1986 Arizona Wildcats football team

American college football season August 2023 February 2026 1986 Arizona Wildcats football Pacific-10 Conference Pac-10 10 11 9–3 5–3 Larry Smith 7th Chuck Stobart 1st Chris Allen Byron Evans Arizona Stadium Aloha Bowl champion Aloha Bowl W Won 30–21 vs. North Carolina 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, who 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.Cats enter 1986 season as Rose Bowl contenders Arizona Daily Star August 20, 1986 Schedule 1986 AP September 6 7:00 p.m. w y Houston Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ KMSB 37–3 52,433 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-orange-leader-arizona-routs-houston/170687674/ The Orange Leader Arizona routs Houston September 7, 1986 April 21, 2025 Newspapers.com September 13 7:00 p.m. w y Colorado State Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ KMSB 37–10 49,003 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-arizona-republic-interception-return/170730683/ The Arizona Republic Interception return lifts Wildcats past Rams September 14, 1986 April 21, 2025 Newspapers.com September 20 1:00 p.m. w y 17 Oregon Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR Prime 41–17 28,773 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-wildcats-feast-on-roasted-duck/170828353/ The Shreveport Times Wildcats feast on roasted Ducks September 21, 1986 April 21, 2025 Newspapers.com September 27 7:00 p.m. w y y 10 Colorado Folsom Field Boulder, CO Raycom/KMSB 24–21 41,024 https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-arizona-gets-revenge-aga/170803119/ St. Petersburg Times Arizona gets revenge against Colorado 24–21 September 28, 1986 April 21, 2025 Newspapers.com October 11 1:00 p.m. l y 11 UCLA Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA CBS 25–32 51,279 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-billings-gazette-ucla-rally-topples/170830388/ The Billings Gazette UCLA rally topples Arizona October 12, 1986 April 21, 2025 Newspapers.com October 18 7:00 p.m. w 16 Oregon State Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ KMSB 23–12 52,669 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sunday-oregonian-osu-comeback-bid-fa/170825808/ The Sunday Oregonian OSU comeback bid falls short as Arizona wins October 19, 1986 April 21, 2025 Newspapers.com October 25 7:00 p.m. w 15 California Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ KMSB 33–16 49,016 https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-daily-star-wildcats-chase-bears/170826993/ The Arizona Daily Star Wildcats chase Bears to Pac-10 backwoods October 26, 1986 April 21, 2025 Newspapers.com November 1 5:30 p.m. l 14 y USC 18 Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ Prime 13–20 55,046 https://www.newspapers.com/article/statesman-journal-usc-upsets-arizona/170829503/ Statesman Journal USC upsets Arizona November 2, 1986 April 21, 2025 Newspapers.com November 8 5:00 p.m. w y 17 Washington State Martin Stadium Pullman, WA Prime 31–6 17,000 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-arizona-runs-all-over-c/170827999/ The Daily Herald Arizona runs all over Cougars November 9, 1986 April 21, 2025 Newspapers.com November 22 1:30 p.m. w 14 Arizona State 4 Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ rivalry CBS 34–17 58,267 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-arizona-rips-arizona/170830585/ The Courier-Journal Arizona rips Arizona State November 23, 1986 April 21, 2025 Newspapers.com November 30 8:00 p.m. l y 12 Stanford National Stadium Tokyo, Japan Coca-Cola Classic ESPN 24–29 55,000 Stanford holds on for victory Record Searchlight December 1, 1986 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116755019/stanford-holds-on-for-victory/ January 18, 2023 Newspapers.com December 27 3:30 p.m. w y y 16 North Carolina Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI Aloha Bowl ABC 30–21 26,743 https://www.newspapers.com/article/honolulu-star-bulletin-not-much-aloha-as/140055952/ Honolulu Star-Bulletin Not much Aloha as Arizona beats North Carolina, 30–21 December 28, 1986 February 1, 2024 Newspapers.com Rankings 1986 NCAA Division I-A football rankings AP 0 14 NR NR 17 10 10 11 16 15 14 17 14 14 12 16 11 Coaches 0 14 NR 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.Cats ranked 17th in polls for first official rank since ‘83 Arizona Daily Star September 15, 1986 The Arizona offense would become too much for the Ducks and remain unbeaten.Arizona offense dominates in 41-17 triumph Arizona Daily Star September 21, 1986Wildcats trounce Ducks, stay unbeaten Tucson Citizen September 22, 1986 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.UCLA comes back late to stun No. 11 Arizona in wild upset Los Angeles Times October 12, 1986Cats collapse, fall to Bruins Tucson Citizen October 13, 1986 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.Wildcats fall short against #18 USC on homecoming Arizona Daily Wildcat November 3, 1986 Smith would become USC's coach after the season (see below). Arizona State 1986 Arizona State Sun Devils football team Arizona-Arizona State football rivalry Arizona Wildcats 2 white; text-align:center collapsed #4 Arizona State Sun Devils (9–0–1) at #14 Arizona Wildcats (7–2) November 22 Arizona State 0 10 0 7 Arizona 7 7 7 13 Arizona Stadium • Tucson, Arizona 58,267 CBS Verne Lundquist "Arizona claims state supremacy." Eugene Register-Guard. 