1985–86 Iraqi National League
The 1985–86 Iraqi National League of Clubs was the 12th season of the competition since its foundation in 1974. Unlike the previous season, each win was worth two points rather than three. Al-Talaba won their third league title out of the past five completed seasons, finishing two points ahead of Al-Rasheed and only losing one match.


1985–86 Irish Cup
The 1985–86 Irish Cup was the 106th edition of Northern Ireland's premier football knock-out cup competition. It concluded on 3 May 1986 with the final.


1985–86 Irish Cup
Glentoran were the defending champions after winning their 11th Irish Cup last season, defeating archrivals Linfield 1–0 in the 1985 final replay, after the first game ended 1–1. They successfully defended the cup by beating Coleraine 2–1 in the final. In doing so, they became the first club in 18 years to win the trophy in consecutive seasons. Crusaders were the last club to achieve it, winning the 1967 and 1968 finals.


1985–86 Irish Cup
This season also saw second replays abolished in rounds, though they would still be used to decide the final if necessary. The first tie to be affected by the change was the first round tie between Dungannon Swifts and Tobermore United. Dungannon Swifts won the tie 6–5 on penalties when the replay ended 0–0 after extra time. The old rules would have required a second replay to be played at a neutral venue after the first replay was drawn.


1985–86 Irish Cup, First round
Cliftonville and Crusaders both received byes into the second round.


1985–86 Irish League
The Irish League in season 1985–86 comprised 14 teams, and Linfield won the championship.


1985–86 Israel State Cup
The 1985–86 Israel State Cup (Hebrew: גביע המדינה, Gvia HaMedina) was the 47th season of Israel's nationwide football cup competition and the 32nd after the Israeli Declaration of Independence.


1985–86 Israel State Cup
The competition was won by Beitar Jerusalem who have beaten Shimshon Tel Aviv 2–1 in the final.


1985–86 Isthmian League
The 1985–86 season was the 71st season of the Isthmian League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from London, East and South East England. League consisted of three divisions. Division Two was divided into two sections.


1985–86 Isthmian League
Sutton United won the league for the second season in a row and finally were promoted to the Conference.


1985–86 Isthmian League, Premier Division
The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 19 clubs from the previous season and three new clubs:


1985–86 Isthmian League, Division One
Division One consisted of 22 clubs, including 16 clubs from the previous season and six new clubs:


1985–86 Isthmian League, Division Two North
Division Two North consisted of 20 clubs, including 16 clubs from the previous season and four new clubs:


1985–86 Isthmian League, Division Two South
Division Two South consisted of 20 clubs, including 15 clubs from the previous season and five new clubs:


1985–86 Japan Ice Hockey League season
The 1985–86 Japan Ice Hockey League season was the 20th season of the Japan Ice Hockey League. Six teams participated in the league, and Kokudo Keikaku won the championship.


1985–86 Japan Soccer League, First Division
Led by their star player Yasuhiko Okudera, who had returned to the club after successful periods in Europe, Furukawa Electric won a second title. Okudera became the first widely recognized professional Japanese player.


1985–86 Japan Soccer League, First Division
Sumitomo and ANA went back down as soon as they had come up, unable to get wins.


1985–86 Japan Soccer League, Second Division
No relegation took place for a second wave of expansion that would bring the division's number of clubs to 16.


1985–86 John Player Cup
The 1985–86 John Player Special Cup was the 15th edition of England's premier rugby union club competition at the time. Bath won the competition for the third consecutive year defeating Wasps in the final. The event was sponsored by John Player cigarettes and the final was held at Twickenham Stadium.


1985–86 Juventus F.C. season, Season summary
Juventus sold Boniek, Paolo Rossi and Tardelli replacing them with Laudrup, Manfredonia and Aldo Serena. Domestic league started off with 8 wins in row, a new record, like the 30 points gained in first 15 games. In December Juventus also won Intercontinental Cup, beating Argentinos Juniors on shoot-out.


1985–86 Juventus F.C. season, Season summary
Defeated by Barcellona in European Cup side lost against Roma and Fiorentina in league, leaving a hope for giallorossi. Anyway, Juventus did not fail to conquest Scudetto thank to wins over Milan and Lecce that – in previous matchday – had beat Roma giving to Trapattoni's team a free way toward the title.


1985–86 Juventus F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1985–86 Juventus F.C. season, Statistics, Players statistics
Favero (30/1); S.Tacconi (30/−17); Cabrini (30/2); Platini (30/12); Brio (29/3); Laudrup (29/7); M.Mauro (28/2); Bonini (26/1); Serena (25/11); Scirea (25); Manfredonia (23); G.Pin (21/1); Pioli (14); Pacione (12); M.Briaschi (10/2); N.Caricola (5); I.Bonetti (2).


1985–86 KNVB Cup
The KNVB Cup 1985–86 started on October 9, 1985. It was held for the 68th time. The final was held on May 28, 1986, at De Meer Stadion in Amsterdam, with Ajax beating RBC 3–0.


1985–86 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
The 1985–86 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas during the 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. One major rule change that took effect during the season was the introduction of the shot clock.


