The 1981 UNLV Rebels football team was an American football team that represented the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as an independent during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth and final year under head coach Tony Knap, the team compiled a 6–6 record.[1][2]
A notable win was the road victory over eighth-ranked BYU in October, who were without starting quarterback Jim McMahon, replaced by sophomore Steve Young.[3]
Approaching age 67, Knap retired after the season,[4] and was succeeded by Harvey Hyde, the head coach at Pasadena City College.[5][6]
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 5 | at San Jose State | | W 16–6 | 17,112 | [7] |
September 12 | New Mexico | | W 49–42 | 25,605 | [8] |
September 19 | West Texas State | - Las Vegas Silver Bowl
- Whitney, NV
| L 17–21 | 24,560 | [9] |
September 26 | Long Beach State | - Las Vegas Silver Bowl
- Whitney, NV
| W 32–31 | 25,080 | [10] |
October 3 | at Wyoming | | L 21–45 | 23,793 | [11] |
October 10 | at No. 8 BYU | | W 45–41 | 39,852 | [3] |
October 24 | Utah | - Las Vegas Silver Bowl
- Whitney, NV
| L 28–69 | 27,883 | [12] |
October 31 | at Hawaii | | L 21–57 | 46,153 | [13] |
November 7 | at Fresno State | | L 26–42 | 16,241 | [14] |
November 14 | San Diego State | - Las Vegas Silver Bowl
- Whitney, NV
| L 20–38 | 23,090 | [15] |
November 21 | Air Force | - Las Vegas Silver Bowl
- Whitney, NV
| W 24–21 | 22,574 | [16] |
November 28 | at UTEP | | W 27–20 | 2,312 | [17] |
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
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Roster
1981 UNLV Rebels football team roster
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Players
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Coaches
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Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
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References
- ↑ "1981 UNLV Rebels Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ↑ "UNLV 2020 Football Guide" (PDF). University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 2020. p. 130. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Vegas shocks BYU, 45-41". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. October 11, 1981. p. 6B.
- ↑ "Knap resigns at UNLV, plans to grow apples". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 24, 1981. p. 3C.
- ↑ "Pasadena City College Coach Harvey Hyde, 42, who guided..." UPI.com. (UPI archives). December 7, 1981. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ↑ "Transactions: college". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). December 8, 1981. p. 28.
- ↑ "Rebels shut down San Jose State's passing, win 16–6". Oakland Tribune. September 6, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "UNLV wins, 49–42". The Arizona Republic. September 13, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "West Texas State 21, Nevada-Las Vegas 17". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 20, 1981. Retrieved May 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Long Beach comes close, but finds odds are too much in Las Vegas". The Los Angeles Times. September 27, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Cowboys deal Vegas loss". The Montana Standard. October 4, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Utes halt Rebels". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 25, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Hawaii wins a Rebel-rouser, 57–21". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 1, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Fresno State 42, Nevada–Las Vegas 26". The Sacramento Bee. November 8, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Kofler on a roll as Aztecs snap losing streak". The Blade-Tribune. November 15, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Nevada-Las Vegas 24, Air Force 21". The Arizona Republic. November 22, 1981. p. G2. Retrieved October 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Rain, Rebs drown Miners". The El Paso Times. November 29, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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