1987 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season

The 1987 St. Louis Cardinals season was the franchise's 68th season in the National Football League and the 28th and final season in St. Louis as the team moved to Tempe, Arizona in March 1988. This move left St. Louis without an NFL franchise until the Los Angeles Rams moved there in 1995 to play, only to relocate back to Los Angeles in 2016, once again leaving St. Louis without an NFL team.

1987 St. Louis Cardinals season
Owner	Bill Bidwill
Head coach	Gene Stallings
Home stadium	Busch Stadium
Results
Record	7–8
Division place	3rd NFC East
Playoffs	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	QB Neil Lomax T Luis Sharpe FB Ron Wolfley PR Vai Sikahema
← 1986 Cardinals seasons 1988 (Phoenix) →

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1987 NFL draft

1987 St. Louis Cardinals draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	6	Kelly Stouffer	QB	Colorado State	Refused to sign with team[1]
2	34	Tim McDonald *	S	USC
3	62	Rob Awalt	TE	San Diego State
3	70	Colin Scotts	DT	Hawaii
4	90	Rod Saddler	DT	Texas A&M
5	118	George Swarn	RB	Miami (OH)
5	126	John Bruno	P	Penn State
5	127	Ilia Jarostchuk	LB	New Hampshire
6	146	Mark Garalczyk	DT	Western Michigan
7	174	Tim Peoples	DB	Washington
7	195	William Harris	TE	Bishop
8	201	Steve Alvord	DT	Washington
9	229	Wayne Davis	LB	Alabama
10	257	Charles Wright	DB	Tulsa
11	285	Todd Peat	OG	Northern Illinois
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1987 St. Louis Cardinals staff

Front office President – Bill Bidwill Director of pro personnel – Larry Wilson Director of player personnel – George Boone Head coaches Head coach – Gene Stallings Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Jim Shofner Running backs – Hank Kuhlmann Receivers – Mal Moore Offensive line – Tom Bresnahan Special assistant/quality control – Leon McLaughlin

Defensive coaches Defensive line – Jim Johnson Linebackers – Joe Pascale Defensive backs – Mel Renfro Special teams coaches Special teams – Marv Braden Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – LeBaron Caruthers

NFL replacement players

After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:

1987 St. Louis Cardinals replacement roster
Quarterbacks 19 Shawn Halloran 16 Shane Lamb 12 Gregg Tipton 10 Sammy Garza Running backs 33 Derrick McAdoo 36 Vai Sikahema 37 Larry Cowan 37 Broderick Sargent 40 Don Goodman 35 Robert Mimbs 34 Eric Drains Wide receivers 81 Roy Green 84 J. T. Smith 85 Clarence Collins 87 Troy Johnson 87 Gill Stegall 85 Kenny Nash 80 Lonnie Turner 83 Ron Brown 86 Fred Lane Tight ends 89 William Harris 80 Bob Keseday		Offensive linemen 62 Ray Brown 66 Tom Welter 75 Charlie Vatterott 70 Victor Perry 64 Joe Bock 56 Ron Pasquale 51 Keith Radecic Defensive linemen 75 Curtis Greer 76 Mark Garalczyk 79 Gary Dulin 78 Ron Bohm 71 Victor Burnett 73 Jim Pauciello 72 Anthony Burke		Linebackers 54 Phil Forney 53 Bill Altena 50 Tony Buford 52 Jimmie Carter 58 Terence Mack 57 Pete Noga 55 Paul Savage Defensive backs 20 Dwayne Anderson 20 Travis Curtis 45 Leonard Smith 21 Mark Jackson 22 Terrence Anthony 41 Richard Atkinson 38 Mark Mathis 25 Ken Sims 27 Tony Mayes 23 Ed Scott 48 Jeff Colter 48 Garcia Lane Special teams 13 Jim Gallery K 17 Jason Staurovsky K 14 Greg Cater P 14 Mark Royals P 11 Mike Crow P

Roster

1987 St. Louis Cardinals roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 10 Sammy Garza 15 Neil Lomax 18 Cliff Stoudt Running backs (RB) 33 Derrick McAdoo 30 Stump Mitchell 39 Broderick Sargent 36 Vai Sikahema 24 Ron Wolfley Wide receivers (WR) 82 Ron Brown 81 Roy Green 83 Don Holmes 87 Troy Johnson 84 J. T. Smith Tight ends (TE) 80 Robert Awalt 89 William Harris 85 Jay Novacek

Offensive linemen (OL) 62 Ray Brown G 74 Gene Chilton T 70 Derek Kennard C 64 Todd Peat G 63 Tootie Robbins T 51 Mike Ruether C 67 Luis Sharpe T 61 Lance Smith G 66 Tom Welter T Defensive linemen (DL) 60 Steve Alvord DT 79 Bob Clasby DT 65 David Galloway DE 76 Mark Garalczyk DT 53 Freddie Joe Nunn DE 72 Rod Saddler DE 69 Colin Scotts DT

