1987 San Jose State Spartans football team

1987 San Jose State Spartans football
PCAA champion
California Bowl, L 27–30 vs. Eastern Michigan
Conference	Pacific Coast Athletic Association
Record	10–2 (7–0 PCAA)
Head coach	Claude Gilbert (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Rick Rasnick (1st season)
Home stadium	Spartan Stadium
Seasons ←  1986 1988  →

1987 Pacific Coast Athletic Association football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
San Jose State $	7	–	0	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Fresno State	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Cal State Fullerton	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	6	–	0
UNLV	4	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Utah State	4	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Pacific (CA)	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Long Beach State	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
New Mexico State	0	–	7	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The 1987 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State University during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. ^{[note 1]} The team was led by head coach Claude Gilbert, in his fourth year as head coach at San Jose State. They played home games at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California. The Spartans finished the 1987 season as champions of the PCAA for the second consecutive season, with a record of ten wins and two losses (10–2, 7–0 PCAA).

As a result of the PCAA Championship, the Spartans qualified for a postseason bowl game against the Mid-American Conference (MAC) champion Eastern Michigan Eagles. The 1987 California Bowl was played in Fresno, California on December 12, with Eastern Michigan winning, 30–27.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	Eastern Illinois *	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA		W 24–3		[1]
September 12	at California *	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA		W 27–25	44,000	[2]
September 19	at Oregon State *	Parker Stadium Corvallis, OR		L 34–36	24,342	[3]
September 26	at Stanford *	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)		W 24–17	67,500	[4]
October 3	Cal State Fullerton	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA		W 46–19	13,197	[5]
October 10	New Mexico State	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA		W 57–6	15,362	[6]
October 17	at Fresno State	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA (rivalry)	ESPN	W 20–16	35,227	[7]
October 24	UNLV	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	ESPN	W 48–24	20,108	[8]
October 31	at Utah State	Romney Stadium Logan, UT		W 24–14	14,117	[9]
November 7	Pacific (CA)	Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA (Victory Bell)		W 42–17	20,324	[10]
November 14	at Long Beach State	Veterans Stadium Long Beach, CA		W 44–16	5,027	[11]
December 12	vs. Eastern Michigan *	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA (California Bowl)	ESPN	L 27–30	24,000	[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

^{[13] [14]}

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1988 NFL draft. ^[15]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
James Saxon	Fullback	6	139	Kansas City Chiefs
Mike Perez	Quarterback	7	175	New York Giants

The following finished their college career in 1987, were not drafted, but played in the NFL. ^[16]

Player	Position	First NFL team
Greg Cox	Defensive back	1988 San Francisco 49ers

Notes

1. The Big West Conference was known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association from its founding in 1969 through 1987.

References

1. "San Jose State 24, Eastern Illinois 3". The Palm Beach Post . September 6, 1987 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Spartans spoil Cal celebrating on field goal with :01 to play". Oakland Tribune. September 13, 1987. Retrieved May 11, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Beavers knock off Spartans". The Sacramento Bee. September 20, 1987. Retrieved May 11, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Perez, Spartans dump Stanford". The Fresno Bee. September 27, 1987. Retrieved May 11, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. Robyn Norwood (October 4, 1987). "San Jose State Beats Titans, Shows Who's Really No. 1 in PCAA". The Los Angeles Times (Orange County ed.). p. III-4. Retrieved February 12, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Spartans' quick punch knocks out Aggies, 57–6". The El Paso Times. October 11, 1987. Retrieved May 11, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "SJS refuses to throw in the towel, overcomes Fresno". The Peninsula Times Tribune. October 18, 1987. Retrieved May 11, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Spartans dominate Las Vegas". The Peninsula Times Tribune. October 25, 1987. Retrieved May 11, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "San Jose State rallies to turn back Utah State". Santa Cruz Sentinel. November 1, 1987. Retrieved May 11, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Gilbert treasures San Jose State's 'special' season". The Peninsula Times Tribune. November 8, 1987. Retrieved May 11, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. Dick Wagner (November 15, 1987). "San Jose State Leaves Impression on CS Long Beach With 44–16 Win". The Los Angeles Times. p. III-10. Retrieved February 10, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Hurons upset Spartans in Cal Bowl". The Fresno Bee. December 13, 1987. Retrieved May 11, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "San Jose State 1987 Schedule" . Retrieved December 16, 2016.
14. "San Jose State 2016 Football Media Guide" . Retrieved December 16, 2016.
15. "1988 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
16. "San Jose St. Players/Alumni" . Retrieved December 16, 2016.