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Season Record: 9-3
Conference Record: 6-2
Home Record: 5-1
Road Record: 3-2 (1-0 neutral site)
Final AP Ranking: 15th
1981 Roster: 92 players (65% from Ohio)
1982 NFL Draft Selections: 3
1981 Ohio State Football Roster
| # | Player | Height | Weight | Year | Birthday | Hometown | High School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bob Atha | 5'11" | 180 | Sr | 9/22/1960 | Worthington, OH | - |
| 2 |  Shaun Gayle | 5'11" | 195 | So | 3/8/1962 | Hampton, VA | Bethel |
| 3 |  Jim Palmer | 5'11" | 180 | Fr | 11/23/1962 | Williamsburg, VA | Lafayette |
| 4 |  Kelvin Bell | 6'2" | 200 | Fr | 9/12/1963 | Richmond, VA | Highland Springs |
| 5 |  Karl Edwards | 6'2" | 196 | So | 1/25/1962 | Groveport, OH | Groveport |
| 6 |  Tim Stephens | 6'2" | 208 | So | 8/2/1962 | Parkersburg, WV | Parkersburg South |
| 7 |  Brent Offenbecher | 6'1" | 190 | So | 5/15/1961 | Massillon, OH | Massillon |
| 8 | Lamar Keuchler | 5'11" | 189 | - | - | Marion, OH | Catholic |
| 9 |  Gary Alders | 6'2" | 210 | Fr | 1/5/1963 | Centerville, OH | Centerville |
| 10 |  Art Schlichter | - | - | Sr | 4/25/1960 | Bloomingburg, OH | Miami Trace |
| 11 |  Curt Curtis | 6'2" | 212 | So | 4/16/1962 | Potomac, MD | Churchill |
| 12 |  Garcia Lane | 5'10" | 177 | So | 12/31/1961 | Youngstown, OH | South |
| 13 | Walter Norley | 6'3" | 196 | Fr | 1/23/1963 | Warrington, PA | Germantown Academy |
| 15 |  Mike Tomczak | 6'1" | 192 | Fr | 10/23/1962 | Calumet City, IL | Thornton Fractional North |
| 16 |  Jim Karsatos | 6'3" | 224 | Fr | 5/26/1963 | Fullerton, CA | Sunny Hills |
| 17 |  Clark Backus | 6'0" | 210 | - | 12/29/60 | Maitland, FL | Edgewater |
| 18 |  Bill Andrews | 5'9" | 160 | Jr | 11/5/1959 | Cambridge, OH | Cambridge |
| 18 | Timothy O’Cain | 5'10" | 177 | Sr | - | Gahanna, OH | Lincoln |
| 20 |  Kelvin Lindsey | 6'0" | 195 | Jr | 6/15/1960 | Sandusky, OH | Sandusky |
| 21 |  Kevin Richardson | 6'0" | 192 | Fr | 5/25/1963 | Cleveland, OH | Benedictine |
| 22 |  Cedric Anderson | 5'10" | 174 | So | 3/17/1962 | Apopka, FL | - |
| 23 |  Rod Gorley | 6'0" | 194 | Jr | 4/30/1961 | Cincinnati, OH | Princeton |
| 23 |  Doyle Lewis | 6'0" | 184 | Jr | 7/18/1961 | Canton, OH | McKinley |
| 24 |  Jeff Cisco | 5'11" | 184 | So | 12/13/1961 | St. Marys, OH | Memorial |
| 25 | Ed McDuffie | 6'0" | 196 | Fr | 12/7/1962 | Miami, FL | Springs |
| 26 |  Jimmy Gayle | 5'10" | 192 | Jr | 1/22/1960 | Hampton, VA | Bethel |
| 27 |  Doug Hill | 6'1" | 194 | So | 2/3/1962 | Miami, FL | Jackson |
| 28 | Jeff Gottron | 5'11" | 182 | - | - | Fremont, OH | St. Joseph |
| 29 |  Ray Myers | 6'2" | 227 | Jr | 3/20/1961 | Toledo, OH | Bowsher |
| 30 | Brien Smith | 6'0" | 192 | So | 10/22/1961 | Petersburg, VA | Petersburg |
| 32 |  Rowland Tatum | 6'1" | 226 | So | 11/20/1962 | Inglewood, CA | Morningside |
| 33 |  Larry Kolic | 6'1" | 248 | Fr | 8/31/1963 | Smithville, OH | Smithville |
| 34 |  Jay Holland | 5'11" | 181 | Fr | 11/30/1962 | Columbus, OH | Mifflin |
| 35 |  Glen Cobb | 6'3" | 212 | Jr | 12/21/1960 | Washington Court House, OH | Miami Trace |
| 36 |  Marcus Marek | 6'2" | 224 | Jr | 1/8/1961 | Masury, OH | Brookfield |
| 37 |  Orlando Lowry | 6'3" | 228 | So | 8/14/1961 | Shaker Heights, OH | Shaker Heights |
| 38 |  Vaughn Broadnax | 6'2" | 252 | So | 5/4/1962 | Xenia, OH | Xenia |
| 39 | Robert Manning | 6'0" | 207 | Sr | - | Columbus, OH | Eastmoor |
| 41 |  Mark Eberts | 6'0" | 187 | Jr | 11/5/1958 | Canton, OH | Jackson |
| 44 |  Gary Williams | 6'2" | 212 | Jr | 9/4/1959 | Wilmington, OH | Wilmington |
| 46 |  Ken Blair | 5'11" | 217 | - | 1/20/1962 | Newbury, OH | Newbury |
