1981 Green Bay Packers season

NFL team season

1981 Green Bay Packers season
Head coach	Bart Starr
Home field	Lambeau Field Milwaukee County Stadium
Results
Record	8–8
Division place	3rd Central
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
← 1980 Packers seasons 1982 →

The 1981 Green Bay Packers season was their 63rd season overall and their 61st in the National Football League. The team posted an 8–8 record under coach Bart Starr, earning them a third-place finish in the NFC Central division. Led by the defense the Packers were number one in turnovers forced and number 9th overall. The offense did improve but still finished in the bottom half of the league. Needing a Giants loss or an Eagles win during the final week of the regular season (due to tiebreakers), the Packers gained control of their destiny at earning the final Wild Card spot by winning in their last regular season game but were defeated by the New York Jets 28–3. The Packers managed only 84 total yards against the Jets.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1981 NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1981 Green Bay Packers draft
1	6	Rich Campbell	Quarterback	California
2	35	Gary Lewis	Tight end	Texas–Arlington
3	62	Ray Stachowicz	Punter	Michigan State
4	105	Richard Turner	Defensive tackle	Oklahoma
5	117	Byron Braggs	Defensive end	Alabama
7	172	Bill Whitaker	Safety	Missouri
8	200	Larry Werts	Linebacker	Jackson State
9	227	Tim Huffman	Guard	Notre Dame
10	255	Nickie Hall	Quarterback	Tulane
11	282	Forrest Valora	Linebacker	Oklahoma
12	311	Cliff Lewis	Linebacker	Southern Miss
Made roster

Undrafted free agents

1981 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player	Position	College
Craig Chrest	Wide receiver	Wisconsin–La Crosse
Bill Kazmaier	Guard	Wisconsin
Rick Kehr	Guard	Carthage
Greg Knafelc	Tight end	Notre Dame
David Petway	Safety	Northern Illinois
Randy Scott	Linebacker	Alabama
Robert Shackelford	Guard	St. Norbert
Pete Thompson	Wide receiver	Carroll (MT)

Personnel

Staff

**1981 Green Bay Packers staff**
	Front office President – Dominic Olejniczak Vice president – Robert J. Parins Corporate assistant to the president – Bob Harlan Director of player personnel – Dick Corrick Head coaches Head coach – Bart Starr Offensive coaches Quarterbacks/offensive backs – Zeke Bratkowski Receivers – Lew Carpenter Offensive line – Ernie McMillan Special assistant – Pete Kettela			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – John Meyer Defensive line – Doc Urich Linebackers – John Marshall Defensive backs – Ross Fichtner Special teams coaches Special teams – Dick Rehbein

Roster

**1981 Green Bay Packers roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 19 Rich Campbell 12 Lynn Dickey 17 David Whitehurst Running backs (RB) 31 Gerry Ellis 25 Harlan Huckleby 33 Jim Jensen 34 Terdell Middleton 20 Delvin Williams Wide receivers (WR) 88 Ron Cassidy 83 John Jefferson 80 James Lofton 84 Fred Nixon Tight ends (TE) 82 Paul Coffman 81 Gary Lewis		Offensive linemen (OL) 61 Charlie Ane C 57 Derrel Gofourth G 69 Leotis Harris G 64 Syd Kitson G 68 Greg Koch T 79 Mark Koncar T 54 Larry McCarren C 76 Tim Stokes T Defensive linemen (DL) 73 Byron Braggs DE 77 Mike Butler DE 90 Ezra Johnson DE 63 Terry Jones NT 78 Casey Merrill DE 75 Richard Turner NT		Linebackers (LB) 60 Kurt Allerman 59 John Anderson 52 George Cumby 53 Mike Douglass 56 Cliff Lewis 51 Guy Prather 55 Randy Scott 50 Rich Wingo Defensive backs (DB) 23 Maurice Harvey SS 38 Estus Hood CB 22 Mark Lee CB 37 Mark Murphy FS 29 Mike McCoy CB 47 David Petway S 30 Bill Whitaker S Special teams 16 Ray Stachowicz P 10 Jan Stenerud K		Reserve 62 Buddy Aydelette T (IR) -- Chris Godfrey DE (IR) 24 Johnnie Gray SS (IR) -- Nickie Hall QB (IR) 74 Tim Huffman G (IR) 21 Mike Jolly S (IR) 64 Syd Kitson G (IR) 40 Eddie Lee Ivery RB (IR) 70 Paul Rudzinski LB (IR) 67 Karl Swanke T (IR) 87 John Thompson TE (IR) 26 Eric Torkelson RB (IR) Rookies in italics 00 active, 0 practice squad

