Eastern Washington University Athletics

9-3; Head Coach Dick Zornes

The Eagles were a surprising quarterfinalist in the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs, finishing with a 9-3 record that included a stunning 42-38 victory over Idaho in the first round of the playoffs. Coached by Dick Zornes, the success that year ultimately helped Eastern become league members of the Big Sky Conference starting in the 1987-88 school year. The '85 team was 6-2 against members of the Big Sky, including a 28-23 win over defending I-AA national champion Montana State. The Eagles beat Weber State, Northern Arizona, Montana and Idaho State by a combined margin of 158-59, and even beat I-A member Cal State Long Beach 30-23. The only losses Eastern suffered during the regular season were humbling setbacks to eventual Big Sky co-champions Idaho (42-21) and Nevada (40-17). The only honors the team could win back in 1985 were All-America accolades, and quarterback Rick Worman, running back Jamie Townsend defensive tackle Mike Kingston and linebacker Chris Seidel all earned honorable mention from Associated Press. Offensive tackle Ed Simmons earned first team All-America honors the year after, and would eventually win a Super Bowl ring with the Washington Redskins. The team's 8-2 regular season record was good enough for an at-large berth in the I-AA Playoffs, and the Eagles made the most of their first-ever appearance that took place just 90 miles down the road at Idaho. Gambles that went Eastern's way -- including a fake punt, a lateral on a kickoff return and onside kickoffs in both the second and third quarters -- helped keep the Eagles in the game. But things looked dim for the Eagles when they trailed by three and faced a third-and-10 at their own 10-yard line with less than a minute left. However, a 73-yard screen pass from Worman to Townsend set-up Worman's game-winning 17-yard touchdown pass to Eric Riley with 12 seconds to play. Having ended Idaho's attempt to advance to the national championship game that would take place that year in Tacoma, Wash., the Eagles set their sights on Northern Iowa in a game played in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The game was televised via satellite back to Spokane on KREM TV, and Eastern found itself trailing 17-0 before nearly pulling off another miracle. Eastern finally scored in the third quarter, and was headed for another touchdown when EWU fumbled at the UNI 2-yard-line trying to gain extra yardage on a 15-yard pass play. Then, early in the fourth quarter, Friese returned a punt 84 yards -- which remains the longest in school history -- for a touchdown to put the Eagles back in the game. Eastern couldn't score in its last three possessions, with questionable penalties stalling the first two drives. The season ended with the 17-14 loss, but not the legacy that team left in the history of Eastern Athletics. A member of NAIA for most of its athletic history, Eastern moved to NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 school year and played its first season of I-AA football in 1984. The intent all along was to gain membership into the Big Sky Conference, and the initial vote in the spring of '85 went against the Eagles in the midst of an on-campus controversy involving funding for the athletic program. The '85 squad turned that controversy into motivation. And after showing the rest of the league that the football program would be a force to be reckoned with, Eastern was finally admitted to the Big Sky and began competition in the league in the 1987-88 season.