| 46 |  Tim Spencer | 6'1" | 210 | Jr | 12/10/1960 | St. Clairsville, OH | St. Clairsville |
| 47 |  Tom Anthony | 6'1" | 190 | Jr | 11/27/1960 | Rockville, MD | Thomas Wootton |
| 48 |  Anthony Griggs | 6'2" | 221 | Sr | 2/12/1960 | Willingboro, NJ | J.F. Kennedy |
| 49 |  Doug Smith | 6'1" | 212 | Fr | 2/4/1963 | Atlanta, GA | Fulton |
| 50 |  Jim DeLeone | 5'10" | 222 | Sr | 6/7/1958 | Kent, OH | Kent Roosevelt |
| 51 |  John Lucente | 6'2" | 252 | Fr | 1/16/1963 | Struthers, OH | Cardinal Mooney |
| 52 |  Bernie Brown | 6'1" | 221 | Jr | 9/4/1960 | Marietta, OH | Marietta |
| 53 |  Craig Pack | 6'1" | 242 | Jr | 7/30/1960 | Orrville, OH | Orrville |
| 54 |  Spencer Nelms | 6'3" | 242 | Fr | 7/7/1963 | Decatur, GA | Lakeside |
| 55 |  Jerome Foster | 6'3" | 258 | Jr | 7/25/1960 | Detroit, MI | Kettering |
| 56 |  Jim Gilmore | 6'5" | 262 | Fr | 12/19/1962 | Philadelphia, PA | Northeast Catholic |
| 56 | Steve Simpson | 6'5" | 246 | Jr | - | Temperance, MI | Bedford |
| 57 |  John Sullivan | 6'0" | 237 | Fr | 10/27/1965 | Timberlake, OH | Lake Catholic |
| 57 |  Dave Morrill | 6'3" | 258 | Fr | 4/27/1963 | Centerville, OH | Centerville |
| 58 |  Joe Apke | 6'5" | 217 | So | 8/12/1962 | Madiera, OH | Moeller |
| 59 | Gary Burris | 6'1" | 200 | Jr | - | Urbana, OH | Urbana |
| 60 |  Bill Harvey | 6'2" | 233 | Fr | 12/31/1962 | Springfield, VA | West Springfield |
| 61 |  Dave Medich | 6'2" | 248 | Sr | 4/14/1959 | Steubenville, OH | Steubenville |
| 62 |  Alan Balen | 6'1" | 236 | Sr | 9/22/1959 | Lackawanna, NY | - |
| 63 |  Kirk Lowdermilk | 6'3" | 262 | Fr | 4/10/1963 | Salem, OH | Salem |
| 64 |  Jim Lachey | 6'6" | 274 | Fr | 6/4/1963 | St. Henry, OH | St. Henry |
| 66 |  Rich Czyzynski | 6'2" | 218 | So | 5/25/1962 | Brook Park, OH | Padua |
| 67 |  Joe Smith | 6'3" | 266 | Jr | 11/27/1959 | Cincinnati, OH | Colerain |
| 68 |  Mark Hocevar | 6'2" | 250 | - | 12/23/1962 | Warren, OH | Howland |
| 69 | William Wilson | 6'3" | 222 | Jr | - | Columbus, OH | Arlington |
| 70 |  Bill Roberts | 6'5" | 272 | So | 8/5/1962 | Miami, FL | Carol City |
| 71 |  Scott Burrows | 6'1" | 228 | Jr | 11/24/1960 | Portsmouth, OH | - |
| 72 |  Joe Lukens | 6'4" | 262 | Jr | 9/2/1961 | Cincinnati, OH | Moeller |
| 73 |  Mark Krerowicz | 6'4" | 282 | Fr | 3/1/1963 | Toledo, OH | St. John's |
| 74 |  Scott Zalenski | 6'5" | 257 | So | 6/12/1962 | Bethel Park, PA | Bethel Park |
| 75 |  Rory Graves | 6'6" | 280 | Fr | 7/21/1963 | Decatur, GA | Columbia |
| 76 |  Steve Corbin | 6'4" | 252 | Jr | 3/29/1961 | Lima, OH | Central Catholic |
| 78 |  Joe Dooley | 6'6" | 268 | So | 3/1/1962 | Cincinnati, OH | Oak Hills |
| 79 |  Mike Palahnuk | 6'2" | 251 | Jr | 1/16/60 | Hicksville, NY | Hicksville |
| 80 | Jeff McCarthy | 6'0" | 192 | Jr | - | Sandusky, OH | St. Mary's |
| 81 |  Brad Dwelle | 6'4" | 230 | Jr | 3/3/1961 | Sandusky, OH | Perkins |
| 84 |  Russell Gatewood | 6'3" | 233 | Jr | 6/5/1960 | Orlando, FL | Edgewater |
| 85 |  Judd Groza | 6'2" | 234 | So | 9/14/1961 | Berea, OH | Berea |
| 86 |  Ben Lee | 6'0" | 212 | Sr | 8/27/1960 | Canton, OH | McKinley |
| 87 | Trent Penn | 5'11" | 170 | - | - | Columbus, OH | Linden-McKinley |
| 88 |  Thad Jemison | 6'2" | 192 | So | 12/24/1961 | Cincinnati, OH | Princeton |
| 89 |  John Frank | 6'3" | 218 | So | 4/17/1962 | Mt. Lebanon, PA | Mt. Lebanon |
| 90 | Don Braun | 6'1" | 241 | - | - | Columbus, OH | Bishop Watterson |
| 93 |  Chris Riehm | 6'6" | 266 | Jr | 4/14/1961 | Wadsworth, OH | Highland |
| 94 | Chris Cicero | 6'0" | 214 | - | - | Chagrin Falls, OH | Chagrin Falls |
| 94 |  Joe Berner | 6'2" | 226 | Jr | 11/21/1959 | Avon Lake, OH | - |
