1987 Los Angeles Raiders season
Encyclopedia
Offseason
Since he did not sign with a team by the 1987 draft1987 NFL Draft
The 1987 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987...
, Bo Jackson’s rights were forfeited by Tampa Bay and his name was thrown back into the draft. The Los Angeles Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
selected Jackson in the 7th round with the 183rd overall pick. Raiders owner Al Davis
Al Davis
Allen "Al" Davis was an American football executive. He was the principal owner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1970 to 2011...
supported Jackson and his baseball career and got Jackson to sign a contract by offering him a salary that was comparable to a full-time starting running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
but allowing Jackson to only play part-time until the baseball season was done.
NFL Draft
Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 15 | John Clay John Clay (American football) John Clay is a former professional American football tackle who played for two seasons with the Los Angeles Raiders and the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Raiders with the 15th pick in the 1987 NFL Draft.... |
Tackle | University of Missouri |
2 | 52 | Bruce Wilkerson Bruce Wilkerson Bruce Alan Wilkerson is a former American football player who played tackle for three NFL teams from 1987 to 1997. He started in Super Bowl XXXI for the Green Bay Packers. He is now employed by the Aluminum Company of America. He has a daughter named Starkicia and a son named Jeremy.... |
Tackle | University of Tennessee |
3 | 81 | Steve Smith Steve Smith (running back) Steven Anthony Smith is a former professional American football running back, playing 9 seasons in the National Football League with the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. He was a team captain on Penn State's 1986 National Championship team.Smith was a third-round draft choice of the Raiders... |
Running Back | Penn State University |
4 | 110 | Steve Beuerlein Steve Beuerlein Stephen Taylor "Steve" Beuerlein is a former football quarterback, and currently is an NFL and college football analyst for CBS.-Education:... |
Quarterback | Notre Dame University |
7 | 183 | Bo Jackson Bo Jackson Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson is a former American baseball and football player. He was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports, and also won the Heisman Trophy in 1985.... |
Running Back | Auburn University |
9 | 238 | Scott Eccles | Tight End | Eastern New Mexico |
10 | 254 | Rob Harrison | Defensive Back | Sacramento State |
10 | 265 | John Gesek John Gesek John Christian Gesek, Jr. is a former American football offensive lineman who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Raiders, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Washington Redskins... |
Guard | Sacramento State |
10 | 273 | Jim Ellis | Linebacker | Boise State |
11 | 288 | Chris McLemore | Running Back | Arizona |
11 | 294 | Mario Perry | Tight End | Mississippi |
Regular season
Joining the Raiders midway through the 1987 season, Bo Jackson rushed for 554 yards on 81 carries in just seven games. Over the next three seasons, Bo Jackson would rush for 2,228 more yards and 12 touchdownTouchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s: a remarkable achievement, in light of the fact that he was a "second string" player behind Raiders legend Marcus Allen
Marcus Allen
Marcus LeMarr Allen is a former American football player and, until recently, was affiliated with CBS as a game analyst. As a professional, Allen ran for 12,243 yards and caught 587 passes for 5,412 yards during his career for both the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1982 to 1997...
.
Jackson turned in a 221-yard rushing performance on Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
in 1987
1987 NFL season
The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players...
against the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
. During this game, he ran over Seahawks linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Brian Bosworth
Brian Bosworth
Brian Keith "The Boz" Bosworth, is a former American football linebacker. He played college football for the University of Oklahoma...
, who had insulted Jackson and promised in a media event before the game to contain Jackson. He also made a 91-yard run to the outside, untouched down the sideline. He continued sprinting until finally slowing down as he passed through the entrance to the field tunnel to the dressing room
Changeroom
A changing room, locker room, dressing room or changeroom is a room or area designated for changing one's clothes...
s with teammates soon following. Jackson scored two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in the game.
Schedule
Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Raiders points | Opponents | Record | Attendance |
1 | Sept. 13 | at Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
Win | 20 | 0 | 1–0 | |
2 | Sept. 20 | vs. Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
Win | 27 | 7 | 2–0 | |
– | Sept. 27 | at Houston Oilers | Canceled | 2–0 | |||
3 | Oct. 4 | vs. Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... |
Win | 35 | 17 | 3–0 | |
4 | Oct. 12 | at Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Loss | 14 | 30 | 3–1 | |
5 | Oct. 18 | vs. San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Loss | 17 | 23 | 3–2 | |
6 | Oct. 25 | vs. Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
Loss | 13 | 35 | 3–3 | |
7 | Nov. 1 | at New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... |
Loss | 23 | 26 | 3–4 | |
8 | Nov. 8 | at Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
Loss | 20 | 31 | 3–5 | |
9 | Nov. 15 | at San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Loss | 14 | 16 | 3–6 | |
10 | Nov. 22 | vs. Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Loss | 17 | 23 | 3–7 | |
11 | Nov. 30 | at Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
Win | 37 | 14 | 4–7 | |
12 | Dec. 6 | vs. Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Win | 34 | 21 | 5–7 | |
13 | Dec. 13 | at Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... |
Loss | 10 | 16 | 5–8 | |
14 | Dec. 20 | Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Loss | 17 | 24 | 5–9 | |
15 | Dec. 27 | Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Loss | 3 | 6 | 5–10 | |
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
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Tight Ends
Offensive Linemen
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Defensive Linemen
Linebackers
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Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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