1987 Chicago Bruisers season

The 1987 Chicago Bruisers season was the first season for the arena football franchise. The Bruisers took a chance with a young team that averaged 25 years of age.[1] The Bruisers' lost their first game in franchise history, 44–52 in overtime, to the Denver Dynamite.[2] The Bruisers struggled in their second game, giving up 45 points in the first half before losing 23–60 to the Pittsburgh Gladiators.[3] Despite getting off to a 2–3 start, the Bruisers had an opportunity to make it to ArenaBowl I with a win in the final week of the season against the Dynamite.[4] The Bruisers however would lose 35–52. They finished with a record of 2–4 and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

1987 Chicago Bruisers season
Head coach	Ray Jauch
Home field	Rosemont Horizon
Results
Record	2–4
Division place	3rd
Playoff finish	did not qualify

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Results		Game site
			Final score	Team record
1	June 20	Denver Dynamite	L 44–52 (OT)	0–1	Rosemont Horizon
2	June 22	Pittsburgh Gladiators	L 23–60	0–2	Rosemont Horizon
3	July 2	at Pittsburgh Gladiators	L 14–49	0–3	Civic Arena
4	July 10	Washington Commandos	W 37–36	1–3	Rosemont Horizon
5	July 16	at Washington Commandos	W 64–61	2–3	Capital Centre
6	July 24	at Denver Dynamite	L 35–52	2–4	McNichols Sports Arena

Standings

1987 Arena Football League standings
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	PF (Avg.)	PA (Avg.)	STK
y-Pittsburgh Gladiators	4	2	0	.667	268	199	44.6	33.1	L 2
x-Denver Dynamite	4	2	0	.667	261	252	43.5	42	W 2
Washington Commandos	2	4	0	.333	288	273	48	45.5	W 1
Chicago Bruisers	2	4	0	.333	217	310	36.1	51.6	L 1

y – clinched regular-season title

x – clinched playoff spot

Roster

1987 Chicago Bruisers roster
Quarterbacks 10 Mike Hold, Jr. -- Sean Payton Wide Receivers/Defensive Backs 34 Stephen Finch -- Daryl Hart 21 Troy Hill 40 Terry Hinn -- Mike McDade 21 Durwood Roquemore -- Ken Sanders  1 Reggie Smith	Running Backs/Linebackers 82 Osia Lewis -- Reggie Oliver 25 Eddie Phillips 32 Billy Stone -- Fred Stone -- Dennis Washington Offensive Linemen/Defensive Linemen 42 Dane Griffin 65 Brent Johnson 60 Eric Larkin -- William Logan -- Mike McCurry -- Mark Rodenhauser	Wide Receivers/Linebackers 25 Richard Rodgers Kickers 20 Nick Mike-Mayer Rookies in italics Roster updated February 5, 2013 24 Active, 0 Inactive, 0 PS → More rosters

Stats

Passing

Player	Comp.	Att.	Comp%	Yards	TD's	INT's	Rating
Mike Hold, Jr.	66	139	47.5	787	16	4	82
Sean Payton	5	14	35.7	47	0	3	6.3

Rushing

Player	Car.	Yards	TD's
Billy Stone	25	139	4
Mike Hold, Jr.	25	97	2
Eddie Phillips	13	65	1
Mike McDade	1	1	0
Terry Hinn	1	0	0
Sean Payton	1	−16	0

Receiving

Player	Rec.	Yards	TD's
Reggie Smith	18	185	3
Stephen Finch	12	160	3
Mike McDade	12	120	2
Durwood Roquemore	11	99	1
Richard Rodgers	7	135	4
Ken Sanders	3	31	1
Daryl Hart	2	57	2
Terry Hinn	2	14	0
Mike Hold, Jr.	1	12	0
Eddie Phillips	1	8	0
Billy Stone	1	7	0
Troy Hill	1	6	0

Defense

Player	Tackles	Solo	Assisted	Sack	INT	Yards	TD's
Fred Stone	37	26	22	3	0	0	0
Durwood Roquemore	36	35	2	0	2	21	0
Daryl Hart	23.5	18	11	0	3	47	0
Terry Hinn	23	22	2	5	1	2	0
Stephen Finch	20	16	8	0	2	45	1
Brent Johnson	19	17	4	0	0	0	0
Osia Lewis	16	14	4	3	0	0	0
Richard Rodgers	16	14	4	0	0	0	0
Mike McDade	14	14	0	0	0	0	0
Troy Hill	10.5	8	5	0	0	0	0
Eddie Phillips	10.5	7	7	0	0	0	0
Mike McCurry	8.5	6	5	3	0	0	0
Dane Griffin	8	5	6	2	0	0	0
Dennis Washington	6	5	2	0	0	0	0
Reggie Smith	5	4	2	0	1	14	0
Eric Larkin	4.5	2	5	0	0	0	0
Reggie Oliver	3.5	3	1	0	0	0	0
Ken Sanders	3	3	0	0	0	0	0
Mark Rodenhauser	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
Nick Mike-Mayer	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
William Logan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Kick return

Player	Ret	Yards	TD's
Reggie Smith	19	305	1
Terry Hinn	8	153	0
Stephen Finch	5	85	0
Mike McDade	4	34	0
Troy Hill	2	25	0
Richard Rodgers	2	18	0
Dennis Washington	1	9	0
Billy Stone	1	8	0
Durwood Roquemore	1	0	0
Daryl Hart	1	0	1

Kicking

Player	FGM	4pg	FGA	Pct.	XPM	2pt	XPA	Pct.	Pts.
Nick Mike-Mayer	7	0	26	26.9	19	0	24	79.2	40
Mike Hold, Jr.	0	0	1	0.0	0	1	1	0.0	2

Awards

Position	Player	Award	All-Arena team
Fullback/Linebacker	Billy Stone	Ironman of the Year	1st
Offensive/Defensive Lineman	Brent Johnson	none	1st
Kicker	Nick Mike-Mayer	none	1st
Wide Receiver/Defensive Back	Reggie Smith	none	2nd

References

1. "And Now, Your Chicago Bruisers". Chicago Tribune. June 16, 1987. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
2. Linda Young (June 22, 1987). "So Far, So Good For Arena Football". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
3. Linda Young (June 28, 1987). "Pittsburgh Bombs Bruisers". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
4. "Arena Football Officials Truly A Calculating Bunch". Chicago Tribune. July 24, 1987. Retrieved January 31, 2013.