The 1981 Elon Fightin' Christians football team was an American football team that represented Elon University of Elon, North Carolina, as a member of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) during the 1981 NAIA Division I football season. In their fifth and final year under head coach Jerry Tolley, the Christians compiled an 11âÂÂ1âÂÂ1 record (6âÂÂ1 against SAC opponents) and won the SAC championship.
The team lost to and tied with . The team advanced to the NAIA Division I playoffs, defeating (38âÂÂ8) in the quarterfinals, (41âÂÂ13) in the semifinals, and (3âÂÂ0) in the national championship game.