1981 New Orleans Saints season

NFL team season

1981 New Orleans Saints season

Owner| John Mecom, Jr.
Head coach| Bum Phillips
Home field| Louisiana Superdome
Results
Record| 4–12
Division place| 4th NFC West
Playoff finish| Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers| RB George Rogers

* <- 1980
* Saints seasons
* 1982 ->

The 1981 New Orleans Saints season was the Saints' fifteenth season in the National Football League. Hoping past success would bring a bright future to New Orleans the Saints hired Bum Phillips to be their new head coach. With the first pick overall the Saints draft Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers out of South Carolina. Phillips banked on Rogers giving the Saints the same boost that Earl Campbell did when Phillips drafted him out of Texas three years earlier.

Rogers won the Offensive Rookie of the Year, as he rushed all-time rookie record of 1,674 yards, a record which was eclipsed just two years later when Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams rushed for 1,808. However, the Saints would continue to struggle finishing with a 4–12 record. It was the Saints’ thirteenth of fifteen seasons with five or fewer wins, and eighth with double-digit defeats.

Despite finishing with a poor record, they did have a couple bright moments, such as defeating the eventual AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals in the Superdome and defeating the Houston Oilers, Bum Phillips' old team, on the road.

New Orleans swept the NFC West division rival Los Angeles Rams for the first time since they were placed in the same division for the 1970 season.

## Offseason

[edit]

### NFL draft

[edit]

Main article: 1981 NFL draft

1981 New Orleans Saints draft

Round  | Pick  | Player  | Position  | College  | Notes
1  | 1  | George Rogers * | Running back | South Carolina |
2  | 29  | Russell Gary | Safety  | Nebraska |
2  | 51  | Rickey Jackson * † | Linebacker | Pittsburgh |
3  | 57  | Frank Warren | Defensive end | Auburn |
3  | 71  | Hoby Brenner * | Tight end | USC |
5  | 112  | Louis Oubre | Guard | Oklahoma |
5  | 128  | Jerry Boyarsky | Defensive tackle | Pittsburgh |
6  | 139  | Nat Hudson | Guard  | Georgia |
6  | 144  | Johnnie Poe | Defensive back  | Missouri |
6  | 166  | Glen Redd | Linebacker  | BYU |
7  | 167  | Kevin Williams | Wide receiver | USC  |
8  | 214  | Gene Gladys | Linebacker  | Penn State |
8  | 215  | Kevin Evans | Cornerback  | Arkansas |
9  | 222  | Toussaint Tyler | Running back  | Washington |
10  | 249  | Hokie Gajan | Running back  | LSU |
11  | 277  | Lester Mickens | Wide receiver  | Kansas |
12  | 305  | Jim Wilks | Defensive end  | San Diego State |
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

## Personnel

[edit]

### Staff

[edit]

1981 New Orleans Saints staff |

Front office

* Owner – John Mecom, Jr.
* Director of Football Operations – Harry Hulmes
* Director of Player Personnel – Pat Peppler

Head coaches

* Head coach – Bum Phillips

Offensive coaches

* Offensive coordinator – King Hill
* Offensive backfield – John Levra
* Receivers – Lamar McHan
* Offensive line – Joe Spencer

|  |  | Defensive coaches

* Defensive coordinator – Wade Phillips
* Defensive line – Willie Zapalac
* Linebackers – John Paul Young
* Defensive backfield – Lance Van Zandt

Special teams coaches

* Special teams – Harold Richardson

Strength and conditioning

* Strength and Conditioning – Russell Paternostro

|
|
|
|

### Roster

[edit]

1981 New Orleans Saints roster

| Quarterbacks

* 8 Archie Manning
* 12 Bobby Scott
* 18 Dave Wilson

Running backs

* 45 Jack Holmes
* 38 George Rogers
* 41 Jimmy Rogers
* 32 Scott Stauch
* 42 Toussaint Tyler

Wide receivers

* 80 Gordon Banks
* 48 Jeff Groth
* 86 Rich Martini
* 19 Guido Merkens
* 89 Aundra Thompson

Tight ends

* 85 Hoby Brenner
* 87 Larry Hardy
* 88 Brooks Williams

|  | Offensive linemen

* 61 Sam Adams Sr. G
* 67 Stan Brock T
* 62 John Hill C
* 69 Nat Hudson G
* 64 Dave Lafary T
* 76 Jim Pietrzak C
* 68 Fred Sturt G
* 71 J. T. Taylor T

Defensive linemen

* 63 Barry Bennett DE
* 91 Monte Bennett DT
* 77 Jerry Boyarsky DT
* 78 Elois Grooms DE
* 74 Derland Moore DE
* 73 Frank Warren DE
* 94 Jim Wilks DE

|  | Linebackers

* 50 Ken Bordelon
* 59 Chuck Evans
* 52 Jim Kovach
* 57 Rickey Jackson
* 55 Rob Nairne
* 53 Scott Pelluer
* 58 Glen Redd

Defensive backs

* 20 Russell Gary SS
* 37 Tom Myers FS
* 25 Johnnie Poe CB
* 49 Frank Wattelet
* 44 Dave Waymer CB
* 22 Ricky Ray CB

Special teams

* 14 Russell Erxleben P
* 1 Benny Ricardo K
* 54 Paul Ryczek LS/C

|  | Reserve lists

* 46 Hokie Gajan FB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* \-- Gene Gladys LB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 82 Ike Harris WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 28 Bill Hurley FS (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* \-- Tom Kearns G (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* \-- Lester Mickens WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 66 Louis Oubre G (IRTooltip Injured reserve)

