1987 Michigan Wolverines football team

The 1987 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its 19th season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the team compiled an 8–4 record (5–3 against conference opponents), defeated Alabama in the Hall of Fame Bowl, outscored opponents by a total of 331 to 172, and was ranked No. 19 and No. 18, respectively, in the final AP and UPI polls.[1][2]

1987 Michigan Wolverines football
Hall of Fame Bowl champion
Hall of Fame Bowl, W 28–24 vs. Alabama
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 18
AP	No. 19
1987 record	8–4 (5–3 Big Ten)
Head coach	Bo Schembechler (19th season)
Offensive coordinator	Gary Moeller (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Lloyd Carr (1st season)
MVP	Jamie Morris
Captains	Doug Mallory Jamie Morris
Home stadium	Michigan Stadium (Capacity: 101,701)

1987 Big Ten Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 8 Michigan State $	7	–	0	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
No. 16 Iowa	6	–	2	–	0			10	–	3	–	0
Indiana	6	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
No. 19 Michigan	5	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Ohio State	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	4	–	1
Minnesota	3	–	5	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Purdue	3	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	1
Illinois	2	–	5	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
Northwestern	2	–	6	–	0			2	–	8	–	1
Wisconsin	1	–	7	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Demetrius Brown with 1,251 passing yards, tailback Jamie Morris with 1,703 rushing yards and 90 points scored, and split end Greg McMurtry with 474 receiving yards.[3]

Two Michigan players received first-team honors on the 1987 All-America college football team: offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott (consensus) and defensive lineman Mark Messner (The Sporting News). Five Michigan players received first-team honors on the 1987 All-Big Ten Conference football team.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 12	3:30 p.m.	No. 16 Notre Dame*	No. 9	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ABC	L 7–26	106,098
September 19	1:00 p.m.	Washington State*	No. 19	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI		W 44–18	103,521
September 26	1:00 p.m.	Long Beach State*	No. 14	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI		W 49–0	101,714
October 3	1:00 p.m.	Wisconsin	No. 12	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI		W 49–0	104,410
October 10	3:30 p.m.	at Michigan State	No. 12	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (Paul Bunyan Trophy)	ABC	L 11–17	77,424
October 17	12:00 p.m.	Iowa		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	ABC	W 37–10	105,406
October 24	2:30 p.m.	at No. 15 Indiana	No. 20	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN		L 10–14	51,240
October 31	1:00 p.m.	Northwestern		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI		W 29–6	104,101
November 7	3:30 p.m.	at Minnesota		Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN (Little Brown Jug)	ABC	W 30–20	55,481
November 14	12:30 p.m.	at Illinois		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	ABC	W 17–14	64,496
November 21	12:00 p.m.	Ohio State		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ABC	L 20–23	106,031
January 2, 1988	1:00 p.m.	vs. Alabama*		Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL (Hall of Fame Bowl)	NBC	W 28–24	60,156
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

Washington State

1 2 3 4 Total Washington St 7 3 0 8 18 • Michigan 7 6 24 7 44 Date: September 19 Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan Game attendance: 103,521

Scoring summary Q1 MICH Kolesar 25 yard pass from D. Brown (Gillette kick) MICH 7–0 Q1 WSU Leighton 20 yard pass from Rosenbach (Adams kick) Tie 7–7 Q2 WSU Adams 30 yard field goal WSU 10–7 Q2 MICH Gillette 36 yard field goal Tie 10–10 Q2 MICH Gillette 48 yard field goal MICH 13–10 Q3 MICH Morris 2 yard run (Gillette kick) MICH 20–10 Q3 MICH Gillette 32 yard field goal MICH 23–10 Q3 MICH D. Brown 12 yard run (Gillette kick) MICH 30–10 Q3 MICH Morris 1 yard run (Gillette kick) MICH 37–10 Q4 WSU Wood 33 yard pass from Rosenbach (Calvin run) MICH 37–18 Q4 MICH Jefferson 70 yard run (Gillette kick) MICH 44–18

[4]

