The 1990 Toledo Rockets football team represented the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a public research university in Toledo, Ohio. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, which includes the University of T ...

during the

1990 NCAA Division I-A football season The 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with a split national championship and the ensuing controversy helped lead to the creation of the Bowl Coalition, a precursor to the Bowl Championship Series. The national title was split between th ...

. The Rockets were led by first-year head coach

Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. (; born October 31, 1951) is an American football coach who has been the head football coach at the University of Alabama since 2007. Saban previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins ...

, and competed as a member of the

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twel ...

(MAC). They finished the season with a record of nine wins and two losses (9–2, 7–1 in MAC play) and as MAC co–champions with

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan cor ...

. The 1990 Rockets squad opened the season with six consecutive victories over Miami (OH),

Northern Illinois Northern Illinois is a region generally covering the northern third of the U.S. state of Illinois. The region is by far the most populous of Illinois with nearly 9.7 million residents as of 2010. Economics Northern Illinois is dominated by th ...

, Ball State,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

and

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...

. At the time of the matchup, their meeting against

served as a de facto MAC conference championship game. Although Toledo lost 13–12, victories over

Kent State Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in Ash ...

and

Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrary region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Most narrowly it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Pen ...

coupled with a Central Michigan loss to Ball State gave the Rockets a share of the MAC championship. Toledo then concluded the season with a loss to

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

and a victory over

Arkansas State Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage l ...

. In February 1991, Nick Saban resigned as head coach of the Rockets after only one season to become

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

Before the season

Toledo finished their 1989 season with a record of six wins and five losses (6–5, 6–2 in MAC play) and tied for second place in the final conference standings. Although the Rockets finished the season with a winning record, on November 22, 1989, head coach

Dan Simrell Dan Simrell (born April 9, 1943) is an American football coach. He was the quarterbacks coach at Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan from 2015 to 2019. Simrell served as the head football coach at the University of Toledo from 1982 to 1989 and at ...

was fired by Toledo

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

Al Bohl. By mid-December, the finalists were narrowed to

Pete Cordelli Pete Cordelli Jr. (born September 14, 1953) is a former American football coach and scout. He served as the head football coach at Kent State University from 1991 to 1993, compiling a record of 3–30. Cordelli served as an assistant coach under ...

(then the

quarterbacks coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, assistant coach, and the offensive and defensive coordinators. Common ...

at Notre Dame) and

(then the

secondary coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, assistant coach, and the offensive and defensive coordinators. Common ...

for the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

). On December 22, 1989, Bohl announced that Saban had been hired to replace Simrell as head coach at Toledo. The position was Saban's first as a head coach.

Schedule

Game summaries

Miami

*Source: To open the 1990 season, Toledo traveled to

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

to play the

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Redskins. In what was both the head coaching debut for Saban and the Redskins' Randy Walker, the Rockets won 20–14. Toledo scored first on a one-yard Troy Parker run early in the first quarter for a 7–0 lead. However, Miami responded on the

kickoff Kickoff or kick-off may refer to * Kick-off (association football) * Kickoff (gridiron football) * ''Kick Off'' (series), a series of computer association football games * ''Kick Off'' (album), a 1985 album by Onyanko Club * ''Kick Off'' (magaz ...

that followed when

Milt Stegall Milton Eugene Stegall (born January 25, 1970) is a former professional gridiron football player who played 17 years of professional football, three years in the National Football League with the Cincinnati Bengals and 14 years in the Canadian Foo ...

returned it 92-yards for the score to tie the game at 7–7. Later in the first, Jeff Lamb recovered a Jim Clement

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

at the Redskins 12-yard line. Three plays later, Parker scored his second one-yard touchdown to give Toledo a 14–7 lead. Early in the second quarter, Dave Walkosky intercepted a Clement pass to give the Rockets possession at their 33-yard line. Nine plays later, Parker scored his third touchdown of the afternoon, this time from two-yards out. Rusty Hanna then had his

extra point The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...

