1987 Syracuse Orangemen football team

The 1987 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University an independent during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Dick MacPherson, the Orangemen compiled a record of 11–0–1 and tied Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. The 11 wins by the Orangemen matched the school record set by the national champion 1959 team, and their No. 4 ranking in the final AP poll was the first ranked finish since 1961. The team played home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York.

1987 Syracuse Orangemen football
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy
Sugar Bowl, T 16–16 vs. Auburn
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 4
AP	No. 4
Record	11–0–1
Head coach	Dick MacPherson (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	George DeLeone (1st season)
Captains	Paul Frase Ted Gregory Don McPherson
Home stadium	Carrier Dome
Seasons ← 1986 1988 →

1987 Major eastern college football independents records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Syracuse $	5	–	0	–	0			11	–	0	–	1
Penn State	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Pittsburgh	3	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
West Virginia	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	6	–	0
Rutgers	2	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Boston College	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Temple	1	–	3	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Lambert Trophy Winner Rankings from AP Poll

1987 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Miami (FL)		–		–				12	–	0	–	0
No. 4 Syracuse		–		–				11	–	0	–	1
No. 2 Florida State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 15 South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Pittsburgh		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Penn State		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
No. 17 Notre Dame		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
Northern Illinois		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
West Virginia		–		–				6	–	6	–	0
Tulane		–		–				6	–	6	–	0
Army		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Boston College		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Akron		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Louisville		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
Temple		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Tulsa		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Navy		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	Maryland		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY		W 25–11	35,234
September 12	at Rutgers		Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ		W 20–3	23,726
September 19	Miami (OH)		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY		W 24–10	33,838
September 26	at Virginia Tech		Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA		W 35–21	33,300
October 3	at Missouri		Faurot Field Columbia, MO		W 24–13	36,773
October 17	No. 10 Penn State	No. 13	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY (rivalry)	CBS	W 48–21	50,011
October 24	Colgate	No. 9	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY (rivalry)		W 52–6	48,097
October 31	at Pittsburgh	No. 8	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	CBS	W 24–10	52,714
November 7	at Navy	No. 8	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD		W 34–10	26,614
November 14	Boston College	No. 6	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY		W 45–17	49,892
November 21	West Virginia	No. 6	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY (rivalry)		W 32–31	49,866
January 1	vs. No. 6 Auburn	No. 4	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)	ABC	T 16–16	75,495
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1987 Syracuse Orange football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 36 Robert Drummond Jr RB 32 Daryl Johnston Jr WR Tommy Kane Sr TE 84 Pat Kelly Sr QB 9 Don McPherson Sr QB 5 Todd Philcox Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB David Bavaro So DT Fred DeRiggi So DT 94 Paul Frase Sr NG 93 Ted Gregory Sr DB 10 Markus Paul Jr LB 90 Terry Wooden So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 4 Jim Fox Sr	Head coach Dick MacPherson Coordinators/assistant coaches (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Awards and honors

• Dick MacPherson, Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award
• Dick MacPherson, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award
• Dick MacPherson, Paul Bear Bryant Award
• Dick MacPherson, Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award
• Don McPherson, Sammy Baugh Trophy
• Don McPherson, Maxwell Award
• Don McPherson, Davey O’Brien Award
• Don McPherson, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
• Don McPherson, Second in Heisman Trophy voting
• Don McPherson, unanimous first team All-American (AP, UPI, AFCA, FWAA, WCF, SN)
• Ted Gregory, consensus first team All-American (FWAA, UPI, SN, FN, PFW)
• Tommy Kane, Sporting News second team All-American

1987 team players in the NFL

Player	Round	Pick	Position	Club
Ted Gregory	1	26	Nose guard	Denver Broncos
Tommy Kane	3	75	Wide receiver	Seattle Seahawks
Paul Frase	6	146	Defensive tackle	New York Jets
Don McPherson	6	149	Quarterback	Philadelphia Eagles
Pat Kelly	7	174	Tight end	Denver Broncos
Tim Vesling	12	327	Kicker	Indianapolis Colts