# 1987 Michigan Wolverines football team

The 1987 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its 19th season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the team compiled an 8–4 record (5–3 against conference opponents), defeated Alabama in the Hall of Fame Bowl, outscored opponents by a total of 331 to 172, and was ranked No. 19 and No. 18, respectively, in the final AP and UPI polls.
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Demetrius Brown with 1,251 passing yards, tailback Jamie Morris with 1,703 rushing yards and 90 points scored, and split end Greg McMurtry with 474 receiving yards.
Two Michigan players received first-team honors on the 1987 All-America college football team: offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott (consensus) and defensive lineman Mark Messner (The Sporting News). Five Michigan players received first-team honors on the 1987 All-Big Ten Conference football team.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 12 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 16 Notre Dame* | No. 9 | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | ABC | L 7–26 | 106,098 |
| September 19 | 1:00 p.m. | Washington State* | No. 19 | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI | | W 44–18 | 103,521 |
| September 26 | 1:00 p.m. | Long Beach State* | No. 14 | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI | | W 49–0 | 101,714 |
| October 3 | 1:00 p.m. | Wisconsin | No. 12 | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI | | W 49–0 | 104,410 |
| October 10 | 3:30 p.m. | at Michigan State | No. 12 | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI (rivalry) | ABC | L 11–17 | 77,424 |
| October 17 | 12:00 p.m. | Iowa | | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI | ABC | W 37–10 | 105,406 |
| October 24 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 15 Indiana | No. 20 | Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN | | L 10–14 | 51,240 |
| October 31 | 1:00 p.m. | Northwestern | | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | | W 29–6 | 104,101 |
| November 7 | 3:30 p.m. | at Minnesota | | Hubert H. Humphrey MetrodomeMinneapolis, MN (Little Brown Jug) | ABC | W 30–20 | 55,481 |
| November 14 | 12:30 p.m. | at Illinois | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (rivalry) | ABC | W 17–14 | 64,496 |
| November 21 | 12:00 p.m. | Ohio State | | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | ABC | L 20–23 | 106,031 |
| January 2, 1988 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. Alabama* | | Tampa StadiumTampa, FL (Hall of Fame Bowl) | NBC | W 28–24 | 60,156 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Washington State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Washington St | 7 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 18 |
| • Michigan | 7 | 6 | 24 | 7 | 44 |

### Wisconsin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wisconsin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Michigan | 21 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 49 |

### Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hawkeyes | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| • Wolverines | 6 | 24 | 0 | 7 | 37 |

### Northwestern

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Northwestern | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Michigan | 0 | 12 | 3 | 14 | 29 |
at Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Date: October 31
* Game attendance: 104,101
* TV: ABC

### At Minnesota

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Michigan | 7 | 0 | 16 | 7 | 30 |
| Minnesota | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
* Date: November 7
* Game weather: Indoors (dome)
* Game attendance: 55,481
Game information :
MINN - Lohmiller 38 yard field goal
MINN - Thompson 1 yard run (Lohmiller kick)
MICH - McMurtry 62 yard pass from D. Brown (Gillette kick)
MINN - Thompson 98 yard run (Lohmiller kick)
MICH - Morris 9 yard run (pass good)
MICH - Hoard 1 yard run (pass good)
MINN - Lohmiller 49 yard field goal
MICH - Calloway 36 yard pass from D. Brown (Gillette kick)
Michigan
D. Brown 7/15, 146 Yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Morris 29 Rush, 149 Yds, TD
McMurtry 3 Rec, 97 Yds, TD
Minnesota
Foggie 12/23, 160 Yds
Thompson 21 Rush, 201 Yds, 2 TD
Bruce 3 Rec, 51 Yds :

