1987 Houston Oilers season

NFL team season

1987 Houston Oilers season

Owner| Bud Adams
General manager| Ladd Herzeg
Head coach| Jerry Glanville
Home field| Houston Astrodome
Results
Record| 9–6
Division place| 2nd AFC Central
Playoff finish| Won Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Seahawks) 23–20 (OT)
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Broncos) 10–34
Uniform

* <- 1986
* Oilers seasons
* 1988 ->

The 1987 Houston Oilers season was the franchise's 18th season in the National Football League and the 28th overall. The Oilers came into the season looking to improve on their 5–11 record from 1986, and make the playoffs for the first time since 1980. The 1987 NFL season was affected by a players strike that took place in week 3 of the season, which canceled all week 3 games. As a result, the Oilers canceled there was-to-be week 3 game against the Los Angeles Raiders. The Oilers began the season 3–1, their best start to a season since 1980. After the Oilers lost at home to the Patriots 21–7 in week 5, the Oilers defeated the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals to give them a 5–2 start to the season. After the Oilers lost to the 49ers on the road, they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road, 23–3, for their first win in Pittsburgh since 1978. The Oilers would then play 2 disastrous games against the Browns and the Colts, as they allowed 40+ points in each game, losing 40–7 to Cleveland at home and losing 51–27 to the Colts in Indianapolis. The Oilers would defeat the Chargers the next week, rebounding from those 2 bad losses. The Oilers would clinch a playoff spot in the season's final week with a 21–17 win over Cincinnati, thus ending their 6-year playoff drought. This was the first of seven consecutive playoff appearances for the Oilers. In the playoffs, they defeated the Seattle Seahawks 23–20 in overtime on a Tony Zendejas field goal. However, the next week, they lost to the Broncos 34–10 in the Divisional Round, ending their season.

Warren Moon (left) and Mike Rozier (right), playing for the Oilers in 1987, led the team in passing and rushing that season, respectively.

## Offseason[edit]

### NFL draft[edit]

Main article: 1987 NFL draft

1987 Houston Oilers draft

Round  | Pick  | Player  | Position  | College  | Notes
1  | 3  | Alonzo Highsmith | Running back | Miami (FL) |
1  | 20  | Haywood Jeffires * | Wide receiver | North Carolina State |
2  | 46  | Walter Johnson | Linebacker | Louisiana Tech |
3  | 64  | Cody Carlson | Quarterback | Baylor |
4  | 105  | Mark Dusbabek | Linebacker  | Minnesota |
5  | 133  | Spencer Tillman | Running back  | Oklahoma |
6  | 147  | Al Smith * | Linebacker  | Utah State |
6  | 159  | Toby Caston | Linebacker  | LSU |
7  | 176  | Robert Banks | Defensive end | Notre Dame |
8  | 202  | Michel James | Wide receiver  | Washington State |
9  | 231  | Wes Neighbors | Center | Alabama |
10  | 258  | Curtis Duncan * | Wide receiver  | Northwestern |
11  | 287  | John Davis | Offensive tackle | Georgia Tech |
12  | 314  | Ira Valentine | Running back  | Texas A&M |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

## Personnel[edit]

### Staff[edit]

1987 Houston Oilers staff

Front office

* Owner/Chairman of the Board/President – Bud Adams
* Executive Vice President/General Manager – Ladd Herzeg

Head coaches

* Head Coach – Jerry Glanville

Offensive coaches

* Quarterbacks – June Jones
* Running Backs – Dick Jamieson
* Receivers – Milt Jackson
* Tight Ends – Miller McCalmon
* Offensive Line – Kim Helton

|  |  | Defensive coaches

* Defensive Line – Doug Shively
* Linebackers – Floyd Reese
* Secondary – Tom Bettis

Special teams coaches

* Special Teams – Miller McCalmon

Strength and conditioning

* Strength and Rehabilitation – Steve Watterson

### Roster[edit]

1987 Houston Oilers roster

| Quarterbacks

* 14 Cody Carlson
* 1 Warren Moon
* 10 Brent Pease

Running backs

* 32 Alonzo Highsmith FB
* 20 Allen Pinkett KR
* 30 Mike Rozier
* 33 Spencer Tillman
* 35 Ray Wallace FB
* 45 Ira Valentine

