Ten Things You Need to Know About the 1987 Football Team

1987 MSU Football team

This week is unquestionably one of the best weeks to be a Maverick.

Not only is it Homecoming, but the annual Minnesota State Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony is slated for Friday, as well.

And, as usual, this year's induction Class is exceptional.  Trackster Dale Bahr was the national indoor 800m champion in 1992.  Goaltender Ken Hilgert backstopped the men's hockey Mavericks to a third-place finish at the NCAA DIII national tournament in 1985-86.  Mankato native Pat Coleman was an All-American and the North Central Conference's Most Outstanding Men's Basketball Player in 1995-86 and besides being one of MSU's all-time top second basemen, Theresa Mackey held several school offensive records when she completed her MSU career in 1993-94.

The MSU football team from 1987 was unique for several reasons and here's the top ten things you need to know about them.

1. The Mavericks ran the option and set a school record for rushing yards in a season with 3,607 yards and total offense (4,212 yards) in 1987.
2. This team went 9-3 and set a school record for wins and games played in a season.
3. This team went 8-1-0 in conference games en route to the school's first North Central Conference title.
4. Sophomore linebacker J.R. Buckley led the team in tackles with a school-record 158 stops.
5. MSU completed only two touchdown passes all season.  Tony Diggs, who led the Mavericks in receiving in '87 with 29 catches, had both TD receptions.  One came in the last regular-season game of the year and one came in the play-off game at Portland State.  No other MSU player had more than eight receptions or had a TD reception.
6. This team was the first football team to participate in the NCAA tournament when it played a quarterfinal game at Portland State.  The Mavericks lost to the Vikings 27-21 in a game that ended controversially when MSU thought it had completed a pass into the endzone. Officials ruled the pass incomplete when the Maverick receiver was stripped of the ball by a PSU defender.
7. MSU's win at North Dakota State snapped a 19-game home field undefeated streak by the Bison.
8. QB Greg Von der Lippe was named the NCC Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Mavericks to a win at Northern Colorado Oct. 3. He was hurt in the game and his MSU career was finished.  Back-up Mike McDevitt stepped in and led the Mavericks to a 5-2 mark in MSU's remaining seven games.
9. The Mavericks had four players with at least 400 rushing yards on the 1987 roster in Dave Scofield (899), Mike McDevitt (799), Tony Jones (525) and Greg Von Der Lippe (437).
10. MSU went 3-8 the next year.

It's great to be a Maverick!