Canadian Football League 1981 Season
69th Grey Cup Championship
- Edmonton defeated Ottawa 26–23
- (Local)
at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, QC - Attendance: 53,307
- Broadcaster:
- CBC
- CTV
1981 CFL Regular Season Standings
League Scoring
| 1981 | 1980 +/- | |
|---|---|---|
| Average Combined Score | 48.56 | 2.08  |
| Average Winning Score | 32.80 | 2.96 |
| Average Losing Score | 15.48 | 1.32  |
| Average Home Score | 27.32 | 1.51 |
| Average Visitor Score | 21.24 | 0.57 |
| Average Margin of Victory | 17.08 | 4.22 |
1981 CFL Regular Season Attendance
- Total: 2,114,456
- High: 48,472 (MTL @ EDM, Sep 26)
- Avg: 29,367 (72 out of 72 games)
- Diff from 1980 Avg: +119
- Low: 15,002 (CGY @ OTT, Oct 18)
Team Leaders
Offence Rankings
| Team (GP) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EDM (16) | 576 (36.00) |
| 2 | WPG (16) | 517 (32.31) |
| 3 | BC (16) | 438 (27.38) |
| 4 | SSK (16) | 431 (26.94) |
| 5 | HAM (16) | 414 (25.88) |
| 6 | CGY (16) | 306 (19.13) |
| 6 | OTT (16) | 306 (19.13) |
| 8 | MTL (16) | 267 (16.69) |
| 9 | TOR (16) | 241 (15.06) |
Defence Rankings
| Team (GP) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EDM (16) | 576 (36.00) |
| 2 | WPG (16) | 517 (32.31) |
| 3 | BC (16) | 438 (27.38) |
| 4 | SSK (16) | 431 (26.94) |
| 5 | HAM (16) | 414 (25.88) |
| 6 | CGY (16) | 306 (19.13) |
| 6 | OTT (16) | 306 (19.13) |
| 8 | MTL (16) | 267 (16.69) |
| 9 | TOR (16) | 241 (15.06) |
1981 Player Awards
1981 Most Outstanding
- Player — Dieter Brock (WPG)
- Defensive Player — Dan Kepley (EDM)
- Offensive Lineman — Larry Butler (WPG)
- Canadian Player — Joe Poplawski (WPG)
- Rookie — Vince Goldsmith (SSK)
1981 Other Awards
- Tom Pate Memorial Award — Ken McEachern (SSK)
1981 Canadian Football League All-Star Team
Offense
| QB | Dieter Brock | WPG |
| RB | Jim Germany | EDM |
| RB | Larry Key | BC |
| TE | Joey Walters | SSK |
| SB | Joe Poplawski | WPG |
| WR | Brian Kelly | EDM |
| WR | James Scott | MTL |
| C | Al Wilson | BC |
| G | Val Belcher | OTT |
| G | Larry Butler | WPG |
| T | Hector Pothier | EDM |
| T | Bill Stevenson | EDM |
Defense
| DT | Dave Fennell | EDM |
| DT | Mike Raines | OTT |
| DE | David Boone, Jr. | EDM |
| DE | Greg Marshall | OTT |
| MLB | Dan Kepley | EDM |
| OLB | James “Quick” Parker | EDM |
| OLB | Ben Zambiasi | HAM |
| DHB | Ed “Too Small” Jones | EDM |
| DHB | Harold Woods | HAM |
| CB | Ray Odums | CGY |
| CB | David Shaw | HAM |
| S | Randy Rhino | OTT |
Special Teams
| P | Hank Ilesic | EDM |
| K | Trevor Kennerd | WPG |
* – indicates unanimous selection
See an error? Please send corrections.
1981 Stars of the Week
Offensive Star
- 3 – Dieter Brock (WPG)
- 2 – Larry Key (BC)
- 1 – Keith Baker (HAM)
- 1 – Joe Barnes (SSK)
- 1 – Joe Paopao (BC)
Defensive Star
- 2 – Ben Zambiasi (HAM)
- 1 – Carm Carteri (HAM)
- 1 – Jim Marshall (MTL)
- 1 – Larry Crawford (BC)
- 1 – James “Quick” Parker (EDM)
Lineman Star
- 2 – David Boone, Jr. (EDM)
- 2 – Mike Samples (SSK)
- 2 – Larry Butler (WPG)
- 1 – Rudy Phillips (OTT)
- 1 – Al Wilson (BC)
1981 CFL Amateur Draft
| Pick | Team | [Via] | Player (Position) | College/Program |
|---|---|---|---|---|
First Round | ||||
| 1 | CGY | [SSK] | Frank Kosec (LB) | Waterloo |
| 2 | TOR | Tom Trifaux (OT) | Calgary | |
| 3 | OTT | Maurice Doyle (RB) | Toronto | |
| 4 | MTL | Chris Walby (DT) | Dickinson State | |
| 5 | BC | Nelson Martin, Jr. (WR) | Seneca | |
| 6 | CGY | Mike Wolfram (TE) | Alberta | |
| 7 | TOR | [WPG] | Tom Bray (DT) | Bishop's |
| 8 | TOR | [HAM] | Ron Engleson (DT) | Simon Fraser |
| 9 | EDM | Rob Logan (DE) | Waterloo | |
Commissioner
Jake G. Gaudaur, O.C. (Hamilton)
April 2, 1968 – May 31, 1984
CFL 1981 Season Notes
Due to a NABET (National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians) strike from May 21 to September 9th, 1981, games that were to be broadcast on CBC were pre-empted until the September 19th weekend.