Wide receivers

* 82 Willie Drewrey
* 80 Curtis Duncan
* 81 Ernest Givins
* 85 Drew Hill
* 84 Haywood Jeffires

Tight ends

* 89 Jeff Parks
* 87 Jamie Williams

|  | Offensive linemen

* 77 Bruce Davis T
* 72 Kent Hill G
* 74 Bruce Matthews G
* 63 Mike Munchak G
* 52 Jay Pennison C
* 70 Dean Steinkuhler T
* 69 Doug Williams T

Defensive linemen

* 75 Jesse Baker DE
* 71 Richard Byrd DE
* 79 Ray Childress DT
* 98 Rayford Cooks DE
* 95 William Fuller DE
* 94 Charles Martin DE
* 99 Doug Smith DT

|  | Linebackers

* 51 Eric Fairs
* 59 John Grimsley OLB
* 57 Walter Johnson
* 93 Robert Lyles OLB
* 91 Johnny Meads OLB
* 53 Eugene Seale MLB

Defensive backs

* 29 Patrick Allen CB
* \-- Craig Birdsong
* 25 Keith Bostic SS
* 24 Steve Brown CB
* 31 Jeff Donaldson S
* 21 Bo Eason FS
* 22 Kenny Johnson
* 26 Audray McMillian

Special teams

* 8 Jeff Gossett P
* 7 Tony Zendejas K

|  | Reserve lists

* 56 Robert Abraham LB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 97 Robert Banks DE (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 90 Toby Caston ILB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 24 Charles Clinton DB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 73 John Davis G (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* ## Neal Dellocono LB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* \-- Mark Dusbabek LB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 23 Richard Johnson CB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 28 Allen Lyday S (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 78 Don Maggs T (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 68 Vince Stroth T (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 29 Bucky White CB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)

Practice squad

Rookies in italics

### NFL replacement players[edit]

After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:

1987 Houston Oilers replacement roster

Quarterbacks

* 10 David Worsham
* 12 John Witkowski
* 14 Brent Pease
* 18 Paul Williams

Running backs

* 30 Herman Hunter
* 32 Ricky Moore
* 33 Don Williams
* 35 Eric Cobble
* 36 Jarvis McKyer
* 38 Lionel Wilson
* 40 Andrew Jackson

Wide receivers

* 15 Roger Coleman
* 80 Leonard Harris
* 81 Keith McDonald
* 82 Sam Moore
* 83 Joey Walters
* 84 Haywood Jeffires
* 84 Robert Mitchell
* 85 Chris Darrington
* 86 Oliver Williams

Tight ends

* 87 Scott Eccles
* 88 Mark Gehring
* 89 James Arrike

|  |

Offensive linemen

* 50 Billy Kidd
* 60 Jerrell Franklin
* 62 Doug Kellermeyer
* 66 Clay Miller
* 69 Brett Petersmark
* 70 Charles Agee
* 73 Almon Young
* 76 Louis Garza
* 77 Scott Boucher
* 78 Roland Aumueller

Defensive linemen

* 71 Gerald Browner
* 75 Jesse Baker
* 75 Kenny Neil
* 94 Eric Larkin
* 94 Charles Martin
* 95 Dwain Turner
* 98 Rayford Cooks
* 99 Rickey Hagood
* 99 Doug Smith

|  |

Linebackers

* 50 Paul Vogel
* 51 Eugene Seale
* 53 Thad Jefferson
* 54 Larry Smith
* 55 Scott Stoughton
* 56 George Woods
* 57 Bryon Johnson
* 59 Scott Fox

Defensive backs

* 20 Earl Allen
* 21 Craig Birdsong
* 22 Kenneth Johnson
* 23 Domingo Bryant
* 24 Clinton Charles
* 25 Larry Joyner
* 26 Tony Newsom
* 27 Donovan Small
* 28 Emmuel Thompson
* 29 Robert White
* 31 Darrell Francis
* 37 Ken McKyer

