1981 NCAA Division III football season

1981 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 1981
Playoffs	November – December 1981
National championship	Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL
Champion	Widener
NCAA Division III football seasons

The 1981 NCAA Division III football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division III level, began in August 1981, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship in December 1981 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama. The Widener Pioneers won their second Division III championship, defeating the defending national champion Dayton Flyers by a final score of 17−10.

Conference standings

1981 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Central (IA) $ 6 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 1 Buena Vista 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Wartburg 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Dubuque 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Luther * 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Simpson 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 William Penn 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Upper Iowa 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion * – forfeited one non-conference game	1981 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Northern 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 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	1981 New Jersey State Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Montclair State $^ 6 – 0 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 Ramapo 4 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Glassboro State 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Trenton State 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 William Paterson 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Kean 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Jersey City State 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
1981 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Carnegie Mellon $ 6 – 0 – 1 7 – 1 – 1 Bethany (WV) 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Hiram 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Thiel 4 – 2 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Allegheny 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 John Carroll 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Washington & Jefferson 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Case Western Reserve 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion

Conference champions

Conference champions

College Athletic Conference – Rose-Hulman College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Augustana (IL) Independent College Athletic Conference – Alfred Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA) Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Hope Middle Atlantic Conference – Delaware Valley and Juniata (North), Widener (South) Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference – Lawrence Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Concordia–Moorhead New England Football Conference – Plymouth State New Jersey State Athletic Conference – Montclair State Northwest Conference – Pacific Lutheran Ohio Athletic Conference – Baldwin Wallace (Red Division), Wittenberg (Blue Division) Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Washington & Lee Presidents' Athletic Conference – Carnegie Mellon Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Whittier Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Austin and Sul Ross State Twin Rivers Conference – Concordia–St. Paul and Northwestern–St. Paul Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Eau Claire

Postseason

The 1981 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the ninth annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship game was held at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama for the ninth consecutive year. Like the previous six championships, eight teams competed in this edition.

NCAA Division III Playoff bracket

	Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Garrett-Harrison Stadium Phenix City, AL
	Dayton		19
	Augustana (IL)		7
						Dayton		38
						Lawrence		0
	Lawrence		21*
	Minnesota–Morris		14
											Dayton		10
											Widener		17
	Montclair State		13
	Alfred		12
						Montclair State		12
						Widener		23
	Widener		10
	West Georgia		3

See also

• 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season
• 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season
• 1981 NCAA Division II football season
• 1981 NAIA Division I football season
• 1981 NAIA Division II football season