1987 Alabama State Hornets football team

The 1987 Alabama State Hornets football team represented Alabama State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach Houston Markham, the Hornets compiled an overall record of 8–3, with a mark of 4–3 in conference play, and finished fourth in the SWAC.

1987 Alabama State Hornets football
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Record	8–3 (4–3 SWAC)
Head coach	Houston Markham (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Darwin Valentine (1st season)
Home stadium	Cramton Bowl
Seasons ← 1986 1988 →

1987 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 9 Jackson State $^	7	–	0	–	0			8	–	3	–	1
Southern	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Alcorn State	5	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Alabama State	4	–	3	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Grambling State	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Texas Southern	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Prairie View A&M	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Mississippi Valley State	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	vs. Southern	Ladd Stadium Mobile, AL (Gulf Coast Classic)	L 10–14	15,000	[1]
September 19	Alcorn State	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL	W 17–9		[2]
September 26	at Texas Southern	Robertson Stadium Houston, TX	L 9–31		[3][4]
October 3	at Florida A&M*	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 14–12	6,395	[5]
October 10	at Jackson State	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 17–41	33,500	[6]
October 17	Albany State*	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL	W 21–20		[7]
October 24	Prairie View A&M	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL	W 24–7		[8]
October 31	vs. Alabama A&M*	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Magic City Classic)	W 17–14		[9]
November 7	Grambling State	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL	W 17–7		[10]
November 14	Mississippi Valley State	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL	W 21–0	8,500	[11]
November 26	Johnson C. Smith*	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL (Turkey Day Classic)	W 21–3	14,000	[12]
*Non-conference game

References

1. "Southern squeaks by ASU in opener". The Montgomery Advertiser. September 13, 1987. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Alabama St. trips Alcorn State, 17–9". The Anniston Star. September 20, 1987. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "ASU faces tough QB at Texas Southern". The Montgomery Advertiser. September 26, 1987. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Texas Southern explodes to blast Alabama State". The Montgomery Advertiser. September 27, 1987. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Alabama State struggles past FAMU, 14–12". Florida Today. October 4, 1987. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Boyd makes it a night for J-State to remember, 41–17". The Clarion-Ledger. October 11, 1987. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Missed extra point preserves ASU win". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 18, 1987. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Alabama St. 24, Prairie View 7". Victoria Advocate. October 25, 1987. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Alabama State wins Magic City Classic, 17–14". The Clarion-Ledger. November 1, 1987. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Hornets finally beat Grambling". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 8, 1987. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Hornets top MVSU 21–0". The Greenwood Commonwealth. November 15, 1987. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Alabama State rallies past Johnson C. Smith in Classic". The Charlotte Observer. November 27, 1987. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.