Linebackers (LB) 52 Charles Baker OLB 55 Anthony Bell OLB 53 Wayne Davis OLB 50 Ilia Jarostchuk MLB 54 E. J. Junior OLB 57 Niko Noga MLB Defensive backs (DB) 41 Carl Carter CB 20 Travis Curtis FS 21 Mark Jackson CB 27 Gregg Johnson SS 47 Cedric Mack CB 46 Tim McDonald SS 45 Leonard Smith SS 43 Lonnie Young FS Special teams (ST) 17 Al Del Greco K 13 Jim Gallery K 11 Greg Horne P 68 Mike Morris LS

Reserve 71 Joe Bostic G (IR) 14 Greg Cater P (IR) 73 Mark Duda DT (IR) 31 Earl Ferrell FB (IR) 75 Curtis Greer DE (IR) 26 Tim Peoples S (IR) -- Charlie Vatterott G (IR) Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 13	Dallas Cowboys	W 24–13	1–0	Busch Stadium	47,241
2	September 20	at San Diego Chargers	L 24–28	1–1	Jack Murphy Stadium	47,988
–	September 27	Indianapolis Colts	canceled	1–1	Busch Stadium
3	October 4	at Washington Redskins	L 21–28	1–2	RFK Stadium	27,728
4	October 11	New Orleans Saints	W 24–19	2–2	Busch Stadium	11,795
5	October 18	at San Francisco 49ers	L 28–34	2–3	Candlestick Park	38,094
6	October 25	at New York Giants	L 7–30	2–4	Giants Stadium	74,391
7	November 1	Philadelphia Eagles	L 23–28	2–5	Busch Stadium	24,586
8	November 8	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 31–28	3–5	Busch Stadium	22,449
9	November 15	Los Angeles Rams	L 24–27	3–6	Busch Stadium	27,730
10	November 22	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 31–19	4–6	Veterans Stadium	55,592
11	November 29	at Atlanta Falcons	W 34–21	5–6	Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium	15,909
12	December 6	Washington Redskins	L 17–34	5–7	Busch Stadium	31,324
13	December 13	New York Giants	W 27–24	6–7	Busch Stadium	29,623
14	December 20	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 31–14	7–7	Tampa Stadium	32,046
15	December 27	at Dallas Cowboys	L 16–21	7–8	Texas Stadium	36,788
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 1: Dallas Cowboys at St. Louis Cardinals

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	6	0	7	13
Cardinals	3	0	0	21	24

at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri

• Date: September 13
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C)
• Game attendance: 47,241

Week 3: at Washington Redskins

Week 3: St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Redskins

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	7	7	7	21
Redskins	7	7	14	0	28

at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.

• Date: October 4
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C)
• Game attendance: 27,728
• Referee: Jerry Seeman
• TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Joe Theismann
• Box score

Game information

First quarter WAS – Anthony Allen 34-yard pass from Ed Rubbert (Brendan Toibin kick), 1:20. Redskins 7–0. Second quarter STL – Earl Ferrell 1-yard run (Jason Staurovsky kick), 9:28. Tied 7–7. WAS – Anthony Allen 88-yard pass from Ed Rubbert (Brendan Toibin kick), 9:05. Redskins 14–7. Third quarter STL – Earl Ferrell 1-yard run (Jason Staurovsky kick), 8:01. Tied 14–14. WAS – Lionel Vital 8-yard run (Brendan Toibin kick), 5:24. Redskins 21–14. WAS – Anthony Allen 48-yard pass from Ed Rubbert (Brendan Toibin kick), 2:02. Redskins 28–14. Fourth quarter STL – Pete Noga 60-yard interception return (Jason Staurovsky kick), 12:17. Redskins 28–21. Top passers STL – Shawn Halloran – 16/35, 258 yards WAS – Ed Rubbert – 14/24, 334 yards, 3 TD, INT Top rushers STL – Earl Ferrell – 27 rushes, 87 yards, 2 TD WAS – Lionel Vital – 27 rushes, 82 yards, TD Top receivers STL – J. T. Smith – 6 receptions, 116 yards WAS – Anthony Allen – 7 receptions, 255 yards, 3 TD

Week 8: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 8: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at St. Louis Cardinals

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Buccaneers	7	7	14	0	28
Cardinals	0	3	0	28	31

at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri

• Date: November 8
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C)
• Game attendance: 22,449
• Referee: Pat Haggerty
• TV announcers (CBS): Jack Buck and Will McDonough
• Box score

