1981 Seattle Seahawks season | |
---|---|
Owner | The Nordstrom family |
General manager | John Thompson |
Head coach | Jack Patera |
Home field | Kingdome |
Results | |
Record | 6–10 |
Division place | 5th AFC West |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | WR Steve Largent |
AP All-Pros | None |
The 1981 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's sixth season with the National Football League (NFL). The Seahawks got off to a terrible start, losing six of their first seven games, on the way to a 6–10 season. Steve Largent would have a stellar season with 1,224 receiving yards. Seattle opened their season at Cincinnati, and held a 21–0 lead before the Bengals rallied for an improbable 27–21 win. This loss proved to be the beginning of the end for the Seahawks in 1981, as they would struggle as the season progressed.
Offseason
NFL Draft
Round/Pick | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|
1/4 | Kenny Easley | Defensive back | UCLA |
2/31 | David Hughes | Running back | Boise State |
3/58 | Bill Dugan | Offensive Guard | Penn State |
4/87 | Scott Phillips | Wide receiver | Brigham Young |
5/114 | Edwin Bailey | Offensive Guard | South Carolina State |
6/140 | Steve Durham | Defensive end | Clemson |
7/170 | Ron Johnson | Wide Receiver | Long Beach State |
7/186 | Brad Scovill | Tight end | Penn State |
8/196 | Eric Lane | Running back | Brigham Young |
9/223 | Jim Stone | Running Back | Notre Dame |
9/236 | Jimbo Whatley | Wide Receiver | Washington State |
10/252 | Ken Dawson | Running Back | Savannah State |
11/279 | Lance Olander | Running Back | Colorado |
12/306 | Jeff Bednarek | Defensive tackle | U. of Pacific |
Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Final roster
- Starters in bold.
- (*) Denotes players that were selected for the 1982 Pro Bowl.
Schedule
Preseason
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 5 | San Francisco 49ers | L 24–27 (OT) | 0–1 | Kingdome | Recap |
2 | August 14 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 21–30 | 0–2 | Kingdome | Recap |
3 | August 22 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 17–24 | 0–3 | Candlestick Park | Recap |
4 | August 28 | Baltimore Colts | W 31–17 | 1–3 | Kingdome | Recap |
Regular season
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 6 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 21–27 | 0–1 | Riverfront Stadium | Recap |
2 | September 13 | Denver Broncos | W 13–10 | 1–1 | Kingdome | Recap |
3 | September 20 | at Oakland Raiders | L 10–20 | 1–2 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | Recap |
4 | September 27 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 14–20 | 1–3 | Kingdome | Recap |
5 | October 4 | at San Diego Chargers | L 10–24 | 1–4 | Jack Murphy Stadium | Recap |
6 | October 11 | at Houston Oilers | L 17–35 | 1–5 | Houston Astrodome | Recap |
7 | October 18 | New York Giants | L 0–32 | 1–6 | Kingdome | Recap |
8 | October 25 | at New York Jets | W 19–3 | 2–6 | Shea Stadium | Recap |
9 | November 1 | at Green Bay Packers | L 24–34 | 2–7 | Lambeau Field | Recap |
10 | November 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–21 | 3–7 | Kingdome | Recap |
11 | November 16 | San Diego Chargers | W 44–23 | 4–7 | Kingdome | Recap |
12 | November 22 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 13–40 | 4–8 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
13 | November 29 | Oakland Raiders | L 31–32 | 4–9 | Kingdome | Recap |
14 | December 6 | New York Jets | W 27–23 | 5–9 | Kingdome | Recap |
15 | December 13 | at Denver Broncos | L 13–23 | 5–10 | Mile High Stadium | Recap |
16 | December 20 | Cleveland Browns | W 42–21 | 6–10 | Kingdome | Recap |
- Bold indicates division opponents.
