1981 Dallas Cowboys season

1981 Dallas Cowboys season
1981 Dallas Cowboys season
Owner	Clint Murchison, Jr.
General manager	Tex Schramm
Head coach	Tom Landry
Home stadium	Texas Stadium
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st NFC East
Playoffs	Won Divisional Playoffs; (vs. Buccaneers) 38–0; Lost NFC Championship; (at 49ers) 27–28

The 1981 Dallas Cowboys season was their 22nd in the league. The team matched their previous output of 12–4, winning their fifth division title in six years.^[1] They lost the Conference Championship game for the second straight season.

The season began with four straight victories, followed by two losses (including a surprising 45–14 blowout loss to the 49ers in week six). The Cowboys rebounded to win 8 of their last 9 games to clinch the NFC East but had to settle for the conference's number two seed behind the 49ers.

The Cowboys easily defeated Tampa Bay in the divisional playoff to earn a rematch with the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. The game was much closer this time, and the Cowboys still held a 27–21 lead with less than a minute to play. However, Joe Montana led a late drive and hit Dwight Clark in the famous "Catch" to give San Francisco a 28–27 lead. On the ensuing Cowboys possession, Danny White completed a pass to Drew Pearson, and was only an arms length away from breaking free from Eric Wright and most likely scoring a touchdown. Jim Stuckey recovered a White fumble on the next play, then the 49ers ran out the clock for the win.

Offseason

NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1981 Dallas Cowboys draft
1	26	Howard Richards	OT	Missouri
2	53	Doug Donley	WR	Ohio State
3	81	Glen Titensor	OG	BYU
4	91	Scott Pelluer	LB	Washington State	from San Francisco
4	108	Derrie Nelson	LB	Nebraska
5	137	Danny Spradlin	LB	Tennessee
6	163	Vince Skillings	DB	Ohio State
7	173	Ron Fellows	CB	Missouri
7	191	Ken Miller	DB	Eastern Michigan
8	218	Paul Piurowski	LB	Florida State
9	246	Mike Wilson	WR	Washington State
10	273	Pat Graham	DT	California
11	302	Tim Morrison	OG	Georgia
12	329	Nate Lundy	WR	Indiana
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents

1981 undrafted free agents of note
Player	Position	College
Michael Downs	Safety	Rice
Angelo King	Linebacker	South Carolina State
Everson Walls	Cornerback	Grambling State
Steve Wright	Tackle	Northern Iowa

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game Site	Attendance	Recap
1	September 6	at Washington Redskins	W 26–10	1–0	RFK Stadium	55,045	Recap
2	September 13	St. Louis Cardinals	W 30–17	2–0	Texas Stadium	63,602	Recap
3	September 21	at New England Patriots	W 35–21	3–0	Schaefer Stadium	60,311	Recap
4	September 27	New York Giants	W 18–10	4–0	Texas Stadium	63,449	Recap
5	October 4	at St. Louis Cardinals	L 17–20	4–1	Busch Memorial Stadium	49,477	Recap
6	October 11	at San Francisco 49ers	L 14–45	4–2	Candlestick Park	57,574	Recap
7	October 18	Los Angeles Rams	W 29–17	5–2	Texas Stadium	64,649	Recap
8	October 25	Miami Dolphins	W 28–27	6–2	Texas Stadium	64,221	Recap
9	November 1	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 17–14	7–2	Veterans Stadium	72,111	Recap
10	November 9	Buffalo Bills	W 27–14	8–2	Texas Stadium	62,583	Recap
11	November 15	at Detroit Lions	L 24–27	8–3	Pontiac Silverdome	79,694	Recap
12	November 22	Washington Redskins	W 24–10	9–3	Texas Stadium	64,587	Recap
13	November 26	Chicago Bears	W 10–9	10–3	Texas Stadium	63,499	Recap
14	December 6	at Baltimore Colts	W 37–13	11–3	Memorial Stadium	54,871	Recap
15	December 13	Philadelphia Eagles	W 21–10	12–3	Texas Stadium	64,955	Recap
16	December 19	at New York Giants	L 10–13 (OT)	12–4	Giants Stadium	73,009	Recap

