 38 | Elon | Elon | 41 | | | |
| Concord | Concord | 8 | | | | | | |
* † Cameron was disqualified after their first round win over Central Arkansas after it was discovered they had been using ineligible players.