1981 Kansas City Chiefs season
1981 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
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Head coach | Marv Levy |
General manager | Jim Schaaf |
Owner | Lamar Hunt |
Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 9–7 |
Division place | 3rd AFC West |
Playoff finish | did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | RB Joe Delaney DE Art Still CB Gary Green S Gary Barbaro K Nick Lowery |
The 1981 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with a 9–7 record, but no playoff appearance.
Bill Kenney began the 1981 season as the club's starting quarterback and directed the Chiefs to a 6–2 start, including a 37–33 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium on Opening Day. Second-round draft choice, running back Joe Delaney electrified the club’s offense by rushing for 1,121 yards, a team single-season record at the time. He was named the AFC’s Rookie of the Year and became the first running back to represent the franchise in the Pro Bowl.[1] Delaney registered a 193-yard performance in a 23–10 victory against the Oilers on November 15, the best single-game total ever amassed by a Kansas City rookie.[1]
Owning an 8–4 record with four games remaining, the Chiefs were poised to make the playoffs for the first time in 10 years before hitting a three-game losing skid. Bill Kenney missed the club’s final three contests due to injury as Steve Fuller temporarily reclaimed the starting QB position and guided the club to a 10–6 win at Minnesota, in the final contest played at Metropolitan Stadium. With the Chiefs winning the game, Vikings fans began dismembering the stadium as early as the second half—taking seats, pieces of the scoreboard and even chunks of sod as souvenirs.[1] The victory assured the Chiefs of a 9–7 record, the club’s first winning mark since 1973 as coach Marv Levy increased the club’s victory total for a third consecutive year. Inspired by the Washington Redskins’s “Hail to the Redskins,” Levy penned a fight song for the Chiefs ("Give a Cheer for Kansas City"), but much like the team's Wing-T offense, the concept never really caught on.[1]
Contents
Offseason
NFL draft
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1981 Kansas City Chiefs draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
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1 | 14 | Willie Scott | Tight end | South Carolina | |
2 | 41 | Joe Delaney * | Running back | Northwestern State | |
3 | 70 | Marvin Harvey | Tight end | Southern Mississippi | |
3 | 75 | Roger Taylor | Offensive tackle | Oklahoma State | |
3 | 78 | Lloyd Burruss * | Defensive back | Maryland | |
4 | 97 | Ron Washington | Wide receiver | Arizona State | |
5 | 124 | Todd Thomas | Center | North Dakota | |
6 | 153 | Dock Luckie | Defensive tackle | Florida | |
7 | 180 | Billy Jackson | Running back | Alabama | |
8 | 206 | David Dorn | Wide receiver | Rutgers | |
9 | 237 | Anthony Vereen | Defensive back | Southeastern Louisiana | |
10 | 262 | Les Studdard | Center | Texas | |
11 | 289 | Frank Case | Defensive end | Penn State | |
12 | 319 | Bob Gagliano | Quarterback | Utah State | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Personnel
Staff
1981 Kansas City Chiefs staff | ||||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Roster
1981 Kansas City Chiefs roster | ||||||||
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Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
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Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Reserve List
Complete team roster |
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
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1 | September 6, 1981 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 37–33 |
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2 | September 13, 1981 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 19–10 |
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3 | September 20, 1981 | San Diego Chargers | L 42–31 |
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4 | September 27, 1981 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 20–14 |
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5 | October 4, 1981 | at New England Patriots | L 33–17 |
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6 | October 11, 1981 | Oakland Raiders | W 27–0 |
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7 | October 18, 1981 | Denver Broncos | W 28–14 |
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8 | October 25, 1981 | at Oakland Raiders | W 28–17 |
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9 | November 1, 1981 | at San Diego Chargers | L 22–20 |
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10 | November 8, 1981 | Chicago Bears | L 16–13 |
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11 | November 15, 1981 | Houston Oilers | W 23–10 |
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12 | November 22, 1981 | Seattle Seahawks | W 40–13 |
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13 | November 26, 1981 | at Detroit Lions | L 27–10 |
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14 | December 6, 1981 | at Denver Broncos | L 16–13 |
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15 | December 13, 1981 | Miami Dolphins | L 17–7 |
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16 | December 20, 1981 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 10–6 |
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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 |