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Venue	Attendance
1	September 6	at Chicago Bears	W 16–9	Soldier Field	62,411
2	September 13	Atlanta Falcons	L 31–17	Lambeau Field	55,382
3	September 20	at Los Angeles Rams	L 35–23	Anaheim Stadium	61,286
4	September 27	Minnesota Vikings	L 30–13	Milwaukee County Stadium	55,012
5	October 4	at New York Giants	W 27–14	Giants Stadium	73,684
6	October 11	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 21–10	Lambeau Field	55,264
7	October 18	San Francisco 49ers	L 13–3	Milwaukee County Stadium	50,171
8	October 25	at Detroit Lions	L 31–27	Pontiac Silverdome	76,063
9	November 1	Seattle Seahawks	W 34–24	Lambeau Field	49,467
10	November 8	New York Giants	W 26–24	Milwaukee County Stadium	54,138
11	November 15	Chicago Bears	W 21–17	Lambeau Field	55,338
12	November 22	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 37–3	Tampa Stadium	63,251
13	November 29	at Minnesota Vikings	W 35–23	Metropolitan Stadium	46,025
14	December 6	Detroit Lions	W 31–17	Lambeau Field	54,481
15	December 13	at New Orleans Saints	W 35–7	Louisiana Superdome	45,518
16	December 20	at New York Jets	L 28–3	Shea Stadium	56,340

Game summaries

Week 1

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Packers	7	6	0	3	16
Bears	0	0	6	3	9

Date: September 6
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago
Game start: 2:00 p.m.
Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C); wind 8 mph (13 km/h)

Scoring summary

Q1		GB	Ivery 2-yard run (Wingo pass from Stachowicz)	GB 8–0

Q2		GB	Ellis 5-yard run (kick blocked)	GB 13–0

Q3		CHI	Payton 11-yard run (kick failed)	GB 13–6

Q4		GB	Stenerud 33-yard field goal	GB 16–6

Q4	3:57	CHI	Thomas 25-yard field goal	GB 16–9

Week 2: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	0	0	31	31
Packers	7	7	3	0	17

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Date: Sunday, September 13
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 73% humidity; 65 °F (18 °C), wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV: CBS
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 7: vs. San Francisco 49ers

See also: 1981 San Francisco 49ers season Week 7: San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	0	3	7	3	13
Packers	0	3	0	0	3

at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Date: October 18, 1981
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Overcast, 64 °F (18 °C)
Referee: Ben Dreith
TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

Top passers

SF – Joe Montana – 23/32, 220 yards
GB – Lynn Dickey – 11/18, 156 yards

Top rushers

SF – Johnny Davis – 16 rushes, 65 yards, 1 TD
GB – Harlan Huckleby – 10 rushes, 20 yards

Top receivers

SF – Dwight Clark – 6 receptions, 55 yards
GB – Paul Coffman – 3 receptions, 67 yards

Week 9: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week 9: Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Seahawks	7	14	3	0	24
Packers	7	14	7	6	34

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Date: November 1
Game time: 1:02pm local
Game weather: clear, 56 °F (13 °C), 75% humidity, wind NE 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
Game attendance: 49,467
Referee: Chuck Heberling
TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover and Dave Rowe
Gamebook

Game information

First quarter

SEA – John Harris 42-yard interception return (Efren Herrera kick), 10:47 (SEA 7–0)
GB – Paul Coffman 7-yard pass from David Whitehurst (Jan Stenerud kick), 5:57 (Tied 7–7)

Second quarter

SEA – Dan Doornink 12-yard pass from Jim Zorn (Efren Herrera kick), 11:03 (SEA 14–7)
GB – David Whitehurst 1-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 5:19 (Tied 14–14)
GB – James Lofton 8-yard pass from David Whitehurst (Jan Stenerud kick), 4:18 (GB 21–14)
SEA – Dan Doornink 14-yard pass from Jim Zorn (Efren Herrera kick), 0:24 (Tied 21–21)

Third quarter

SEA – Efren Herrera 54-yard field goal, 5:54 (SEA 24–21)
GB – James Lofton 38-yard pass from David Whitehurst (Jan Stenerud kick), 1:02 (GB 28–24)

Fourth quarter

GB – Jan Stenerud 19-yard field goal, 1:58 (GB 31–24)
GB – Jan Stenerud 36-yard field goal, 0:45 (GB 34–24)

Top passers

SEA – Jim Zorn: 12/23, 108 yds, 2 TD
GB – David Whitehurst: 19/31, 205 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT

Top rushers

SEA – Theotis Brown: 17 car, 89 yds
GB – Gerry Ellis: 23 car, 127 yds

Top receivers

SEA – Steve Largent: 3 rec, 45 yds
GB – James Lofton: 4 rec, 63 yds, 2 TD

Team – pass – rush – total – to

SEA – 102 – 119 – 221 – 3
GB – 195 – 182 – 337 – 3

Week 11

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	10	0	0	7	17
• Packers	7	14	0	0	21

