1987 Chicago Bruisers season
The 1987 Chicago Bruisers season was the first season for the arena football franchise. The Bruisers took a chance with a young team that averaged 25 years of age.[1] The Bruisers' lost their first game in franchise history, 44–52 in overtime, to the Denver Dynamite.[2] The Bruisers struggled in their second game, giving up 45 points in the first half before losing 23–60 to the Pittsburgh Gladiators.[3] Despite getting off to a 2–3 start, the Bruisers had an opportunity to make it to ArenaBowl I with a win in the final week of the season against the Dynamite.[4] The Bruisers however would lose 35–52. They finished with a record of 2–4 and failed to qualify for the playoffs.
| 1987 Chicago Bruisers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Ray Jauch |
| Home field | Rosemont Horizon |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–4 |
| Division place | 3rd |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | ||||
| 1 | June 20 | Denver Dynamite | L 44–52 (OT) | 0–1 | Rosemont Horizon |
| 2 | June 22 | Pittsburgh Gladiators | L 23–60 | 0–2 | Rosemont Horizon |
| 3 | July 2 | at Pittsburgh Gladiators | L 14–49 | 0–3 | Civic Arena |
| 4 | July 10 | Washington Commandos | W 37–36 | 1–3 | Rosemont Horizon |
| 5 | July 16 | at Washington Commandos | W 64–61 | 2–3 | Capital Centre |
| 6 | July 24 | at Denver Dynamite | L 35–52 | 2–4 | McNichols Sports Arena |
Standings
1987 Arena Football League standings | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | PF (Avg.) | PA (Avg.) | STK | ||
| y-Pittsburgh Gladiators | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 268 | 199 | 44.6 | 33.1 | L 2 | ||
| x-Denver Dynamite | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 261 | 252 | 43.5 | 42 | W 2 | ||
| Washington Commandos | 2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | 288 | 273 | 48 | 45.5 | W 1 | ||
| Chicago Bruisers | 2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | 217 | 310 | 36.1 | 51.6 | L 1 | ||
y – clinched regular-season title
x – clinched playoff spot
Roster
| 1987 Chicago Bruisers roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Wide Receivers/Defensive Backs
|
Running Backs/Linebackers
Offensive Linemen/Defensive Linemen
|
Wide Receivers/Linebackers
Kickers Rookies in italics → More rosters | ||||
Stats
Offense
Passing
| Player | Comp. | Att. | Comp% | Yards | TD's | INT's | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Hold, Jr. | 66 | 139 | 47.5 | 787 | 16 | 4 | 82 |
| Sean Payton | 5 | 14 | 35.7 | 47 | 0 | 3 | 6.3 |
Rushing
| Player | Car. | Yards | TD's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billy Stone | 25 | 139 | 4 |
| Mike Hold, Jr. | 25 | 97 | 2 |
| Eddie Phillips | 13 | 65 | 1 |
| Mike McDade | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Terry Hinn | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sean Payton | 1 | −16 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Rec. | Yards | TD's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reggie Smith | 18 | 185 | 3 |
| Stephen Finch | 12 | 160 | 3 |
| Mike McDade | 12 | 120 | 2 |
| Durwood Roquemore | 11 | 99 | 1 |
| Richard Rodgers | 7 | 135 | 4 |
| Ken Sanders | 3 | 31 | 1 |
| Daryl Hart | 2 | 57 | 2 |
| Terry Hinn | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Mike Hold, Jr. | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| Eddie Phillips | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Billy Stone | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Troy Hill | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Tackles | Solo | Assisted | Sack | INT | Yards | TD's |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Stone | 37 | 26 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Durwood Roquemore | 36 | 35 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 0 |
| Daryl Hart | 23.5 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 47 | 0 |
| Terry Hinn | 23 | 22 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Stephen Finch | 20 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 1 |
| Brent Johnson | 19 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osia Lewis | 16 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Richard Rodgers | 16 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike McDade | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Troy Hill | 10.5 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eddie Phillips | 10.5 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike McCurry | 8.5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dane Griffin | 8 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dennis Washington | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reggie Smith | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| Eric Larkin | 4.5 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reggie Oliver | 3.5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Sanders | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Rodenhauser | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Mike-Mayer | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| William Logan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Special teams
Kick return
| Player | Ret | Yards | TD's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reggie Smith | 19 | 305 | 1 |
| Terry Hinn | 8 | 153 | 0 |
| Stephen Finch | 5 | 85 | 0 |
| Mike McDade | 4 | 34 | 0 |
| Troy Hill | 2 | 25 | 0 |
| Richard Rodgers | 2 | 18 | 0 |
| Dennis Washington | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Billy Stone | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Durwood Roquemore | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Daryl Hart | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | FGM | 4pg | FGA | Pct. | XPM | 2pt | XPA | Pct. | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Mike-Mayer | 7 | 0 | 26 | 26.9 | 19 | 0 | 24 | 79.2 | 40 |
| Mike Hold, Jr. | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 2 |
Awards
| Position | Player | Award | All-Arena team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fullback/Linebacker | Billy Stone | Ironman of the Year | 1st |
| Offensive/Defensive Lineman | Brent Johnson | none | 1st |
| Kicker | Nick Mike-Mayer | none | 1st |
| Wide Receiver/Defensive Back | Reggie Smith | none | 2nd |
References
- "And Now, Your Chicago Bruisers". Chicago Tribune. June 16, 1987. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- Linda Young (June 22, 1987). "So Far, So Good For Arena Football". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- Linda Young (June 28, 1987). "Pittsburgh Bombs Bruisers". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- "Arena Football Officials Truly A Calculating Bunch". Chicago Tribune. July 24, 1987. Retrieved January 31, 2013.