1986 Arizona Wildcats football team

1986 Arizona Wildcats football
Aloha Bowl champion
Aloha Bowl, W 30–21 vs. North Carolina
Conference	Pacific-10 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 10
AP	No. 11
Record	9–3 (5–3 Pac-10)
Head coach	Larry Smith (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	Chuck Stobart (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Chris Allen
Captain	Byron Evans
Home stadium	Arizona Stadium

1986 Pacific-10 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Arizona State $	5	–	1	–	1			10	–	1	–	1
No. 14 UCLA	5	–	2	–	1			8	–	3	–	1
No. 18 Washington	5	–	2	–	1			8	–	3	–	1
No. 11 Arizona	5	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Stanford	5	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
USC	5	–	3	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Oregon	3	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Washington State	2	–	6	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
California	2	–	7	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
Oregon State	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1986 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. They were coached by Larry Smith in his seventh and final season. The Wildcats ended the season with a 9–3 record (5–3 in Pac-10) and won the Aloha Bowl against North Carolina for their first bowl win ever.

The season was best known for a 34–17 upset victory over rival Arizona State in the regular season finale that denied ASU an unbeaten season and chance at a potential national championship. The game also was known for Arizona returning an interception for touchdown that broke the game open.

After the season, Smith was hired by Pac-10 foe USC as the head coach (see below). He was replaced by Hawaii coach Dick Tomey, had a successful tenure with the Wildcats.

Before the season

Arizona finished the 1985 season with a record of 8–3–1 (5–2 in Pac-10) and tied with Georgia in the Sun Bowl. The team entered 1986 with high expectations, and had their live television ban lifted following sanctions against them from 1983. They were also eligible to be placed in the poll rankings in the season. In addition, the Wildcats began the year in contention for the Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl.^[1]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	7:00 p.m.	Houston*		Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	KMSB	W 37–3	52,433
September 13	7:00 p.m.	Colorado State*		Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	KMSB	W 37–10	49,003
September 20	1:00 p.m.	at Oregon	No. 17	Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	Prime	W 41–17	28,773
September 27	7:00 p.m.	at Colorado*	No. 10	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	Raycom/KMSB	W 24–21	41,024
October 11	1:00 p.m.	at UCLA	No. 11	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	CBS	L 25–32	51,279
October 18	7:00 p.m.	Oregon State	No. 16	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	KMSB	W 23–12	52,669
October 25	7:00 p.m.	California	No. 15	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	KMSB	W 33–16	49,016
November 1	5:30 p.m.	No. 18 USC	No. 14	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	Prime	L 13–20	55,046
November 8	5:00 p.m.	at Washington State	No. 17	Martin Stadium Pullman, WA	Prime	W 31–6	17,000
November 22	1:30 p.m.	No. 4 Arizona State	No. 14	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ (rivalry)	CBS	W 34–17	58,267
November 30	8:00 p.m.	vs. Stanford	No. 12	National Stadium Tokyo, Japan (Coca-Cola Classic)	ESPN	L 24–29	55,000	[2]
December 27	3:30 p.m.	vs. North Carolina*	No. 16	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI (Aloha Bowl)	ABC	W 30–21	26,743	[3]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

Further information: 1986 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Final
AP	—	—	17	10	10	11	16	15	14	17	14	14	12	16	11
Coaches	—	16	15	10	10	9	14	15	14	17	13	15	11	13	10

Game summaries

Oregon

The Wildcats went on the road to face Oregon and was ranked 17th, which was the first time since 1983 that they were officially ranked in the polls.^[4] The Arizona offense would become too much for the Ducks and remain unbeaten.^[5][6]

UCLA

Undefeated and eleventh-ranked Arizona visited UCLA at the Rose Bowl. The Wildcats led 18-0 earlier in the game and seemed like they would stay unbeaten before the Bruins bounced back to grab the lead before Arizona regained it the fourth quarter. With over a minute remaining, UCLA drove into Arizona territory and scored to retake the lead for good to hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season.^[7][8]

USC

On homecoming day, the Wildcats hosted USC in a top-20 matchup. Although the Wildcats (ranked 14th) would hang tough with the Trojans (18th), their offense didn’t do enough and committed several turnovers, leading to a loss.^[9] Smith would become USC's coach after the season (see below).