attempt blocked and Toledo led 20–7 at halftime. In the third quarter, a

snap Snap or SNAP may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Snap'', the original release title for the 2013 film ''Enter the Dangerous Mind'' *''Snap'' (TV series), a CITV programme * ''The Stanly News and Press'', a newspaper in Albemarle, North Carol ...

went over the head of punter Brian Borders to give Miami possession at the Toledo 21-yard line. However, a

goal line stand The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see ''Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

by the Rockets' defense kept the Redskins out of the endzone on a failed fourth-and-one running play. In the fourth quarter, Miami scored the final points of the game on a five-yard Terry Carter touchdown run to make the final score 20–14. The victory improved Toledo's all-time record against Miami to 16–22.

Northern Illinois

*Source: In their first home game of the 1990 season, Toledo defeated the

Huskies Husky is a general term for a dog used in the polar regions, primarily and specifically for work as sled dogs. It refers to a traditional northern type, notable for its cold-weather tolerance and overall hardiness. Modern racing huskies that mai ...

23–14 in what was the first game played since the completion of an $18 million ($ in dollars) renovation at the

Glass Bowl The Glass Bowl is a stadium in Toledo, Ohio. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the American football team of the University of Toledo Rockets. It is located on the school's Bancroft campus, just south of the ba ...

. Toledo scored first on an eight-yard run by Troy Parker to take an early 7–0 lead. The Huskies responded with a 15-yard run by Stacey Robinson to tie the game at 7–7 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Rusty Hanna then retook the lead for Toledo with his 23-yard

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

before Northern Illinois responded with a 12-yard Robinson touchdown pass to Ray Patterson for a 14–10 halftime lead for the Huskies. In the third quarter, the Rockets retook the lead after Kevin Meger scored on a 26-yard run, and after a failed

attempt Toledo led 16–14. Parker then scored the final points of the game in the fourth with his two-yard touchdown run for the 23–14 win. Parker set a new school record with his 40 running attempts and rushed for 205 yards on the afternoon. For his performance, Parker was named the Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week. The victory improved Toledo's all-time record against Northern Illinois to 16–6.

Ball State

*Source: In week three, Toledo defeated the Ball State

Cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

28–16 at Scheumann Stadium in Muncie. After a scoreless first quarter, Toledo took a 7–0 halftime lead after Kevin Meger scored on a two-yard run to complete a 75-yard drive. The Rockets then extended their lead to 14–0 early in the third quarter on a two-yard Troy Parker run before the Cardinals cut the lead to 14–3 on a 47-yard Kenny Stucker

late in the quarter. In the fourth quarter, each team traded a pair of touchdowns with Toledo winning the game 28–16. Toledo scored on touchdown runs of two-yards by Parker and ten-yards by Meger. Ball State scored touchdowns on a 19-yard Corey Croom run and on a 22-yard Scott Hammersley pass to

Travis Moore Travis Moore (born August 5, 1970) is a former professional Canadian football coach who is currently serving as the Wide receiver, receivers and pass game coordinator coach for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Moore ha ...

. The victory improved Toledo's all-time record against Ball State to 8–8.

Ohio

*Source: For the third time in as many road games the Rockets were victorious, and this time Toledo defeated the

Bobcats The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...

27–20 at Peden Stadium in Athens. After a scoreless first quarter, each team connected on a

before Troy Parker scored the first touchdown of the game on an 11-yard run for a 10–3 Toledo lead. Each team again traded field goals later in the quarter to make the halftime score 13–6. In the third quarter, Parker scored on a nine-yard run for Toledo and Ohio responded with a one-yard touchdown run for a 20–13 Rockets lead at the start of the fourth quarter. In the fourth, the Bobcats tied the game up at 20–20 when Anthony Thornton threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Courtney Burton. Toledo then scored the game-winning touchdown with only 0:17 remaining in the game when Parker scored on a one-yard run to complete a 68-yard, 15 play drive. The victory improved Toledo's all-time record against Ohio to 21–19–1.