1986 Nov 23. Retrieved 2019-Jan-08. Arizona State Jeff Van Raaphorst38/55, 437 Yds, 2 TD, 3 INT Darryl Harris16 Rush, 55 Yds Aaron Cox10 Rec, 191 Yds, TD Arizona Alfred Jenkins11/17, 165 Yds, TD David Adams18 Rush, 91 Yds Derek Hill2 Rec, 67 Yds ASU ARIZ collapsed 1 7:14 Arizona 6 97 RecTD Adams Jenkins 18 good Coston run/pass good/failed/incomplete 0 7 2 13:31 Arizona RushTD Greathouse 5 good Coston run/pass good/failed/incomplete 0 14 2 7:59 Arizona State RecTD Garrett Van Raaphorst 7 good Bostrom run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 14 2 0:00 Arizona State FG 21 Bostrom 10 14 3 11:55 Arizona RushTD McLemore 6 good Coston run/pass good/failed/incomplete 10 21 4 12:56 Arizona FG 28 Coston 10 24 4 8:56 Arizona IntTD Cecil 100 good Coston run/pass good/failed/incomplete 10 31 4 6:47 Arizona State RecTD Cox Van Raaphorst 20 good Bostrom run/pass good/failed/incomplete 17 31 4 2:14 Arizona FG 27 Coston 17 34 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.UA wins fifth straight over ASU Arizona Daily Star November 23, 1986Wildcats’ pick-six leads to fifth consecutive win over ASU, ends Sun Devils’ national title quest Tucson Citizen November 24, 1986Thorny Arizona routs ASU The Arizona Republic November 23, 1986INT return TD leads Wildcats to huge upset victory over ASU Arizona Daily Wildcat November 24, 1986 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.Smith: Wildcats are now ASU’s ‘big brother’ after rivalry win Tucson Citizen November 24, 1986Cats played like an NFL team in win over ASU Arizona Daily Star November 24, 1986 Arizona fans often declare Cecil's pick-six as the greatest moment in Wildcat football history and not just in the UA–ASU rivalry.30 years later: Is Cecil’s pick-six vs. ASU in 1986 the greatest Wildcat football moment? Arizona Daily Star November 22, 2016 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.No luck in Tokyo as Stanford edges Wildcats in Coca-Cola Classic Arizona Daily Wildcat December 2, 1986 North Carolina (Aloha Bowl) 1986 Aloha Bowl 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).UA beats North Carolina in Aloha Bowl Arizona Daily Star December 28, 1986Say Aloha, Arizona! ‘Cats top Tar Heels to finally win first bowl game Tucson Citizen December 29, 1986 It turned out to be Smith's final game as Arizona's coach. Personnel 1986 Arizona Wildcats y 2 Sr David Adams RB y David Adams (gridiron football) Frank Arriola OL 4 Craig Bergman QB 50 Val Bichekas OL Andy Crouch QB Brian Denton OL Jeff Fairholm WR 40 Fr Art Greathouse RB Jim Hanawalt TE 82 So Derek Hill WR y Derek Hill (gridiron football) Jon Horton WR 1 Sr Alfred Jenkins QB y Alfred Jenkins (quarterback) Chuck Knox RB Kip Lewis TE Vince Lotti TE 20 Sr Chris McLemore RB y Branch McNeal WR Joe Prior RB Jeff Rinehart OL 52 So Joe Tofflemire C y Hugh Verbalatis OL Jeff Vickers WR Chuck Webb RB Jerry Beasley LB Jim Birmingham DL 6 Jr Chuck Cecil S y Troy Cephers DB 38 So James DeBow DB Sr Byron Evans LB y C Reggie Gaddis DL Francis Gibson LB Eugene Hardy DB 97 Jr George Hinkle DT y Durrell Jones DB Randy Kindred DB Dan Lockett LB Stan Mataele DL 27 Sr Martin Rudolph CB Chris Singleton LB Kevin Singleton LB 37 So Dana Wells DL y 35 Brent Wood LB 11 Fr Gary Coston K 8 Sr Ruben Rodriguez Ruben Rodriguez (American football) P y Larry Smith Chris Allen (DC) Chuck Stobart (OC) Tom Roggeman (LB) 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.Arizona Stadium to feature "Bear Down" logo at midfield Arizona Daily Wildcat August 3, 1986 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.Wildcats should have been unbeaten if not for the close losses Arizona Daily Wildcat December 1, 1986 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.Top Arizona football moments vs. ASU Arizona Daily Wildcat November 22, 2016 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.Wildcats keep winning more each year under Smith, future could be bright Arizona Daily Star December 29, 1986 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.Smith leaves UA for USC, citing tradition and more cash The Arizona Republic January 3, 1987 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.Wildcats hire Hawaii’s Tomey as new football coach Arizona Daily Star January 18, 1987 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.Former UA football coach Smith dies at 68 Tucson Citizen January 29, 2008Smith remembered for building Wildcat football to success in ‘80s, and dominating ASU Arizona Daily Wildcat January 30, 2008 References Arizona Category:Arizona Wildcats football seasons Category:Aloha Bowl champion seasons Arizona Wildcats football