1985 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team

The 1985 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team represented the University of Tulsa as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) during the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first year under head coach Don Morton, the Golden Hurricane compiled an overall record of 6–5 record with a mark of 5–0 against conference opponents, winning the MVC title for the sixth consecutive season.[1]

1985 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football
MVC champion
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record6–5 (5–0 MVC)
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorMike Daly (1st season)
Home stadiumSkelly Stadium
Seasons
← 1984
1986 →
1985 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Tulsa $ 5 0 0 6 5 0
West Texas State 3 1 1 6 3 1
Illinois State 3 1 1 6 3 2
Indiana State 3 2 0 4 6 0
Wichita State 2 3 0 3 8 0
Southern Illinois 1 3 0 4 7 0
Drake 1 5 0 4 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • The conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division I-A and I-AA programs. Tulsa and Wichita State were I-A and the other teams were I-AA.

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Steve Gage with 1,069 passing yards, Gordon Brown with 1,201 rushing yards, and Ronnie Kelly with 379 receiving yards.[2]

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 7Houston[n 1]W 31–2428,156[3]
September 14Texas Tech*
  • Skelly Stadium
  • Tulsa, OK
L 17–2129,972[4]
September 21at No. 14 Arkansas*L 0–2455,112[5]
September 28at Texas A&M*L 10–4544,342[6]
October 5at No. 6 Oklahoma State*L 13–2549,400[7]
October 12Long Beach State*
  • Skelly Stadium
  • Tulsa, OK
W 37–3512,262[8]
October 19at Florida State*L 14–7653,500[9]
October 26West Texas State
  • Skelly Stadium
  • Tulsa, OK
W 44–1711,378[10]
November 2at Wichita StateW 42–2611,760[11]
November 9Drake 
  • Skelly Stadium
  • Tulsa, OK
W 45–1512,872[12]
November 16at East Carolina[n 1]W 21–2023,126[13]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[14][15]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Designated conference game

After the season

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1986 NFL draft

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The following Golden Hurricane player was selected in the 1986 NFL draft following the season.[16][17]

Round Pick Player Position NFL club
12 314 Mike Williams Linebacker Pittsburgh Steelers

References

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  1. ^ "College Football Standings". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. November 25, 1985. p. 6C. Retrieved January 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  2. ^ "1985 Tulsa Golden Hurricane Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  3. ^ "Gage, Tulsa beat Houston, 31–24". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 8, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Keesee passes Texas Tech to last-minute victory". The Victoria Advocate. September 15, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Arkansas storms past Tulsa". The Tyler Courier-Times. September 22, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Murray, Aggies strafe Tulsa, 45–10". The Tulsa World. September 29, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Tom Kensler (October 6, 1985). "Williams, Defense Lift OSU, 25-13". The Daily Oklahoman. pp. 1C, 4C – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Tulsa beats the clock, Long Beach". Reno Gazette-Journal. October 13, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "FSU drills Tulsa in record fashion". Florida Today. October 20, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Hurricane pops West Texas St". Bryan-College Station Eagle. October 27, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Tulsa wins 24th straight in MVC". The Daily Oklahoman. November 3, 1985. Retrieved February 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Tulsa clinches Valley tie". Tulsa World. November 10, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Golden Hurricane posts 21–20 win on 42-yard kick". The Daily Oklahoman. November 17, 1985. Retrieved March 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "1985 Tulsa Golden Hurricane Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  15. ^ "Tulsa Golden Hurricane Football Record & Fact Book 2022" (PDF). University of Tulsa. p. 186. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  16. ^ "1986 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  17. ^ "Tulsa Drafted Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2023.