The 1981 Marshall Thundering Herd football team was an American football team that represented Marshall University in the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season.
In its third season under head coach Sonny Randle, the team compiled a 2–9 record (1–5 against conference opponents) and was outscored by a total of 284 to 94.
[1][2] The team played its home games at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia.