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American college football season
The 1981 UNLV Rebels football team was an American football team that represented the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as an independent during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season . In their sixth and final year under head coach Tony Knap , the team compiled a 6–6 record.[ 1] [ 2]
A notable win was the road victory over eighth-ranked BYU in October, who were without starting quarterback Jim McMahon , replaced by sophomore Steve Young .[ 3]
Approaching age 67, Knap retired after the season,[ 4] and was succeeded by Harvey Hyde , the head coach at Pasadena City College .[ 5] [ 6]
Date Opponent Site Result Attendance Source September 5 at San Jose State W 16–617,112 [ 7]
September 12 New Mexico W 49–4225,605 [ 8]
September 19 West Texas State Las Vegas Silver Bowl Whitney, NV L 17–2124,560 [ 9]
September 26 Long Beach State Las Vegas Silver Bowl Whitney, NV W 32–3125,080 [ 10]
October 3 at Wyoming L 21–4523,793 [ 11]
October 10 at No. 8 BYU W 45–4139,852 [ 3]
October 24 Utah Las Vegas Silver Bowl Whitney, NV L 28–6927,883 [ 12]
October 31 at Hawaii L 21–5746,153 [ 13]
November 7 at Fresno State L 26–4216,241 [ 14]
November 14 San Diego State Las Vegas Silver Bowl Whitney, NV L 20–3823,090 [ 15]
November 21 Air Force Las Vegas Silver Bowl Whitney, NV W 24–2122,574 [ 16]
November 28 at UTEP W 27–202,312 [ 17]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
1981 UNLV Rebels football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
^ "1981 UNLV Rebels Schedule and Results" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 20, 2020 .
^ "UNLV 2020 Football Guide" (PDF) . University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 2020. p. 130. Retrieved December 20, 2020 .
^ a b "Vegas shocks BYU, 45-41" . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). wire service reports. October 11, 1981. p. 6B.
^ "Knap resigns at UNLV, plans to grow apples" . Lewiston Morning Tribune . (Idaho). Associated Press. November 24, 1981. p. 3C.
^ "Pasadena City College Coach Harvey Hyde, 42, who guided..." UPI.com. (UPI archives). December 7, 1981. Retrieved August 13, 2022 .
^ "Transactions: college" . Reading Eagle . (Pennsylvania). December 8, 1981. p. 28.
^ "Rebels shut down San Jose State's passing, win 16–6" . Oakland Tribune . September 6, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "UNLV wins, 49–42" . The Arizona Republic . September 13, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "West Texas State 21, Nevada-Las Vegas 17" . Fort Worth Star-Telegram . September 20, 1981. Retrieved May 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Long Beach comes close, but finds odds are too much in Las Vegas" . The Los Angeles Times . September 27, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Cowboys deal Vegas loss" . The Montana Standard . October 4, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Utes halt Rebels" . The Salt Lake Tribune . October 25, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Hawaii wins a Rebel-rouser, 57–21" . Honolulu Star-Bulletin . November 1, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Fresno State 42, Nevada–Las Vegas 26" . The Sacramento Bee . November 8, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Kofler on a roll as Aztecs snap losing streak" . The Blade-Tribune . November 15, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Nevada-Las Vegas 24, Air Force 21" . The Arizona Republic . November 22, 1981. p. G2. Retrieved October 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Rain, Rebs drown Miners" . The El Paso Times . November 29, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
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