1987 Eastern Michigan Hurons football team
American college football season
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The 1987 Eastern Michigan Hurons football team represented Eastern Michigan University during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. Eastern Michigan competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), was coached by Jim Harkema, and played their homes game at Rynearson Stadium. They finished the season 10–2 overall and 7–1 in MAC play while winning the MAC championship. It was their first conference team since joining the MAC and first overall since winning the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 1957. The Hurons went to the 1987 California Bowl (their first bowl appearance since joining Division I and first since the 1971 Pioneer Bowl) and upset 171/2 point favorite San Jose State for their first bowl win in EMU history. It is the first and so far only time Eastern Michigan has had a ten win season along with their last bowl appearance until 2016.
- Jim Harkema (5th season)
| 1987 Eastern Michigan Hurons football | |
|---|---|
MAC champion California Bowl champion | |
California Bowl, W 30–27 vs. San Jose State | |
| Conference | Mid-American Conference |
| Record | 10–2 (7–1 MAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Rynearson Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan $ | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent State | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (OH) | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Michigan | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 3 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | 3 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ball State | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio | 0 | – | 8 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | Youngstown State* | W 35–20 | 17,252 | [1] | ||
| September 12 | at Miami (OH) | W 33–17 | 17,788 | [2] | ||
| September 19 | at Akron* | L 16–17 | 10,032 | [3] | ||
| September 26 | at Kent State | W 23–21 | 17,400 | [4] | ||
| October 3 | Northern Illinois* |
| W 32–31 | 13,306 | [5] | |
| October 10 | at Central Michigan | L 6–16 | 25,906 | [6] | ||
| October 17 | Ball State |
| W 35–28 | 17,201 | [7] | |
| October 24 | at Western Michigan | W 23–17 | 9,472 | [8] | ||
| October 31 | Ohio |
| W 34–16 | 11,763 | [9] | |
| November 5 | at Toledo | ESPN | W 38–9 | 17,041 | [10] | |
| November 14 | Bowling Green |
| W 38–18 | 20,205 | [11] | |
| December 12 | vs. San Jose State* | ESPN | W 30–27 | 24,000 | [12] | |
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Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Year at school |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Harkema | Head coach | 5th |
After the season
The following Huron was selected in the 1988 NFL draft after the season.[14]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 172 | Gary Patton | Running back | New York Jets |
