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1981 Pittsburgh Steelers
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Record: 8-8-0, Finished 2nd in AFC Central Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 356 points (22.2/g), 8th of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 297 points (18.6/g), 11th.
Differential of 59 points (3.7/g), 10th.
Expected W-L: 9.7-6.3.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +5 (0.3/g), 9th.
Coached by Chuck Noll (8-8-0)
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1981 Statistics / Starters & Roster / Games & Schedule / Team Draftees
Starters
Glossary · ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+), · CSV · PRE · Hide Non-primary Starters| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | Complete Team Stats | |||||
| QB | Terry Bradshaw | 33 | 11 | 14 | 201 for 370, 2,887 yards, 22 td, 14 int, & 38 rushes for 162 yards and 2 td | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 1st pick / 1970 |
| RB | Frank Pollard | 24 | 1 | 10 | 123 rushes for 570 yards, 2 td, & 19 catches for 156 yards and 0 td | Pittsburgh Steelers / 11th / 305th pick / 1980 |
| RB | Sidney Thornton | 27 | 4 | 6 | 56 rushes for 202 yards, 4 td, & 8 catches for 78 yards and 0 td | Pittsburgh Steelers / 2nd / 48th pick / 1977 |
| FB | Franco Harris | 31 | 9 | 16 | 242 rushes for 987 yards, 8 td, & 37 catches for 250 yards and 1 td | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 13th pick / 1972 |
| WR | John Stallworth | 29 | 7 | 16 | 63 catches for 1,098 yards, 5 td, & 1 rush for 17 yards and 0 td | Pittsburgh Steelers / 4th / 82nd pick / 1974 |
| WR | Lynn Swann | 29 | 7 | 12 | 34 catches for 505 yards, 5 td | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 21st pick / 1974 |
| TE | Bennie Cunningham | 27 | 5 | 15 | 41 catches for 574 yards, 3 td | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 28th pick / 1976 |
| LT | Ray Pinney | 27 | 5 | 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 2nd / 37th pick / 1976 |
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| LT | Jon Kolb | 34 | 12 | 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 3rd / 56th pick / 1969 |
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| LG | Craig Wolfley | 23 | 1 | 16 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 5th / 138th pick / 1980 |
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| C | Mike Webster*+ | 29 | 7 | 16 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 5th / 125th pick / 1974 |
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| RG | Steve Courson | 26 | 3 | 16 | 2 fumbles recovered | Pittsburgh Steelers / 5th / 125th pick / 1977 |
| RT | Larry Brown | 32 | 10 | 14 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 5th / 106th pick / 1971 |
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| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | John Goodman | 23 | Rook | 10 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 2nd / 56th pick / 1980 |
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| LDE | L.C. Greenwood | 35 | 12 | 5 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 10th / 238th pick / 1969 |
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| LDE | Bob Kohrs | 23 | Rook | 6 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Pittsburgh Steelers / 2nd / 35th pick / 1980 |
| LDT | Tom Beasley | 27 | 3 | 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 3rd / 60th pick / 1977 |
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| LDT | Joe Greene | 35 | 12 | 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 4th pick / 1969 |
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| RDT | Gary Dunn | 28 | 5 | 15 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Pittsburgh Steelers / 6th / 159th pick / 1976 |
| RDE | John Banaszak | 31 | 6 | 12 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | |
| LLB | Jack Ham | 33 | 10 | 11 | 1 interception, 3 fumbles recovered | Pittsburgh Steelers / 2nd / 34th pick / 1971 |
| MLB | Jack Lambert*+ | 29 | 7 | 16 | 6 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Pittsburgh Steelers / 2nd / 46th pick / 1974 |
| RLB | Robin Cole | 26 | 4 | 13 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 21st pick / 1977 |
| LCB | Dwayne Woodruff | 24 | 2 | 14 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | Pittsburgh Steelers / 6th / 161st pick / 1979 |
| RCB | Mel Blount*+ | 33 | 11 | 16 | 6 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Pittsburgh Steelers / 3rd / 53rd pick / 1970 |
| SS | Donnie Shell* | 29 | 7 | 14 | 5 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | |
| FS | J.T. Thomas | 30 | 8 | 16 | 4 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 24th pick / 1973 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | David Trout | 24 | Rook | 0 | 12 of 17 field goals & 38 of 46 extra points | |
| P | Craig Colquitt | 27 | 3 | 0 | 84 punts for a 43.3 average, 0 blocked | Pittsburgh Steelers / 3rd / 76th pick / 1978 |
| PR | Jim Smith | 26 | 4 | 3 | 30 punt returns for a 6.8 average and 0 td | Pittsburgh Steelers / 3rd / 75th pick / 1977 |
| KR | Larry Anderson | 25 | 3 | 0 | 37 kick returns for a 22.3 average and 0 td | Pittsburgh Steelers / 4th / 101st pick / 1978 |
| Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Anderson | 25 | DB | 16 | 0 | 183 | 5-11 | Louisiana Tech | 9/25/1956 | 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 4th / 101st pick / 1978 |
| John Banaszak | 31 | DE-DT | 12 | 12 | 242 | 6-3 | Eastern Michigan | 8/24/1950 | 6 | |
| Tom Beasley | 27 | DE-DT | 13 | 9 | 253 | 6-5 | Virginia Tech | 8/11/1954 | 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 3rd / 60th pick / 1977 |
| Mel Blount*+ | 33 | DB | 16 | 16 | 205 | 6-3 | Southern | 4/10/1948 | 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 3rd / 53rd pick / 1970 |
| Terry Bradshaw | 33 | QB | 14 | 14 | 215 | 6-3 | Louisiana Tech | 9/2/1948 | 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 1st pick / 1970 |
| Larry Brown | 32 | T-TE | 14 | 14 | 246 | 6-4 | Kansas | 6/16/1949 | 10 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 5th / 106th pick / 1971 |
| Robin Cole | 26 | LB-DE | 14 | 13 | 220 | 6-2 | New Mexico | 9/11/1955 | 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 21st pick / 1977 |
| Craig Colquitt | 27 | P | 16 | 0 | 182 | 6-1 | Tennessee | 6/9/1954 | 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 3rd / 76th pick / 1978 |
| Steve Courson | 26 | G | 16 | 16 | 274 | 6-1 | South Carolina | 10/1/1955 | 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 5th / 125th pick / 1977 |
| Bennie Cunningham | 27 | TE | 15 | 15 | 254 | 6-5 | Clemson | 12/23/1954 | 5 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 28th pick / 1976 |
| Russell Davis | 25 | RB | 16 | 0 | 227 | 6-0 | Michigan | 9/15/1956 | 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 4th / 86th pick / 1979 |
| Johnnie Dirden | 29 | WR | 6 | 0 | 188 | 6-0 | Sam Houston State | 3/14/1952 | 3 | Houston Oilers / 10th / 1st pick / 1978 Supp |
| Gary Dunn | 28 | NT-DT-DE | 16 | 15 | 258 | 6-3 | Miami (FL) | 8/24/1953 | 5 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 6th / 159th pick / 1976 |
| John Goodman | 23 | DE-DT-NT | 15 | 10 | 253 | 6-6 | Oklahoma | 11/21/1958 | Rook | Pittsburgh Steelers / 2nd / 56th pick / 1980 |
| Joe Greene | 35 | DT | 14 | 7 | 275 | 6-4 | North Texas | 9/24/1946 | 12 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 4th pick / 1969 |
| L.C. Greenwood | 35 | DE | 14 | 5 | 245 | 6-6 | Ark-Pine Bluff | 9/8/1946 | 12 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 10th / 238th pick / 1969 |
| Randy Grossman | 29 | TE | 16 | 1 | 218 | 6-1 | Temple | 9/20/1952 | 7 | |
| Jack Ham | 33 | LB | 12 | 11 | 225 | 6-1 | Penn State | 12/23/1948 | 10 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 2nd / 34th pick / 1971 |
| Franco Harris | 31 | RB | 16 | 16 | 230 | 6-2 | Penn State | 3/7/1950 | 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 13th pick / 1972 |
| Greg Hawthorne | 25 | RB-TE-WR | 10 | 0 | 228 | 6-2 | Baylor | 9/5/1956 | 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 28th pick / 1979 |
| Tunch Ilkin | 24 | T-G-C | 16 | 1 | 263 | 6-3 | Indiana State | 9/23/1957 | 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 6th / 165th pick / 1980 |
| Ron Johnson | 25 | DB | 12 | 3 | 200 | 5-10 | Eastern Michigan | 6/8/1956 | 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 22nd pick / 1978 |
| Bob Kohrs | 23 | DE-LB | 16 | 6 | 240 | 6-3 | Arizona State | 11/8/1958 | Rook | Pittsburgh Steelers / 2nd / 35th pick / 1980 |
| Jon Kolb | 34 | T-C | 15 | 6 | 262 | 6-2 | Oklahoma State | 8/30/1947 | 12 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 3rd / 56th pick / 1969 |
| Jack Lambert*+ | 29 | LB | 16 | 16 | 220 | 6-4 | Kent State | 7/8/1952 | 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 2nd / 46th pick / 1974 |
| David Little | 22 | LB | 16 | 0 | 232 | 6-1 | Florida | 1/3/1959 | Rook | Pittsburgh Steelers / 7th / 183rd pick / 1981 |
| Mark Malone | 23 | QB-WR | 8 | 2 | 223 | 6-4 | Arizona State | 11/22/1958 | 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 28th pick / 1980 |
| Tyrone McGriff | 23 | G | 12 | 0 | 270 | 6-0 | Florida A&M | 1/13/1958 | 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 12th / 333rd pick / 1980 |
| Rick Moser | 25 | RB | 6 | 0 | 210 | 6-0 | Rhode Island | 12/18/1956 | 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 8th / 208th pick / 1978 |
| Ted Petersen | 26 | T-C-G | 2 | 0 | 244 | 6-5 | Eastern Illinois | 2/7/1955 | 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 4th / 93rd pick / 1977 |
| Ray Pinney | 27 | T-G-C | 16 | 11 | 251 | 6-4 | Washington | 6/29/1954 | 5 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 2nd / 37th pick / 1976 |
| Frank Pollard | 24 | RB | 14 | 10 | 218 | 5-10 | Baylor | 6/15/1957 | 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 11th / 305th pick / 1980 |
| Donnie Shell* | 29 | DB | 14 | 14 | 190 | 5-11 | South Carolina State | 8/26/1952 | 7 | |
| Jim Smith | 26 | WR | 15 | 3 | 205 | 6-2 | Michigan | 7/20/1955 | 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 3rd / 75th pick / 1977 |
| John Stallworth | 29 | WR | 16 | 16 | 191 | 6-2 | Alabama A&M | 7/15/1952 | 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 4th / 82nd pick / 1974 |
| Cliff Stoudt | 26 | QB | 2 | 0 | 215 | 6-4 | Youngstown State | 3/27/1955 | 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 5th / 121st pick / 1977 |
| Lynn Swann | 29 | WR | 13 | 12 | 180 | 5-11 | USC | 3/7/1952 | 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 21st pick / 1974 |
| Calvin Sweeney | 26 | WR | 14 | 0 | 190 | 6-2 | California-Riverside,USC | 1/12/1955 | 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 4th / 110th pick / 1979 |
| J.T. Thomas | 30 | DB | 16 | 16 | 196 | 6-2 | Florida State | 4/22/1951 | 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 1st / 24th pick / 1973 |
| Sidney Thornton | 27 | RB | 16 | 6 | 230 | 5-11 | Northwest State (LA) | 9/2/1954 | 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 2nd / 48th pick / 1977 |
| Loren Toews | 30 | LB | 16 | 4 | 220 | 6-3 | California | 11/3/1951 | 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 8th / 192nd pick / 1973 |
| David Trout | 24 | K | 16 | 0 | 165 | 5-6 | Pittsburgh | 11/12/1957 | Rook | |
| Zack Valentine | 24 | LB | 16 | 0 | 220 | 6-2 | East Carolina | 5/29/1957 | 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 2nd / 56th pick / 1979 |
| Anthony Washington | 23 | DB | 16 | 1 | 204 | 6-1 | California,Fresno State | 2/4/1958 | Rook | Pittsburgh Steelers / 2nd / 44th pick / 1981 |
| Mike Webster*+ | 29 | C-G | 16 | 16 | 255 | 6-1 | Wisconsin | 3/18/1952 | 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 5th / 125th pick / 1974 |
| Dirt Winston | 26 | LB | 14 | 4 | 228 | 6-0 | Arkansas | 10/25/1955 | 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 5th / 132nd pick / 1977 |
| Craig Wolfley | 23 | G-T | 16 | 16 | 265 | 6-1 | Syracuse | 5/19/1958 | 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 5th / 138th pick / 1980 |
| Dwayne Woodruff | 24 | DB | 16 | 14 | 198 | 5-11 | Louisville | 2/18/1957 | 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 6th / 161st pick / 1979 |
| Team Total | 27.3 | 16 | 225.1 | 6-1.7 | 4.6 |