1981 Kansas City Chiefs

1981 Kansas City Chiefs season
Head Coach	Marv Levy
Home Field	Arrowhead Stadium
Results
Record	9–7
Place	3rd AFC West
Playoff Finish	did not qualify
Timeline
Previous Season	Next Season
1980	1982

The 1981 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with a 9–7 record, but no playoff appearance.

Bill Kenney began the 1981 season as the club's starting quarterback and directed the Chiefs to a 6–2 start, including a 37–33 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium on Opening Day. Second-round draft choice, running back Joe Delaney electrified the club’s offense by rushing for 1,121 yards, a team single-season record at the time. He was named the AFC’s Rookie of the Year and became the first running back to represent the franchise in the Pro Bowl. Delaney registered a 193-yard performance in a 23–10 victory against the Oilers on November 15, the best single-game total ever amassed by a Kansas City rookie.

Owning an 8–4 record with four games remaining, the Chiefs were poised to make the playoffs for the first time in 10 years before hitting a three-game losing skid. Bill Kenney missed the club’s final three contests due to injury as Steve Fuller temporarily reclaimed the starting QB position and guided the club to a 10–6 win at Minnesota, in the final contest played at Metropolitan Stadium. With the Chiefs winning the game, Vikings fans began dismembering the stadium as early as the second half—taking seats, pieces of the scoreboard and even chunks of sod as souvenirs. The victory assured the Chiefs of a 9–7 record, the club’s first winning mark since 1973 as coach Marv Levy increased the club’s victory total for a third consecutive year. Inspired by the Washington Redskins’s “Hail to the Redskins,” Levy penned a fight song for the Chiefs ("Give a Cheer for Kansas City"), but much like the team's Wing-T offense, the concept never really caught on.

Offseason

NFL draft

• Main article: 1981 NFL Draft

1981 Kansas City Chiefs draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	14	Willie Scott	Tight end	South Carolina
2	41	Joe Delaney *	Running back	Northwestern State
3	70	Marvin Harvey	Tight end	Southern Mississippi
3	75	Roger Taylor	Offensive tackle	Oklahoma State
3	78	Lloyd Burruss *	Defensive back	Maryland
4	97	Ron Washington	Wide receiver	Arizona State
5	124	Todd Thomas	Center	North Dakota
6	153	Dock Luckie	Defensive tackle	Florida
7	180	Billy Jackson	Running back	Alabama
8	206	David Dorn	Wide receiver	Rutgers
9	237	Anthony Vereen	Defensive back	Southeastern Louisiana
10	262	Les Studdard	Center	Texas
11	289	Frank Case	Defensive end	Penn State
12	319	Bob Gagliano	Quarterback	Utah State
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1981 Kansas City Chiefs final staff
	Front Office Founder/Owner – Lamar Hunt President – Jack Steadman Vice President and General Manager – Jim Schaaf Director of Player Personnel – Les Miller Head Coaches Head Coach – Marv Levy Offensive Coaches Quarterbacks and Receivers – Kay Dalton Offensive Backs – Bobby Ross Tight Ends - Frank Gansz Offensive Line – Tom Bresnahan			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Rod Rust Defensive Line – Don Lawrence Defensive Backs – Walt Corey Special Teams Coaches Kicking Teams – Frank Gansz Strength and Conditioning: Strength and Conditioning – Rick Abernethy

Roster

1981 Kansas City Chiefs roster
Quarterbacks  4 Steve Fuller 11 Bob Gagliano  9 Bill Kenney Running Backs 30 Curtis Bledsoe RB 37 Joe Delaney RB 21 Clark Gaines RB 48 James Hadnot FB 43 Billy Jackson RB 22 Ted McKnight RB 39 Rick Moser RB 40 Mike Williams RB Wide Receivers 88 Carlos Carson 89 Henry Marshall 80 James Murphy WR/KR 87 Stan Rome 86 J. T. Smith WR/PR Tight Ends 85 Ed Beckman 84 Al Dixon 80 Bubba Garcia 83 Marvin Harvey 81 Willie Scott		Offensive Linemen 66 Brad Budde G 65 Tom Condon G 77 Charlie Getty T 60 Matt Herkenhoff T 70 Jim Rourke G 58 Jack Rudnay C 73 Bob Simmons G 76 Roger Taylor T 62 Todd Thomas C/LS Defensive Linemen 99 Mike Bell DE 95 Frank Case DE 75 Sylvester Hicks DE 91 Ken Kremer DE/NT 71 Dave Lindstrom DT 74 Dino Mangiero DT 61 Don Parrish NT 67 Art Still DE		Linebackers 57 Jerry Blanton ILB 56 Phil Cancik LB 52 Tom Howard LB 51 Charles Jackson OLB 55 Dave Klug LB 54 Frank Manumaleuga LB 63 John Olenchalk LB/LS 53 Whitney Paul OLB 50 Cal Peterson LB 59 Gary Spani ILB Defensive Backs 26 Gary Barbaro FS 34 Lloyd Burruss SS 42 M.L. Carter CB 20 Deron Cherry S 41 Herb Christopher S 46 Paul Dombroski CB 24 Gary Green CB 44 Eric Harris CB 31 Will Lewis CB Special Teams  7 Jeff Gossett P  1 Bob Grupp P  8 Nick Lowery K	Reserve List 35 Horace Belton RB (IR) -- James Black DE (IR) -- David Cunningham RB (IR) -- Jeff Davis TE (IR) -- Lance Madison WR (IR) 64 Les Studdard G (IR) -- George Stewart G (IR) -- Ron Washington WR (IR) Complete team roster Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 6, 1981	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 37–33	53,305
2	September 13, 1981	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 19–10	50,555
3	September 20, 1981	San Diego Chargers	L 42–31	63,866
4	September 27, 1981	at Seattle Seahawks	W 20–14	59,255
5	October 4, 1981	at New England Patriots	L 33–17	55,931
6	October 11, 1981	Oakland Raiders	W 27–0	76,543
7	October 18, 1981	Denver Broncos	W 28–14	74,672
8	October 25, 1981	at Oakland Raiders	W 28–17	42,914
9	November 1, 1981	at San Diego Chargers	L 22–20	51,307
10	November 8, 1981	Chicago Bears	L 16–13	60,605
11	November 15, 1981	Houston Oilers	W 23–10	73,984
12	November 22, 1981	Seattle Seahawks	W 40–13	49,002
13	November 26, 1981	at Detroit Lions	L 27–10	76,735
14	December 6, 1981	at Denver Broncos	L 16–13	74,744
15	December 13, 1981	Miami Dolphins	L 17–7	57,407
16	December 20, 1981	at Minnesota Vikings	W 10–6	41,110

Standings

1981 AFC West standings
	W	L	T	Win Pct. (%)	DIV	Conf.	PF	PA	Streak
San Diego Chargers(3)	10	6	0	.625	6–2	8–4	478	390	W2
Denver Broncos	10	6	0	.625	5–3	7–5	321	289	L1
Kansas City Chiefs	9	7	0	.563	5–3	7–5	343	290	W1
Oakland Raiders	7	9	0	.438	2–6	5–7	273	343	L2
Seattle Seahawks	6	10	0	.375	2–6	6–8	322	388	W1