Was the Dana 44 an option in 82?

I've owned an 82 Scrambler Laredo almost 3yrs now. I bought it from the original owner, I believe he told me he ordered it. It's a 6cyl automatic. I was under it the yesterday and was kind of shocked to notice it had a Dana 44 rear. I thought all CJ's got AMC 20's except for the 86's. The old guy told me pretty specific what work he had done over the years, didn't mention a rear swap. Could it have been an option?

Not an option that I've heard of. You should be able to reference the DANA BOM number to find out what year/model Jeep it came from.
http://www2.dana.com/expertforms/deabill.aspx

I wasn't able to make out what the tag had on it while under the Jeep. I'll take it off and see if I can figure them out. Thanks