1981 Boston College Eagles football team

The 1981 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College as an independent during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its first season under head coach Jack Bicknell, the team compiled a 5–6 record and was outscored by a combined total of 298 to 243. Three of the team's losses were to teams then ranked among the top 10 in the AP Poll.

1981 Boston College Eagles football
Conference	Independent
Record	5–6
Head coach	Jack Bicknell (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Seymour "Red" Kelin (1st season)
Captain	Jim Budness, Rich Dyer
Home stadium	Alumni Stadium

1981 Major eastern college football independents records

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Penn State $	5	–	0	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 4 Pittsburgh	5	–	1	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 17 West Virginia	3	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Temple	2	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Syracuse	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	6	–	1
Boston College	1	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Rutgers	1	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
$ – Lambert Trophy Winner Rankings from AP Poll

1981 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		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 team was led by freshman quarterback Doug Flutie who completed 105 of 192 passes for 1,652 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Other statistical leaders included Leo Smith with 403 rushing yards, Brian Brennan with 726 receiving yards, kicker John Cooper with 55 points scored (28 extra points and 9 field goals), and defensive back George Radachowsky with seven interceptions. Flutie, Brennan, and Radachowsky all went on to play in the National Football League, as did defensive tackle Joe Nash.

The team played its home games at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 19	Texas A&M	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	W 13–12	31,000
September 26	at No. 9 North Carolina	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	L 14–56	48,000
October 3	West Virginia	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	L 10–38	17,235
October 10	at No. 2 Penn State	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	L 7–38	84,473
October 17	Navy	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	L 10–25	31,000
October 24	at Army	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	W 41–6	39,357
October 31	No. 2 Pittsburgh	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	L 24–29	25,500
November 7	UMass	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA (rivalry)	W 52–22	20,400
November 14	at Syracuse	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	L 17–27	35,623
November 21	Rutgers	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	W 27–21	16,500
November 28	at Holy Cross	Fitton Field Worcester, MA (rivalry)	W 28–24	22,500
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1981 Boston College Eagles football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class C 62 Jack Belcher Jr WR 13 Brian Brennan So G Ed Broderick Jr RB 32 Jim Browne Fr QB 22 Doug Flutie Fr QB 7 John Loughery Jr OT 70 Steve Lively Jr OL 79 Mark MacDonald Fr OT 78 Dave Paulik So G 65 Gerry Raymond Sr RB 24 Leo Smith Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class SS 5 Vic Crawford Jr LB 99 Steve DeOssie Fr S 6 Rich Dyer Sr DT 52 Scott Harrington Fr DT 95 Joe Nash Sr DT 73 Todd Nelson Jr DB 15 George Radachowsky So DE 46 Paul Shaw Jr DE 50 Greg Storr Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Jack Bicknell Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt