1987 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team

1987 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football
Conference	Independent
Record	3–8
Head coach	George Henshaw (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Bob Brush (1st season)
Home stadium	Skelly Stadium
Seasons ←  1986 1988  →

1987 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Miami (FL)		–		–				12	–	0	–	0
No. 4 Syracuse		–		–				11	–	0	–	1
No. 2 Florida State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 15 South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Pittsburgh		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Penn State		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
No. 17 Notre Dame		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
Northern Illinois		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
West Virginia		–		–				6	–	6	–	0
Tulane		–		–				6	–	6	–	0
Army		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Boston College		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Akron		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Louisville		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
Temple		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Tulsa		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Navy		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1987 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team represented the University of Tulsa as an independent during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first and only year under head coach George Henshaw, the Golden Hurricane compiled a 3–8 record. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback T. J. Rubley with 2,058 passing yards, Derrick Ellison with 593 rushing yards, and Dan Bitson with 608 receiving yards. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	at Oklahoma State	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK (rivalry)	L 28–39	46,700	[2]
September 12	at Florida	Florida Field Gainesville, FL	L 0–52	72,173	[3]
September 19	at No. 12 Arkansas	Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR	L 15–30	46,418	[4]
September 26	No. 1 Oklahoma	Skelly Stadium Tulsa, OK	L 0–65	47,350	[5]
October 3	at Kansas State	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS	W 37–25	28,400	[6]
October 10	at Temple	Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA	W 24–17	20,008	[7]
October 17	at Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	L 18–41	19,612	[8]
October 24	at Texas Tech	Jones Stadium Lubbock, TX	L 7–42	24,341	[9]
October 31	Louisville	Skelly Stadium Tulsa, OK	W 26–22	19,742	[10]
November 7	Northern Arizona	Skelly Stadium Tulsa, OK	L 20–24	10,863	[11]
November 21	Memphis State	Skelly Stadium Tulsa, OK	L 0–14	18,612	[12]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^{[13] [14]}

Roster

1987 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class TE 85 Mike Anderson So WR 29 Dan Bitson Fr RB 16 Derrick Ellison Jr WR 3 Erick Harrison Jr QB 11 T. J. Rubley Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DT 48 Dennis Byrd Jr DE 84 Donnie Dee Sr SS 6 Doug Desherow Sr LB 34 David Haynes Sr DB 22 Mickey Price So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach George Henshaw Coordinators/assistant coaches Bob Brush (Defensive coordinator) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

After the season

1988 NFL draft

The following Golden Hurricane player was selected in the 1988 NFL draft following the season. ^{[15] [16]}

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
11	297	Donnie Dee	Tight end	Indianapolis Colts

References

1. "1987 Tulsa Golden Hurricane Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
2. "O-State outguns Tulsa, 39–28". Tulsa World. September 6, 1987. Retrieved May 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Gators slam helpless Hurricane, 52–0". Tulsa World. September 13, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Everything's groovy for Arkansas' Grovey". The Shreveport Times. September 20, 1987. Retrieved May 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "No. 1 Oklahoma demolishes Tulsa". The Salina Journal. September 27, 1987. Retrieved May 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Hurricane storms past Wildcats with second-quarter explosion". Omaha World-Herald. October 4, 1987. Retrieved May 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Tulsa upsets Temple, 24–17". Sapulpa Daily Herald. October 11, 1987. Retrieved May 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Hood (237 yards) boosts Central Michigan past TU". The Daily Oklahoman. October 18, 1987. Retrieved May 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Tech ready for journey to Austin". The Victoria Advocate. October 25, 1987. Retrieved May 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Homecoming triumphant for TU, OSU". Tulsa World. November 1, 1987. Retrieved May 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Northern Arizona passes TU, 24–20". Tulsa World. November 8, 1987. Retrieved December 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Memphis State pitches 14–0 shutout at Tulsa". The Daily Oklahoman. November 22, 1987. Retrieved May 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "1987 Tulsa Golden Hurricane Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
14. "Tulsa Golden Hurricane Football Record & Fact Book 2022" (PDF). University of Tulsa. p. 186. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
15. "1988 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
16. "Tulsa Drafted Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2023.