TACOMA, Wash. - Colleges and universities around the nation are celebrating the 150th anniversary of college football throughout the 2019 season. As part of the celebration, GoLutes.com will cover some of the greatest moments in the history of the storied gridiron program at Pacific Lutheran University. The fifth part of this series will cover the Lutes' 1987 season that culminated in winning the program's second national title. 

The Lutes won their first national title in 1980 and played in NAIA Division II national title games in 1983 and 1985 before claiming national title number two during the 1987 season.
 
PLU got the season off to a rocky start, falling 24-7 to crosstown rival University of Puget Sound in the season opener inside the Tacoma Dome. The Lutes would win their next seven games before closing the regular season with a 13-13 tie against Western Washington University.
 
The Lutes opened the NAIA Division II playoffs at home with a 40-21 win over Midland Lutheran University before rallying to a 36-26 victory over Carroll College in the NAIA quarterfinals in Helena, Montana. Pacific Lutheran edged Baker University 17-14 at Sparks Stadium in the semifinals a week later, punching a ticket to the national title game after rallying from another fourth quarter deficit. The Lutes trailed 14-6 with 8:45 remaining in the game before engineering a nine-play, 69-yard drive that ended with quarterback Jeff Yarnell finding tight end John Gradwohl for a four-yard score. In overtime, Eric Cultum drilled a 35-yard field goal, his third of the game, while Keith Krassin blocked a Baker 26-yard field goal attempt to cement the victory. 
 
The national title game played inside the Tacoma Dome saw the Lutes lined up against the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The Lutes and Pointers battled to a 16-16 tie to share the 1987 national title after defensive end Mike Tuiasosopo blocked a UWSP 27-yard field goal attempt with 29 seconds to play. 
 
The evenly played game saw both teams rush the ball 33 times and complete 16 passes while total yardage was almost identical with UWSP racking up 334 yards to PLU's 325.
 
"What a tremendous game," Head Coach Frosty Westering said at the time. "We knew there was no overtime. A tie was a win."
 
Although the final score ended in a tie and the NAIA record books show a shared title, UW-Stevens Point vacated its share of the crown on May 7, 1988, after it was discovered that the team had played two ineligible players throughout the season. With the tie changed to a win, the Lutes capped off the 1987 championship season with an 11-1-1 record.

Senior linebacker Keith Krassin led the Lutes with 116 tackles and earned the Columbia Football League Northern Division's Defensive MVP as well as NAIA first team All-America honors. Defensive end Jon Kral and defensive back Craig Mathiasen earned second team All-America selection, while offensive lineman Sam Kurle and place kicker Eric Cultum were named to the honorable mention offensive squad.
 
After the season, the Lutes donned their pads one more time, touring Australia and New Zealand in January of 1988, picking up a 51-0 exhibition win over the New Zealand National Team.