After the stars of the 1970s, OGC Nice drew more and more on its youth academy in the 1980s. With mixed results...

Despite a number of promising young players, Les Aiglons were relegated to D2 at the end of the 1981-82 season. They remained in the second tier for three years.

After missing out on promotion in very dubious circumstances in a play-off with Racing Club de Paris in their second year, Le Gym returned at the end of the next year and remained for the next six seasons. 

In the Coupe de France, Les Aiglons generally failed to impress, but did make it to the semi-finals in 1988. They clinched a sixth-placed league finish in 1989, qualifying for Europe.

One year later, Roby Langers and Co. worked a miracle to avoid relegation. After losing the first leg of their play-off with Strasbourg 3-1 in Alsace, the Rouge-et-Noir triumphed 6-0 in the return — with Langers scoring four — to secure their place in the division.