### Ohio State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ohio St | 0 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 23 |
| Michigan | 7 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Date: November 21, 1987
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy, low 30s
* Game attendance: 106,031
* TV: ABC
Game information :
First quarter
MICH – Jamie Morris 1-yard run (Mike Gillette kick), 10:02. Michigan 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 2:43.
Second quarter
MICH – Mike Gillette 34-yard field goal, 14:57. Michigan 10–0. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 4:13.
MICH – Mike Gillette 19-yard field goal, 7:05. Michigan 13–0. Drive: 13 plays, 53 yards, 5:49.
OSU – Everett Ross 61-yard pass from Tom Tupa (Matt Frantz kick), 1:36. Michigan 13–7. Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 4:08.
Third quarter
OSU – Carlos Snow 70-yard pass from Tom Tupa (Matt Frantz kick), 12:32. Ohio St 14–13. Drive: 1 play, 70 yards, 0:12.
OSU – Tom Tupa 1-yard run (kick failed), 7:11. Ohio St 20–13. Drive: 3 plays, 19 yards, 1:05.
MICH – Leroy Hoard 10-yard run (Mike Gillette kick), 1:14. Tie 20–20. Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 2:00.
Fourth quarter
OSU – Matt Frantz 26-yard field goal, 5:18. Ohio St 23–20. Drive: 15 plays, 77 yards.
Top passers
OSU – Tom Tupa – 18/26, 219 yards, 2 TD
MICH – Demetrius Brown – 5/13, 79 yards, INT
Top rushers
OSU – Carlos Snow – 21 rushes, 67 yards
MICH – Jamie Morris – 23 rushes, 130 yards, TD
Top receivers
OSU – Carlos Snow – 3 receptions, 82 yards, TD
MICH – Jerod Bunch – 1 reception, 39 yards :

### Vs. Alabama (Hall of Fame Bowl)

* Jamie Morris 23 Rush, 234 Yds

## Players
### Offense

* Geoffrey Bissell, wide receiver, senior, West Bloomfield, Michigan
* Tony Boles, running back, sophomore, Westland, Michigan
* Andrew Borowski, center, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Demetrius Brown, quarterback, junior, Miami, Florida - started 10 games at quarterback
* Jeffrey Brown, tight end, junior, Shaker Heights, Ohio - started all 12 games at tight end
* Jarrod Bunch, running back, sophomore, Ashtabula, Ohio - started 9 games at fullback
* Chris Calloway, wide receiver, sophomore, Chicago, Illinois - started 5 games at flanker
* Bob Cernak, tight end, senior, Lockport, Illinois
* Dave Chester, offensive guard, senior, Titusville, Florida - started 6 games at left offensive guard
* Michael Dames, offensive guard, senior, Miami, Florida - started 6 games at left offensive guard
* Doug Daugherty, offensive tackle, sophomore, Romeo, Michigan
* Dave Dever, offensive guard, senior, Midland, Michigan
* Dean Dingman, offensive guard, freshman, East Troy, Wisconsin
* Tom Dohring, offensive tackle, sophomore, Dearborn, Michigan - started 6 games at left offensive tackle
* Jumbo Elliott, offensive tackle, senior, Lake Ronkonkoma, New York - started all 12 games at right offensive tackle
* Mark Erhardt, offensive tackle, senior, North Olmsted, Ohio
* J. Patrick Fitzgerald, wide receiver, senior, Vandalia, Ohio
* Leroy Hoard, fullback, sophomore, New Orleans, Louisiana - started 1 game at fullback
* Mike Husar, offensive tackle, senior, Chicago, Illinois - started 6 games at left offensive tackle
* Allen Jefferson, tailback, sophomore, Detroit, Michigan
* John Kolesar, flanker, junior, Westlake, Ohio - started 7 games at flanker
* Dave Mandel, tight end, senior, Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Scott Mandel, tight end, senior, Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Greg McMurtry, split end, sophomore, Brockton, Massachusetts - started all 12 games at split end
* Keith Mitchell, tight end, junior, Southgate, Michigan
* Jamie Morris, tailback, senior, Ayer, Massachusetts - started all 12 games at tailback
* Marc Ramirez, center/guard, senior, Prairie View, Illinois
* Greg Skrepenak, offensive tackle, freshman, Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
* Michael Taylor, quarterback, junior, Lincoln Heights, Ohio - started 2 games at quarterback
* John Vitale, center, senior, Detroit, Michigan - started all 12 games at center
* Derrick Walker, tight end, junior, Glenwood, Illinois
* Phil Webb, running back, senior, Romeo, Michigan - started 2 games at fullback
* David Weil, offensive guard, junior, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Tripp Welborne, wide receiver, freshman, Greensboro, North Carolina

