1987 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team
Encyclopedia
The 1987 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented the Oklahoma State University in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A college football season
. Thurman Thomas was in his senior year for the Cowboys.
candidate in his senior year. He was a first team selection on the College Football All-America Team
in 1987. In the 1987 Sun Bowl
, Thomas ran for 157 yards and four touchdowns in the 35–33 victory over , keeping Barry Sanders
on the sidelines for the majority of the game. Thomas left OSU as the school's all-time leading rusher and his number 34 is one of only three jerseys retired at Oklahoma State. Sanders replaced Thomas as starter the next year in 1988.
1987 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its second national championship during the 80s in an Orange Bowl match-up featuring a rare #1 vs...
. Thurman Thomas was in his senior year for the Cowboys.
Schedule
The Cowboys finished the regular season with a 9–2 record. At Oklahoma State, Thurman Thomas had 897 rushes for 4,595 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 21 100-yard rushing games. He was also a Heisman TrophyHeisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
candidate in his senior year. He was a first team selection on the College Football All-America Team
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
in 1987. In the 1987 Sun Bowl
1987 Sun Bowl
The 1987 John Hancock Sun Bowl featured the and the Oklahoma State Cowboys.In the spring of 1987, West Virginia was the scene of an historic battle for the starting quarterback position...
, Thomas ran for 157 yards and four touchdowns in the 35–33 victory over , keeping Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders is a former American football running back who spent all of his professional career with the Detroit Lions in the NFL. Sanders left the game just short of the all-time rushing record...
on the sidelines for the majority of the game. Thomas left OSU as the school's all-time leading rusher and his number 34 is one of only three jerseys retired at Oklahoma State. Sanders replaced Thomas as starter the next year in 1988.
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Cowboys points | Opponents | Record |
| 1 | Sept. 5 | Win | 39 | 28 | 1-0 | |
| 2 | Sept 12 | @ | Win | 35 | 0 | 2-0 |
| 3 | Sept. 19 | @ Wyoming 1987 Wyoming Cowboys football team The Wyoming Cowboys represented the University of Wyoming in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cowboys offense scored 426 points, while the defense allowed 271 points... |
Win | 35 | 29 | 3-0 |
| 4 | Sept. 26 | Win | 36 | 0 | 4-0 | |
| 5 | Oct 10 | Win | 42 | 17 | 5-0 | |
| 6 | Oct 17 | Nebraska 1987 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team The 1987 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:... |
Loss | 0 | 35 | 5-1 |
| 7 | Oct 24 | @ | Win | 24 | 20 | 6-1 |
| 8 | Oct 31 | Kansas State 1987 Kansas State Wildcats football team The 1987 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 1987. The team's head football coach was Stan Parrish. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. 1987 saw the wildcats finish with a record of 0-10-1, and a 0-6-1 record... |
Win | 56 | 7 | 7-1 |
| 9 | Nov 7 | @ Oklahoma 1987 Oklahoma Sooners football team The 1987 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football 1987 NCAA Division I-A season. Oklahoma Sooners football participated in the former Big Eight Conference at that time and played its home games in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium where... |
Loss | 10 | 29 | 7-2 |
| 10 | Nov 14 | @ | Win | 49 | 17 | 8-2 |
| 11 | Nov 21 | Win | 48 | 27 | 9-2 | |
1987 team players in the NFL
The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| Thurman Thomas | Running Back | 2 | Buffalo Bills 1988 Buffalo Bills season The 1988 Buffalo Bills season was the 29th season for the team and the 19th season in the National Football League. The Buffalo Bills finished in first place in the AFC East and finished the National Football League's 1988 season with a record of 12 wins and 4 losses. The Bills were 8–0 at home for... |
|
- Wide receiver Hart Lee Dykes and Running Back Barry SandersBarry SandersBarry Sanders is a former American football running back who spent all of his professional career with the Detroit Lions in the NFL. Sanders left the game just short of the all-time rushing record...
would play in the NFL
Awards and honors
- Thurman Thomas, Heisman Trophy finalist
- Thurman Thomas, All-America selection