W&J’s 1987 football team won games, hearts, respect
How bad were the conditions for the 1987 NCAA Division III playoff game between Washington & Jefferson College and Allegheny? A storm blanketed the field and the wind-chill factor was below zero. Aptly called the Snow Bowl, W&J won 23-17 in overtime. Here, a worker lines the field during a break in the game so officials could see the yard lines.
W&J’s 1987 football team won games, hearts, respect
“You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat.” – The Boys of Summer
So it was with the 1987 Washington & Jefferson College football team.
The Presidents earned their first unbeaten and untied regular season since the fabled 1921 Rose Bowl team.
W&J won the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship, earned three dramatic come-from-behind victories that helped define it as a team, and won an NCAA playoff game – 23-17 in overtime over Allegheny in Meadville – in eight inches of snow and a wind chill temperature of minus-20 degrees.
W&J will celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the 1987 team Saturday at Cameron Stadium when the Presidents host Westminster in the annual homecoming game at 2 p.m.
While the excitement and high spirits flowed throughout that season, it was not until the Presidents finally met their match on an unseasonably warm November afternoon at College Field – now Cameron Stadium – that their following truly fell in love with them.
As 30 years have passed, the legend of the 1987 W&J football team is often recalled and revered.
Those Presidents failed to capture the NCAA Division III national championship they coveted. But they captured hearts.
W&J’s magical season ended in a difficult 23-16 loss to Emory & Henry in the NCAA quarterfinals and South Region championship game.
The Presidents did not play anywhere near their best game. And yet, they still had a chance at the end to tie and go into overtime for a second consecutive game.
Too much happened, so many players stepped up when the situation – as dire as some seemed – called for it, and the underlying will and character of the team crystallized a group of talented young men into one of the school’s greatest teams – in any sport – for that team to not hold a special place in the hearts of its followers, their coaches and peers.
“We were just a bunch of guys who had a passion to play football,” said Arnold Tarpley, one of the team’s starting cornerbacks. “We had talent. We had so many players who were bright and chose to play at a great institution for a great coach in Coach (John) Luckhardt.
“We had an All-American running back in A.J (Pagano), an All-American offensive tackle in Matt Walsh and an All-American defensive tackle in Mark Kern, surrounded by a whole lot of other players who were really good and really smart. I think about that team and those guys all the time. It was the best time of my life.”
The numbers say a lot. Ten victories, one defeat, and a high national ranking throughout the season. Three signature wins during the regular season – a 17-16 decision over Ohio Wesleyan in the season opener, a 26-7 domination of Hiram on homecoming and a once-in-a-lifetime epic 38-36 win over rival Carnegie Mellon.
All three were comeback victories. All three tested the will and the makeup of a team that, at times, was as good as any in W&J’s storied football history.
“A big part of it can be explained and understood by looking at what the vast majority of those guys have done in their professional and daily lives,” Luckhardt said. “That group produced doctors, lawyers, law enforcement men, major executives for major corporations. The standards that group set as players at W&J and men after W&J is incredible and to be admired.
“Our guys were valiant. They fought in every situation they were put in. It was such a privilege to coach that group, not just for me, but our entire staff. We are all very proud to have been a part of that. I was a lot smarter coach because of them and their character and talent.”
Luckhardt was named Kodak Region II Coach of the Year and PAC Coach of the Year. Pagano was a Kodak All-American and PAC Offensive Player of the Year.
Kern, Tarpley, linebacker Kirk Lago, guard Voltaire Meade, who is deceased, linebacker Jim Meyer, Pagano, receiver Allen Ruttenberg and tackle John Snyder were first-team All-PAC.
Quarterback Pat Aigner, fullback Rick France, kicker John Ivory, safety Paul Livingston, tight end Andy Pacak, defensive lineman Jim Sevcik and Walsh were second-team All-PAC.
Receiver Ray Ciferno, linebacker Mike D’Amico, receiver Rob Dombrowski, linebacker Curtis Fullard, center John Kelly, safety Gabe Lazzaro, tackle Don Morgan and cornerback Todd Ulery were honorable mention All-Pac.
An incredible 23 players were honored by the conference.
Pagano finished fifth in the country in scoring and 15th in rushing. Aigner was 15th in passing efficiency and 16th in total offense. Ivory was 10th in field goals per game.
W&J concluded the regular season ranked No. 2 in the country. The Presidents ranked fourth in total offense, sixth in scoring, 19th in passing offense, 22nd in rushing offense, 11th in total defense, 15th in rushing defense and 15th in scoring defense.
But the Presidents were No. 1 in dramatic come-from-behind victories.
In the season opener in Delaware, Ohio, W&J built a 14-0 lead against a team that was winless the season before, had a new coach and had a starting team dominated by freshmen.
Somehow, the Presidents found themselves down two points with less than a minute to play. They avoided a disaster by moving into field-goal range without a timeout left, and then scrambling to get the field-goal team onto the field. Ivory, in his first collegiate game, kicked it through as time expired.
“What a trip down memory lane,” said Andy Pacak, who was the team’s tight end. “It was a real interesting group of guys who shared similar personalities.
“I never recall any time of the team getting into a panic. I remember thinking we would murder them and it didn’t happen. We always seemed to collect ourselves and get it done.”
W&J’s second notable comeback came against Hiram, which also was undefeated and nationally ranked. The Terriers struck immediately, returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
“They were on cloud nine,” Aigner said. “They were riding high.”
W&J responded quickly, answering the score with impressive precision.
From there, the Presidents dominated and rolled to a 26-7 win in front of a large crowd at College Field.
The third, and most improbable return from the grasps of defeat, came Oct. 31, 1987.
W&J trailed its CMU 22-7 at halftime. The Presidents looked rattled as the Tartans scored 15 points off turnovers.
Pagano then put on a second-half show that to this day remains a talking point for all who witnessed it. The performance not only sealed his greatness at W&J but also his legacy as one of the greatest Presidents ever.
“He was the best player in the country that day,” Aigner said. “I had not seen anything like that before nor since.”
The final comeback came at Allegheny.
The weather was frightful and fraught with so many obstacles for teams trying to advance toward a national championship. The game was played – at some moments – in blizzard-like conditions.
W&J trailed by eight points with less than a minute to play.
But Aigner directed a drive that culminated with a pass and run by Pagano for a touchdown. Still down two points, the Presidents turned to a familiar play and player. They called the same play Pagano had just scored on. It worked again and the score was even at 17-17.
Amazingly, Aigner completed 19 of 36 passes for 248 yards.
Said Luckhardt: “He was throwing mellon balls over a frozen tundra.”
“I couldn’t feel my fingers,” Tarpley said. “At halftime, some of us stripped out of our clothes. They were soaking wet. We put on new ones.
“When we went to bed the night before, we knew the forecast. We thought there was no way we were going to play. But when we went down for breakfast, we heard they were going to paint yellow lines on the field. It was barely above zero. It was crazy. It was so cold.”
None of it stopped Tarpley from making one of the biggest plays of the game, intercepting an Allegheny pass in overtime to set up the win.
“I think (Livingston) tipped it,” Tarpley said. “I just saw it and grabbed it. Big turnover. I said, ‘Now, let’s go get this score.'”
Moments later, France burst through the line and pranced through the Gators’ secondary for a game-winning TD.
“It’s a special team. A lot of it is due to how close the group was and the personalities meshed perfectly,” Pacak said. “Maybe it was infectious because it was the same with those who coached us, covered us and looked out for us. We all liked each other. It felt good. It felt right.”