Practice squad

Rookies in italics

## Regular season

[edit]

### Schedule

[edit]

Week  | Date  | Opponent  | Result  | Record  | Venue  | Attendance

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | September 6  | at Atlanta Falcons | L 0–27  | 0–1  | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 57,406
2  | September 13  | Los Angeles Rams | W 23–17  | 1–1  | Louisiana Superdome | 62,063
3  | September 20  | at New York Giants | L 7–20  | 1–2  | Giants Stadium | 69,814
4  | September 27  | at San Francisco 49ers | L 14–21  | 1–3  | Candlestick Park | 44,433
5  | October 4  | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 6–20  | 1–4  | Louisiana Superdome  | 64,578
6  | October 11  | Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–31  | 1–5  | Louisiana Superdome  | 52,728
7  | October 18  | at Cleveland Browns | L 17–20  | 1–6  | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 76,059
8  | October 25  | Cincinnati Bengals | W 17–7  | 2–6  | Louisiana Superdome  | 46,336
9  | November 1  | Atlanta Falcons | L 10–41  | 2–7  | Louisiana Superdome  | 63,637
10  | November 8  | at Los Angeles Rams | W 21–13  | 3–7  | Anaheim Stadium | 61,068
11  | November 15  | at Minnesota Vikings | L 10–20  | 3–8  | Metropolitan Stadium | 45,215
12  | November 22  | at Houston Oilers | W 27–24  | 4–8  | Houston Astrodome | 49,581
13  | November 29  | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 14–31  | 4–9  | Louisiana Superdome  | 62,209
14  | December 6  | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 3–30  | 4–10  | Busch Memorial Stadium | 46,923
15  | December 13  | Green Bay Packers | L 7–35  | 4–11  | Louisiana Superdome  | 45,518
16  | December 20  | San Francisco 49ers | L 17–21  | 4–12  | Louisiana Superdome  | 43,639
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Standings

[edit]

NFC West

* view
* talk
* edit

| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK
San Francisco 49ers(1) | 13  | 3  | 0  | .813  | 5–1  | 10-2  | 357  | 250  | W5
Atlanta Falcons | 7  | 9  | 0  | .438  | 3–3  | 6–6  | 426  | 355  | L3
Los Angeles Rams | 6  | 10  | 0  | .375  | 2–4  | 5–7  | 303  | 351  | L1
New Orleans Saints | 4  | 12  | 0  | .250  | 2–4  | 2–10  | 207  | 378  | L4

## Awards and records

[edit]

* George Rogers, NFL rushing title, 1,674 yards[2]
* George Rogers, franchise record, most rushing yards by a rookie, 1,674 yards
* George Rogers, NFL Record (since broken), most rushing yards by a rookie, 1,674 yards[2]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "1981 New Orleans Saints draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
2. ^ a b NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 437

## External links

[edit]

* Saints on Pro Football Reference
* Saints on jt-sw.com

* v
* t
* e

New Orleans Saints

* Founded in 1967
* Based in New Orleans, Louisiana
* Headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana

Franchise|

* Franchise
* Seasons
* History
* Players
* Coaches
* Expansion draft
* First-round draft picks
* Starting quarterbacks
* Broadcasters

Stadiums|

* Tulane Stadium
* Caesars Superdome
* Temporary home venues in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina: Alamodome
* Giants Stadium
* Tiger Stadium

Culture|

* Gumbo
* Sir Saint
* Saintsations
* Who Dat?
* Tom Benson
* Effect of Hurricane Katrina
* Buddy D
* "When the Saints Go Marching In"
* Home Team
* Number One
* A Saintly Switch

Lore|

* "Aints" (1–15)
* Dempsey's 63-yard field goal
* Dome Patrol
* Ricky Williams trade
* River City Relay
* Steve Gleason's blocked punt
* Beast Quake
* Bountygate
* Minneapolis Miracle
* NOLA No-Call

Rivalries|

* Atlanta Falcons
* Carolina Panthers
* Los Angeles Rams
* Minnesota Vikings
* Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Wild card berths (5)|

* 1987
* 1990
* 1992
* 2010
* 2013

Division championships (9)|

* 1991
* 2000
* 2006
* 2009
* 2011
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020

Conference championships (1)|

* 2009

League championships (1)|

* 2009 (XLIV)

Retired numbers|

* 31
* 81

Ring of Honor|

* Andersen
* Benson
* Jackson
* Manning
* Mills
* Roaf
* Smith

Current league affiliations|

* League: National Football League
* Conference: National Football Conference
* Division: South Division

* v
* t
* e

New Orleans Saints seasons

* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Bold indicates Super Bowl victory

* v
* t
* e

1981 NFL season

| AFC| East | Central| West| East| Central| West | NFC

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Baltimore | Cincinnati| Denver| Dallas| Chicago| Atlanta
Buffalo | Cleveland| Kansas City| NY Giants| Detroit| Los Angeles
Miami | Houston| Oakland| Philadelphia| Green Bay| New Orleans
New England | Pittsburgh| San Diego| St. Louis| Minnesota| San Francisco
NY Jets | | Seattle| Washington| Tampa Bay|

* 1981 NFL Draft
* NFL playoffs
* Pro Bowl
* Super Bowl XVI

This article relating to an American football season is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[IR]: Injured reserve
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[PCT]: Winning percentage
*[DIV]: Win–Loss record within their division
*[CONF]: Win–Loss record within their conference
*[PF]: Points For (Total points scored)
*[PA]: Points Against (Total points allowed)
*[STK]: Current Winning or Losing Streak
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template