HELP COMPLETE THE 1981 STORY
Your memory belongs in this season
Played, coached, cheered, covered or watched this team? Add the details that a scorebook could never hold.
Seven straight wins and a return to the Industrial Bowl
The run began with Mike Clark’s fourth-quarter touchdown against BGA. Greenbrier then beat Goodlettsville and Cheatham before three first-half interceptions fueled a 27–0 shutout of Macon.
Wins over Stewart, White House and DeKalb carried the Bobcats to 7–0. That opening block produced 222 points and allowed 56, with three games of at least 45 points in a five-week span.
Beech ended the streak 23–22 on Hoy Grimm’s 43-yard field goal with 1:15 left. Goodpasture followed with a win, Greenbrier edged Portland 14–13, and Cookeville won the Industrial Bowl 20–6 at Lafayette.
1981 football schedule
| # | Date* | Opponent | Score | Result | Record | Site* | Record note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sept. 4, 1981 | BGA | 15–12 | W | 1–0 | Site open | Recorded Greenbrier final |
| 2 | Date open | Goodlettsville | 20–6 | W | 2–0 | Site open | Recorded Greenbrier final |
| 3 | Date open | Cheatham Co. | 35–26 | W | 3–0 | Site open | Recorded Greenbrier final |
| 4 | Date open | Macon Co. | 27–0 | W | 4–0 | Site open | Recorded Greenbrier final |
| 5 | Date open | Stewart Co. | 53–6 | W | 5–0 | Site open | Recorded Greenbrier final |
| 6 | Date open | White House | 27–6 | W | 6–0 | Site open | Photo caption differs |
| 7 | Date open | DeKalb Co. | 45–0 | W | 7–0 | Site open | Recorded Greenbrier final |
| 8 | Oct. 23, 1981 | Beech | 22–23 | L | 7–1 | Site open | Recorded Greenbrier final |
| 9 | Date open | Goodpasture | 16–37 | L | 7–2 | Site open | Recorded Greenbrier final |
| 10 | Date open | Portland | 14–13 | W | 8–2 | Site open | Recorded Greenbrier final |
| 11 | Nov. 14, 1981 · 7:30 p.m. | Cookeville | 6–20 | L | 8–3 | Lafayette | Industrial Bowl |
Read the surviving record
Names recorded with the season
All-State: Mike Clark, first team; Scott Elder, honorable mention. All-Mid-State: Clark, first team; Elder, third team; Dale Bagwell, Daniel Owsley and Mitch Templeton, honorable mention. Those five also made All-District. Clark was team MVP; Gary Webster was Industrial Bowl Defensive MVP.
The captain record describes seniors serving as game captains and does not supply one fixed 1981 list.
One season inside the bowl-to-playoff era
The retained 1976–82 results total 43–30, with Greenbrier scoring 1,371 points and allowing 1,086. The passage begins with Pearson’s Industrial Bowl champions, crosses the first TSSAA playoff and reaches Corlew’s 1981 peak.