Eastern Michigan

*Source: With Troy Parker seeing limited action due to an injury, Neil Trotter rushed for 145 yards and Corey Ivey for 96 as Toledo defeated the

Hurons The Wyandot people, or Wyandotte and Waⁿdát, are Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands. The Wyandot are Iroquoian Indigenous peoples of North America who emerged as a confederacy of tribes around the north shore of Lake Ontario w ...

37–23. The Rockets took a 10–0 lead in the first quarter on an eight-yard Ivey touchdown run and 37-yard Rusty Hanna

. In the second, both teams scored ten points to give Toledo a 20–10 halftime lead. The Hurons scored on an 85-yard Craig Thompson punt return and a 36-yard Jim Langeloh field goal; the Rockets scored on a 32-yard Hanna field goal and three-yard Kevin Meger touchdown run. In the third, Eastern Michigan cut the lead to 20–17 after Cameron Moss scored on a 48-yard touchdown run. Toledo responded with 17 consecutive, fourth quarter points to win the game. After a 37-yard Hanna field goal, touchdowns were scored on a 28-yard Meger pass to Marcus Goodwin and on a four-yard Parker run. The Hurons scored again late in the game on an 11-yard Shane Jackson touchdown pass to Chris Nyenhuis to make the final score 37–23. The victory improved Toledo's all-time record against Eastern Michigan to 11–7.

Bowling Green

*Source: Before what was the second largest crowd to witness a game at the Glass Bowl, Toledo defeated the

Falcons Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

19–13 to win the

Peace Pipe A ceremonial pipe is a particular type of smoking pipe, used by a number of cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas in their sacred ceremonies. Traditionally they are used to offer prayers in a religious ceremony, to make a ceremonial ...

. After a Rusty Hanna

gave the Rockets an early 3–0 lead, a pair of Erik White touchdown passes gave the Falcons a 13–3 halftime lead. However, the Toledo defense shutout the Bowling Green offense in the second half, and the Rockets came back to win 19–13. Points were scored in the third on a seven-yard touchdown run by Kevin Meger and a one-yard Troy Parker touchdown run. Hanna added a field goal in the fourth. The victory improved Toledo's all-time record against Bowling Green to 22–29–4.

Central Michigan

*Source: In the hype that led to their game against the

Chippewas The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

, the press billed the contest as the de facto MAC championship game. At Mount Pleasant, the Rockets failed to score a touchdown and suffered their first loss of the season in a 13–12 loss. The Rockets scored first on a 28-yard Rusty Hanna

, but the Chippewas responded with a 53-yard Jeff Bender touchdown pass to Ken Ealy to take a 7–3 lead at the end of the first quarter. A 46-yard Hanna field goal in the second cut the Central lead to 7–6 at halftime. In the third quarter, Toledo briefly retook the lead after Hanna connected on field goals of 41 and 26 yards. However, the Chippewas scored the game-winning touchdown later in the quarter when Bender threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Bob Kench for the 13–12 victory. For his six- tackle performance, Mark Rhea was named the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Week. The loss brought Toledo's all-time record against Central Michigan to 7–10–2.

Kent State

*Source: Against head coach Nick Saban's alma mater, the Rockets defeated the

Golden Flashes 28–14, one week after their first loss of the season. Toledo scored first on a one-yard Troy Parker touchdown run for a 7–0 lead. The Flashes responded with a 14-yard Joe Dalpra touchdown pass to tie the game at 7–7 at the end of the first. After the Rockets regained the lead on a 35-yard Rusty Hanna

, Kent took a 14–10 halftime lead on a six-yard Dalpra touchdown run. A second, 35-yard field goal cut the Kent State lead to 14–13, and a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns sealed the victory for Toledo. Touchdowns were scored by Neil Trotter on a 38-yard run and on a three-yard pass from Kevin Meger to Dan Grossman for the 28–14 win. The victory improved Toledo's all-time record against Kent State to 18–19.

