1981 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

The 1981 Marshall Thundering Herd football team was an American football team that represented Marshall University in the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its third season under head coach Sonny Randle, the team compiled a 2–9 record (1–5 against conference opponents) and was outscored by a total of 284 to 94.^[1][2] The team played its home games at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia.

1981 Marshall Thundering Herd football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	2–9 (1–5 SoCon)
Head coach	Sonny Randle (3rd season)
Captain	Game captains
Home stadium	Fairfield Stadium
Seasons ← 1980 1982 →

1981 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Furman $	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
VMI	3	–	1	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
East Tennessee State	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Chattanooga	3	–	2	–	1			7	–	3	–	1
The Citadel	3	–	2	–	1			7	–	3	–	1
Western Carolina	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Appalachian State	1	–	5	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
Marshall	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	Morehead State*	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	W 20–17	18,212	^[3]
September 19	at Western Michigan*	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	L 3–14		^[4]
September 26	East Tennessee State	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	L 0–14	15,625	^[5]
October 3	at Louisville*	Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	L 0–36		^[6]
October 10	at Chattanooga	Chamberlain Field Chattanooga, TN	L 0–20		^[7]
October 17	at William & Mary*	Cary Field Williamsburg, VA	L 7–38	8,000	^[8]
October 24	VMI	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	L 16–20	13,440	^[9]
October 31	at Furman	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC	L 3–35	10,811	^[10]
November 7	at Appalachian State	Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC	W 17–10	8,280	^[11]
November 14	Western Carolina	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	L 28–38		^[12]
November 21	Indiana State*	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	L 0–42		^[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

Roster

1981 Marshall Thundering Herd football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 42 Terry Echols So S 1 Carl Lee Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Sonny Randle Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible   Injured   Redshirt

References

1. "2008 Marshall Football Guide" (PDF). Marshall University. 2018. p. 186. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
2. "1981 Marshall Thundering Herd Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
3. "Nightmarish finish spoils Looney's debut at Morehead". The Lexington Herald-Leader. September 13, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Caper's carries key WMU win". Lansing State Journal. September 20, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Marshall loses 14–10". The Courier-Journal. September 27, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Louisville rolls over Marshall". Messenger-Inquirer. October 4, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Chattanooga rolls over Marshall 20–0". Daily Press. October 11, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "William & Mary routs Thundering Herd 38–7". The Charlotte Observer. October 18, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "VMI rallies, conquers Herd 20–16". The Charlotte Observer. October 25, 1981. Retrieved February 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Furman zeros in on title". The Greenville News. November 1, 1981. Retrieved November 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Herd edges Mounties, wins first league game". The State. November 8, 1981. Retrieved December 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Relieved James leads Western over Marshall". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 15, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Indiana State rips Marshall to finish even". The South Bend Tribune. November 22, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.