1987 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1987 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Conference Independent
1987 record 8–4
Head coach Mike Gottfried (2nd year)
Offensive coordinator Mike Dickens (1st year)
Offensive scheme Multiple pro-style [1]
Defensive coordinator John Fox (2nd year)
Base defense 4–3 [1]
Home stadium Pitt Stadium
(Capacity: 56,500)
1987 Division I-A independents football records
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#1 Miami (FL)   –   –       12 – 0 – 0
#4 Syracuse   –   –       11 – 0 – 1
#2 Florida State   –   –       11 – 1 – 0
#15 South Carolina   –   –       8 – 4 – 0
Pittsburgh   –   –       8 – 4 – 0
Penn State   –   –       8 – 4 – 0
#17 Notre Dame   –   –       8 – 4 – 0
Southern Miss   –   –       6 – 5 – 0
Rutgers   –   –       6 – 5 – 0
Southwestern Louisiana   –   –       6 – 5 – 0
Memphis   –   –       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
Navy   –   –       2 – 9 – 0
Virginia Tech   –   –       2 – 9 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1987 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the sport of American football during the 1987 college football season.

Schedule

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
Wed. Sep. 2 7:30 p.m. at BYU Cougar Stadium • Provo, UT ESPN W 27–17   64,374
Sat. Sep. 12 1:30 p.m. NC State #18 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA W 34–0   43,165
Sat. Sep. 19 1:30 p.m. Temple #16 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA L 21–24   45,387
Sat. Sep. 26 12:00 p.m. at West Virginia Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV (Backyard Brawl) JP Sports W 6–3   65,079
Sat. Oct. 3 1:30 p.m. Boston College Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA L 10–13   46,238
Sat. Oct. 10 7:30 p.m. #4 Notre Dame Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA (Rivalry) ESPN W 30–22   56,400
Sat. Oct. 24 12:00 p.m. at Navy Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD JP Sports W 10–6   29,167
Sat. Oct. 31 3:30 p.m. #8 Syracusedagger Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA (Rivalry) CBS L 10–24   52,714
Sat. Nov. 7 12:00 p.m. at Rutgers Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, NJ W 17–0   25,444
Sat. Nov. 14 4:30 p.m. #15 Penn State Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA (Rivalry) ESPN W 10–0   56,500
Sat. Nov. 21 1:30 p.m. Kent State #19 Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA W 28–5   35,472
Thu. Dec. 31 7:00 p.m. vs. Texas #19 Astrodome • Houston, TX (Bluebonnet Bowl) Mizlou L 27–32   33,122
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

[2] [3]

Coaching staff

1987 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff
Coaching Staff
  • Mike Gottfried – Head Coach
  • Jack Harbaugh – Assistant Head Coach
  • Mike Dickens – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
  • John Fox – Defensive Coordinator/Secondary
  • Tommie Liggins – Run Coordinator/Running Backs
  • Steve Coury – Wide Receivers
  • Frank D'Alonzo – Defensive Line
  • Bill Meyers – Offensive Line
  • Scott O'Brien – Special Teams
  • Sal Sunseri – Linebackers
   Support Staff
  • Alex Kramer – Administrative Assistant
  • Bud Ratliff – Recruiting Coordinator
  • Rick Denstorff – Graduate Assistant
  • Bill D'Ottavio – Graduate Assistant
  • John Harbaugh – Graduate Assistant
  • Larry Petroff – Graduate Assistant
  • Donnie Roberts – Graduate Assistant
   Strength and Conditioning Staff
  • Buddy Morris – Weight and Strength Coordinator
  • Ray Oliver – Assistant Strength

[4] [5]

Game summaries

Notre Dame

1 234Total
Notre Dame 0 0715 22
• Pittsburgh 14 1303 30
  • Date: October 10
  • Location: Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
  • Game attendance: 56,400

[6]


Team players drafted into the NFL

Player Position Round Pick NFL Club
Craig Heyward Running Back1 24 New Orleans Saints
Quinton Jones Defensive Back2 48 Houston Oilers
Jon Carter Defensive End5 118 New York Giants
Ezekial Gadson Defensive Back5 123 Buffalo Bills
Gary RIchard Defensive Back 7 173 Green Bay Packers
Bill Owens Defensive Back 10 263 Dallas Cowboys
Ed Miller Center11 285 San Diego Chargers

[7]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Quick Facts About Pitt". Pitt Football 1987. University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics. 1987. p. 2. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Table of Contents". Pitt Football 1987. University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics. 1987. p. 1. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  3. ↑ "1987 Review". Pitt Football 1988. University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics. 1988. pp. 59–68. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Coaches". Pitt Football 1987. University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics. 1987. pp. 5–14. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Coaches". Pitt Football 1988. University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics. 1988. pp. 13–14. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  6. ↑ Gainesville Sun. 1987 Oct 11. Retrieved 2014-Dec-28.
  7. ↑ "1988 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 8, 2012.