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Pittsburgh Football Team History

Pittsburgh Panthers

University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
Founded: 1787
Stadium: Heinz Field
Capacity: 65,000
Colors: Old Gold & Blue
Coach: Jackie Sherrill
Conference: Independent-

Select Year:

1890 <-- 1980 <- 1981 -> 1982 --> 2024

1981 Season Highlights

Jackie Sherrill enters his 5th season as Head Coach at Pittsburgh.

1981 Season

Date	Opponent	Score
Sat., Sep. 5	vs. Illinois	26	6	W
Sat., Sep. 19	vs. Cincinnati	38	7	W
Sat., Oct. 3	@ South Carolina	42	28	W
Sat., Oct. 10	@ West Virginia	17	0	W
Sat., Oct. 17	vs. Florida State	42	14	W
Sat., Oct. 24	vs. Syracuse	23	10	W
Sat., Oct. 31	@ Boston College	29	24	W
Sat., Nov. 7	@ Rutgers	47	3	W	@ East Rutherford, NJ
Sat., Nov. 14	vs. Army	48	0	W
Sat., Nov. 21	@ Temple	35	0	W
Sat., Nov. 28	vs. Penn State	14	48	L
Fri., Jan. 1	Georgia	24	20	W	@ New Orleans, LA	Sugar Bowl

1981 Season Totals
Record	11-1
Points Scored	385
Scoring Average	32.1
Points Allowed	160
Defense Average	13.3
Opponents Record	76-57
Conference Record	0-0
Home Record	5-1
Away Record	5-0

1981 NCAA Final Rankings
Rank	Record	Source
4	11-1-0	AP
2	11-1-0	Coaches
2	11-1-0	UPI

1981 Independent- Standings
	Season			Bowls	Conference
Team	W/L/T	PF	PA		W/L/T	PF	PA	Coach
Louisiana Monroe	5-6	309	251					Pat Collins
Pittsburgh	11-1	385	160	Won 24-20				Jackie Sherrill
Penn State	10-2	371	162	Won 26-10				Joe Paterno
Southern Mississippi	9-2-1	305	108	Lost 17-19				Bobby Collins
West Virginia	9-3	284	155	Won 26-6				Don Nehlen
Navy	7-4-1	244	183	Lost 28-31				George Welsh
Virginia Tech	7-4	232	128					Bill Dooley
Cincinnati	6-5	171	187					Mike Gottfried
Florida State	6-5	240	286					Bobby Bowden
Nevada Las Vegas	6-6	326	433					Tony Knap
South Carolina	6-6	225	222					Jim Carlen
Tulane	6-5	213	144					Vince Gibson
Akron	5-5	132	183					Jim Dennison
Boston College	5-6	243	298					Jack Bicknell, Sr.
Buffalo	5-5	187	168					Bill Dando
East Carolina	5-6	242	290					Ed Emory
Louisville	5-6	180	212					Bob Weber
Notre Dame	5-6	232	160					Gerry Faust
Rutgers	5-6	139	208					Frank R. Burns
Temple	5-5	181	195					Wayne Hardin
Central Florida	4-6	142	130					Don Jonas
Syracuse	4-6-1	248	265					Dick MacPherson
Army	3-7-1	126	212					Ed Cavanaugh
James Madison	3-8	198	265					Challace McMillin
North Texas	2-9	111	235					Bob Tyler
Liberty	1-9	135	308					Tom Dowling
Memphis	1-10	82	209					Rex Dockery

1981 All American Awards
Player	Position	Class	Ht.	Wt.	Award	Team	Source
Coming Someday

1981 All Independent Conference Players
Player	Position	Class	Ht.	Wt.	Team	Source
Coming Someday

Some records may be incomplete.

Great Moments in College Football History

The first college football game was broadcast on television in 1939. The teams involved were Fordham University and Waynesburg College.