By Darin The 1987 American football season stands out as one of the most unusual, controversial, and captivating years in gridiron history. Defined by a massive labor strike in the professional ranks and a dominant, undefeated powerhouse in college football, it was a season where resilience and adaptability took center stage.
The NFL Strike and the Year of the “Scabs”
The defining storyline of the 1987 National Football League (NFL) season was a 24-day players’ strike called by the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) after Week 2. Unlike previous labor disputes that halted play entirely, NFL owners opted to continue the season using replacement players—frequently and derogatorily referred to as “scabs.”
- Schedule Disruption: Week 3 was canceled entirely, shrinking the regular season from 16 games to 15. Weeks 4, 5, and 6 were played almost exclusively with replacement rosters.
- Crossing the Picket Line: A small percentage of marquee union players chose to cross the picket lines early, including superstars like Joe Montana, Lawrence Taylor, and Tony Dorsett, adding bizarre talent discrepancies to the replacement games.
- The Standouts: The Washington Redskins’ replacement squad famously went 3–0, a crucial stretch that later propelled the regular roster into the postseason. The replacement games counted in the official standings despite plummeting attendance and widespread fan criticism.
Super Bowl XXII and Historical Milestones
Despite the regular-season chaos, the postseason delivered pure historical drama, culminating in Super Bowl XXII on January 31, 1988, at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego.
The game featured the Washington Redskins against the Denver Broncos, led by league MVP John Elway. While Denver jumped to an early 10–0 lead, the second quarter belonged entirely to Washington quarterback Doug Williams:
A Historic Performance: Doug Williams became the first African-American quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl. In the second quarter alone, he orchestrated a legendary offensive onslaught, throwing four touchdowns as Washington scored 35 points in a single quarter—a Super Bowl record that still stands.
Washington went on to win comfortably, 42–10, securing their second Lombardi Trophy under head coach Joe Gibbs.
College Football: The Hurricanes’ Reign and “Touchdown Timmy”
The collegiate ranks avoided the labor drama of the pros, delivering a highly competitive season dominated by elite defenses and dynamic individual stars.
- Miami’s National Championship: The Miami Hurricanes, coached by Jimmy Johnson, finished a perfect 12–0 season. They cemented their consensus National Championship status by defeating the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners 20–14 in a highly anticipated Orange Bowl matchup.
- The Heisman Trophy: Notre Dame flanker and all-purpose weapon Tim Brown (“Touchdown Timmy”) won the Heisman Trophy in a landslide. Known for his game-breaking ability as a receiver and return specialist, Brown cemented his campaign early in the season by returning back-to-back punts for touchdowns against Michigan State.
Other 1987 Football Milestones
The 1987 season is filled with remarkable individual achievements and bizarre statistical anomalies that remain legendary among football historians:
| Key Achievement / Metric | Player / Team | Historical Context |
| 22 Receiving Touchdowns | Jerry Rice (SF) | Set an NFL record in just 12 games due to the strike. |
| 21 Sacks in 12 Games | Reggie White (PHI) | Earned Defensive Player of the Year honors with a dominant season. |
| NFL MVP Winner | John Elway (DEN) | Won a highly contested MVP vote over statistically superior players. |
| Pop Culture Cameo | Suge Knight | The future Death Row Records CEO played two games as an replacement defensive end for the Rams. |
A Deep Dive into 1987 Football History and Highlights
- January 1, 1987 – The PAC-10 Champ, Arizona State Sun Devils, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 22–15. Devils QB Jeff Van Raaphorst was selected as the game’s MVP.
- January 2, 1987 – At the 16th Fiesta Bowl: #2 Penn State beat #1 Miami, 14-10, and the Nittany Lions became the 1986 College football Champions.
- January 3, 1987 – Fiesta Bowl –This Penn State/Miami game changed the way Bowl games were scheduled. A bidding war started at the time; both Penn State and Miami were independents with no conference affiliation.
- January 3, 1987 –The Cleveland Browns overcame a tough NY Jets team in double overtime in an AFC Playoff game to advance.
- January 11, 1987 – The New York Giants beat Washington 17-0 in the NFC Championship before a record crowd at Giants Stadium.
