1987 Syracuse Orangemen football team

1987 Syracuse Orangemen football
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy
Sugar Bowl, T 16–16 vs. Auburn
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 4
AP	No. 4
1987 record	11–0–1
Head coach	Dick MacPherson (7th season)
Captain	Paul Frase, Ted Gregory & Don McPherson
Home stadium	Carrier Dome (Capacity: 50,000)
Seasons

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 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Orangemen were led by seventh-year head coach Dick MacPherson and played their home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. The team finished 11–0–1 and tied Auburn in the 1988 Sugar Bowl. The 11 wins by the Orangemen matched the school record set by the national champion 1959 team, and their 4th-ranked finish in the AP Poll was the first ranked finish since 1961.

Schedule

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

1987 team players in the NFL

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

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