1981 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team

The 1981 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) during the 1981 NCAA Division II football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Melvin Brown, the Bearkats compiled an overall record of 2–8 with a mark of 2–5 in conference play, and finished sixth in the LSC.

1981 Sam Houston State Bearkats football
Conference	Lone Star Conference
Record	2–8 (2–5 LSC)
Head coach	Melvin Brown (4th season)
Home stadium	Pritchett Field
Seasons ← 1980 1982 →

1981 Lone Star Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Southwest Texas State $^	6	–	1	–	0			13	–	1	–	0
No. 9 Texas A&I	5	–	2	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
Abilene Christian	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
Angelo State	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
No. 17 East Texas State	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Sam Houston State	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Howard Payne	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Stephen F. Austin	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll for Southwest Texas State and Texas A&I and NAIA Division I poll for East Texas State

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 19	vs. Lamar*	Houston Astrodome Houston, TX	L 7–50	12,500	^[1]
September 26	Southwestern Oklahoma State*	Pritchett Field Huntsville, TX	L 14–23	3,000	^[2]
October 3	Texas Lutheran*	Pritchett Field Huntsville, TX	L 13–22	3,800	^[3]
October 10	at East Texas State	Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX	L 14–37	1,200–1,800	^[4]^[5]
October 17	at Southwest Texas State	Bobcat Stadium San Marcos, TX	L 14–38	11,211	^[6]
October 24	Texas A&I	Pritchett Field Huntsville, TX	L 7–10	6,500	^[7]
October 31	at Howard Payne	Cen-Tex Stadium Brownwood, TX	W 28–17	4,000	^[8]
November 7	Abilene Christian	Pritchett Field Huntsville, TX	L 13–27	2,100	^[9]
November 14	Angelo State	Pritchett Field Huntsville, TX	L 10–38	1,200	^[10]
November 21	at Stephen F. Austin	Lumberjack Stadium Nacogdoches, TX (rivalry)	W 18–17	1,700	^[11]
*Non-conference game

^[12][13]

References

1. "Lamar romps over Sam Houston". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. September 20, 1981. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Southwestern 23, Sam Houston 14". The Daily Oklahoman. September 27, 1981. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "TLC rally shocks Sam Houston, 22–13". The Seguin Gazette-Enterprise. October 4, 1981. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Noiel, ETSU bomb Bearcats". San Angelo Standard-Times. October 11, 1981. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Final 1981 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
6. "Southwest Texas rips Sam Houston, 38–14". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. October 18, 1981. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Texas A&I escapes Sam Houston, 10–7". Austin American-Statesman. October 25, 1981. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Bearkat rally clips Howard Payne". Victoria Advocate. November 1, 1981. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "ACU runs over Sam Houston 27–13". San Angelo Standard-Times. November 8, 1981. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Angelo State explosion defeats Sam Houston". The Odessa American. November 15, 1981. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Sam Houston edges Stephen F. Austin". San Angelo Standard-Times. November 22, 1981. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Final 1981 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
13. "1981 Football Schedule". Sam Houston State University. Retrieved February 13, 2023.