1981 Brown Bears football team

The 1981 Brown Bears football team was an American football team that represented Brown University during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Brown tied for fifth place in the Ivy League.

1981 Brown Bears football
Conference	Ivy League
Record	3–7 (2–5 Ivy)
Head coach	John Anderson (9th season)
Captains	D. Finneran T. Holcombe
Home stadium	Brown Stadium
Seasons ← 1980 1982 →

1981 Ivy League football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Yale +	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
Dartmouth +	6	–	1	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Princeton	5	–	1	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
Harvard	4	–	2	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
Brown	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Cornell	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Columbia	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
Penn	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions

In their ninth season under head coach John Anderson, the Bears compiled a 3–7 record and were outscored 250 to 153. T. Holcombe and D. Finneran were the team captains.^[1]

The Bears' 2–5 conference record tied for fifth in the Ivy League standings. They were outscored 185 to 102 by Ivy opponents.^[2]

This would be Brown's last season in the NCAA's top level of football competition. Shortly after the season ended, the NCAA reassigned all of the Ivy League teams to the second-tier Division I-AA,^[3] which would later be renamed the Football Championship Subdivision.

Brown played its home games at Brown Stadium in Providence, Rhode Island.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 19	at Yale	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT	L 7–28	17,000	[4]
September 26	at Army*	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 17–23	31,859	[5]
October 3	Princeton	Brown Stadium Providence, RI	L 17–20	5,800	[6]
October 10	at Penn	Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA	W 26–24	11,239	[7]
October 17	Cornell	Brown Stadium Providence, RI	L 9–14	10,300	[8]
October 24	at Holy Cross*	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 24–34	14,792	[9]
October 31	Harvard	Brown Stadium Providence, RI	L 7–41	14,600	[10]
November 7	at Rhode Island*	Meade Stadium Kingston, RI (rivalry)	W 10–8	9,737	[11]
November 14	at Dartmouth	Memorial Field Hanover, NH	L 13–38	9,500	[12]
November 21	Columbia	Brown Stadium Providence, RI	W 23–20	4,800	[13]
*Non-conference game

References

1. "Game-by-Game Results (1878-2019) (Football)". Providence, R.I.: Brown University. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
2. "Year-by-Year History". Ivy League Football Media Guide (PDF). Princeton, N.J.: Ivy League. 2017. p. 29. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
3. Roberts, Ernie (December 4, 1981). "Big Guys on Block Bully Ivy, HC Football". The Boston Globe. Boston, Mass.
4. Concannon, Joe (September 20, 1981). "Diana Provides Spark as Yale Burns Brown". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 56 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Ward, Gene (September 27, 1981). "Army Too Much, Holds Off Brown Surge". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 78 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Ahern, John (October 4, 1981). "Princeton, Holly Stop Brown". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 84 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Shister, Gail (October 11, 1981). "Temple Wins Its Third, but Penn Comes Up Empty; Late Rally by Quakers Falls Short". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 11-F – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Cornell Nips Brown; Colgate Rolls, 30-0". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, N.Y. October 11, 1981. p. 4B – via Newspapers.com.
9. Roberts, Ernie (October 25, 1981). "HC Rolls by Brown". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 86 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Roberts, Ernie (November 1, 1981). "Harvard Rips Brown". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 86 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Monahan, Bob (November 8, 1981). "Brown Masters Rhody". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 80 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Dartmouth Throttles Brown". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, Vt. Associated Press. November 15, 1981. pp. 3C, 2C – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Brown 23, Columbia 20". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. November 22, 1981. p. 84 – via Newspapers.com.