- January 11, 1987 – Cleveland Municipal Stadium –AFC Championship will forever go down in the annals of sports history as “the Drive.”
- January 25, 1987 — Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California —The Denver Broncos and the New York Giants faced off in Super Bowl XXI, according to a Newsday article from the day after. Broncos QB John Elway was under siege all day from a Giant defense that featured the likes of Harry Carson, Leonard Marshall, and Lawrence Taylor. In fact, he was sacked four times in the game, including once for a safety in the second quarter. Phil Simms completed 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns and was named the game’s MVP as the Giants defeated the Denver Broncos, 39-20. One of the greatest scenes from the postgame was New York franchise owner Wellington Mara handing the Lombardi Trophy to Coach Bill Parcells in jubilation of the Giants’ first Super Bowl victory.
- September 20, 1987 – Wide Receiver Dwight Clark of the San Francisco 49ers ends his NFL record streak of 105 consecutive games with a reception. Despite Clark not having a catch in the game, the visiting Niners still managed to squeak out a 27-26 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
- September 20, 1987 – The great Walter Payton helped the Chicago Bears earn a 20-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as he scored an NFL record career 107th rushing touchdown.
- September 22, 1987 – The NFL Players’ Association started a strike that lasted 24 days. The players wanted Free Agency to be part of the agreement between the NFLPA and the NFL owners. They had technically had free agency for almost a decade at that point. Still, a clause in the contract, known as the “Rozelle Rule,” stipulated that if a team signed a player, the Commissioner could review the transaction and compensate the team losing that player with draft picks or players from the new team. (Full story here)
- October 3, 1987 – Number 3 Miami vs. Number 4 Florida State Showdown
- October 4, 1987 –Anthony Allen has one of the greatest receiving days in Washington history, hauling in 7 catches for 255 yards and three TDs in a 28-21 win over the Cardinals at RFK. Courtesy Ed Kleese -Washington Football Memories.
- October 15, 1987 – The NFL Players Association ordered an end to a 24-day strike. The union failed to achieve its short-term demands because no collective bargaining agreement was in place. The owners had used replacement players for a couple of weeks to meet television contract commitments. It didn’t help the NFLPA cause, though, when star players such as Joe Montana, Mark Gastineau, and Steve Largent started breaking ranks and crossing the picket line. This eventually led to all of the players returning to work in Week 7.
- November 1, 1987 –He was a legend that the franchise would not forget. The New York Jets franchise honored their former star wide receiver, Don Maynard, by retiring the legend’s jersey number 13.
- November 7, 1987 – South Bend, Indiana –The third edition of the College Football Holy War took place as Notre Dame defeated Boston College by the score of 32-25 per onthisday.com.
- November 27, 1987 – Legion Field, Birmingham –In their annual SEC matchup, it was the Auburn Tigers who blanked the Crimson Tide of Alabama 10-0 in the 52nd Iron Bowl.
- November 29, 1987 – BC Place, Vancouver -In the 75th playing of the CFL Grey Cup, it was the Edmonton Eskimos who hung up their 10th Championship banner as they got past the tough Toronto Argonauts team for a 38-36 win, with kicker Jerry Kauric’s last-second field goal in this white-knuckle contest.
- November 29, 1987 –San Francisco Quarterback Joe Montana completes 22 consecutive passes to set an NFL record. Montana did it against a pretty tough Cleveland Browns defense, too, making it all the more remarkable, though the West Coast offense he ran was based on the dink and dunk throws underneath the coverage. The LA Times covers all the action in its day-after-the-game article, where the Niners defeated the Browns 38-24.
- November 29, 1987 –The New Orleans Saints’ 20-14 victory over the Steelers in Pittsburgh assured the long-suffering that their 1st winning NFL season was on the horizon. The game came down to a goal-line stand with less than 4 minutes to play, as seen in this YouTube clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKLzRE06bCs
- December 5, 1987 – The 53rd Heisman Trophy was awarded to Notre Dame’s wide receiver Tim Brown.
- December 27, 1987 – Arrowhead Stadium –Steve Largent set a new NFL record for career catches with his 752nd reception, exceeding Charlie Joiner’s previous mark in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.