Wisconsin

1 2 3 4 Total Wisconsin 0 0 0 0 0 • Michigan 21 21 7 0 49 Date: October 3 Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan Game attendance: 104,410

Scoring summary 1 Michigan Jefferson 1-yard run (Gillette kick) Michigan 7-0 1 Michigan D. Brown 14-yard run (Gillette kick) Michigan 14-0 1 Michigan Morris 35-yard run (Gillette kick) Michigan 21-0 2 Michigan Morris 13-yard run (Gillette kick) Michigan 28-0 2 Michigan Morris 1-yard run (Gillette kick) Michigan 35-0 2 Michigan D. Walker 7-yard pass from Taylor (Gillette kick) Michigan 42-0 3 Michigan D. Brown 1-yard run (Gillette kick) Michigan 49-0

[5]

at Michigan State

Iowa

Iowa at Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total Hawkeyes 0 10 0 0 10 • Wolverines 6 24 0 7 37 Date: October 17 Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan Game attendance: 105,406

Scoring summary 1 Mich D. Brown 1-yard run (kick failed) Mich 6-0 2 Mich Gillette 42-yard field goal Mich 9-0 2 Mich Kolesar 35-yard pass from Brown (Gillette kick) Mich 16-0 2 IOWA Clark 6-yard pass from Hartlieb (Houghtlin kick) Mich 16-7 2 Mich McMurtry 12-yard pass from Brown (Gillette kick) Mich 23-7 2 IOWA Houghtlin 46-yard field goal Mich 23-10 2 Mich McMurtry 12-yard pass from Brown (Gillette kick) Mich 30-10 4 Mich Morris 3-yard run (Gillette kick) Mich 37-10

[6]

Northwestern

Northwestern Wildcats at Michigan Wolverines

	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern	0	0	0	6	6
Michigan	0	12	3	14	29

at Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, Michigan

• Date: October 31
• Game attendance: 104,101
• TV: ABC
• [7]

Game information
MICH - Gillette 28 yard field goal MICH - Gillette 22 yard field goal MICH - Taylor 1 yard run (pass failed) MICH - Gillette 43 yard field goal MICH - Taylor 65 yard run (Gillette kick) NW - Greenfield 1 yard run (pass failed) MICH - Morris 74 yard run (Gillette kick)

at Minnesota

Little Brown Jug: Michigan Wolverines at Minnesota Golden Gophers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan	7	0	16	7	30
Minnesota	10	7	0	3	20

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

• Date: November 7
• Game weather: Indoors (dome)
• Game attendance: 55,481
• [8]

Game information

MINN - Lohmiller 38 yard field goal MINN - Thompson 1 yard run (Lohmiller kick) MICH - McMurtry 62 yard pass from D. Brown (Gillette kick) MINN - Thompson 98 yard run (Lohmiller kick) MICH - Morris 9 yard run (pass good) MICH - Hoard 1 yard run (pass good) MINN - Lohmiller 49 yard field goal MICH - Calloway 36 yard pass from D. Brown (Gillette kick) Michigan D. Brown 7/15, 146 Yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Morris 29 Rush, 149 Yds, TD McMurtry 3 Rec, 97 Yds, TD Minnesota Foggie 12/23, 160 Yds Thompson 21 Rush, 201 Yds, 2 TD Bruce 3 Rec, 51 Yds