Game information

First quarter TB – Mark Carrier 5-yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Donald Igwebuike kick). Buccaneers 7–0. Second quarter TB – Gerald Carter 3-yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Donald Igwebuike kick). Buccaneers 14–0. STL – Jim Gallery 31-yard field goal. Buccaneers 14–3. Third quarter TB – Jeff Smith 34-yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Donald Igwebuike kick). Buccaneers 21–3. TB – Jeff Smith 3-yard run (Donald Igwebuike kick). Buccaneers 28–3. Fourth quarter STL – Robert Awalt 4-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick). Buccaneers 28–10. STL – Niko Noga 24-yard fumble return (Jim Gallery kick). Buccaneers 28–17. STL – J. T. Smith 11-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick). Buccaneers 28–24. STL – J. T. Smith 17-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick). Cardinals 31–28. Top passers TB – Steve DeBerg – 23/37, 303 yards, 3 TD STL – Neil Lomax – 25/36, 314 yards, 3 TD, INT Top rushers TB – James Wilder – 11 rushes, 49 yards STL – Stump Mitchell – 17 rushes, 79 yards Top receivers TB – James Wilder – 6 receptions, 87 yards STL – Robert Awalt – 9 receptions, 124 yards, TD

Days before the game Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill announced that the team would be moving to another city.^[2][3] The announcement increased fan apathy, resulting in an official game attendance of only 22,449, the Cardinals' lowest in four years.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Cardinals were down 28–3 to the Buccaneers. St. Louis would score 28 unanswered points in the final quarter to win 31–28. Tampa kicker Donald Igwebuike attempted a 53-yard field goal to tie the game as time expired but the ball bounced off the crossbar. The Cardinals' 25-point fourth quarter comeback is the largest in NFL history.^[4]

Week 13: vs. Washington Redskins

Week 13: Washington Redskins at St. Louis Cardinals

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	10	0	21	3	34
Cardinals	0	14	3	0	17

at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri

• Date: December 6
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C)
• Game attendance: 31,324
• Referee: Tom Dooley
• TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Joe Theismann
• Box score

Game information

First quarter WAS – Gary Clark 84-yard pass from Jay Schroeder (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick). Redskins 7–0. WAS – Ali Haji-Sheikh 22-yard field goal. Redskins 10–0. Second quarter STL – Stump Mitchell 3-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick). Redskins 10–7. STL – J. T. Smith 4-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick). Cardinals 14–10. Third quarter STL – Jim Gallery 48-yard field goal. Cardinals 17–10. WAS – Jay Schroeder 7-yard run (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick). Tied 17–17. WAS – George Rogers 6-yard run (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick). Redskins 24–17. WAS – Clint Didier 19-yard pass from Jay Schroeder (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick). Redskins 31–17. Fourth quarter WAS – Ali Haji-Sheikh 40-yard field goal. Redskins 34–17. Top passers WAS – Jay Schroeder – 13/25, 235 yards, 2 TD, INT STL – Neil Lomax – 21/39, 241 yards, 2 TD Top rushers WAS – George Rogers – 29 rushes, 133 yards, TD STL – Stump Mitchell – 20 rushes, 101 yards Top receivers WAS – Gary Clark – 5 receptions, 130 yards, TD STL – Roy Green – 6 receptions, 90 yards

Week 14: vs. New York Giants

Week 14: New York Giants at St. Louis Cardinals

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Giants	7	3	7	7	24
Cardinals	14	13	0	0	27

at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri

• Date: December 13
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C)
• Game attendance: 29,623
• TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Terry Bradshaw

This would be the Cardinals' final home game in St. Louis as the franchise would relocate to the Phoenix metro area for the 1988 season. This would be the last NFL game played in St. Louis until September 10, 1995 when the Rams, who had relocated to St. Louis from Los Angeles following the 1994 season, hosted the New Orleans Saints. However, the Rams would move back to Los Angeles prior to the 2016 season.

Week 15: at Dallas Cowboys

Week 15: St. Louis Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	3	7	0	6	16
Cowboys	0	14	0	7	21

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

• Date: December 27
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 35 °F (2 °C)
• Game attendance: 36,788

Entering the final week of the season, the Cardinals needed a win over the Cowboys to secure the NFC's final wild card spot. The Cardinals wound up losing the regular season finale, knocking them out of playoff contention. This would be the final game for the St. Louis Cardinals NFL team. On March 15, 1988, NFL owners approved the Cardinals' move from St. Louis to Tempe, Arizona.^[5] Starting with the following season, the Cardinals played as the Phoenix Cardinals before changing the franchise's geographic name to the Arizona Cardinals prior to the 1994 season.^[6]

Standings

NFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Washington Redskins(3)	11	4	0	.733	7–1	9–3	379	285	W1
Dallas Cowboys	7	8	0	.467	4–4	5–7	340	348	W2
St. Louis Cardinals	7	8	0	.467	3–5	7–7	362	368	L1
Philadelphia Eagles	7	8	0	.467	3–5	4–7	337	380	W2
New York Giants	6	9	0	.400	3–5	4–8	280	312	W2

Awards and records

• Luis Sharpe, NFC Pro Bowl selection
• J.T. Smith, NFL Receiving Leader, 91 Receptions ^[7]
• J.T. Smith, Led NFL, Receiving Yards, 1,117 yards ^[8]
• Ron Wolfley, Pro Bowl selection