| 95 | Larry Phillips | 6'3" | 240 | Jr | - | Vienna, WV | Parkersburg |
| 96 |  Mike D’Andrea | 6'4" | 220 | Sr | 11/17/1959 | Akron, OH | St. Vincent-St. Mary |
| 97 |  Dave Crecelius | 6'5" | 252 | Fr | 10/31/1962 | Ashland, OH | Ashland |
| 98 | Kevin Olman | 6'2" | 228 | Jr | - | Maumee, OH | Maumee |
| 99 |  Nick Miller | 6'2" | 224 | Sr | 1/12/1960 | Upland, PA | St. James |
Prior Year: 1980 Ohio State Football Roster
Next Year: 1982 Ohio State Football Roster
Coaching Staff:
Head Coach: Earle Bruce
Offensive Coordinator: Glen Mason
Tailbacks and Fullbacks: Wayne Stanley
Tackles and Tight Ends: Bill Myles
Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers: Fred Zechman
Defensive Coordinator: Dennis Fryzel
Outside Linebackers: Bob Tucker
Tackles and Middle Guards: Steve Szabo
Defensive Backfield: Nick Saban
1981 Ohio State Football Statistics
1981 Ohio State Passing Stats
| Player | Comp | Pass Att | Cmp % | Pass Yds | Pass TD | Pass Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art Schlichter | 183 | 350 | 52.3 | 2551 | 17 | 10 |
| Bob Atha | 4 | 12 | 33.3 | 59 | 1 | 2 |
| Mike Tomczak | 4 | 7 | 57.1 | 73 | 1 | 1 |
| Tim Stephens | 2 | 2 | 100.0 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
1981 Ohio State Rushing Stats
| Player | Rush Att | Rush Yds | Rush Avg | Rush TD | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Spencer | 226 | 1217 | 5.4 | 12 | 0 |
| Jimmy Gayle | 153 | 732 | 4.8 | 9 | 0 |
| Art Schlichter | 80 | -42 | -0.5 | 6 | 3 |
| Vaughn Broadnax | 50 | 184 | 3.7 | 1 | 0 |
| Bob Atha | 18 | 79 | 4.4 | 1 | 1 |
 Craig Dunn | 12 | 34 | 2.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Cedric Anderson | 6 | 17 | 2.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Timothy O’Cain | 5 | 43 | 8.6 | 1 | 0 |
| Ed McDuffie | 4 | 23 | 5.8 | 0 | 0 |
 Victor Langley | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Tomczak | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Blair | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Stephens | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kevin Richardson | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ray Myers | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
1981 Ohio State Receiving Stats
| Player | Rec | Rec Yds | Rec Avg | Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Williams | 50 | 941 | 18.8 | 6 |
| John Frank | 45 | 449 | 10.0 | 3 |
| Cedric Anderson | 31 | 564 | 18.2 | 5 |
| Tim Spencer | 23 | 210 | 9.1 | 0 |
| Jimmy Gayle | 20 | 191 | 9.6 | 0 |
| Brad Dwelle | 7 | 91 | 13.0 | 2 |
| Victor Langley | 6 | 120 | 20.0 | 1 |
| Thad Jemison | 5 | 83 | 16.6 | 1 |
| Timothy O’Cain | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 0 |
| Bob Atha | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 |
| Vaughn Broadnax | 1 | -7 | -7.0 | 0 |
| Russell Gatewood | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 |
| Trent Penn | 1 | 34 | 34.0 | 1 |
1981 Ohio State Defensive Statistics
| Player | Position | Tkl | Solo | Asst | TFL | TFL Yds | Sacks | Sack Yds | FR | Int | Int Yds | Def TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Marek | ILB | 148 | 66 | 82 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Glen Cobb | ILB | 125 | 59 | 66 | 4 | 19 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Anthony Griggs | OLB | 92 | 52 | 40 | 10 | 58 | 5 | 47 | 1 | 4 | 34 | 0 |
| Nick Miller | NG | 67 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 42 | 4 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerome Foster | DT | 66 | 39 | 27 | 12 | 68 | 5 | 45 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shaun Gayle | CB, S | 63 | 40 | 23 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Mike D’Andrea | OLB, ST | 63 | 30 | 33 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Garcia Lane | CB, S, ST | 60 | 48 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 62 | 0 |