Special teams

* 4 Florian Kempf K
* 7 Tony Zendejas K
* 8 Steve Superick P
* 9 John Diettrich K
* 11 Lee Johnson P

## Regular season[edit]

### Schedule[edit]

Week  | Date  | Opponent  | Result  | Record  | Venue  | Attendance

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | September 13  | Los Angeles Rams | W 20–16  | 1–0  | Astrodome | 33,186
2  | September 20  | at Buffalo Bills | L 30–34  | 1–1  | Rich Stadium | 56,534
–  | September 27  | Los Angeles Raiders | canceled  | 1–1  | Astrodome  | –
3  | October 4  | at Denver Broncos | W 40–10  | 2–1  | Mile High Stadium | 38,494
4  | October 11  | at Cleveland Browns | W 15–10  | 3–1  | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 38,927
5  | October 18  | New England Patriots | L 7–21  | 3–2  | Astrodome  | 26,294
6  | October 25  | Atlanta Falcons | W 37–33  | 4–2  | Astrodome  | 29,062
7  | November 1  | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 31–29  | 5–2  | Riverfront Stadium | 52,700
8  | November 8  | at San Francisco 49ers | L 20–27  | 5–3  | Candlestick Park | 59,740
9  | November 15  | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 23–3  | 6–3  | Three Rivers Stadium | 56,177
10  | November 22  | Cleveland Browns | L 7–40  | 6–4  | Astrodome  | 51,161
11  | November 29  | at Indianapolis Colts | L 27–51  | 6–5  | Hoosier Dome | 54,999
12  | December 6  | San Diego Chargers | W 33–18  | 7–5  | Astrodome  | 31,714
13  | December 13  | at New Orleans Saints | L 10–24  | 7–6  | Louisiana Superdome | 68,257
14  | December 20  | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–16  | 8–6  | Astrodome  | 38,683
15  | December 27  | Cincinnati Bengals | W 21–17  | 9–6  | Astrodome  | 49,775

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Game summaries[edit]

#### Week 7[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

|
|
|
|
|

Falcons | 3 | 10| 14| 6 | 33
• Oilers | 3 | 10| 7| 17 | 37

* Date: October 25
* Location: Houston Astrodome
* Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Indoors (dome)
* Referee: Fred Silva

| Scoring summary

Q1| | ATL| Luckhurst 39 yard field goal| ATL 3–0
Q1| | HOU| Zendejas 31 yard field goal| Tie 3−3
Q2| | ATL| Luckhurst 37 yard field goal| ATL 6–3
Q2| | HOU| Zendejas 43 yard field goal| Tie 6–6
Q2| | ATL| Dixon 10 yard pass from Campbell (Luckhurst kick)| ATL 13−6
Q2| | HOU| Duncan 41 yard pass from Moon (Zendejas kick)| Tie 13−13
Q3| | HOU| Givins 8 yard pass from Moon (Zendejas kick)| HOU 20–13
Q3| | ATL| Bailey 29 yard pass from Campbell (Luckhurst kick)| Tie 20–20
Q3| | ATL| Whisenhunt 3 yard pass from Campbell (Luckhurst kick)| ATL 27−20
Q4| | HOU| Rozier 14 yard run (Zendejas kick)| Tie 27–27
Q4| | HOU| Zendejas 24 yard field goal| HOU 30–27
Q4| | ATL| Luckhurst 45 yard field goal| Tie 30–30
Q4| | ATL| Luckhurst 18 yard field goal| ATL 33–30
Q4| | HOU| Duncan 14 yard pass from Moon (Zendejas kick)| HOU 37–33

### Standings[edit]

AFC Central

* view
* talk
* edit

| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK
Cleveland Browns(2) | 10  | 5  | 0  | .667  | 5–1  | 8–3  | 390  | 239  | W3
Houston Oilers(4) | 9  | 6  | 0  | .600  | 5–1  | 7–4  | 345  | 349  | W2
Pittsburgh Steelers | 8  | 7  | 0  | .533  | 2–4  | 6–5  | 285  | 299  | L2
Cincinnati Bengals | 4  | 11  | 0  | .267  | 0–6  | 3–9  | 285  | 370  | L3