1985–86 Kent Football League
The 1985–86 Kent Football League season was the 20th in the history of the Kent Football League, a football competition in England.


1985–86 Kent Football League
The league was won by Alma Swanley but the club was not promoted to the Southern Football League.


1985–86 Kent Football League, Clubs
The league featured 17 clubs which competed in the previous season, along with one new club:


1985–86 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
The 1985–86 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented University of Kentucky in the 1985-86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Eddie Sutton and the team finished the season with an overall record of 32-4.


1985–86 Kuwaiti Premier League, Overview
It was contested by 7 teams, and Kazma Sporting Club won the championship.


1985–86 LSU Tigers basketball team
The 1985–86 LSU Tigers basketball team represented Louisiana State University in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1985-86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It is best known for being the lowest seeded team (11th) in the NCAA Tournament to reach the Final Four (later matched by George Mason in 2006, VCU in 2011,  Loyola–Chicago in 2018, and UCLA in 2021). They remain the only 11 seed to beat the 1, 2, and 3 seeds in their region in the same tournament.


1985–86 LSU Tigers basketball team, Season
The team is also remembered for overcoming numerous obstacles during that season. Star forward Jerry Reynolds had left LSU early for the NBA draft. The Tigers originally had two seven-footers and a third player near that height on their roster, but only one was available by the start of the season—6–11 Damon Vance was declared academically ineligible, and 7-1 freshman and future NBA player Tito Horford either left the team or was dismissed, depending on the source. The other seven-footer, Zoran Jovanovich, suffered a season-ending knee injury during the team's Christmas break.


1985–86 LSU Tigers basketball team, Season
Two other players were declared academically ineligible—Dennis Brown, reportedly a solid engineering student, took too few courses in his major and was ruled out for the entire season, and star forward Nikita Wilson failed two courses in the fall semester, ruling him out for the spring semester. As a result of these losses, Ricky Blanton switched positions from guard to center, and team captain Don Redden said at the time that the Tigers had "gone from an NBA-size team to a big junior high team."


1985–86 LSU Tigers basketball team, Season
The team was then hit with a chickenpox outbreak, with star forward John Williams and backup forward Bernard Woodside hospitalized for a week and the team quarantined for several days. LSU was forced to reschedule what was intended to be a nationally televised game against Auburn due to a lack of healthy players, and coach Dale Brown even went so far as to draft football player Chris Carrier as emergency cover.


1985–86 La Liga
The 1985–86 La Liga season, the 55th since its establishment, started on August 31, 1985, and finished on April 20, 1986.


1985–86 La Liga
Barcelona lost their defence of the title to Real Madrid, who won the title by an 11-point margin.


1985–86 La Liga
This season marked Valencia CF's only relegation from La Liga.


1985–86 Lancashire Cup
The 1985–86 Lancashire Cup competition was the seventy-third occasion on which the tournament had been held. Wigan won the trophy by beating Warrington in the final by the score of 34-8.


1985–86 Lancashire Cup, Competition and Results
This season the total number of entrants remained at the 16 level. With this full sixteen members there was no need for “blank” or “dummy” fixtures or any byes.


1985–86 Lancashire Cup, Competition and Results, Final
The match was played at Knowsley Road, Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside, (historically in the county of Lancashire). The attendance was 19,202 and receipts were £56,030. The attendance was again at a very pleasing level, the second of the five-year period when it would reach around the 20,000 level.


1985–86 Lancashire Cup, Competition and Results, Final
This was Wigan's second appearance in two years and a first victory in what would become a run of four victories and five appearances in five successive years.


1985–86 Lancashire Cup, Competition and Results, Final, Teams and Scorers
Scoring - Try = four (4) points - Goal = two (2) points - Drop goal = one (1) point


1985–86 Lancashire Cup, Notes
1 * Knowsley Road was the home ground of St. Helens from 1890 to 2010. The final capacity was in the region of 18,000, although the actual record attendance was 35,695, set on 26 December 1949, for a league game between St Helens and Wigan


1985–86 League Cup (rugby league)
This was the fifteenth season of the competition. The League Cup was again known as the John Player Special Trophy this season for sponsorship reasons.


1985–86 League Cup (rugby league)
Wigan won the final, beating Hull Kingston Rovers by the score of 11-8. The match was played at Elland Road, Leeds. The attendance was 17,573 and receipts were £66714.


1985–86 League Cup (rugby league), Background
This season saw several changes in the  entrants :-1 Bridgend Blue Dragons and Southend Invicta both folded2 and the invitation to two junior clubs continuedThis involved a decrease in entrants to thirty-six, in turn resulting in a 4 match, 8 club preliminary round to reduce the number of clubs taking part in the first round proper to thirty-twoThere were no drawn matches throughout the  tournament


1985–86 League Cup (rugby league), Competition and Results, Final, Teams and Scorers
Scoring - Try = four (4) points - Goal = two (2) points - Drop goal = one (1) point


1985–86 League Cup (rugby league), Competition and Results, Prize Money
As part of the sponsorship deal and funds, the  prize money awarded to the competing teams for this season is as follows :-


1985–86 League Cup (rugby league), Competition and Results, Prize Money
Note - the  author is unable to trace the award amounts for this season. Can anyone help ?


