Dont get hopes up just yet
Calm down everyone and let’s not get our hopes up about a Bowl Championship Series bid just because the football team is 2-0 for the first time since I was four years old (1986).
Upcoming Games at Akron, Indiana and Boston College will be the measuring stick for the Chippewas.
Even though Derrick Vickers threw for 361 yards and did a good job of exploiting the Wyoming zone, his passes were still off and his receivers did a great job of bailing him out, especially Rob Turner.
And a CMU kicker was consistent, as Mike Gruzwalski went 4-4 on field goal attempts.
Let’s keep in mind that Athletics Director Herb Deromedi coached the ’86 team to a 3-0 start before finishing 5-5, 4-4 in the MAC in a tie for fifth, the same could happen this year.
But in case you forgot, let me remind you of some of the finer moments in sports from 1986.
CMU’s Ron Johnson won the men’s cross country MAC title.
Also, CMU’s Chris Copper turned in the women’s cross country team’s best time in a 5K performance (17:14).
The 1986 volleyball team, coached by now Senior Associate Athletics Director Marcy Weston, went 16-11 overall and 11-5 in the MAC finishing fourth.
The Penn State Nittany Lions won the NCAA Football title.
The Louisville Cardinals won the NCAA Basketball title.
A third-place finish in the NFC Central is where the Detroit Lions ended with their 5-11 record.
Ivan Lendl and Martina Navratilova both won singles title at the 86 US Open.
The Tigers finished the season above .500 good for third place with a 87-75 record.
Chicago Bears won Super Bowl XX, while the New York Mets won the World Series.
In the same year, Greg LeMond became the first American to win the Tour de France.
Mike Tyson also captured his first heavyweight championship in 1986.
A postage stamp also cost 22-cents.
Life Sports Editor Adam Trumble can be reached for comment at sports@cm-life.com.
