Oct 22, 2022
1987-A Glorious Time to be a Fan of the ‘Cuse
Whether it was football or basketball, the Carrier Dome was rocking.
In 1987, a gallon of gas cost .89 cents. A dozen eggs cost .65 cents. They still built Oldsmobile’s and Pontiacs in Detroit. The stock market crashed in October that year, dropping 508 points (22%) in a single day’s trading. And President Ronald Reagan told the Russians to tear down the Berlin Wall.
At the box office, Lethal Weapon, Wall Street, and Good Morning, Vietnam debuted on the silver screen. At home, people watched the Cosby Show and Hill Street Blues on T.V.
And if you were a sports fan in upstate New York in 1987, you enjoyed watching the football and basketball teams of Syracuse University enjoy tremendous success on the hardwood and the gridiron.
Syracuse Basketball
The Orangemen, as they were known back then, were coached by Jim Boeheim and started the 1986-87 season by winning 14 straight games.
They were led by G Sherman Douglas (17 points, 7 assists per game), C Rony Seikaly (15 points, 8 rebounds per game), and a freshman phenom named Derrick Coleman (11 points, 8 rebounds per game), Greg Monroe (12 points, 4 assists per game) and Howard Triche (11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists per game).
Syracuse finished the regular season in a three-way tie for first place in the now-defunct Big East Conference with a record of 12–4. They entered March Madness as the #2 seed in the East Region.
Their NCAA tournament run included wins over Western Kentucky, Florida, #1 seed North Carolina, and Providence (in the Final Four). They faced off against Bobby Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers for the National Championship in the Louisiana Superdome.
Indiana took a 34–33 lead at halftime. But Syracuse pulled ahead in the 2nd half and led 73–72 with 28 seconds left. Coleman missed the first shot of a one-and-one, and that set up a dramatic finish.
Indiana’s Keith Smart hit a jump shot from the left side with 0:04 left on the clock to put the Hoosiers ahead 74–73 with 0:01 left on the clock.
Syracuse inbounded the ball but Smart intercepted it and the Hoosiers won their third national title. Douglas led Syracuse with 20 points. Seikaly poured in 18. Monroe added 12 points.
The Orangemen finished the 1987 season at 31–7 as the national runner-up.
Syracuse Football
In the fall of ‘87, Syracuse football turned in their greatest season since posting an undefeated season in 1959. They reeled off 11 straight victories, including a 48–21 victory over #10 Penn State, the defending national champs.
Not bad for a team that went 5–6 the year before. The program was coached by Dick McPherson. For his team’s accomplishments, McPherson was named National Coach of the Year.
The Orangemen were led on the field by QB Don McPherson. McPherson passed for 2341 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 11 INTs. He also added five rushing touchdowns, on his way to be selected as a unanimous 1st Team All-American.
McPherson hoisted some serious hardware that season:
- Sammy Baugh Trophy
- Maxwell Award
- Davey O’Brien Award
- Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
- 2nd in the Heisman Trophy voting
- Named MVP of the Sugar Bowl
Syracuse had a potent rushing attack, with three rushers going over 500 yards on the season:
- Robbert Drummond: 828 yards, 6 TDs
- Daryl Johnston: 614 yards, 4 TDs
- Michael Owens: 542 yards, 4 TDs
McPherson’s favorite target that season was Tommy Kane, who caught 44 passes for 968 yards and 14 touchdowns. He averaged 22 yards per catch.
On defense, the Orangemen allowed just 14 points per game with a unit ranked in the top ten in scoring defense. They also intercepted 16 passes, with DB Markus Paul picking off five.
In that game against the Nittany Lions, McPherson completed 15 of 20 passes for 336 yards and 3 TDs, and also added 2 touchdowns on the ground. And the Syracuse defense held RB Blair Thomas to just 42 yards on the ground.
1987 Sugar Bowl vs #6 Auburn
#4 Syracuse earned a berth in the Sugar Bowl to face off against #6 Auburn. It was a defensive battle mostly, with the game ending in a 16–16 tie. The Orangemen converted three field goals.
McPherson, the Heisman runner-up, completed 11 of 21 passes for just 140 yards and a touchdown, but he was sacked five times.
It was the second tie of the season for Auburn, having tied #11 Tennessee 20–20 in week three.
Syracuse finished the ’87 season 11–0–1 and ranked 4th in the final AP Poll.
1987 was the Year of the Orange(men). That season set the stage for future success, and it was a glorious time to be fan of the ‘Cuse.
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