Populist Uprising: The 1981 49ers & 1981 Clemson Tigers
This is part of a series of sports history articles celebrating the best in 1981 sports. This piece asks the question of which geographic fan base had the best year in ’81
The SportsNotebook’s year-by-year study of the modern era (1976-Present) has focused on the best place to live as a sports fan in any calendar year. 1981 challenges that that paradigm.
GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
Start reading today.
While California teams won the World Series (Dodgers) and Super Bowl (49ers), SoCal and NoCal are worlds apart. Indiana won the NCAA Tournament while Clemson’s Orange Bowl win gave them the national championship in football. The New York Islanders and Boston Celtics won titles in their sports.
With titles all splintered out, was there any common theme? Yes, there was. The championships by both San Francisco and Clemson marked landmark wins in the football landscape, for two different reasons.
Both were the first step in significant shifts in the power structure of the NFL and college football. The 49ers won an NFC Championship Game with the Dallas Cowboys that represented two ships crossing in the night, as the Dallas dynasty of Tom Landry began to fade and the San Francisco rise under BIl Walsh began.
Clemson’s national title was much farther reaching. 1981 was a year of change in college football, as traditional powers, from Notre Dame to Alabama, slipped back and new teams—including Iowa—began to step and take their place in the new order. No team took their place with greater authority than Danny Ford’s Clemson Tigers, who rolled to an unbeaten season and a national title.
TheSportsNotebook looks back on the 49ers and Clemson and their respective rides to glory.
Read more about the 1981 San Francisco 49ers
Read more about the 1981 Clemson Tigers

SportsNotebook Featured Products
View Our Complete Catalog
TheSportsNotebook.com is home to an extensive archive of sports history articles along with blog posts on contemporary sports.
Shop Our Digital Catalog
SportsNoteBook Articles
- Uncategorized
- Stanley Cup History
- Sports History Articles
- NFL History Articles
- NBA History Articles
- MLB History
- College Football History Articles
- College Basketball History Articles
- Blog
1975 Los Angeles Dodgers: Great Pitching, Fading Bats & A Rival’s Revenge
The 1975 Los Angeles Dodgers were coming off a breakthrough year. After four straight second-place finishes, they won the NL West in 1974 and went on to reach the World Series. The Dodgers were still a good team in ’75 but an old nemesis rebounded with a vengeance to leave Los Angeles on the outside […]
1975 Philadelphia Phillies: A Franchise On The Rise
The Philadelphia Phillies had been in a funk for over a decade coming into the 1975 season. After a historic collapse cost them the National League pennant in 1964, the Phils had enjoyed just one winning season and were never a serious contender. Danny Ozark took the managerial reins in 1973, and he was accompanied […]
NFL Notebook: 2025 New York Jets Preview
A new head coach combines with a veteran quarterback probably getting his last shot. Can the Jets have their first winning season in a decade? We assess.
NFL Notebook: 2025 New England Patriots Preview
Mike Vrabel’s arrival has expectations trending upward in Foxboro. Are the Patriots ready to fulfill them? We assess.
1975 Kansas City Royals: A Wild Ride That Set The Stage For Success
The 1975 Kansas City Royals had a wild ride. A young franchise in just its seventh season of existence played well early and raised hopes of the postseason. A summer skid brought despair, tension, and a managerial change. But that change gave way to a strong finish that, while coming up short of the playoffs, […]
1975 New York Yankees: Dashed Hopes But A New Beginning
The 1975 New York Yankees entered the season infused with optimism. The proud franchise hadn’t won the World Series since 1962 or even been there since 1964. Since divisional play began in 1969, they had yet to win the AL East. But they came close in 1974. And in the just-starting era of free agency, […]
1974 Marquette Basketball: Al McGuire’s Breakthrough Final Four
As he entered his 10th season on the sidelines at Marquette, Al McGuire had turned the Warrior basketball program into a consistent winner. He was routinely winning 20-plus games and making the NCAA Tournament, in an era when both objectives were far less commonplace than is the case today. What he hadn’t yet done was […]
The 1975 World Series: The Big Red Machine Survives In A Seven-Game Classic
What Cincinnati had—at long last, after 35 years of waiting—was a World Series trophy. Had they lost this Series, this group of players would have had the “Can’t Win The Big One” tag trailing them around. Instead, they were just getting started on a dynasty.