1987 Football Team
The 1987 Mustang Football Team completed an unprecedented undefeated 13-0 season by defeating the De La Salle Spartans 14-13 in the North Coast Section Championship at the Oakland Coliseum, ending De La Salle’s 44 game win streak and avenging a loss to the Spartans a year earlier in the 86-championship game. The 87 Mustangs, Pittsburg HS and El Cerrito HS remain the last three Northern California teams to have beaten DLS. The 87 Mustangs were a truly exceptional group of young men from top to bottom, including 9 members who went on to the college football ranks. They are as follows: Stuart Hansen QB- Utah State/Utah, Kristian Hansen QB- Oregon, Shad Hansen OG/LB- Air Force Academy Prep/BYU, Schon Branum FB/DE- Air Force Academy Prep, Steve Abrams RB/FS- Utah, Chris Swartz WR/FS- Indiana, Trent Strickland WB/CB- Idaho, Dave Zeising OT- San Jose State, Grant Steunenberg FB/LB- San Jose State. The 1987 Monte Vista Football Highlight Video, still available on YouTube was an “ahead of its time” production capturing every game (put to music), interviews with coaches and an iconic Oakland Coliseum halftime speech delivered by Defensive Coordinator George Cockerton. Thirty years after their storied season, the 87 Monte Vista Football Team is considered by many as the most accomplished football team in school history.