1985–86 League Cup (rugby league), Notes and comments
1 * Jubilee Hotel are a Junior (amateur) club from Featherstone2 * West Hull are a Junior (amateur) club from Hull3 * highest score, highest score by away team, and highest winning margin - all between professional clubs, to date4 * RUGBYLEAGUEproject and Huddersfield Heritage  give the  score as 20-10 but Wigan official archives gives it as 20-185 * Mansfield Marksman have moved from Mansfield and are now playing at North Street, Alfreston6  * Elland Road,  Leeds,  is the home ground of Leeds United A.F.C. with a capacity of 37,914 (The record attendance was 57,892 set on 15 March 1967 for a cup match Leeds v Sunderland). The ground was originally established in 1897 by Holbeck RLFC who played there until their demise after the conclusion of the 1903-04 season


1985–86 League Cup (rugby league), Notes and comments, General information for those unfamiliar
The council of the Rugby Football League voted to introduce a new competition, to be similar to The Football Association and Scottish Football Association's "League Cup". It was to be a similar knock-out structure to, and to be secondary to, the Challenge Cup.


1985–86 League Cup (rugby league), Notes and comments, General information for those unfamiliar
As this was being formulated, sports sponsorship was becoming more prevalent and as a result John Player and Sons, a division of Imperial Tobacco Company, became sponsors, and the competition never became widely known as the "League Cup" The competition ran from 1971-72 until 1995-96 and was initially intended for the professional clubs plus the two amateur BARLA National Cup finalists. In later seasons the entries were expanded to take in other amateur and French teams.


1985–86 League Cup (rugby league), Notes and comments, General information for those unfamiliar
The competition was dropped due to "fixture congestion" when Rugby League became a summer sportThe Rugby League season always (until the onset of "Summer Rugby" in 1996) ran from around August-time through to around May-time and this competition always took place early in the season, in the Autumn, with the final usually taking place in late January The competition was variably known, by its sponsorship name, as the Player's No.6 Trophy (1971–1977), the John Player Trophy (1977–1983), the John Player Special Trophy (1983–1989), and the Regal Trophy in 1989.


1985–86 League of Ireland First Division
The 1985–86 League of Ireland First Division season was the first season of the League of Ireland First Division. The inaugural First Division featured ten teams. Bray Wanderers won the title.


1985–86 League of Ireland First Division, Overview
In 1985 five teams – Bray Wanderers, Cobh Ramblers, Derry City, E.M.F.A. and Newcastle United – were elected to join the League of Ireland. All five subsequently participated in the inaugural 1985–86 First Division season, along with Monaghan United from the League of Ireland B Division and four clubs – Drogheda United, Finn Harps, Longford Town and Sligo Rovers – who were relegated following the 1984–85 League of Ireland season. Bray Wanderers were the inaugural First Division champions.


1985–86 League of Ireland Premier Division
The 1985–86 League of Ireland Premier Division was the first season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The Premier Division was made up of 12 teams.


1985–86 League of Ireland Premier Division, Overview
The Premier Division was contested by 12 teams and Shamrock Rovers F.C. won the championship. The top 12 teams from the 1984–85 League of Ireland automatically qualified for the Premier Division.


1985–86 League of Ireland Premier Division, League of Ireland clubs in Europe, European Cup, First round
After winning the league title in the previous season, Shamrock Rovers received automatic qualification into the First round of the European Cup. Shamrock Rovers were drawn against Hungarian club, Budapest Honvéd, 1984-85 Hungarian League Winners. Budapest Honvéd were the hosts for the first leg and won the game comfortably in a 2-0 defeat to Shamrock Rovers. In the return leg, Shamrock Rovers were defeated once again 3-1, thus eliminating them from the competition.


1985–86 League of Ireland Premier Division, League of Ireland clubs in Europe, First round
FAI Cup Runners-up, Galway United entered the European Cup Winners' Cup in the First round against Danish side, Lyngby BK. Galway United were defeated 1-0 in the away leg in Lyngby BK. In the second leg, United were defeated 3-2 at Terryland Park, ending their European campaign.


1985–86 Leicester City F.C. season
During the 1985–86 English football season, Leicester City F.C. competed in the Football League First Division, their third consecutive season at this level since promotion. A 19th-place finish in the final table was just enough to secure a fourth successive top flight campaign.


1985–86 Leicester City F.C. season, Season summary
In the summer of 1985, the transfer market was dominated by one deal with Gary Lineker's contract at Filbert Street expiring at the end of the last season: Lineker joined Everton in June for a club record sale of £800,000. Leicester started the 1985–86 season terribly with just 2 wins in their first 14 league games.


1985–86 Leicester City F.C. season, Season summary
Their only real highlight of the season was when the Foxes did the double over champions Everton and on the final day of the season, Leicester beat Newcastle United 2-0 at Filbert Street and with Ipswich Town losing at Sheffield Wednesday, it kept the Foxes in the top flight and sent Ipswich down.