| Doug Hill | S, ST | 55 | 32 | 23 | 4 | 19 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 28 | 0 |
| Ben Lee | OLB | 41 | 16 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Riehm | DT | 38 | 22 | 16 | 4 | 20 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kelvin Bell | CB, S | 33 | 19 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 0 |
| Jeff Cisco | CB, ST, TB | 23 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Berner | ILB, ST | 23 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spencer Nelms | DT, NG | 22 | 7 | 15 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Rich Czyzynski | OLB | 21 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lamar Keuchler | S | 19 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rowland Tatum | ILB, OLB, S, ST | 17 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Eberts | CB | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 1 |
| Bob Atha | FL, K, P, QB | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Anthony | CB, S, ST | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Crecelius | DT | 7 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robert Manning | OLB | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Orlando Lowry | OLB | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curt Curtis | OLB | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alan Balen | DT | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Frank | TE | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Tomczak | QB | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cedric Anderson | FL, SE, WR | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doyle Lewis | CB, ST | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Spencer | FB, TB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim DeLeone | C | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Lucente | C, NG | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thad Jemison | SE | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1981 Ohio State Kicking and Punting Statistics
| Player | Pt | Pt Yds | Punt Avg | TB | I20 | Pt Blkd | XP | XPA | XP % | FG | FGA | FG % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Atha | 33 | 1322 | 40.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 44 | 97.7 | 13 | 19 | 68.4 |
| Bill Andrews | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 100.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Karl Edwards | 13 | 521 | 40.1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Gary Alders | 15 | 548 | 36.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
1981 Ohio State Kick and Punt Return Stats
| Player | KR | KR Yds | KR Avg | KR TD | PR | PR Yds | PR Avg | PR TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Spencer | 18 | 367 | 20.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Victor Langley | 8 | 167 | 20.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jeff Cisco | 2 | 38 | 19.0 | 0 | 16 | 88 | 5.5 | 0 |
| John Frank | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jimmy Gayle | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Ray Myers | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Brad Dwelle | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Garcia Lane | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 23 | 205 | 8.9 | 0 |
| Cedric Anderson | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 0 |