- Source: 1981 NFL season results[4]
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 |
Game summaries
Preseason
Week P1: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week P2: vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Week P3: at San Francisco 49ers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
49ers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco
- Date: August 22
- Game time: 6:05 pm local
- Game weather: cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C), wind NE 19 miles per hour (31 km/h)
- Game attendance: 37,563
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV: KIRO
- Gamebook
Week P4: vs. Baltimore Colts
Regular season
Week 1: at Cincinnati Bengals
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
Bengals | 0 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 2: vs. Denver Broncos
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Broncos | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Seahawks | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
- Date: September 13
- Game time: 1:03 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 58,513
- Referee: Fred Silva
- TV announcers (NBC): Bob Costas and Jim Turner
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 3: at Oakland Raiders
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
Raiders | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
- Date: September 20
- Game time: 1:01 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 68 °F (20 °C), 58% humidity, wind SW 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)
- Game attendance: 45,725
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- TV: NBC
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 4: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
- Date: September 27
- Game time: 1:03 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 59,255
- Referee: Tom Dooley
- TV announcers (NBC): Phil Stone and Gene Washington
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 5: at San Diego Chargers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
Chargers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego
- Date: October 4
- Game time: 1:01 pm local
- Game weather: partly cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C), 68% humidity, wind W 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
- Game attendance: 51,463
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (NBC): Merle Harmon and George Kunz
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 6: at Houston Oilers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
Oilers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 35 |
- Date: October 11
- Game time: 1:00 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 42,671
- Referee: Jerry Seeman
- TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Mike Haffner
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 7: vs. New York Giants
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giants | 3 | 10 | 13 | 6 | 32 |
Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Date: October 18
- Game time: 1:03 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 56,134
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (CBS): Tom Brookshier and Roger Staubach
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 8: at New York Jets
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 |
Jets | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
at Shea Stadium, New York
- Date: October 25
- Game time: 4:01 pm local
- Game weather: overcast, 55 °F (13 °C), 64% humidity, wind SE 17 miles per hour (27 km/h)
- Game attendance: 49,678
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Len Dawson
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 9: at Green Bay Packers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 7 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
Packers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 34 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 10: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
Seahawks | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
- Date: November 8
- Game time: 1:01 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 59,058
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Rocky Bleier
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 11: vs. San Diego Chargers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 7 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
Seahawks | 0 | 24 | 14 | 6 | 44 |
- Date: November 16
- Game time: 6:05 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 58,628
- Referee: Bob Frederic
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
Chiefs | 3 | 17 | 7 | 13 | 40 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: November 22
- Game time: 1:01 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 53 °F (12 °C), 40% humidity, wind SE 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
- Game attendance: 49,002
- Referee: Fred Silva
- TV: NBC
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 13: vs. Oakland Raiders
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raiders | 0 | 3 | 8 | 21 | 32 |
Seahawks | 0 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
- Date: November 29
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 57,147
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Gene Washington
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 14: vs. New York Jets
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jets | 0 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 23 |
Seahawks | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
- Date: December 6
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 53,105
- Referee: Gene Barth
- TV announcers (NBC): Bob Costas and Bob Trumpy
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 15: at Denver Broncos
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
Broncos | 7 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 23 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
- Date: December 13
- Game time: 2:00 pm local
- Game weather: partly cloudy, 45 °F (7 °C), 42% humidity, wind NE 14 miles per hour (23 km/h)
- Game attendance: 74,527
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Jim Turner
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 16: vs. Cleveland Browns
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Browns | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Seahawks | 14 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
- Date: December 20
- Game time: 1:03 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 51,435
- Referee: Chuck Heberling
- TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Mike Haffner
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
References
- ↑ "Home". pro-football-reference.com.
- ↑ 1981 Seahawks Media Guide, accessed February 14, 2015.
- ↑ 1982 Seahawks Media Guide, accessed February 14, 2015.
- ↑ 1981 NFL season results, NFL.com, accessed February 14, 2015.