1985–86 Leicester City F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1985–86 Libyan Premier League
Following are the statistics of the Libyan Premier League for the 1985–86 season. The Libyan Premier League (Arabic: دوري الدرجة الأولى الليبي) is the highest division of Libyan football championship, organised by Libyan Football Federation. It was founded in 1963 and features mostly professional players.


1985–86 Libyan Premier League, Overview
16 teams were split into two groups, depending on their geographic location. Top two teams in each group advanced to the semifinals.


1985–86 Liga Alef
The 1985–86 Liga Alef season saw Hapoel Beit She'an (champions of the North Division) and Hapoel Dimona (champions of the South Division) win the title and promotion to Liga Artzit. Beitar Nahariya also promoted after promotion play-offs.


1985–86 Liga Alef, South Division
Tzafririm Holon merged with Liga Artzit club, Hapoel Holon. thus, leaving the league with 13 clubs.


1985–86 Liga Artzit
The 1985–86 Liga Artzit season saw Beitar Netanya promoted to Liga Leumit for the first time in the club's history. Beitar Tel Aviv and Hapoel Lod were also promoted.


1985–86 Liga Artzit
At the other end of the table, Hapoel Ramat HaSharon, Hapoel Beit Shemesh and Beitar Haifa were all relegated to Liga Alef. Beitar Netanya's Israel Fogel was the league's top scorer with 17 goals.


1985–86 Liga Bet
The 1985–86 Liga Bet season saw Hapoel Bnei Tamra, Hapoel Tayibe, Hapoel Tira and Hapoel Ramla win their regional divisions and promoted to Liga Alef.


1985–86 Liga Bet
At the bottom, Hapoel Abu Snan, Hapoel Nahariya (from North A division), Maccabi Zikhron Ya'akov, Hapoel Baqa al-Gharbiyye (from North B division), Hapoel Mahane Yehuda, Maccabi Ramat HaSharon (from South A division), Beitar Lod and Maccabi Be'er Sheva (from South B division) were all automatically relegated to Liga Gimel.


1985–86 Liga Bet, North Division A
Hapoel Nahariya withdrew from the league and did not show up for their first two opening matches of the season.


1985–86 Liga Leumit
In the 1985–86 Liga Leumit season Hapoel Tel Aviv won the title. Hapoel Haifa, Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi Sha'arayim were all relegated to Liga Artzit. Uri Malmilian of Beitar Jerusalem and Doron Rabinzon of Maccabi Petah Tikva were the league's joint top scorers with 14 goals.


1985–86 Liga Leumit
The league championship was decided on the final day, with a match between the two title chasers, Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Tel Aviv. Hapoel Tel Aviv, who needed a win to secure the championship, scored a controversial goal in the 86th minute to win 1–0 and the title.


1985–86 Liga Leumit, Final match
On 24 May 1986, Hapoel Tel Aviv came face-to-face with Maccabi Haifa in a Liga Leumit fixture at Bloomfield Stadium, during the final rounds of the 1985–86 season. That match was the season's deciding match. Maccabi Haifa led by one point prior to the match. Hapoel Tel Aviv won with one goal scored at the 86th minute by  striker, Gili Landau, winning the match and the championship.


1985–86 Liga Leumit, Background
At the beginning of the 1985–86 season, 16 football (soccer) clubs competed in the Liga Leumit, which was the top division at that time in Israel. Maccabi Haifa, which won the two previous league championships took early charge of the league, leading by five points at the 9th round. However, a rather poor string of results saw Hapoel Tel Aviv overtake Maccabi Haifa, taking a five-point lead at the top at the 19th round.


1985–86 Liga Leumit, Background
At the 24th round, Maccabi Haifa was back on top, with 46 points and a two-point lead over Hapoel Tel Aviv, with Maccabi Tel Aviv also in the running, just points away. After the 29th round, with one match left to play, Maccabi Haifa led the table with 57 points. Hapoel Tel Aviv was second with 56 points. The two teams were to meet in the last round for a match that would decide the championship.


1985–86 Liga Leumit, Pre-match
As Maccabi Haifa was leading by a point, a draw would be enough towards claiming their third straight championship, while Hapoel Tel Aviv needed to win their tenth championship. Due to the importance of the match, the IBA decided to broadcast the match live, the first ever live broadcast of a league match in Israel.


1985–86 Liga Leumit, Match
With 20,000 fans in the stands, Maccabi Haifa sought to stall the match to force a 0-0 draw, which would allow them to win the championship. The first shot on goal was made by Zahi Armeli of Maccabi Haifa at the 24th minute, while Moris Zano of Hapoel registered their first shot at the 32nd minute. Early in the second half, Hapoel manager David Schweitzer substituted midfielders Jacob Cohen and Elior Baranes with strikers Gili Landau and Eli Yani, and Hapoel increased their attacks. At the 86th minute, Eli Cohen passed the ball to Moshe Sinai in midfield.


1985–86 Liga Leumit, Match
Sinai lobbed the ball over the Maccabi Haifa defense towards the rushing Landau, while at the far left side of the defense, Eli Yani was running back from an offside position. Referee Zvi Sharir allowed the play to continue and Landau struck the ball over the Maccabi Haifa goalkeeper Avi Ran to break the deadlock. Eli Cohen was sent off for a tackle made on Rafi Osmo, but the score did not change. Hapoel Tel Aviv won the championship with a two-point lead.


