| Year: | 1981 |
| Team: | Texas Longhorns |
| Conference: | Southwest Conference |
| Short Conf: | SWC |
| Record: | 10–1–1 |
| Conf Record: | 6–1–1 |
| Coachrank: | 4 |
| Aprank: | 2 |
| Head Coach: | Fred Akers |
| Hc Year: | 5th |
| Off Coach: | Ron Toman |
| Oc Year: | 1st |
| Def Coach: | Leon Fuller |
| Dc Year: | 5th |
| Stadium: | Texas Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 77,809) |
| Champion: | Cotton Bowl Classic champion |
| Bowl: | Cotton Bowl Classic |
| Bowl Result: | W 14–12 vs. Alabama |
The 1981 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Longhorns finished the regular season with a 9–1–1 record and defeated Alabama in the 1982 Cotton Bowl Classic.