1987 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1987 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Bluebonnet Bowl, Loss, 27-32, Texas Longhorns
Conference	Independent
1987 record	8–4
Head coach	Mike Gottfried (2nd year)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Dickens (1st year)
Offensive scheme	Multiple pro-style
Defensive coordinator	John Fox (2nd year)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Pitt Stadium (Capacity: 56,500)
Seasons « 1986 1988 »

1987 Division I-A independents football records
	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		–		–				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.	North Carolina 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	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 Syracuse		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA	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	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. †Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

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

Team players drafted into in the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Craig Heyward	Running Back	1	24	New Orleans Saints
Quinton Jones	Defensive Back	2	48	Houston Oilers
Jon Carter	Defensive End	5	118	New York Giants
Ezekial Gadson	Defensive Back	5	123	Buffalo Bills
Gary RIchard	Defensive Back	7	173	Green Bay Packers
Bill Owens	Defensive Back	10	263	Dallas Cowboys
Ed Miller	Center	11	285	San Diego Chargers