Western Michigan

*Source: In their final conference game of the season, Toledo defeated the

Broncos A bucking horse is any breed or either gender of horse with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for rod ...

37–9 to secure the conference co-championship with

. Toledo led 7–6 at halftime after Kevin Meger threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Rickey Isaiah for the Rockets, and Dan Boggan scored for the Broncos on a one-yard touchdown run. Toledo then scored three third-quarter touchdowns to take a 28–6 lead. Touchdowns were scored on a three-yard Meger pass to Jerry Evans, a 14-yard Meger run, and on a 67-yard Meger pass to Romauldo Brown. The Broncos then scored their final points of the game on a 31-yard Jay Barresi

to make the score 28–9 at the start of the fourth quarter. In the fourth, Damon Nelson scored on a one-yard touchdown run and Western snapped a punt out of the end zone for a

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

and a 37–9 Toledo win. The victory improved Toledo's all-time record against Western Michigan to 23–22.

Navy

*Source: In what was the Rockets' first all-time meeting against

, 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter gave the

Midshipmen A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

the 14–10 win at the Glass Bowl. Toledo led 10–0 as they entered the fourth quarter with points scored on a 34-yard Hanna

in the first and on a six-yard David Andrews touchdown run in the third. Navy came back to win the game in the fourth on a pair of Jason Pace touchdowns. The first came on a nine-yard run and the second on a five-yard reception from

Alton Grizzard Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) *Alton (surname) Places Australia * Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario * Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zealan ...

. The loss effectively resulted in the Rockets failing to get a bowl bid as Central Michigan got the automatic MAC bid to the

California Bowl The California Bowl (later the California Raisin Bowl) was a post-season college football bowl game played annually at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California, from 1981 to 1991. The game featured the champions of the Big West Conference (known p ...

due to having the tiebreaker over Toledo.

Arkansas State

*Source: In the final game of the season, Toledo defeated the

Indians 43–28 at the Glass Bowl. The Indians scored first on a 24-yard Troy Mabone touchdown run followed by a one-yard Neil Trotter touchdown run for a 7–7 tie at the end of the first. In the second quarter Trotter scored on a two-yard run and Mabone on a one-yard run before a 38-yard Kevin Meger touchdown pass to Rickey Isaiah and 33-yard Rusty Hanna

gave the Rockets a 24–14 halftime lead. In the third, Aubrey Miller recovered a Toledo

in the endzone for a touchdown and cut the Rockets lead to 24–21. Each team then traded touchdowns with Toledo scoring on a 27-yard Pat Johnson run and Arkansas State on a one-yard Roy Johnson run to make the score 31–28 at the start of the fourth. In the fourth, Toledo scored 12 unanswered points for the win. Damon Nelson scored on a four-yard touchdown run and Hanna connected on field goals of 33 and 41 yards in the 43–28 win. The nine wins were the most won by a Toledo squad since the 1983 season.

Saban resignation

Nick Saban resigned as Toledo's head coach on February 13, 1991, after one season to become

of the

under

Bill Belichick William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patri ...

. As

for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

, Belichick had to postpone assembling his new coaching staff until after

Super Bowl XXV Super Bowl XXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...

. Therefore, Saban's resignation wasn't announced until well after the season had ended. Additionally, Saban wanted any potential move to occur after February 6,

National Signing Day National Signing Day has traditionally been the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for a collegiate sport with a school that is a member of the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association ( ...

for recruits.

References

{{Mid-American Conference football champions Toledo Toledo Rockets football seasons Mid-American Conference football champion seasons

Toledo Rockets football The Toledo Rockets football team is a college football program in Division I FBS, representing the University of Toledo. The Rockets compete in the Mid-American Conference. Toledo began playing football in 1917, although it did not field teams in ...