1981 Boise State Broncos football team

Regular season

The Broncos finished the regular season at 9–2 and 6–1 in conference to tie for first in the Big Sky, but lost the tiebreaker due to the head-to-head loss to champion Idaho State in the conference opener. The Broncos avenged their 1980 loss Cal Poly-SLO, beating the 1980 Division II national champions 17–6 in Boise, but lost at Cal State Fullerton, whom they defeated in Boise in the previous season. The Broncos narrowly defeated rival Idaho for the fifth consecutive year, in the regular season finale in Moscow. The Vandals were winless in the Big Sky in 1981, which caused a change in head coaches. (BSU did not defeat the Vandals again until 1994, losing twelve straight).

Division I-AA playoffs

The Broncos were again invited to the Division I-AA playoffs, expanded to eight teams for 1981. As Big Sky runner-up, BSU played on the road in the quarterfinals at Jackson State, and won 19–7. The semifinal game was played at home against top-ranked Eastern Kentucky, whom the Broncos had narrowly defeated in the title game the year before. This time the Colonels prevailed 23–17, but lost the title game to Idaho State the following week in Texas.

The Broncos returned to the I-AA playoffs in 1988, the semifinals in 1990, and the title game in 1994, then moved up to Division I-A in 1996.

Schedule

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Personnel

Coaches

Head coach Jim Criner stayed seven seasons at Boise State before departing for Iowa State following the 1982 season. Defensive coordinator Lyle Setencich was promoted to head coach and led Boise State for four seasons, from 1983 to 1986. The defensive secondary coach in 1981 was future National Football League (NFL) head coach John Fox.

Notable players

Future NFL players included linebacker John Rade and safety Rick Woods. Defensive lineman Randy Trautman played four seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

Roster

• Gene Dahlquist (OC)
• Lyle Setencich (DC)
• Bill Dutton (DL)
• John Fox (DB)

NFL draft

Two Bronco seniors were selected in the 1982 NFL draft, which lasted 12 rounds (334 selections).

References

References

1. (September 20, 1981). "Idaho St. 20, Boise St. 17". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
2. (November 15, 1981). "Boise State romps". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
3. (November 8, 1981). "Fullerton 20, Boise St. 17". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
4. Emerson, Paul. (November 22, 1981). "Idaho bids goodbye to Davitch with loss". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
5. (December 6, 1981). "Boise State had upper hand". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
6. (December 13, 1981). "No.1 E. Kentucky tips Boise St., 23-17". Eugene Register-Guard.
7. (December 20, 1981). "Bengals ride like the wind". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
8. (September 6, 1981). "BSU rolls to triumph in opener". The Idaho Statesman.
9. (September 13, 1981). "Broncos belt Rhode Island". The Idaho Statesman.
10. (September 20, 1981). "ISU shatters Bronco jinx with 21–10 win in league showdown". The Times-News.
11. (September 27, 1981). "Boise State uses big first half to beat NAU". The Arizona Republic.
12. (October 4, 1981). "Broncos run over Grizzlies". The Independent-Record.
13. (October 11, 1981). "Broncos bump Cats". The Montana Standard.
14. (October 25, 1981). "Broncos rip error-plagued Weber State". The Salt Lake Tribune.
15. (November 1, 1981). "Boise St. dumps Wolfpack". South Idaho Press.
16. Pete Donovan. (November 8, 1981). "In a Wild Finish, Fullerton Kicks Back to Win, 20–17". The Los Angeles Times.
17. (November 15, 1981). "BSU beats Cal–Poly San Luis Obispo, 17–6". The Times-News.
18. Ramsdell, Paul. (November 22, 1981). "Idaho bids farewell to Davitch with loss". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
19. (December 6, 1981). "Broncos top Jackson State". The Idaho Statesman.
20. (December 13, 1981). "Broncos' last-ditch attempt falls short". The Idaho Statesman.
21. Game Day program – EKU vs BSU – December 12, 1981, p. 6
22. Emerson, Paul. (November 21, 1981). "Idaho can return some of the pain: probable starters". Lewiston Morning Tribune.