1985–86 Liga Leumit, Post-match
While Hapoel Tel Aviv celebrated their championship, Maccabi Haifa sounded claims against the validity of the winning goal, pointing to Eli Yani's offside position during the final pass. Referee Zvi Sharir defended his decision, stating that Eli Yani was in a "passive offside".


1985–86 Liga Nacional de Hockey Hielo season
The 1985–86 Superliga Espanola de Hockey Hielo season was the 14th season of the Superliga Espanola de Hockey Hielo, the top level of ice hockey in Spain. Four teams participated in the league, and CG Puigcerda won the championship.


1985–86 Liverpool F.C. season
The 1985–86 season was the 94th season in Liverpool F.C. 's existence, and their 24th consecutive year in the top-flight.


1985–86 Liverpool F.C. season
This was to be Kenny Dalglish’s first season as manager. At the relatively young age of 34 he took over a side that he was still playing in, and with several players in their last seasons as players. The change to the new team would take time during the season, but it ended with them winning the double of the League and FA Cup, and reaching the League Cup semi-finals. It was the fifth time that the league and FA Cup double had been achieved in English football.


1985–86 Liverpool F.C. season
Also as the ban on English clubs after Heysel was in force, there was the Super Cup, sponsored by Screen Sport. As the competition did not end until the 1986-87 season, Liverpool reached the final after getting through the group, and the semi-finals.


1985–86 Los Angeles Clippers season
The 1985-86 Los Angeles Clippers season was their 16th season in the NBA, their second in Los Angeles.


1985–86 Los Angeles Clippers season, Awards, records and milestones, All-Star
Marques Johnson selected as a reserve forward for the Western Conference All-Stars. This would be his fifth and final All-Star Game appearance. With Norm Nixon chosen as an All-Star last year, this would make it the third time in franchise history that the team fielded a different player for back-to-back All-Star Games. The other two times were Bob Kauffman in 1973 then Bob McAdoo in 1974 and Bob McAdoo again in 1977 then Randy Smith in 1978.


1985–86 Los Angeles Clippers season, Transactions
The Clippers were involved in the following transactions during the 1985–86 season.


1985–86 Los Angeles Kings season
The 1985–86 Los Angeles Kings season, was the Kings' 19th season in the National Hockey League.


1985–86 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season, Season standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals againstNote: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1985–86 Los Angeles Kings season, Transactions
The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 1985–86 season.


1985–86 Los Angeles Lakers season
The 1985–86 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 40th season of the franchise, 38th in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 26th in Los Angeles. The Lakers entered the season as the defending NBA champion, having defeated the previous NBA champion and rival Boston Celtics in the 1985 NBA Finals in six games, having finally defeated the Celtics in the NBA Finals after having lost to them 8 consecutive times in the championship series.


1985–86 Los Angeles Lakers season
The Lakers looked to repeat as NBA Champions, after sweeping the San Antonio Spurs in three games in the First Round, and then defeating the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the Semifinals in the playoffs, but were unable to defend their title, as they lost to the Houston Rockets in the Conference Finals in five games after winning the first game, but proceeded to lose the following four. The Rockets would go on to lose to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals in six games.


1985–86 Los Angeles Lakers season, NBA Draft
The 1985 NBA Draft took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBA Draft of the "Lottery" era. The lottery was put into place so teams did not have to intentionally lose games to receive the number one pick.


1985–86 Los Angeles Lakers season, Player statistics
Note: GP= Games played; MPG= Minutes per Game; REB = Rebounds; AST = Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; PPG = Points per Game


1985–86 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
The 1985–86 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 72nd season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the Metro Conference and were coached by Denny Crum. The team played home games at Freedom Hall.


1985–86 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
The team compiled a 32–7 record and brought Louisville basketball their second NCAA National Championship when they defeated Duke, 72–69.


1985–86 Luxembourg National Division
The 1985–86 Luxembourg National Division was the 72nd season of top level association football in Luxembourg.


1985–86 Luxembourg National Division, Overview
It was performed in 12 teams, and FC Avenir Beggen won the championship.


1985–86 Magyar Kupa
The 1985–86 Magyar Kupa (English: Hungarian Cup) was the 46th season of Hungary's annual knock-out cup football competition.


1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season
The 1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the eighth in league history and ended with the San Diego Sockers winning their third MISL title in four seasons over the Minnesota Strikers. It was the Sockers' fifth straight indoor title, as they had also won the North American Soccer League's indoor league in 1982 and 1984.


1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Recap
For the most part, the league format remained unchanged. A 48-game season would be followed with an eight-team playoff, similar to the playoff system used from 1982 to 1984. There would be one major change in gameplay, however. The shootout, part of the MISL since its inception, was dropped in favor of multiple overtime periods to decide games, if necessary. There was a steady national TV contract for the first time since 1983, as ESPN would televise 15 regular-season games and assorted playoff games.


1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Recap
The East and West division races were a study in contrasts. San Diego ran away with the West again, despite selling reigning league MVP Steve Zungul to the Tacoma Stars for $200,000 halfway through the regular season. Tacoma would go 11-8 with Zungul, who won the league scoring title for the sixth time in the MISL's eight years. However, the Stars lost in four games to the Sockers in the league semifinals.


1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Recap
In the East, the six-team division was separated by only four games. The playoff positions were only confirmed when the Baltimore Blast defeated the Pittsburgh Spirit in the season finale. The Dallas Sidekicks switched divisions and promptly won 13 more games than the previous year, making the playoffs for the first time and earning Gordon Jago Coach of the Year honors.


1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Recap
For the second straight year, the Strikers and Sockers went to a deciding game in their playoff matchup. San Diego became the first team to rally from a two-game deficit to win a MISL playoff series, as the Strikers' 3-1 lead in the championship series disappeared under three straight Socker wins. In the first seventh game in MISL history, the Sockers held off a late Minnesota charge to win 5-3. San Diego's Brian Quinn scored two goals and an assist on his way to playoff MVP honors.


1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Recap
After the season, the Spirit folded, and the league made plans to return to New York with an expansion franchise.


1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Regular season schedule
The 1985–86 regular season schedule ran from October 25, 1985, to April 6, 1986. Despite the loss of two teams from the 1984-85 lineup, the schedule remained at 48 games.


1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Regular season player statistics, Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points


1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Regular season player statistics, Leading goalkeepers
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses


1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Playoff player statistics, Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points


1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Playoff player statistics, Leading goalkeepers
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses


1985–86 Maltese Premier League
The 1985–86 Maltese Premier League was the 6th season of the Maltese Premier League, and the 71st season of top-tier football in Malta. It was contested by 8 teams, and Rabat Ajax F.C. won the championship.


1985–86 Manchester City F.C. season
The 1985–86 season was Manchester City's 84th season of competitive football and 64th season in the top division of English football. In addition to the First Division, the club competed in the FA Cup, EFL Cup, and Full Members' Cup.


1985–86 Manchester United F.C. season
The 1985–86 season was Manchester United's 84th season in the Football League, and their 11th consecutive season in the top division of English football.


1985–86 Manchester United F.C. season
Despite having won the FA Cup the previous season, the team was unable to compete in the 1985–86 European Cup Winners' Cup due to the five-year ban on English clubs competing in European competitions that was imposed following the Heysel Stadium disaster at the 1985 European Cup Final. Instead, the clubs who would have qualified for Europe all competed in the Football League Super Cup.


1985–86 Manchester United F.C. season
With no European action to distract them, they got off to a 10-match winning start in the league. They were unbeaten from their first 15 games with 41 points as at 2 November with 13 wins and 2 draws. The size of their lead at that point helped them stay top of the league until the beginning of February despite taking only 35 points from their last 27 games finishing fourth in the league on 76 points, 12 points behind champions Liverpool.


1985–86 Manchester United F.C. season
There was no success in the cup competitions to fall back on, leading to doubts about the future of Ron Atkinson as manager. He had completed five seasons as manager without them finishing outside the top four and had won two FA Cups, but the wait for a league title was now entering its 20th season.


1985–86 Manchester United F.C. season
Media reports linked two managers with a move to Old Trafford: Terry Venables, who had just rejected an offer to return to England from Barcelona to take charge at Arsenal; and Alex Ferguson, whose Aberdeen side had broken the Old Firm dominance of Celtic and Rangers in recent seasons. Despite this speculation, Atkinson remained in charge of United into the following season, but the pressure on him to deliver success to the club remained intense.


1985–86 Manchester United F.C. season
The ban on English clubs in European competitions was extended to a second season, meaning that United would not be able to compete in the 1986–87 UEFA Cup.


1985–86 Manchester United F.C. season
Mark Hughes was once again United's top scorer, scoring 17 goals in the league and 18 in all competitions. However, he was less prolific during the second half of the season after scoring 11 times before Christmas, and on 21 March 1986 it was announced that he would be leaving United at the end of the season to sign for FC Barcelona of Spain in a £2million deal. United had already signed Nottingham Forest striker Peter Davenport as his successor. United had signed another striker, Terry Gibson from Coventry City, just after the turn of the new year.


1985–86 Manchester United F.C. season
United's title challenge was also not helped by the fact that captain Bryan Robson was only available for half of the club's league games this season due to injuries.


1985–86 Manchester United F.C. season, Football League Super Cup
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points


1985–86 Mansfield Town F.C. season
The 1985–86 season was Mansfield Town's 49th season in the Football League and 12th in the Fourth Division they finished in 3rd position with 81 points, gaining promotion back to the Third Division.


1985–86 Marist Red Foxes men's basketball team
The 1985–86 Marist Red Foxes men's basketball team represented Marist College in the 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Red Foxes, led by second-year head coach Matthew Furjanic Jr., played their home games at the James J. McCann Recreation Center in Poughkeepsie, New York as members of the ECAC Metro Conference. They finished the season 19–12, 11–5 in ECACM play to finish in second place.


