1987 Northeast Louisiana Indians football team

1987 Northeast Louisiana Indians football
NCAA Division I-AA champion SLC champion
Division I-AA Championship Game, W 43–42 vs. Marshall
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	13–2 (6–0 SLC)
Head coach	Pat Collins (7th season)
Home stadium	Malone Stadium
Seasons ←  1986 1988  →

1987 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Northeast Louisiana $^	6	–	0	–	0			13	–	2	–	0
No. 19 Sam Houston State	5	–	1	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
No. 16 North Texas State ^	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Northwestern State	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
SW Texas State	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Stephen F. Austin	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	1
McNeese State	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1987 Northeast Louisiana Indians football team represented Northeast Louisiana University (now known as the University of Louisiana at Monroe) as a member of the Southland Conference (SLC) during the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Northeast Louisiana played their home games on-campus at Malone Stadium in Monroe, Louisiana. This Indians squad won the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game. ^[1]

The Indians were led by seventh-year head coach Pat Collins, and were led by first team All-America Stan Humphries. The squad completed the regular season with an overall record of 9–2 and finished 6–0 to capture their first outright Southland Conference championship. ^[2] En route to the championship game, NLU defeated North Texas, Eastern Kentucky and Northern Iowa. ^[2] The Indians faced off against the Marshall Thundering Herd for the I-AA National Championship. ^[3] In the championship game, Marshall took a 42–28 lead into the fourth quarter only to have Humphries lead the Indians to a pair of late touchdowns and captured the championship with their 43–42 victory. ^[4]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	at Louisiana Tech	No. 16	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA (rivalry)	W 44–7	24,975	[5]
September 19	at Southwest Texas State	No. 8	Bobcat Stadium San Marcos, TX	W 44–7		[6]
September 26	Nicholls State *	No. 3	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	W 26–14	19,638	[7]
October 3	at No. 8 Northwestern State	No. 2	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (rivalry)	W 33–31		[8]
October 10	at Lamar *	No. 2	Cardinal Stadium Beaumont, TX	L 28–48		[9]
October 17	No. 8 Georgia Southern *	No. T–6	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	W 26–17	17,231	[10]
October 24	Southwestern Louisiana *	No. 3	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA (rivalry)	L 7–17	18,783	[11]
October 31	McNeese State	No. 9	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	W 37–10		[12]
November 7	at Southern Miss *	No. 8	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	W 34–24	10,123	[13]
November 14	No. 12 North Texas State	No. 3	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	W 24–23		[14]
November 21	No. 8 Arkansas State	No. 3	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	W 31–21		[15]
November 28	No. 16 North Texas State*	No. 3	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 30–9		[16]
December 5	No. 7 Eastern Kentucky *	No. 3	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	W 33–32		[17]
December 12	No. 4 Northern Iowa *	No. 3	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)	W 44–41 2OT	14,443	[18]
December 19	vs. No. 14 Marshall *	No. 3	ASISU Minidome Pocatello, ID (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)	W 43–42	11,513	[19]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

Team players in the NFL

Player	Year	Round	Pick	Position	Club
Teddy Garcia	1988 NFL draft	4	100	Kicker	New England Patriots
Stan Humphries	1988 NFL draft	6	159	Quarterback	Washington Redskins
Jackie Harris	1990 NFL draft	4	102	Tight end	Green Bay Packers
Reference: [20]

References

1. Hunsucker, Adam (September 27, 2017). "The Team of Destiny: An oral history of ULM's national title". The News-Star. Monroe. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
2. 2011 ULM Football Fan Guide. Monroe, Louisiana: ULM Media Relations Office. 2011. p. 182. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
3. "Northeast Louisiana bruised and battered". The Miami News. Associated Press. December 17, 1987. p. 2B. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
4. "Louisianans Rally To Win I-AA Title". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 21, 1987. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
5. "Same ol' NLU (44) vs. Tech (7)". The Shreveport Times. September 13, 1987. Retrieved July 6, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Northeast does a 44–7 instant replay". The Shreveport Times. September 20, 1987. Retrieved March 6, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Penalties don't slow down NLU". The Shreveport Times. September 27, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Last ditch bomb sends Indians past NSU 33–30". The Daily Advertiser. October 4, 1987. Retrieved February 25, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Lamar bombs Indians". The Orange Leader. October 11, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Northeast Louisiana gets its kicks at Southern's expense". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 18, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Cajuns spoil NLU homecoming 17–7". The Daily Advertiser. October 25, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Northeast Indians scalp Pokes". The Daily Advertiser. November 1, 1987. Retrieved March 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
13. "USM falls 34–24 to Indians". Enterprise-Journal. November 8, 1987. Retrieved March 27, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Northeast grabs its share of Southland title". The Shreveport Times. November 15, 1987. Retrieved October 30, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
15. "NLU clinches Southland title as Humphries passes for 351". The Shreveport Times. November 22, 1987. Retrieved October 8, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
16. "Victorious NLU removes doubts". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. November 29, 1987. Retrieved October 30, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
17. "Garcia kick keeps NLU alive". The Shreveport Times. December 6, 1987. Retrieved March 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
18. "UNI season ends in second overtime". The Courier. December 13, 1987. Retrieved December 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
19. "Div. I-AA Championship". Billings Gazette . Billings, Montana. December 21, 1987. p. 5-B. Retrieved April 30, 2019– via newspapers.com.
20. "Draft picks by school: Louisiana–Monroe". NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved August 27, 2011.

Further reading

• Hunsucker, Adam (September 27, 2017). "The Team of Destiny: An oral history of ULM's national title" . The News-Star. Monroe, Louisiana . Retrieved April 30, 2019.