Arizona State

See also: 1986 Arizona State Sun Devils football team and Arizona-Arizona State football rivalry

#4 Arizona State Sun Devils (9–0–1) at #14 Arizona Wildcats (7–2)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Arizona State	0	10	0	7	17
Arizona	7	7	7	13	34

at Arizona Stadium • Tucson, Arizona

• Date: November 22
• Game attendance: 58,267
• TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist
• ^[10]

Game information
Arizona State Jeff Van Raaphorst 38/55, 437 Yds, 2 TD, 3 INT Darryl Harris 16 Rush, 55 Yds Aaron Cox 10 Rec, 191 Yds, TD Arizona Alfred Jenkins 11/17, 165 Yds, TD David Adams 18 Rush, 91 Yds Derek Hill 2 Rec, 67 Yds

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP ASU ARIZ 1 7:14 6 97 Arizona Adams 18-yard touchdown reception from Jenkins, Coston kick good 0 7 2 13:31 Arizona Greathouse 5-yard touchdown run, Coston kick good 0 14 2 7:59 Arizona State Garrett 7-yard touchdown reception from Van Raaphorst, Bostrom kick good 7 14 2 0:00 Arizona State 21-yard field goal by Bostrom 10 14 3 11:55 Arizona McLemore 6-yard touchdown run, Coston kick good 10 21 4 12:56 Arizona 28-yard field goal by Coston 10 24 4 8:56 Arizona Interception returned 100 yards for touchdown by Cecil, Coston kick good 10 31 4 6:47 Arizona State Cox 20-yard touchdown reception from Van Raaphorst, Bostrom kick good 17 31 4 2:14 Arizona 27-yard field goal by Coston 17 34 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 17 34

In the regular season finale, Arizona hosted fourth-ranked and unbeaten Arizona State in the annual rivalry game. Entering the game, Arizona State had already clinched both the Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl berth. The Wildcats’ offense got off to a good start early and their defense shut down the Sun Devils’ offense for most of the game, including a goal-line stand in the third quarter.

The turning point of the game occurred in the fourth quarter when ASU, down 24–10, threatened by driving down the field and cutting into Arizona's lead. However, the Wildcat defense came up big again by forcing ASU quarterback Jeff Van Raaphorst to throw an interception in the end zone, with Arizona safety Chuck Cecil returning it back the other way down the sideline for a 100-yard touchdown to give Arizona a 31–10 lead that sent Arizona Stadium (and Tucson) into a frenzy and shocking almost everybody in the state of Arizona. The play led to Arizona grabbing momentum and ASU would not recover from it for the rest of the game and the Wildcats went on to win by a score of 34-17 and gave the Sun Devils their first and only loss of the season and ended ASU's chances for a possible national championship. It was also Arizona’s fifth straight victory over ASU, which was their longest winning streak in the rivalry since they won 11 in a row from 1932 to 1948.^{[11][12][13][14]}

In a postgame interview after the game, Smith remarked that the Wildcats were the “big brother” team in the state due to Arizona’s dominance against ASU at the time (a reference to when he called the team “ASU’s little brother” after a loss in 1981). He also said that Arizona was the state’s “NFL team” due to their performance (also echoing the remarks that he said after losing to ASU in his first season in 1980.^[15][16]

Arizona fans often declare Cecil's pick-six as the greatest moment in Wildcat football history and not just in the UA–ASU rivalry.^[17]

Stanford

Riding high on the momentum after its big victory over Arizona State, the Wildcats traveled out of the country to play Stanford in Tokyo in a special matchup. The Cardinal would narrowly get past Arizona, ending the regular season. This was the first and so far, only time in Wildcat history that the team played a game outside of the United States.^[18]

North Carolina (Aloha Bowl)

Main article: 1986 Aloha Bowl

See also: 1986 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

In the Aloha Bowl in Hawaii, Arizona faced North Carolina (whom, like Arizona, are best known for their prestigious men's basketball programs). The Wildcats played hard and defeated the Tar Heels to win their first-ever bowl game in program history (the Wildcats had been winless their previous bowl appearances, including a tie in the previous year).^[19][20] It turned out to be Smith's final game as Arizona's coach.