### Defense

* Bobby Abrams, defensive back, junior, Detroit, Michigan - started 7 games at outside linebacker, 2 games at inside linebacker
* David Arnold, defensive back, junior, Warren, Ohio - started 9 games at cornerback
* Allen Bishop, defensive back, senior, Miami, Florida - started 8 games at cornerback
* Ernest F. Bock, defensive back, senior, Northville, Michigan
* Carlitos Bostic, outside linebacker, senior, Ypsilanti, Michigan
* Erik Campbell, defensive back, senior, Gary, Indiana - started all 12 games (7 at cornerback, 5 at free safety)
* Keith Cooper, outside linebacker, junior, Detroit, Michigan - started 4 games at outside linebacker, 3 games at inside linebacker
* John Duerr, outside linebacker, senior, Dearborn, Michigan
* Dave Folkertsma, defensive tackle, senior, Grand Rapids, Michigan
* J. J. Grant, inside linebacker, junior, Liverpool, New York - started 7 games at inside linebacker
* Mark Gutzwiller, defensive back, junior, Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Billy Harris, middle guard, Xenia, Ohio - started 10 games at middle guard
* Rick Hassel, defensive back, junior, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Scott Herrala, defensive back, junior, Muskegon, Michigan
* John Herrmann, defensive tackle, junior, Sussex, Wisconsin - started all 12 games at defensive tackle
* Joseph H. Holland, outside linebacker, junior, Birmingham, Michigan
* David Key, defensive back, sophomore, Columbus, Ohio
* Sean Lafountaine, defensive back, sophomore, Hanover Park, Illinois
* Don Lessner, defensive back, senior, Trenton, Michigan
* Doug Mallory, strong safety, senior, DeKalb, Illinois - started all 12 games at strong safety
* Warde Manuel, defensive tackle, sophomore, New Orleans, Louisiana - started 5 games at outside linebacker
* Andree McIntyre, inside linebacker, senior, Chicago, Illinois - started 3 games at inside linebacker
* Mark Messner, defensive tackle, senior, Hartland, Michigan - started all 12 games at defensive tackle
* John Milligan, linebacker, sophomore, Trenton, Michigan - started 5 games at inside linebacker
* Anthony Mitchell, defensive back, junior, Titusville, Florida - started 7 games at free safety
* Vada Murray, defensive back, sophomore, Cincinnati, Ohio
* T. J. Osman, defensive tackle, sophomore, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - started 2 games at middle guard
* Cornelius Simpson, linebacker, freshman, Highland Park, Michigan - started 4 games at inside linebacker
* Bob Stites, inside linebacker, senior, Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Rick Stites, inside linebacker, senior, Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Mike Teeter, middle guard, sophomore, Fruitport, Michigan
* Steven Thibert, outside linebacker, senior, Union Lake, Michigan - started 2 games at outside linebacker
* Brent White, defensive tackle, junior, Dayton, Ohio
* Timothy Williams, linebacker, sophomore, Milwaukee, Wisconsin - started 1 game at inside linebacker
* John Willingham, outside linebacker, senior, Dayton, Ohio - started 5 games at outside linebacker

### Kickers

* Mike Gillette, place-kicker, junior, St. Joseph, Michigan
* Monte Robbins, punter, senior, Great Bend, Kansas
* Rick Stukiewicz, place-kicker, senior, Troy, Michigan

### Awards and honors

* Captains: Jamie Morris, Doug Mallory
* All-Americans: Jumbo Elliott, Mark Messner
* All-Conference: Mark Messner, John Elliott, Jamie Morris, John Vitale, Mike Husar
* Most Valuable Player: Jamie Morris
* Meyer Morton Award: Jamie Morris
* John Maulbetsch Award: Tim Williams
* Frederick Matthei Award: Derrick Walker
* Arthur Robinson Scholarship Award: Dave Mandel
* Dick Katcher Award: Mark Messner
* Hugh Rader Jr. Award: John "Jumbo" Elliott
* Robert P. Ufer Award: Jamie Morris

## Coaching staff

* Head coach: Bo Schembechler
* Assistant coaches: Alex Agase, Tirrel Burton, Cam Cameron, Lloyd Carr, Jerry Hanlon, Bill Harris, Jerry Meter, Les Miles, Gary Moeller, Tom Reed
* Trainer: Russ Miller
* Manager: Aaron Studwell (senior manager), Scott Boyle, Patrick Perkins, Bob McArdle