## Playoffs[edit]

### AFC Wild Card[edit]

Houston Oilers 23, Seattle Seahawks 20 (OT)

Period | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| OT| Total

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Seahawks | 7 | 3 | 3| 7| 0| 20
Oilers | 3 | 10 | 7| 0| 3| 23

at Astrodome, Houston, Texas

* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 50,519
* Referee: Bob McElwee
* TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Joe Namath

Oilers kicker Tony Zendejas won the game with a 42-yard field goal 8:05 into overtime. Although Houston outgained Seattle with 427 total offensive yards to 250, the game remained close until the very end.

### AFC Divisional Playoff[edit]

Denver Broncos 34, Houston Oilers 10

Period | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

|
|
|
|
|

Oilers | 0 | 3 | 0| 7| 10
Broncos | 14 | 10 | 3| 7| 34

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. MST
* Game attendance: 75,440
* Referee: Jerry Markbreit
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

## Awards and records[edit]

* Keith Bostic, NFL Leader, Interceptions, (6) – Tied with two others for league lead

## References[edit]

1. ^ "1987 Houston Oilers draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 20, 2014.

## External links[edit]

* 1987 Houston Oilers at Pro-Football-Reference.com

* v
* t
* e

Tennessee Titans

* Founded in 1960
* Formerly the Houston Oilers (1960–1996) and the Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998)
* Based and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee

Franchise|

* History
* in Houston
* Coaches
* Seasons
* Players
* First-round draft picks
* Starting quarterbacks

Stadiums|

* Jeppesen Stadium
* Rice Stadium
* Houston Astrodome
* Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
* Vanderbilt Stadium
* Nissan Stadium

Culture|

* Bud Adams
* Luv Ya Blue
* T-Rac
* Cheerleaders

Lore|

* The Comeback
* Music City Miracle
* One Yard Short

Rivalries|

* Baltimore Ravens
* Buffalo Bills
* Dallas Cowboys
* Houston Texans
* Jacksonville Jaguars
* Pittsburgh Steelers

Division championships (11)|

* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1967
* 1991
* 1993
* 2000
* 2002
* 2008
* 2020
* 2021

Conference championships (1)|

* 1999

League championships (2)|

* 1960
* 1961

Retired numbers|

* 1
* 9
* 27
* 34
* 43
* 63
* 65
* 74

Media|

* Broadcasters
* Titans All Access
* Titans Preseason Football
* Titans Radio Network
* WKRN-TV
* WTVF
* WZTV
* WGFX-FM
* WSMV-TV

Current league affiliations|

* League: National Football League (1970–present)
* Conference: American Football Conference
* Division: South Division

Former league affiliation|

* League: American Football League (1960–1969)

Key personnel|

* Bud Adams
* Amy Adams Strunk

* v
* t
* e

Tennessee Titans seasons

Formerly the Houston Oilers (1960–1996) and the Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998)

* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
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* 2003
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* 2010
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* 2017
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* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

Bold indicates AFL Championship (1960–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory
Italics indicates Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance

* v
* t
* e

1987 NFL season

| AFC| East | Central| West| East| Central| West | NFC

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Buffalo | Cincinnati| Denver| Dallas| Chicago| Atlanta
Indianapolis | Cleveland| Kansas City| NY Giants| Detroit| LA Rams
Miami | Houston| LA Raiders| Philadelphia| Green Bay| New Orleans
New England | Pittsburgh| San Diego| St. Louis| Minnesota| San Francisco
NY Jets | | Seattle| Washington| Tampa Bay|

* 1987 NFL Draft
* 1987 NFL strike
* NFL playoffs
* Pro Bowl
* Super Bowl XXII

*[IR]: Injured reserve
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[PCT]: Winning percentage
*[DIV]: Win–Loss record within their division
*[CONF]: Win–Loss record within their conference
*[PF]: Points For (Total points scored)
*[PA]: Points Against (Total points allowed)
*[STK]: Current Winning or Losing Streak
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template