Personnel

1986 Arizona Wildcats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 2 David Adams Sr OL Frank Arriola QB 4 Craig Bergman OL 50 Val Bichekas QB Andy Crouch OL Brian Denton WR Jeff Fairholm RB 40 Art Greathouse Fr TE Jim Hanawalt WR 82 Derek Hill So WR Jon Horton QB 1 Alfred Jenkins Sr RB Chuck Knox TE Kip Lewis TE Vince Lotti RB 20 Chris McLemore Sr WR Branch McNeal RB Joe Prior OL Jeff Rinehart C 52 Joe Tofflemire So OL Hugh Verbalatis WR Jeff Vickers RB Chuck Webb	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB Jerry Beasley DL Jim Birmingham S 6 Chuck Cecil Jr DB Troy Cephers DB 38 James DeBow So LB Byron Evans (C) Sr DL Reggie Gaddis LB Francis Gibson DB Eugene Hardy DT 97 George Hinkle Jr DB Durrell Jones DB Randy Kindred LB Dan Lockett DL Stan Mataele CB 27 Martin Rudolph Sr LB Chris Singleton LB Kevin Singleton DL 37 Dana Wells So LB 35 Brent Wood	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 11 Gary Coston Fr P 8 Ruben Rodriguez Sr	Head coach Larry Smith Coordinators/assistant coaches Chris Allen (DC) Chuck Stobart (OC) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Awards and honors

• Byron Evans, LB, Pac-10 defensive player of the year

Season notes

• This was the first season in which the Wildcats won in the postseason.
• Arizona Stadium used a new logo at midfield, which featured a large red “A” with the words “Bear Down” (with “Bear” on the top of the “A” and “Down” on the bottom of it). “Bear Down” is the Wildcats’ motto.^[21] The logo would be used until the end of the 1988 season.
• All three of Arizona's losses were by seven points or less. The team lost by a combined 19 points and came within at least 20 of finishing with a perfect season record.^[22]
• The win over Houston was Arizona's first win over the Cougars. The two teams would not play each other again until 2017–18, with Houston winning in both years. The two met again in 2024, with the Wildcats winning.
• Arizona and Colorado would play each other again until 2011, when Colorado joined the Pac-10 (which was renamed the Pac-12).
• After this season, Arizona would not defeat Oregon on the road again until 2006.
• Had the Wildcats defeated UCLA and got past either USC or Stanford, they would have finished first in the Pac-10 and made it to their first Rose Bowl and Smith would have likely remained Arizona's coach from 1987 onwards.
• Arizona's win over Arizona State featured an interception return for a touchdown that officially went 100 yards by the NCAA. Wildcat fans would often refer to the play as “The Interception”, “The Interception Return”, or “The Pick-Six”, and would be known as the greatest moment for the football program. In addition, the play would often play on the Arizona Stadium scoreboard during pregame in later years.^[23]
• The Wildcats won nine games in a season for the first time since 1975 and it was the most under Smith. Arizona's win total increased each year with Smith, as he rebuilt the program during most of the early-to-mid 1980s. The team won five in 1980, six in 1981–82, seven in 1983–84, eight in 1985, and nine this season. Prior to leaving for USC, fans thought that Smith would win ten in 1987.^[24]
• This season was the first of two that Arizona appeared in the Aloha Bowl, with the other being four years later in 1990.
• An Arizona player was honored as the Pac-10 defensive player of the year for the second time, as linebacker Byron Evans won the award, joining Ricky Hunley, who was honored in 1983.

After the season

At the conclusion of the season, Smith left Arizona to accept the head coaching position at USC, due to the fact that the Trojans’ football tradition lasted longer than the Wildcats and that he would be offered more money since Los Angeles (where USC is located) is a much larger market than Tucson, and that Arizona didn't pay him as much money.^[25] Smith would be fired by USC after the 1992 season and would later become coach at Missouri from 1994 to 2000.