1985–86 Marist Red Foxes men's basketball team
As the No. 2 seed in the ECAC Tournament, they advanced to the championship game, where they defeated top-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson 57–56 in overtime to win the school's first ECAC Metro men's basketball tournament title. The Red Foxes earned the automatic bid to the 1986 NCAA Tournament, receiving a 15 seed in the Southeast region. They were defeated in the first round 53–68 by No. 6 Georgia Tech.


1985–86 Marist Red Foxes men's basketball team, Previous season
The Red Foxes finished the 1984–85 season 17–12 overall, 11–3 in ECACM play to finish in first place, winning the ECACM regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the ECAC Tournament, the Red Foxes advanced to the semifinals where they were defeated by No. 4 seed Loyola (MD) 55–56 in double overtime.


1985–86 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team
The 1985–86 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represented the University of Maryland, College Park during the 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.


1985–86 Mexican Primera División season
Statistics of the Primera División de México for the 1985–86 season.


1985–86 Mexican Primera División season, Prode-1985, Overview
It was contested by 20 teams, and América won the championship.


1985–86 Mexican Primera División season, Mexico-1986, Overview
It was contested by 20 teams, and Monterrey won the championship.


1985–86 Mexican Segunda División season
The 1985–86 Segunda División was the 37th season of the Mexican Segunda División. The season started on 16 August 1985 and concluded on 18 May 1986. It was won by Cobras.


1985–86 Mexican Segunda División season
Since this season, the regional competition system was eliminated and the matches between all the member teams returned for two rounds.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
The 1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at Jenison Field House in East Lansing, Michigan and were members of the Big Ten Conference. They were coached by Jud Heathcote in his 10th year at Michigan State. The Spartans finished with a record of 23–8, 12–6 to finish in third place in Big Ten play. The Spartans received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed where they defeated Washington and Georgetown before losing to No. 1-seeded Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Previous season
The Spartans finished the 1984–85 season with a record of 19–10, 10–8 to finish in fifth place in Big Ten play. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed. There they lost to UAB in the First Round.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season
The 1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team represented Michigan State University in college ice hockey. In its 7th year under head coach Ron Mason the team compiled a 34–9–2 record and reached the NCAA tournament for the eighth time in its history. The Spartans defeated Harvard 6–5 in the championship game at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season, Season
Michigan State entered the 1985–86 season looking for a bit of redemption. After winning the previous four conference tournament titles, but failing to make it past the national quarterfinals three times, Ron Mason was beginning to be pegged as a great coach who couldn't get his team over the hump. Though Michigan State lost its top three scorers from the year before they did return the goaltending tandem of Bob Essensa and Norm Foster who had helped the Spartans set a new NCAA record with 38 wins.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season, Season
With so few seniors on the squad, the captaincy went to junior defenseman Don McSween. While the roster was a little light on four-year players, Michigan State did bring in one of the most highly touted prospects in Joe Murphy along with 7 other freshmen who would see significant ice time with the Spartans.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season, Season, Early Season Struggles
MSU got off to a good start with a pair of road wins over Ohio State before splitting a home-and-home with a surging Western Michigan squad. After three wins and a tie against lesser programs, the Spartans took on arch-rival Michigan and split another home-and-home series. After a week of exhibition matches against the Canadian National Team MSU again split a weekend series and while their home record was stellar they had dropped to 3–3 on the road.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season, Season, Early Season Struggles
That mark wasn't improved when they split another road series against the normally hapless Illinois–Chicago and then dropped both road games against a good  Lake Superior State team. The Spartans were able to recover a bit in the conference standings with a pair of home wins against the Buckeyes and lift their record to 11–6–1 before losing in their first non-conference game of the year to the former CCHA team Northern Michigan, their only home loss of the season.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season, Season, Great Lakes Invitational
Michigan State entered the Great Lakes Invitational having won the previous 3 years but the team was in need of a shock to the system to shake it out of its doldrums. They got just that when they were pushed to the limit in the semifinal by WCHA bottom-feeder Michigan Tech, escaping with a 2–1 win in overtime. The next night it was almost as if a different team hit the ice when the Spartans cruised to an 8–3 win in the championship over defending national champions Rensselaer. Don McSween was named MVP of the tournament.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season, Season, Charging Up the Standings
Michigan State had a good deal of ground to make up in the second half of their season and the kicked it off with a sweep of Western Michigan and Miami they were slowed down by Ferris State and Michigan who provided MSU with a tie and loss respectively, but the Spartans were buoyed by playing 7 of their final 8 games at home and they took every game to finish the season at 23–7–2 in CCHA play, one win ahead of both Western Michigan and Bowling Green. The biggest standout for the year was former walk-on Mike Donnelly who had amassed a huge number of goals and was beginning to draw attention from NHL scouts.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season, Season, CCHA Tournament
The Spartans entered the CCHA Tournament against Michigan and while the Wolverines had beaten MSU twice both had been in the Wolverine's arena and with Michigan State playing host the Spartans were able to drop Michigan in both games to take the quarterfinal series. Michigan State headed down the road to Detroit for the championship rounds, and faced stiff competition from lake Superior State but the Spartans edged out the Lakers 3–2 in overtime. In the championship game the following night MSU's offense, which finished second-best in the nation, failed them and they could only manage a single goal against Western Michigan's Bill Horn, ending their 4-year reign as CCHA Tournament champion.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season, Season, NCAA Tournament
Fortunately, the Spartans had played well enough over the course of the season to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. They had played so well, in fact, that they were seeded ahead of Western Michigan and would play at home in the quarterfinal round. MSU used the massive home advantage they had to beat Boston College in both games and advance to the Frozen Four. In the semifinal MSU was met by perennial power Minnesota who had upset the top eastern seed Boston University in the quarters. Both teams were built around scoring and that fact shone through the game; Michigan State won the match 6–4 with Norm Foster turning aside 42 shots.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season, Season, NCAA Tournament
With the win Michigan State made its first championship game in 20 years and only had Harvard left to stop them. Before the game had even started, however, MSU gained an advantage over the Crimson; Hobey Baker Award winner Scott Fusco had injured his knee in the other semifinal and couldn't play in the final. Despite missing their best player, Harvard got off to a fast start gaining a 2–0 lead by the 8-minute mark.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season, Season, NCAA Tournament
MSU cut the lead in half at the end of the first but Allen Bourbeau scored his second goal of the night to give the Crimson their 2-goal lead back. Harvard's third goal was scored on just their seventh shot of the night and it looked as if the Spartans were outclassed. Not to be deterred, however, Jeff Parker cut the lead back to one with Bourbeau's third of the night coming 10 minutes later. Mike Donnelly scored his 58th goal of the season just before the end of the second to give MSU a fighting change in the final period.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season, Season, NCAA Tournament
Sure enough MSU's offense came through when needed and two freshman found the back of the net before the three-minute mark to give the Spartans their first lead of the night. Harvard responded with  the tying goal four minutes later and the two teams fought furiously to regain the lead. with just under three minutes to play Donnelly scored his second of the game to give MSU the lead and the Spartans held on to win the national championship.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season, Season, Awards and Honors
Mike Donnelly was awarded the Tournament MOP and was joined by Norm Foster, Don McSween and  Jeff Parker on the All-Tournament Team. Donnelly was also named to the AHCA All-American West First Team while McSween was named to the Second Team. Donnelly and McSween both made it onto the All-CCHA First Team while Bob Essensa made the Second team. Joe Murphy was awarded the CCHA Rookie of the Year and would become the first college player to be take first overall in the NHL Entry Draft. Murphy was joined by 12 of his teammates from the 1985–86 Spartans, an astounding number of NHL players for a college team.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season, Season, Awards and Honors
Mike Donnelly's 59 goals was the highest total scored since the NCAA created Division I in 1973. Only Phil Latreille has scored more in a season, doing so in the early 1960s, before there were any divisions in college ice hockey.


