1981 San Diego Chargers season
The 1981 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League (NFL) and its 22nd overall. The team failed to improve on their 11–5 record from 1980 and finished 10-6. In the playoffs, they beat the Dolphins in a game known as the Epic in Miami and lost to the Bengals in a game known as the Freezer Bowl.
| 1981 San Diego Chargers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Eugene V. Klein (Since 1966) |
| Head coach | Don Coryell (4th season) |
| General manager | Johnny Sanders (Since 1976) |
| Home field | Jack Murphy Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 1st AFC West |
| Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (Dolphins) (41–38 OT) Lost AFC Championship (Bengals) (7–27) |
| Pro Bowlers | 5[1]
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| AP All-Pros | |
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Chargers' quarterback back Dan Fouts (middle) runs a play against the Dolphins in the AFC Divisional Playoff game "Epic in Miami".
1981 was the second straight season in which the Chargers reached the AFC Championship Game,[3] as well as their second consecutive loss.
Running back Chuck Muncie enjoyed his best season, running for 1,144 yards and 19 touchdowns, tying the then-NFL season record for rushing touchdowns.[4][5]
During this season, the Chargers lost two key players by way of trade. Before Week 3, wide receiver John Jefferson was dealt to the Green Bay Packers, while defensive end Fred Dean would be dealt to the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers by Week 5. The season was chronicled on September 18, 2008 for America's Game: The Missing Rings, as one of the five greatest NFL teams to never win the Super Bowl.
1981 NFL Draft
| 1981 San Diego Chargers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | James Brooks * | RB | Auburn | |
| 3 | 77 | Irvin Phillips | CB | Arkansas Tech | |
| 4 | 107 | Eric Sievers | TE | Maryland | |
| 5 | 131 | Keith Ferguson | LB | Ohio State | |
| 6 | 141 | Andrew Gissinger | OT | Syracuse | |
| 6 | 162 | Bobby Duckworth | WR | Arkansas | |
| 7 | 189 | Pete Holohan | TE | Notre Dame | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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Roster
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TV Time(PST) | TV Announcers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7, 1981 | at Cleveland Browns | W 44–14 | ABC 6:00pm | Frank Gifford, Don Meredith & Howard Cosell | |
| 2 | September 13, 1981 | Detroit Lions | W 28–23 | CBS 1:00pm | Tim Ryan & John Dockery | |
| 3 | September 20, 1981 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 42–31 | NBC 10:00am | Mike Adamle & Rocky Bleier | |
| 4 | September 27, 1981 | at Denver Broncos | L 42–24 | NBC 1:00pm | Don Criqui & John Brodie | |
| 5 | October 4, 1981 | Seattle Seahawks | W 24–10 | NBC 1:00pm | Merle Harmon & George Kunz | |
| 6 | October 11, 1981 | Minnesota Vikings | L 33–31 | CBS 1:00pm | Gary Bender & Fred Dryer | |
| 7 | October 18, 1981 | at Baltimore Colts | W 43–14 | NBC 10:00am | Phil Stone & Gene Washington | |
| 8 | October 25, 1981 | at Chicago Bears | L 20–17 | NBC 1:00pm | Phil Stone & Gene Washington | |
| 9 | November 1, 1981 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 22–20 | NBC 1:00pm | Phil Stone & Gene Washington | |
| 10 | November 8, 1981 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 40–17 | NBC 1:00pm | Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen | |
| 11 | November 16, 1981 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 44–23 | ABC 6:00pm | Frank Gifford, Don Meredith & Howard Cosell | |
| 12 | November 22, 1981 | at Oakland Raiders | W 55–21 | NBC 1:00pm | Charlie Jones & Len Dawson | |
| 13 | November 29, 1981 | Denver Broncos | W 34–17 | NBC 1:00pm | Phil Stone & John Brodie | |
| 14 | December 6, 1981 | Buffalo Bills | L 28–27 | NBC 1:00pm | Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen | |
| 15 | December 13, 1981 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 24–23 | NBC 10:00am | Phil Stone & Gene Washington | |
| 16 | December 21, 1981 | Oakland Raiders | W 23–10 | ABC 6:00pm | Frank Gifford, Don Meredith & Howard Cosell |
Week 1: at Cleveland Browns
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- Dan Fouts 19/25, 330 Yds
- Chuck Muncie 24 Rush, 161 Yds
- Charlie Joiner 6 Rec, 191 Yds
Week 2 vs. Detroit Lions
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- Dan Fouts 18/25, 316 Yds
- Charlie Joiner 7 Rec, 166 Yds
Week 4 at Denver Broncos
Week Four: San Diego Chargers (3–0) at Denver Broncos (2–1)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 24 |
| Broncos | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado
- Date: September 27
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C) • Wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
- Game attendance: 74,822
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Week 12: at Oakland Raiders
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Stats
- Dan Fouts 28/44, 296 Yds, 6 TD, INT
- Kellen Winslow 13 Rec, 144 Yds, 5 TD
Week 14: vs. Buffalo Bills
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Stats
- Dan Fouts 28/42, 343 Yds, 2 TD, INT
- Chuck Munci 22 Rush, 113 Rush Yds, 1 Rush TD
- Kellen Winslow 6 Rec, 126 Yds, 1 TD
- Joe Ferguson 13/29, 248 Yds, 4 Rush Yds, 1 Rush TD
- Roosevelt Leaks 8 Rush, 28 Rush Yds, 2 Rush TDs
- Frank Lewis 5 Rec, 113 Yds
Week 15: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The game came down to the wire. A late interception from Buccaneers Quarterback Doug Williams at the Chargers own 1 yard-line sealed the deal for San Diego
Week 16: vs. Oakland Raiders
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Last regular season game of NFL season.
Playoffs
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance | Nickname |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | January 2, 1982 | at Miami Dolphins | W 41–38 | "The Epic in Miami" | |
| Conference Championship | January 10, 1982 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 27–7 | "The Freezer Bowl" |
The AFC Championship Game was played on Jan. 10, 1982, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The temperature was -9 °F with a wind chill of -59 °F, known in NFL lore as the "Freezer Bowl," and is the coldest game in the league's history. Quarterback Dan Fouts completed 15 out of 28 passes for 185 yards as the Chargers fell to the Bengals 27-7.[9]
Game Summaries
AFC Divisional Playoff: San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 24 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 41 |
| Dolphins | 0 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 38 |
at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
- Date: January 2, 1982
- Game time: 5:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 76°F, clear
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and John Brodie
- Pro Football Reference
| Game information | ||
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Standings
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| San Diego Chargers(3) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 478 | 390 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 321 | 289 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 343 | 290 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–6 | 5–7 | 273 | 343 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–6 | 6–8 | 322 | 388 | W1 |
References
- "1981 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- "1981 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- The Chargers lost to the Raiders the season before
- "Chuck Muncie dies at age 60". ESPN.com. May 14, 2013. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013.
- "AFC West". Sports Illustrated. September 1, 1982. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-20.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-20.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-20.
- To the NFL: You Sure Started Somethin': A Historical Guide of All 32 NFL Teams and the Cities They've Played In, R. D. Griffith, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.: Dorrance Pub. Co., 2012.
External links
- 1981 San Diego Chargers at pro-football-reference.com
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| Franchise | |
| Stadiums | |
| Culture | |
| Lore | |
| Rivalries | |
| Wild card berths (3) | |
| Division championships (15) | |
| Conference championships (1) | |
| League championships (1) | |
| Media | |
| Current league affiliations |
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| Former league affiliation |
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| Seasons (60) |
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Championship seasons in bold
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