To replace Smith, the Wildcats hired Hawaii coach Dick Tomey, to take over the program (coincidentally, Arizona's Aloha Bowl victory occurred on Hawaii's home field). Arizona believed that Tomey would build a chemistry with the players and to help rebuild the team after Smith's departure.^[26] Tomey would build the Wildcats to greater heights, highlighted by a dominant defense in the early-to-mid 1990s. Tomey stepped down as coach after the 2000 season.

The 1986 season was a memorable one for the Wildcats and fans thanked Smith for turning the program around during the 1980s as well as the dominance over ASU. Although Smith died in 2008, his legacy as Arizona coach would live on in Wildcat memories.^[27][28]

References

1. "Cats enter 1986 season as Rose Bowl contenders". Arizona Daily Star. August 20, 1986.
2. "Stanford holds on for victory". Record Searchlight. December 1, 1986. Retrieved January 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Not much Aloha as Arizona beats North Carolina, 30–21". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. December 28, 1986. Retrieved February 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Cats ranked 17th in polls for first official rank since '83". Arizona Daily Star. September 15, 1986.
5. "Arizona offense dominates in 41-17 triumph". Arizona Daily Star. September 21, 1986.
6. "Wildcats trounce Ducks, stay unbeaten". Tucson Citizen. September 22, 1986.
7. "UCLA comes back late to stun No. 11 Arizona in wild upset". Los Angeles Times. October 12, 1986.
8. "Cats collapse, fall to Bruins". Tucson Citizen. October 13, 1986.
9. "Wildcats fall short against #18 USC on homecoming". Arizona Daily Wildcat. November 3, 1986.
10. "Arizona claims state supremacy." Eugene Register-Guard. 1986 Nov 23. Retrieved 2019-Jan-08.
11. "UA wins fifth straight over ASU". Arizona Daily Star. November 23, 1986.
12. "Wildcats' pick-six leads to fifth consecutive win over ASU, ends Sun Devils' national title quest". Tucson Citizen. November 24, 1986.
13. "Thorny Arizona routs ASU". The Arizona Republic. November 23, 1986.
14. "INT return TD leads Wildcats to huge upset victory over ASU". Arizona Daily Wildcat. November 24, 1986.
15. "Smith: Wildcats are now ASU's 'big brother' after rivalry win". Tucson Citizen. November 24, 1986.
16. "Cats played like an NFL team in win over ASU". Arizona Daily Star. November 24, 1986.
17. "30 years later: Is Cecil's pick-six vs. ASU in 1986 the greatest Wildcat football moment?". Arizona Daily Star. November 22, 2016.
18. "No luck in Tokyo as Stanford edges Wildcats in Coca-Cola Classic". Arizona Daily Wildcat. December 2, 1986.
19. "UA beats North Carolina in Aloha Bowl". Arizona Daily Star. December 28, 1986.
20. "Say Aloha, Arizona! 'Cats top Tar Heels to finally win first bowl game". Tucson Citizen. December 29, 1986.
21. "Arizona Stadium to feature "Bear Down" logo at midfield". Arizona Daily Wildcat. August 3, 1986.
22. "Wildcats should have been unbeaten if not for the close losses". Arizona Daily Wildcat. December 1, 1986.
23. "Top Arizona football moments vs. ASU". Arizona Daily Wildcat. November 22, 2016.
24. "Wildcats keep winning more each year under Smith, future could be bright". Arizona Daily Star. December 29, 1986.
25. "Smith leaves UA for USC, citing tradition and more cash". The Arizona Republic. January 3, 1987.
26. "Wildcats hire Hawaii's Tomey as new football coach". Arizona Daily Star. January 18, 1987.
27. "Former UA football coach Smith dies at 68". Tucson Citizen. January 29, 2008.
28. "Smith remembered for building Wildcat football to success in '80s, and dominating ASU". Arizona Daily Wildcat. January 30, 2008.