The 1987 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
during the
1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. They were coached by
Dick Tomey
Richard Hastings Tomey (June 20, 1938 – May 10, 2019) was an American football coach and player. Tomey served as the head football coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (1977–1986), University of Arizona (1987–2000), and San Jose State ...
in his first season with the school. Tomey was hired from
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
to replace
Larry Smith, who accepted the head coaching position at
USC, who like Arizona, was in the
Pac-10 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...
. Tomey and Smith would face other later in the season (see below).
The departure of Smith heavily affected the Wildcats in the season, leading to a rebuild of the team led by Tomey, and ultimately finishing the season with a record of 4–4–3 (2–3–3 in Pac-10), including a tie with rival
Arizona State
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
in the season finale.
Before the season
Arizona ended 1986 with a 9–3 record and won the
Aloha Bowl
The Aloha Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision (then known as Division I-A) college football bowl game played in Honolulu, Hawaii at Aloha Stadium.
History
The Aloha Bowl was established in 1982 by Mack ...
, which was their first postseason win. When the season concluded, Smith was hired by conference opponent USC to take over the team, reportedly due to the Trojans’ longer-lasting football tradition as well as Smith’s success with Arizona. Arizona would hire Tomey, who was coaching at Hawaii, and accepted the coaching position (Tomey had attended the Aloha Bowl and was impressed by Arizona's performance that he contacted the school and was ultimately hired). Due to the Wildcats getting a new coach and Smith leaving for USC, the Wildcats struggled to get in-state recruits and entered the 1987 season unranked in the polls.
Schedule
Roster
Game summaries
Iowa
In Tomey's Arizona debut, the Wildcats hosted Iowa. Arizona's offense struggled at times, but the defense kept them in the game. They would fall a point short to the Hawkeyes.
New Mexico
In their second game of the season, Arizona hosted New Mexico, and the Wildcats defeated the Lobos to give Tomey his first win as Arizona coach and the rivalry's trophy, the
Kit Carson
Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and ...
Rifle, remained in Tucson (the rifle would be retired after the 1997 season).
UCLA
In Arizona's Pac-10 opener, they visited UCLA, who was ranked 13th. In what was Tomey's first big test, the Wildcats hung with the Bruins before UCLA pulled away late to win.
California
In Berkeley, the visiting Wildcats took on California. Both Arizona and the Golden Bears tied each other and the score ended up in a tie.
Washington
On homecoming day, Arizona faced Washington and was still looking for their first win over the Huskies. Both teams would play even, and the game ultimately ended in a draw.
USC
On the road at USC, Tomey faced his predecessor Larry Smith, and came up short to the Trojans. It was the first time in Wildcats history that a head coach faced an opponent coached by his predecessor in his first season. USC would ultimately go on to clinch a spot in the
Rose Bowl near the end of the season.
Arizona State
In Tempe for the rivalry game, Arizona and Arizona State battled back and forth all game long. In the final minute of the fourth quarter, ASU led 24-21 and appeared on its way to ending the Wildcats’ five-game winning streak in the rivalry when they fumbled on a punt attempt and Arizona recovered the ball in the red zone. The Wildcats would convert on a field goal as time expired to settle for a tie. It would be the rivalry's first and only tie in history (ties were eliminated in 1996).
Awards and honors
*
Chuck Cecil
Charles Douglas "Chuck" Cecil (born November 8, 1964) is an American football coach and former player in the National Football League (NFL). He is currently the safeties coach at the University of Arizona in Tucson, his alma mater. He previously ...
, S, Pac-10 defensive player of the year, Consensus All-American, First-team all-Pac-10
*
Dana Wells
Dana Wells (born August 5, 1966) is a retired American football nose tackle.
Professional career
He played in the National Football League in 1989.
College career
Wells played college football at the University of Arizona and won the Morris ...
, DL, Pac-10 Morris Trophy winner (defense)
Season notes
*Without the guidance of Smith, Arizona's win percentage dropped in Tomey's first year, though the program was in a rebuilding process. Tomey would bring back a winning resurgence that Smith built beginning in 1988.
*The Wildcats played Iowa this season and had a new coach. They had also played Iowa in Smith's first year in 1980. Unlike Smith, who defeated the Hawkeyes, Tomey lost to them.
*Tomey got his first Pac-10 win against Oregon State and his first road win against Stanford.
*Arizona finished the season with three ties, which was the first season in which Arizona had more than one tie in its record. They were one of only two Pac-10 teams that had at least two ties in the season, with California being the other.
*When Arizona played USC, the game was referred to the “Smith Bowl” due to Smith being the coach at both schools and was previously Arizona coach before taking the USC job in this season. After this season, Tomey and Smith would face each other five more times, with USC winning three of them before Smith was fired in 1992.
*Despite tying Arizona State, the Wildcats were still dominant over the Sun Devils at the time and would finish the rest of the 1980s without losing to them.
*If not for the ties and close losses, Arizona would have made a bowl appearance this season.
*For the second consecutive year, an Arizona player won the Pac-10 defensive player of the year award, as Chuck Cecil became the award's recipient this season. Cecil is known to many Wildcats fans for returning an interception for a touchdown against Arizona State in 1986 and picking off four passes against Stanford this year.
After the season
Despite finishing the 1987 season with a mediocre record, the Wildcats had a bright future under Tomey. Arizona captured winning seasons for the rest of the 1980s and dominated the early part of the 1990s with a menacing defense. Tomey would coach the Wildcats to two memorable seasons in the decade (1993 and 1998) and resigned as coach in 2000, and is the winningest coach in Wildcat football history.
References
{{Arizona Wildcats football navbox
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
Arizona Wildcats football seasons
Arizona Wildcats football