1981 NAIA Division I football season

1981 NAIA Division I football season
Regular seasonAugust–November 1981
PostseasonDecember 5–19, 1981
National ChampionshipBurlington Memorial Stadium
Burlington, NC
ChampionsElon (2)

The 1981 NAIA Division I football season was the 26th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 12th season of play of the NAIA's top division for football.

The season was played from August to November 1981 and culminated in the 1981 NAIA Division I Champion Bowl, played this year on December 19, 1981 at Burlington Memorial Stadium in Burlington, North Carolina (near the campus of Elon College).[1]

Defending national champion Elon defeated Pittsburg State in the Champion Bowl, 3–0, to win their second NAIA national title.[2]

  1. ^ "NAIA Championship History" (PDF). NAIA. pp. 4–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  2. ^ "1981 Division I NAIA Football Playoffs". JonFMorse.com. Retrieved November 22, 2015.