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Chargers' quarterback back Dan Fouts (middle ) runs a play against the Dolphins in the AFC Divisional Playoff game "Epic in Miami".
The 1981 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League (NFL) and its 22nd overall. The team failed to improve on their 11–5 record from 1980 and finished 10-6. In the playoffs, they beat the Dolphins in a game known as the Epic in Miami and lost to the Bengals in a game known as the Freezer Bowl .
1981 was the second straight season in which the Chargers reached the AFC Championship Game ,[3] as well as their second consecutive loss.
Running back Chuck Muncie enjoyed his best season, running for 1,144 yards and 19 touchdowns, tying the then-NFL season record for rushing touchdowns.[4] [5]
During this season, the Chargers lost two key players by way of trade. Before Week 3, wide receiver John Jefferson was dealt to the Green Bay Packers , while defensive end Fred Dean would be dealt to the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers by Week 5. The season was chronicled on September 18, 2008 for America's Game: The Missing Rings , as one of the five greatest NFL teams to never win the Super Bowl.
1981 NFL Draft
Personnel
Staff
1981 San Diego Chargers staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
Offensive Coordinator – Larrye Weaver
Defensive coaches
[6]
Roster
1981 San Diego Chargers final roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
Rookies in italics
, 5 practice squad
Schedule
Week
Date
Opponent
Result
TV Time(PST)
TV Announcers
Attendance
1
September 7, 1981
at Cleveland Browns
W 44–14
ABC 6:00pm
Frank Gifford , Don Meredith & Howard Cosell
78,904
2
September 13, 1981
Detroit Lions
W 28–23
CBS 1:00pm
Tim Ryan & John Dockery
51,264
3
September 20, 1981
at Kansas City Chiefs
W 42–31
NBC 10:00am
Mike Adamle & Rocky Bleier
63,866
4
September 27, 1981
at Denver Broncos
L 42–24
NBC 1:00pm
Don Criqui & John Brodie
74,822
5
October 4, 1981
Seattle Seahawks
W 24–10
NBC 1:00pm
Merle Harmon & George Kunz
51,463
6
October 11, 1981
Minnesota Vikings
L 33–31
CBS 1:00pm
Gary Bender & Fred Dryer
50,708
7
October 18, 1981
at Baltimore Colts
W 43–14
NBC 10:00am
Phil Stone & Gene Washington
41,921
8
October 25, 1981
at Chicago Bears
L 20–17
NBC 1:00pm
Phil Stone & Gene Washington
52,906
9
November 1, 1981
Kansas City Chiefs
W 22–20
NBC 1:00pm
Phil Stone & Gene Washington
51,307
10
November 8, 1981
Cincinnati Bengals
L 40–17
NBC 1:00pm
Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen
51,259
11
November 16, 1981
at Seattle Seahawks
L 44–23
ABC 6:00pm
Frank Gifford, Don Meredith & Howard Cosell
58,628
12
November 22, 1981
at Oakland Raiders
W 55–21
NBC 1:00pm
Charlie Jones & Len Dawson
50,199
13
November 29, 1981
Denver Broncos
W 34–17
NBC 1:00pm
Phil Stone & John Brodie
51,533
14
December 6, 1981
Buffalo Bills
L 28–27
NBC 1:00pm
Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen
51,488
15
December 13, 1981
at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
W 24–23
NBC 10:00am
Phil Stone & Gene Washington
67,388
16
December 21, 1981
Oakland Raiders
W 23–10
ABC 6:00pm
Frank Gifford, Don Meredith & Howard Cosell
52,279
Game summaries
Week 1: at Cleveland Browns
1
2 3 4 Total
• Chargers
10
10 14 10
44
Browns
0
7 7 0
14
Scoring summary Q1 SD Brooks 4 yard run (Benirschke kick)SD 7–0
Q1 SD Benirschke 50 yard field goal SD 10–0
Q2 CLE Feacher 18 yard pass from Sipe (Jacobs kick)SD 10–7
Q2 SD Muncie 9 yard run (Benirschke kick)SD 17–7
Q2 SD Benirschke 43 yard field goal SD 20–7
Q3 SD Brooks 13 yard pass from Fouts (Benirschke kick) SD 27–7
Q3 CLE Pruitt 4 yard pass from Sipe (Jacobs kick)SD 27–14
Q3 SD Bauer 4 yard pass from Fouts (Benirschke kick)SD 34–14
Q4 SD Benirschke 32 yard field goal SD 37–14
Q4 SD Smith 38 yard pass from Fouts (Benirschke kick)SD 44–14
[7]
Week 2 vs. Detroit Lions
1
2 3 4 Total
Lions
3
0 10 10
23
• Chargers
7
0 7 14
28
Scoring summary Q1 SD Muncie 1 yard run (Benirschke kick)SD 7–0
Q1 DET Murray 18 yard field goalSD 7–3
Q3 DET Danielson 11 yard run (Murray kick)DET 10–7
Q3 DET Murray 37 yard field goal DET 13–7
