1987 All-America college football team
The 1987 All-America college football team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1987. The National Collegiate Athletic Association recognizes five selectors as "official" for the 1987 season. They are: the American Football Coaches Association ; the Associated Press selected based on the votes of sports writers at AP newspapers; the Football Writers Association of America ; the United Press International selected based on the votes of sports writers at UPI newspapers; and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Other notable selectors included Football News the Newspaper Enterprise Association, Scripps Howard, and The Sporting News.
Consensus All-Americans
The following charts identify the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans for the year 1987 and displays which first-team designations they received.Full selections - offense
Quarterbacks
Don McPherson, Syracuse- Troy Aikman, UCLA
- Steve Taylor, Nebraska
Running backs
Lorenzo White, Michigan State Craig Heyward, Pittsburgh- Gaston Green, UCLA
- Bobby Humphrey, Alabama
- Thurman Thomas, Oklahoma State
- Lydell Carr, Oklahoma
- Eric Metcalf, Texas
- Jamie Morris, Michigan
- Mel Bratton, Miami
- Blair Thomas, Penn State
Wide receivers
Tim Brown, Notre Dame Wendell Davis, LSU- Sterling Sharpe, South Carolina
- Ernie Jones, Indiana
- Marc Zeno, Tulane
- Guy Liggins, San Jose State
- Michael Irvin, Miami
- Terance Mathis, New Mexico
Tight ends
Keith Jackson, Oklahoma- Pat Carter, Florida State
- Ferrell Edmunds, Maryland
Centers
Nacho Albergamo, LSU- Chuck Lanza, Notre Dame
- Jake Young, Nebraska
- Matt Wilson, Texas A&M
Offensive guards
Mark Hutson, Oklahoma Randall McDaniel, Arizona State- John Phillips, Clemson
- Steve Wisniewski, Penn State
- Harry Galbreath, Tennessee
- Larry Rose, Alabama
- Eric Andolsek, LSU
Offensive tackles
Dave Cadigan, USC Jumbo Elliot, Michigan- John McCormick, Nebraska
- Paul Gruber, Wisconsin
- Stacy Searels, Auburn
- Dave Richards, UCLA
- Greg Johnson, Oklahoma
- Tony Mandarich, Michigan State
- Louis Cheek, Texas A&M
- Pat Tomberlin, Florida State
Full selections - defense
Defensive linemen
Chad Hennings, Air Force Danny Stubbs, Miami Tracy Rocker, Auburn Ted Gregory, Syracuse- Neil Smith, Nebraska
- Tony Cherico, Arkansas
- Broderick Thomas, Nebraska
- Michael Dean Perry, Clemson
- Darrell Reed, Oklahoma
- Mark Messner, Michigan
- Roy Hart, South Carolina
- Burt Grossman, Pittsburgh
- Carlton Bailey, North Carolina
- Kyle Rappold, Colorado
Linebackers
Chris Spielman, Ohio State Aundray Bruce, Auburn Dante Jones, Oklahoma John Roper, Texas A&M- Ken Norton Jr. UCLA
- Paul McGowan, Florida State
- Kurt Crain, Auburn
- Marcus Cotton, USC
- Chris Gaines, Vanderbilt
- Clifford Charlton, Florida
- Ezekial Gadson, Pittsburgh
- Carnell Lake, UCLA
- Ned Bolcar, Notre Dame
- Van Waiters, Indiana
- Bill Romanowski, Boston College
- Jethro Franklin, Fresno State
- John Brantley, Georgia
- Pete Curkendall, Penn State
- George Mira Jr., Miami
- Galand Thaxton, Wyoming
Defensive backs
Bennie Blades, Miami Deion Sanders, Florida State Rickey Dixon, Oklahoma Chuck Cecil, Arizona- Donnell Woolford, Clemson
- Todd Krumm, Michigan State
- Jarvis Williams, Florida
- Gordon Lockbaum, Holy Cross
- Louis Oliver, Florida
- Mickey Pruitt, Colorado
- Brad Edwards, South Carolina
- David Vickers, Oklahoma
- Riccardo Ingram, Georgia Tech
- Terry McDaniel, Tennessee
- Gary Richard, Pittsburgh
- Kip Corrington, Texas A&M
Full selections - special teams
Placekickers
David Treadwell, Clemson- Marty Zendejas, Nevada-Reno
- Gary Gussman, Miami
- Derek Schmidt, Florida State
Punters
Tom Tupa, Ohio State- Scott Tabor, California
- Barry Helton, Colorado
- Greg Montgomery, Michigan State
Returners
- Tim Brown, Notre Dame
- Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State
- Alan Grant, Stanford
Key
Bold – Consensus All-American- -1 – First-team selection
- -2 – Second-team selection
- -3 – Third-team selection
- CFHOF = College Football Hall of Fame inductee
Official selectors
- AFCA – American Football Coaches Association, selected by the members of the AFCA for the Kodak All-America team
- AP – Associated Press
- FWAA – Football Writers Association of America
- UPI – United Press International
- WC – Walter Camp Football Foundation, selected by the nation's college coaches and sports information directors
Other selectors
- FN – Football News
- NEA – Newspaper Enterprise Association, the NEA/World Almanac team, "chosen by a sports panel representing the World Almanac, its 140 co-sponsoring newspapers and its publisher"
- TSN – The Sporting News
- SH – Scripps Howard