1981 MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS FOOTBALL TEAM

1981 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football
1981 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Record	6–5 (4–4 OVC)
Head coach	Boots Donnelly (3rd season);
Home stadium	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium
	Seasons ← 1980 1982 →

1981 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 1 Eastern Kentucky $^	8	–	0	–	0	12	–	2	–	0
No. 9 Murray State	5	–	3	–	0	8	–	3	–	0
Youngstown State	5	–	3	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Tennessee Tech	4	–	4	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Middle Tennessee	4	–	4	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Western Kentucky	4	–	4	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Akron	4	–	4	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Austin Peay	3	–	5	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Morehead State	0	–	8	–	0	1	–	9	–	0

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1981 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team represented Middle Tennessee State University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Th team finished with a 6–5 record, 4–4 (tied for fourth) in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	at Akron		Rubber Bowl Akron, OH	W 10–7
September 12	at Chattanooga*		Chamberlain Field Chattanooga, TN	L 19–42	10,800	^[1]
September 19	Tennessee–Martin*		Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	W 6–3
September 26	at Morehead State		Jayne Stadium Morehead, KY	W 20–7
October 3	at Western Carolina*		Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	W 20–7	7,200	^[2]
October 10	No. 4 Eastern Kentucky		Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	L 7–23	11,500	^[3]
October 17	No. 1 Murray State	No. 7	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	W 14–9
October 24	at Austin Peay		Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	L 9–14
October 31	Youngstown State		Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	L 10–13
November 14	Western Kentucky		Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	W 31–17	3,500
November 21	at Tennessee Tech		Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	L 9–28
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

^ "UT–Chattanooga rambles 42–19". The Tennessean. September 13, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Middle Tennessee 23, Western Carolina 10". The Charlotte Observer. October 4, 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "EKU Colonels blow out Blue Raiders". The Tennessean. October 11, 1981. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1981 Football Schedule" (PDF). goblueraiders.com. Middle Tennessee State University. Retrieved December 11, 2020.

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v t e Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football
Venues	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium (1933–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Troy: Battle for the Palladium Western Kentucky: 100 Miles of Hate
Culture & lore	Lightning " MTSU Fight Songs" Band of Blue
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees
Seasons	1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

v t e Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football
Venues	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium (1933–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Troy: Battle for the Palladium Western Kentucky: 100 Miles of Hate
Culture & lore	Lightning " MTSU Fight Songs" Band of Blue
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees
Seasons	1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024