Q3 SD Winslow 7 yard pass from Fouts (Benirschke kick)SD 14–13
Q4 DET Sims 12 yard run (Murray kick)DET 20–14
Q4 SD Muncie 1 yard run (Benirschke kick) SD 21–20
Q4 DET Murray 30 yard field goal DET 23–21
Q4 SD Cappelletti 2 yard run (Benirschke kick)SD 28–23
[8]
Week 3: at Kansas City Chiefs
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(December 2012 )
Week 4 at Denver Broncos
Week Four: San Diego Chargers (3–0) at Denver Broncos (2–1)
Period
1
2
3 4 Total
Chargers
0
0
10 14 24
Broncos
21
7
7 7 42
at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado
Date : September 27Game time : 4:00 p.m. EDTGame weather : 63 °F (17 °C) • Wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)Game attendance : 74,822Pro-Football-Reference.com
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
SD
DEN
1
Broncos
Riley Odoms 19-yard touchdown reception from Craig Morton , Fred Steinfort kick good
0
7
1
Broncos
Steve Watson 93-yard touchdown reception from Craig Morton, Fred Steinfort kick good
0
14
1
Broncos
James Wright 2-yard touchdown reception from Craig Morton, Fred Steinfort kick good
0
21
2
Broncos
Steve Watson 21-yard touchdown reception from Craig Morton, Fred Steinfort kick good
0
28
3
Broncos
Dave Preston 2-yard touchdown run, Fred Steinfort kick good
0
35
3
Chargers
Ron Smith 39-yard touchdown reception from Dan Fouts , Rolf Benirschke kick good
7
35
3
Chargers
52-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke
10
35
4
Chargers
John Cappelletti 1-yard touchdown run, Rolf Benirschke kick good
17
35
4
Chargers
Kellen Winslow 1-yard touchdown reception from Dan Fouts, Rolf Benirschke kick good
24
35
4
Broncos
Rob Lytle 3-yard touchdown run, Fred Steinfort kick good
24
42
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
24
42
Week 5: vs. Seattle Seahawks
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(December 2012 )
Week 6: vs. Minnesota Vikings
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(December 2012 )
Week 7: at Baltimore Colts
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(December 2012 )
Week 8: at Chicago Bears
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(December 2012 )
Week 9: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
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(December 2012 )
Week 10: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
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(December 2012 )
Week 11: at Seattle Seahawks
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(December 2012 )
Week 12: at Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders
1
2 3 4 Total
• Chargers
7
21 20 7
55
Raiders
7
14 0 0
21
Scoring summary 1 Raiders Derrick Ramsey 66-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick)Raiders 7–0
1 Chargers Chuck Muncie 1-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick)Tie 7–7
2 Raiders Derrick Jensen 2-yard run (Chris Bahr kick)Raiders 14–0
2 Chargers James Brooks 12-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick)Tie 14–14
2 Raiders Marc Wilson 12-yard run (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 21–14
2 Chargers Kellen Winslow 15-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick)Tie 21–21
2 Chargers Kellen Winslow 29-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick) Chargers 28–21
3 Chargers Kellen Winslow 4-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick) Chargers 35–21
3 Chargers Kellen Winslow 5-yard pass from Dan Fouts (kick failed) Chargers 41–21
3 Chargers Charlie Joiner 6-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick)Chargers 48–21
4 Chargers Kellen Winslow 3-yard pass from Chuck Muncie (Rolf Benirschke kick) Chargers 55–21
Stats
Dan Fouts 28/44, 296 Yds, 6 TD, INT
Kellen Winslow 13 Rec, 144 Yds, 5 TD
Week 13: vs. Denver Broncos
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(December 2012 )
Week 14: vs. Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills at San Diego Chargers
1
2 3 4 Total
• Bills
7
7 14 0
28
Chargers
7
14 3 3
27
Scoring summary 1 Chargers Chuck Muncie 9 yard rush (Rolf Benirschke kick)Chergers 7–0
