1981 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team

The 1981 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team represented Prairie View A&M University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by second-year head coach Cornelius Cooper, the Panthers compiled an overall record of 2–8, with a conference record of 1–5, and finished seventh in the SWAC.