Ohio State

Ohio State Buckeyes (5–4–1) at Michigan Wolverines

	1	2	3	4	Total
Ohio St	0	7	13	3	23
Michigan	7	6	7	0	20

at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

• Date: November 21, 1987
• Game time: 12:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Cloudy, low 30s
• Game attendance: 106,031
• TV: ABC
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter MICH – Jamie Morris 1-yard run (Mike Gillette kick), 10:02. Michigan 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 2:43. Second quarter MICH – Mike Gillette 34-yard field goal, 14:57. Michigan 10–0. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 4:13. MICH – Mike Gillette 19-yard field goal, 7:05. Michigan 13–0. Drive: 13 plays, 53 yards, 5:49. OSU – Everett Ross 61-yard pass from Tom Tupa (Matt Frantz kick), 1:36. Michigan 13–7. Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 4:08. Third quarter OSU – Carlos Snow 70-yard pass from Tom Tupa (Matt Frantz kick), 12:32. Ohio St 14–13. Drive: 1 play, 70 yards, 0:12. OSU – Tom Tupa 1-yard run (kick failed), 7:11. Ohio St 20–13. Drive: 3 plays, 19 yards, 1:05. MICH – Leroy Hoard 10-yard run (Mike Gillette kick), 1:14. Tie 20–20. Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 2:00. Fourth quarter OSU – Matt Frantz 26-yard field goal, 5:18. Ohio St 23–20. Drive: 15 plays, 77 yards. Top passers OSU – Tom Tupa – 18/26, 219 yards, 2 TD MICH – Demetrius Brown – 5/13, 79 yards, INT Top rushers OSU – Carlos Snow – 21 rushes, 67 yards MICH – Jamie Morris – 23 rushes, 130 yards, TD Top receivers OSU – Carlos Snow – 3 receptions, 82 yards, TD MICH – Jerod Bunch – 1 reception, 39 yards

vs. Alabama (Hall of Fame Bowl)

• Jamie Morris 23 Rush, 234 Yds [9]

Players

Roster

1987 Michigan Wolverines football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 29 Geoffrey Bissell Sr RB 46 Tony Boles So C Andrew Borowski Fr QB 6 Demetrius Brown Jr TE 80 Jeffrey Brown Jr RB 32 Jarrod Bunch So WR 2 Chris Calloway So TE 82 Bob Cernak Sr G 64 Dave Chester Sr G 76 Michael Dames Sr T 63 Doug Daugherty So G 57 Dave Dever Sr G 78 Dean Dingman Fr T 73 Tom Dohring So T 72 Jumbo Elliott Sr T 70 Mark Erhardt Sr WR 45 J. Patrick Fitzgerald Sr RB 33 Leroy Hoard So T 74 Mike Husar Sr RB 28 Allen Jefferson So WR 40 John Kolesar Jr TE 97 Dave Mandel Sr TE 88 Scott Mandel Sr WR 1 Greg McMurtry So TE 90 Keith Mitchell Jr RB 23 Jamie Morris Sr C/G 62 Marc Ramirez Sr DB 33 Marcus Martin Fr T 75 Greg Skrepenak Fr QB 9 Michael Taylor Jr C 67 John Vitale Sr TE 89 Derrick Walker Jr RB 46 Phil Webb Sr G 50 David Weil Jr WR 3 Tripp Welborne Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 24 Bobby Abrams Jr DB 15 David Arnold Jr DB {{{num}}} Allen Bishop Sr DB 12 Ernest F. Bock Sr LB 99 Carlitos Bostic Sr DB 5 Erik Campbell Sr LB 92 Keith Cooper Jr LB 51 John Duerr Sr DT 93 Dave Folkertsma Sr LB 95 J. J. Grant Jr DB 9 Mark Gutzwiller Jr MG 56 Billy Harris DB 25 Rick Hassel Jr DB 19 Scott Herrala Jr DT 96 John Herrmann Sr LB 97 Joseph H. Holland Jr DB 26 David Key So DB 34 Sean Lafountaine So DB 15 Don Lessner Sr SS 8 Doug Mallory Sr DT 79 Warde Manuel Sr LB 54 Andree McIntyre Sr DT 60 Mark Messner Sr LB 30 John Milligan So DB 20 Anthony Mitchell Jr DB 27 Vada Murray So DT 94 T. J. Osman So LB 65 Cornelius Simpson Fr LB 44 Bob Stites Sr LB 53 Rick Stites Sr MG 91 Mike Teeter Sr LB 86 Steven Thibert Sr DT 88 Brent White Jr LB 85 Timothy Williams So LB 39 John Willingham Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 19 Mike Gillette Jr P 43 Monte Robbins Sr K 9 Rick Stukiewicz Sr	Head coach Bo Schembechler Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Offense

• Geoffrey Bissell, wide receiver, senior, West Bloomfield, Michigan
• Tony Boles, running back, sophomore, Westland, Michigan
• Andrew Borowski, center, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Demetrius Brown, quarterback, junior, Miami, Florida - started 10 games at quarterback
• Jeffrey Brown, tight end, junior, Shaker Heights, Ohio - started all 12 games at tight end
• Jarrod Bunch, running back, sophomore, Ashtabula, Ohio - started 9 games at fullback
• Chris Calloway, wide receiver, sophomore, Chicago, Illinois - started 5 games at flanker
• Bob Cernak, tight end, senior, Lockport, Illinois
• Dave Chester, offensive guard, senior, Titusville, Florida - started 6 games at left offensive guard
• Michael Dames, offensive guard, senior, Miami, Florida - started 6 games at left offensive guard
• Doug Daugherty, offensive tackle, sophomore, Romeo, Michigan
• Dave Dever, offensive guard, senior, Midland, Michigan
• Dean Dingman, offensive guard, freshman, East Troy, Wisconsin
• Tom Dohring, offensive tackle, sophomore, Dearborn, Michigan - started 6 games at left offensive tackle
• Jumbo Elliott, offensive tackle, senior, Lake Ronkonkoma, New York - started all 12 games at right offensive tackle
• Mark Erhardt, offensive tackle, senior, North Olmsted, Ohio
• J. Patrick Fitzgerald, wide receiver, senior, Vandalia, Ohio
• Leroy Hoard, fullback, sophomore, New Orleans, Louisiana - started 1 game at fullback
• Mike Husar, offensive tackle, senior, Chicago, Illinois - started 6 games at left offensive tackle
• Allen Jefferson, tailback, sophomore, Detroit, Michigan
• John Kolesar, flanker, junior, Westlake, Ohio - started 7 games at flanker
• Dave Mandel, tight end, senior, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Scott Mandel, tight end, senior, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Greg McMurtry, split end, sophomore, Brockton, Massachusetts - started all 12 games at split end
• Keith Mitchell, tight end, junior, Southgate, Michigan
• Jamie Morris, tailback, senior, Ayer, Massachusetts - started all 12 games at tailback
• Marc Ramirez, center/guard, senior, Prairie View, Illinois
• Greg Skrepenak, offensive tackle, freshman, Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
• Michael Taylor, quarterback, junior, Lincoln Heights, Ohio - started 2 games at quarterback
• John Vitale, center, senior, Detroit, Michigan - started all 12 games at center
• Derrick Walker, tight end, junior, Glenwood, Illinois
• Phil Webb, running back, senior, Romeo, Michigan - started 2 games at fullback
• David Weil, offensive guard, junior, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Tripp Welborne, wide receiver, freshman, Greensboro, North Carolina