1 Bills Joe Ferguson 3-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)Tie 7–7
2 Chargers Wes Chandler 17-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick)Chargers 14–7
2 Bills Roosevelt Leaks 9-yard rush (Nick Mike-Mayer)Tie 14–14
2 Chargers Kellen Winslow 67-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick) Chargers 21–14
3 Bills Roosevelt Leaks 1-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)Tie 21–21
3 Chargers Rolf Benirschke 29-yard field goal Chargers 24–21
3 Bills Joe Cribbs 1-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) Bills 28–24
4 Chargers Rolf Benirschke 27-yard field goal Bills 28–27
Stats
Dan Fouts 28/42, 343 Yds, 2 TD, INT
Chuck Munci 22 Rush, 113 Rush Yds, 1 Rush TD
Kellen Winslow 6 Rec, 126 Yds, 1 TD
Joe Ferguson 13/29, 248 Yds, 4 Rush Yds, 1 Rush TD
Roosevelt Leaks 8 Rush, 28 Rush Yds, 2 Rush TDs
Frank Lewis 5 Rec, 113 Yds
Week 15: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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(December 2012 )
The game came down to the wire. A late interception from Buccaneers Quarterback Doug Williams at the Chargers own 1 yard-line sealed the deal for San Diego
Week 16: vs. Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers
1
2 3 4 Total
Raiders
0
3 7 0
10
• Chargers
7
10 3 3
23
Scoring summary 1 Chargers James Brooks 28-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick)Chargers 7–0
2 Raiders Chris Bahr 34-yard field goalChargers 7–3
2 Chargers Rolf Benirschke 24-yard field goal Chargers 10–3
2 Chargers Charlie Joiner 29-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick)Chargers 17–3
3 Raiders Mark van Eeghen 1-yard run (Chris Bahr kick)Chargers 17–10
3 Chargers Rolf Benirschke 27-yard field goal Chargers 20–10
4 Chargers Rolf Benirschke 39-yard field goal Chargers 23–10
Last regular season game of NFL season.
Playoffs
The AFC Championship Game was played on Jan. 10, 1982, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The temperature was -9 °F with a wind chill of -59 °F, known in NFL lore as the "Freezer Bowl," and is the coldest game in the league's history. Quarterback Dan Fouts completed 15 out of 28 passes for 185 yards as the Chargers fell to the Bengals 27-7.[9]
Game Summaries
AFC Divisional Playoff: San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins
Period
1
2
3 4 OT Total
Chargers
24
0
7 7 3 41
Dolphins
0
17
14 7 0 38
at Miami Orange Bowl , Miami, Florida
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
MIA Uwe von Schamann 34 yard FG
MIA Joe Rose 1 yard pass from Strock (von Schamann kick)
MIA Nathan 25 yard pass from Strock (von Schamann kick)
Third quarter
MIA Rose 15 yard pass from Strock (von Schamann kick)
SD Winslow 25 yard pass from Fouts (Benirschke kick)
MIA Bruce Hardy 50 yard pass from Strock (von Schamann kick)
Fourth quarter
MIA Nathan 12 yard run (von Schamann kick)
SD Brooks 9 yard pass from Fouts (Benirschke kick)
Overtime
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
SD – Kellen Winslow – 13 REC, 166 YDS, TD
MIA – Tony Nathan – 9 REC, 114 YDS, TD
Standings
References
^ "1981 NFL Pro Bowlers" . Pro-Football-Reference.com.
^ "1981 NFL All-Pros" . Pro-Football-Reference.com.
^ The Chargers lost to the Raiders the season before
^ "Chuck Muncie dies at age 60" . ESPN.com . May 14, 2013. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013.
^ "AFC West" . Sports Illustrated . September 1, 1982. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2013 .
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2014-Oct-20.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2014-Oct-20.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2014-Oct-20.
^ To the NFL: You Sure Started Somethin': A Historical Guide of All 32 NFL Teams and the Cities They've Played In , R. D. Griffith, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.: Dorrance Pub. Co., 2012.
External links
Franchise Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Wild card berths (4) Division championships (15) Conference championships (1) League championships (1) Media Current league affiliations Former league affiliation