1981 Murray State Racers football team

1981 Murray State Racers football
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Record	8–3 (5–3 OVC)
Head coach	Frank Beamer (1st season)
Home stadium	Roy Stewart Stadium

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 Murray State Racers football team represented Murray State University during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach Frank Beamer, the Racers compiled an overall record of 8–3 with a mark of 5–3 on conference play, and finished tied for second in the OVC.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	at Southeast Missouri State*		Houck Stadium Cape Girardeau, MO	W 37–23		[1]
September 12	vs. Florida A&M*		Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL	W 14–11	32,600	[2]
September 19	at Youngstown State		Rayen Stadium Youngstown, OH	W 13–9		[3]
September 26	Tennessee Tech	No. 2	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY	W 15–10		[4]
October 3	Morehead State	No. 2	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY	W 20–7	9,500	[5]
October 10	at Tennessee–Martin*	No. 1	Pacer Stadium Martin, TN	W 10–7	9,000	[6]
October 17	at No. 7 Middle Tennessee	No. 1	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	L 9–14	6,000	[7]
October 24	at Akron	No. 4	Rubber Bowl Akron, OH	L 19–20		[8]
October 31	No. 1 Eastern Kentucky	No. T–10	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY	L 20–24	16,600	[9]
November 7	Austin Peay		Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY	W 34–29	7,800	[10]
November 21	at Western Kentucky		L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY (rivalry)	W 38–6	8,500	[11]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

^[12]

References

1. "Murray offense shines as SEMO tumbles". The Paducah Sun. September 6, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Murray escapes with 14–11 win". The Courier-Journal. September 13, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Murray St. 13, Youngstown St. 9". Evansville Courier and Press. September 20, 1981. Retrieved August 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Murray rallies, nips Tech 15–10". The Tennessean. September 27, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Murray's bounces weren't all bad as Morehead falls". The Paducah Sun. October 4, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Bad footing; Pacers fall to Racers on field-goal failures". The Jackson Sun. October 11, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "MTSU upsets Murray". The Tennessean. October 18, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Akron stuns Murray State". The Jackson Sun. October 25, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Eastern sees through Stewart ghost". The Paducah Sun. November 1, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Murray zooms...sputters...then wins". The Paducah Sun. November 8, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Gibbs leads Murray past Western 38–6". Lexington Herald-Leader. November 22, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "1981 Football Schedule". Murray State University Athletics.