Date: November 15
Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Game start: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C); wind 7 mph (11 km/h)

Scoring summary

Q1	CHI	Roveto 36-yard field goal	CHI 3–0

Q1	GB	Huckleby 1-yard pass from Whitehurst (Stenerud kick)	GB 7–3

Q1	CHI	Suhey 1-yard run (Roveto kick)	CHI 10–7

Q2	GB	Huckleby 39-yard pass from Whitehurst (Stenerud kick)	GB 14–10

Q2	GB	Middleton 2-yard pass from Whitehurst (Stenerud kick)	GB 21—10

Q4	CHI	Payton 2-yard run (Roveto kick)	GB 21–17

Standings

NFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	9	7	0	.563	6–2	9–3	315	268	W1
Detroit Lions	8	8	0	.500	4–4	6–6	397	322	L1
Green Bay Packers	8	8	0	.500	4–4	7–7	324	361	L1
Minnesota Vikings	7	9	0	.438	4–4	6–6	325	369	L5
Chicago Bears	6	10	0	.375	2–6	2–10	253	324	W3

References

"All Time Coaches Database". Packers.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-14.
Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-14.

Green Bay Packers

Founded in 1919
Based and headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin

Franchise

Overview	Team Green Bay Packers, Inc. Charitable Foundation Season-by-season results

Notable people

Founders	Curly Lambeau & George Whitney Calhoun
Personnel	Coaches General managers Presidents
Players	Lists of players All-Anniversary Team selections All-Decade Team selections All-Pro selections All-Rookie Team selections All-time roster Award winners Draft history Picks, 1936 to 1969 Picks, 1970 to present First-round picks Hall of Famers Pro Bowlers Retired numbers Starting QBs Team Hall of Fame Team records

Facilities

Stadiums	List of stadiums Current: Lambeau Field Past: Hagemeister Park Bellevue Park City Stadium Borchert Field Wisconsin State Fair Park Marquette Stadium Milwaukee County Stadium
Other	Clarke Hinkle Field Don Hutson Center Ray Nitschke Field Rockwood Lodge (former) St. Norbert College (training camp) Titletown District

Team history

General	History Home games in Milwaukee The Hungry Five Indian Packing Company Packers Heritage Trail
Culture	"Bang the Drum All Day" Bart Starr Award Cheerleaders Cheese League Cheesehead Dolly Gray impostor Fight song Lambeau Leap Lumberjack Band Packers sweep Receiver (statue)
Notable games	1940 NFL All-Star Game 1965 NFL playoffs 2014 NFC Championship Game 2019 NFC Divisional playoff game 2019 NFC Championship Game 2020 NFC Championship Game 4th and 26 Dez Caught It Fail Mary Favre's Dad Game Instant Replay Game Miracle in Motown Snow Globe Game The Catch II The Ice Bowl The Snow Bowl We want the ball and we're going to score!
Rivalries	Chicago Bears Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions Minnesota Vikings New York Giants San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Championships

Division (21)	1936 1938 1939 1944 1967 1972 1995 1996 1997 2002 2003 2004 2007 2011 2012 2013 2014 2016 2019 2020 2021
Conference (9)	1960 1961 1962 1965 1966 1967 1996 1997 2010
League (13)	1929 1930 1931 1936 1939 1944 1961 1962 1965 1966 (I) 1967 (II) 1996 (XXXI) 2010 (XLV)

Media

Radio	Packers Radio Network (WIXX in Green Bay, WRNW in Milwaukee)
Television	WGBA-TV WTMJ-TV Spectrum News 1 WI
Personnel	Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) Larry McCarren (color/analysis)
Related	Driven Instant Replay Lombardi (film) Lombardi (play) Pigskin Champions Pitch Perfect 2 Second Effort That '70s Show The 60 Yard Line When Pride Still Mattered

Current affiliations

Division	North Division (2002–present)
Conference	National Football Conference (1970–present)
League	National Football League (1921–present)

does not include 1966 or 1967 NFL championships

v t e Green Bay Packers seasons
1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) appearance

Green Bay Packers seasons

Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory
Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) appearance

1981 NFL season

East	Central	West	East	Central	West
Baltimore	Cincinnati	Denver	Dallas	Chicago	Atlanta
Buffalo	Cleveland	Kansas City	NY Giants	Detroit	Los Angeles
Miami	Houston	Oakland	Philadelphia	Green Bay	New Orleans
New England	Pittsburgh	San Diego	St. Louis	Minnesota	San Francisco
NY Jets		Seattle	Washington	Tampa Bay

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