1981 Memphis State Tigers football team

1981 Memphis State Tigers football
ConferenceIndependent
Record1–10
Head coach
Home stadiumLiberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
1981 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 4 Pittsburgh      11 1 0
No. 3 Penn State      10 2 0
No. 8 Miami (FL)      9 2 0
Southern Miss      9 2 1
No. 17 West Virginia      9 3 0
Colgate      7 3 0
Virginia Tech      7 4 0
Navy      7 4 1
Cincinnati      6 5 0
Florida State      6 5 0
Holy Cross      6 5 0
Tulane      6 5 0
UNLV      6 6 0
South Carolina      6 6 0
Temple      5 5 0
Boston College      5 6 0
East Carolina      5 6 0
Northeast Louisiana      5 6 0
Louisville      5 6 0
Notre Dame      5 6 0
Rutgers      5 6 0
William & Mary      5 6 0
Syracuse      4 6 1
Richmond      4 7 0
Army      3 7 1
North Texas State      2 9 0
Georgia Tech      1 10 0
Memphis State      1 10 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Memphis State Tigers football team represented Memphis State University (now known as the University of Memphis) as an independent during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its first season under head coach Rex Dockery, the team compiled a 1–10 record and was outscored by a total of 209 to 82. The team played its home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.

The team's statistical leaders included Tom Smith with 466 passing yards, Tony Wiley with 497 rushing yards, Jerry Knowlton with 244 receiving yards, and Greg Hauss with 23 points scored.