Defense

• Bobby Abrams, defensive back, junior, Detroit, Michigan - started 7 games at outside linebacker, 2 games at inside linebacker
• David Arnold, defensive back, junior, Warren, Ohio - started 9 games at cornerback
• Allen Bishop, defensive back, senior, Miami, Florida - started 8 games at cornerback
• Ernest F. Bock, defensive back, senior, Northville, Michigan
• Carlitos Bostic, outside linebacker, senior, Ypsilanti, Michigan
• Erik Campbell, defensive back, senior, Gary, Indiana - started all 12 games (7 at cornerback, 5 at free safety)
• Keith Cooper, outside linebacker, junior, Detroit, Michigan - started 4 games at outside linebacker, 3 games at inside linebacker
• John Duerr, outside linebacker, senior, Dearborn, Michigan
• Dave Folkertsma, defensive tackle, senior, Grand Rapids, Michigan
• J. J. Grant, inside linebacker, junior, Liverpool, New York - started 7 games at inside linebacker
• Mark Gutzwiller, defensive back, junior, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Billy Harris, middle guard, Xenia, Ohio - started 10 games at middle guard
• Rick Hassel, defensive back, junior, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Scott Herrala, defensive back, junior, Muskegon, Michigan
• John Herrmann, defensive tackle, junior, Sussex, Wisconsin - started all 12 games at defensive tackle
• Joseph H. Holland, outside linebacker, junior, Birmingham, Michigan
• David Key, defensive back, sophomore, Columbus, Ohio
• Sean Lafountaine, defensive back, sophomore, Hanover Park, Illinois
• Don Lessner, defensive back, senior, Trenton, Michigan
• Doug Mallory, strong safety, senior, DeKalb, Illinois - started all 12 games at strong safety
• Warde Manuel, defensive tackle, sophomore, New Orleans, Louisiana - started 5 games at outside linebacker
• Andree McIntyre, inside linebacker, senior, Chicago, Illinois - started 3 games at inside linebacker
• Mark Messner, defensive tackle, senior, Hartland, Michigan - started all 12 games at defensive tackle
• John Milligan, linebacker, sophomore, Trenton, Michigan - started 5 games at inside linebacker
• Anthony Mitchell, defensive back, junior, Titusville, Florida - started 7 games at free safety
• Vada Murray, defensive back, sophomore, Cincinnati, Ohio
• T. J. Osman, defensive tackle, sophomore, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - started 2 games at middle guard
• Cornelius Simpson, linebacker, freshman, Highland Park, Michigan - started 4 games at inside linebacker
• Bob Stites, inside linebacker, senior, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Rick Stites, inside linebacker, senior, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Mike Teeter, middle guard, sophomore, Fruitport, Michigan
• Steven Thibert, outside linebacker, senior, Union Lake, Michigan - started 2 games at outside linebacker
• Brent White, defensive tackle, junior, Dayton, Ohio
• Timothy Williams, linebacker, sophomore, Milwaukee, Wisconsin - started 1 game at inside linebacker
• John Willingham, outside linebacker, senior, Dayton, Ohio - started 5 games at outside linebacker

Kickers

• Mike Gillette, place-kicker, junior, St. Joseph, Michigan
• Monte Robbins, punter, senior, Great Bend, Kansas
• Rick Stukiewicz, place-kicker, senior, Troy, Michigan

Awards and honors

• Captains: Jamie Morris, Doug Mallory
• All-Americans: Jumbo Elliott, Mark Messner
• All-Conference: Mark Messner, John Elliott, Jamie Morris, John Vitale, Mike Husar
• Most Valuable Player: Jamie Morris
• Meyer Morton Award: Jamie Morris
• John Maulbetsch Award: Tim Williams
• Frederick Matthei Award: Derrick Walker
• Arthur Robinson Scholarship Award: Dave Mandel
• Dick Katcher Award: Mark Messner
• Hugh Rader Jr. Award: John "Jumbo" Elliott
• Robert P. Ufer Award: Jamie Morris

Coaching staff

• Head coach: Bo Schembechler
• Assistant coaches: Alex Agase, Tirrel Burton, Cam Cameron, Lloyd Carr, Jerry Hanlon, Bill Harris, Jerry Meter, Les Miles, Gary Moeller, Tom Reed
• Trainer: Russ Miller
• Manager: Aaron Studwell (senior manager), Scott Boyle, Patrick Perkins, Bob McArdle

References

1. "1987 Football Team". Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
2. "1987 Michigan Wolverines Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
3. "1987 Michigan Wolverines Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
4. Gainesville Sun. 1987 Sept 20.
5. Gainesville Sun. 1987 Oct 4.
6. "Big Ten Roundup: Brown and Michigan Bounce Back and Beat Iowa at the Pass, 37-10". Los Angeles Times. October 18, 1987. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
7. Gainesville Sun. 1987 Nov 01. Retrieved 2019-Apr-10.
8. Gainesville Sun. 1987 Nov 08. Retrieved 2019-Apr-13.
9. University of Michigan Football Record Book Pt. 1

External links

• 1987 Football Team -- Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Athletics History