Division opponents are in bold text

Game notes

Week 1

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	0	14	6	6	26
Redskins	0	7	3	0	10

Date: Sunday Sept 6, 1981
Location: Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 55,045
Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C), wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
Referee: Gene Barth
TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Roger Staubach

Week 2

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	7	7	0	3	17
• Cowboys	14	13	3	0	30

Date: Sunday Sep 13, 1981
Location: Texas Stadium
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 63,602
Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
Referee: Pat Haggerty
TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Roger Staubach

Week 3

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	7	10	7	11	35
Patriots	7	7	7	0	21

Date: Monday Sept 21, 1981
Location: Schaefer Stadium
Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 60,311
Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C), wind 13 mph (21 km/h)
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Don Meredith & Howard Cosell

Week 4

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Giants	0	3	0	7	10
• Cowboys	7	3	0	8	18

Date: Sunday Sep 27, 1981
Location: Texas Stadium
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 63,449
Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), wind 10 mph (16 km/h)
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall & Hank Stram

Week 5

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	3	7	0	17
• Cardinals	10	0	7	3	20

Date: Sunday Oct 4,1981
Location: Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 49,477
Game weather: Clear; 64 °F (18 °C), wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
Referee: Chuck Heberling
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden

Week 6

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	7	0	7	14
• 49ers	21	3	14	7	45

Date: Sunday Oct 11, 1981
Location: Candlestick Park
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 57,574
Game weather: Sunny; 58 °F (14 °C), wind 18 mph (29 km/h)
Referee: Jim Tunney
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden

Week 7

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	0	10	7	0	17
• Cowboys	12	14	0	3	29

Date: Sunday Oct 18, 1981
Location: Texas Stadium
Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 64,649
Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C), humidity 55%
Referee: Gene Barth
TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Fran Tarkenton, and Don Meredith

Week 8

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	6	7	14	27
• Cowboys	7	7	0	14	28

Date: Sunday Oct 25, 1981
Location: Texas Stadium
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 64,221
Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), humidity 74%
Referee: Fred Wyant
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

Week 9

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	0	3	0	14	17
Eagles	0	7	7	0	14

Date: Sunday Nov 1, 1981
Location: Veterans Stadium
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 72,111
Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C), wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
Referee: Jerry Seeman
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall & John Madden

Week 10

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	7	7	0	0	14
• Cowboys	7	0	20	0	27

Date: November 9
Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 62,583
Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C) • 20 miles per hour (32 km/h; 17 kn)
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell

^[2]

Week 11

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	10	0	7	24
• Lions	0	7	10	10	27

Date: Sunday Nov 15, 1981
Location: Pontiac Silverdome
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 79,694
Game weather: Dome
Referee: Fred Silva
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden

Week 12

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	7	3	0	10
• Cowboys	7	3	7	7	24

Date: Sunday, November 22, 1981
Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Game start: 3:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 64,587
Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C); wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV announcers (CBS): Tom Brookshier and Roger Staubach

^[3]

Week 13

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	3	0	6	9
• Cowboys	3	0	0	7	10

Date: Thursday Nov, 26 1981
Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Game start: 4:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 63,499
Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C); humidity 62%
Referee: Chuck Heberling
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden

Week 14

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	17	10	0	10	37
Colts	6	0	7	0	13

Date: Sunday Dec 6, 1981
Location: Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Game start: 2:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 54,871
Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C), wind 20 mph (32 km/h), wind chill 29 °F (−2 °C)
Referee: Ben Dreith
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Kelly & John Dockery

Week 15

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	3	7	0	0	10
• Cowboys	0	7	7	7	21

Date: Sunday Dec 13, 1981
Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 64,955
Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C), humidity 83%, wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden

Week 16

Team	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Cowboys	0	0	0	10	0	10
• Giants	0	0	7	3	3	13

Date: Saturday Dec 19,1981
Location: Giants Stadium
Game start: 12:30 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 73,009
Game weather: Overcast; 27 °F (−3 °C), wind chill 13 °F (−11 °C), wind 20 mph (32 km/h)mph
Referee: Pat Haggerty
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden

Playoffs

Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Game Site	Attendance	Recap
Wild Card	First Round Bye
Divisional	January 2, 1982	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3)	W 38–0	Texas Stadium	64,848	Recap
NFC Championship	January 10, 1982	at San Francisco 49ers (1)	L 27–28	Candlestick Park	60,525	Recap

Divisional Round

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bucs	0	0	0	0	0
• Cowboys	0	10	21	7	38

Date: Jan 2,1982
Location: Texas Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 64,848
Game weather: Sunny; 57 °F (14 °C)
Referee: Jerry Markbreit

Conference Championship

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	10	7	0	10	27
• 49ers	7	7	7	7	28

Date: Jan 10,1982
Location: Candlestick Park
Game start: 4:30 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 60,525
Game weather: Sunny; 43 °F (6 °C), wind 5 mph (8.0 km/h)
Referee: Jim Tunney
TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully (play-by-play), Hank Stram (color commentator), Irv Cross (sideline reporter)

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
⁽²⁾	12	4	0	.750	6–2	8–4	367	277	L1
Philadelphia Eagles⁽⁴⁾	10	6	0	.625	4–4	7–5	368	221	W1
New York Giants⁽⁵⁾	9	7	0	.563	5–3	8–6	295	257	W3
Washington Redskins	8	8	0	.500	3–5	6–6	347	349	W3
St. Louis Cardinals	7	9	0	.438	2–6	4–8	315	408	L2

Roster

Dallas Cowboys 1981 roster

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

76 Larry Bethea DT
78 John Dutton DT
72 Ed Jones DE
79 Harvey Martin DE
77 Bruce Thornton DE
54 Randy White DT

Linebackers

53 Bob Breunig MLB
59 Guy Brown OLB
51 Anthony Dickerson OLB
58 Mike Hegman OLB
57 Angelo King OLB
50 D. D. Lewis OLB
55 Danny Spradlin MLB

Defensive backs

31 Benny Barnes FS
26 Michael Downs FS
27 Ron Fellows CB
32 Dennis Thurman CB
24 Everson Walls CB
41 Charlie Waters SS
45 Steve Wilson CB

Special teams

1 Rafael Septién K

Reserve lists

47 Dextor Clinkscale S (IR)
62 John Fitzgerald C (IR)
42 Randy Hughes S (IR)
56 Bill Roe LB (IR)
52 Robert Shaw C (IR)
60 Don Smerek DE (IR)
75 Ron Spears DE (IR)
66 Norm Wells G (IR)

Rookies in italics
45 active, 8 inactive

References

[1] 1981 Dallas Cowboys

[2] Pro-Football-Reference.com

[3] Pro-Football-Reference.com

[1]

[2]

[3]


1	BUF	Jerry Butler 16 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)	BUF 7–0

1	DAL	Doug Cosbie 12 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick)	Tied 7–7

2	BUF	Curtis Brown 9 yard pass from Joe Cribbs (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)	BUF 14–7

3	DAL	Tony Dorsett 73 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick)	Tied 14–14

3	DAL	Tony Hill 37 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick)	DAL 21–14

3	DAL	Rafael Septién 47 yard field goal	DAL 24–14

3	DAL	Rafael Septién 31 yard field goal	DAL 27–14


1	DAL	Butch Johnson 28 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick)	DAL 7–0

2	DAL	Rafael Septién 25 yard field goal	DAL 10–0

2	WSH	Nick Giaquinto 7 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick)	DAL 10–7

3	WSH	Mark Moseley 26 yard field goal	Tie 10–10

3	DAL	Doug Cosbie 10 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick)	DAL 17–10

4	DAL	Ron Springs 1 yard run (Rafael Septién kick)	DAL 24–10


3	NYG	Tom Mullady 20 yard pass from Scott Brunner (Joe Danelo kick)	Giants 7–0

4	DAL	Doug Cosbie 3 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick)	Tie 7–7

4	DAL	Rafael Septién 36 yard field goal	Cowboys 10–7

4	NYG	Joe Danelo 40 yard field goal	Tie 10–10

OT	NYG	Joe Danelo 35 yard field goal	Giants 13–10

Dallas Cowboys
Founded in 1960 Based in Arlington, Texas Headquartered in Frisco, Texas
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Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: East Division