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 |
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 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: +242
- Low: 15,002 (CGY @ OTT, Oct 18)
1981 CFL Regular Season TV Ratings
- High: 1.30 million (OTT @ WPG, Aug 28)
- Avg: 1.30 million (1 out of 72 games)
- Low: 1.30 million (OTT @ WPG, Aug 28)
See the CFLdb Sources page for general source information and individual game pages for rating source links.
Have past or present TV rating sources? Contact me.
1981 Player Awards
1981 Most Outstanding
- Player — Dieter Brock (WPG)
- Defensive Player — Dan Kepley (EDM)
- Canadian Player — Joe Poplawski (WPG)
- Offensive Lineman — Larry Butler (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 – Larry Butler (WPG)
- 2 – David Boone, Jr. (EDM)
- 2 – Mike Samples (SSK)
- 1 – Rudy Phillips (OTT)
- 1 – John Helton (WPG)
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.