1985–86 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season, Season, Awards and Honors
Rick Tosto became the first player in NCAA history to win national titles with two separate teams. After winning with Renssealer in 1985 he transferred closer to his home of Dearborn Heights, Michigan and won with the Spartans.


1985–86 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 1985–86 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1985–86 season. The team played its home games in the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference. Under the direction of head coach Bill Frieder, the team repeated as the Big Ten Conference Champion. The team earned the number two seed in the 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament where it advanced one round before losing.


1985–86 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The team began the season ranked number three and ended the season ranked number five after peaking at number two in the Associated Press Top Twenty Poll. It was ranked in all seventeen weeks, and it also ended the season ranked number five in the final UPI Coaches' Poll. Butch Wade and Roy Tarpley served as team captains and Tarpley earned team MVP.


1985–86 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
On December 7, 1985, the team set the current Big Ten Conference single-game record for team blocked shots with 18 against Florida Southern, and Tarpley led the conference with a 2.50 blocked shot average in conference games for the season. The team repeated as scoring margin statistical champion with a 10.6 average in conference games. Additionally, the team led the conference in rebounding average (35.1), rebounding margin (5.8), steals (8.61) and block shots (3.94).


1985–86 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
For the second of five consecutive seasons, the team set the school record for single-season field goal percentage with a 51.6% (1049-for-2032) performance. The team also set a school single-season free throw percentage record of 74.8% that would be eclipsed the following season, surpassing the 74.4% set in 1975. Gary Grant's single-season total of 185 assists established a school record that he would surpass two seasons later. It surpassed Antoine Joubert's 164 total set in 1985.


1985–86 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
His single-season steals total of 84 and average of 2.55 surpassed Ricky Green's 1977 school records, but Grant would better each of these statistics the following year. The team set the school single-season total steals record of 265 that stood until 1994, surpassing the 1977 total of 263. Roy Tarpley surpassed his school single-season blocked shots average record of 2.20 set the prior season with an average of 2.94. He broke his two-year-old single-season total record of 69 with a total of 97. Both records still stand as of 2010.


1985–86 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
He also set the career blocks average of 2.06 that remained unsurpassed until Chris Webber averaged 2.50 during his career that ended in 1993. His career total of 251 remains unsurpassed. On December 7, 1985, against Florida Southern, Tarpley totaled 10 blocks in a game break his own school single-game record of 7 set the prior year. That night the team totaled 18 blocks. Both numbers are current school records. For the season, the team posted 146 blocks which stood as a school record until 1992.


1985–86 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
Richard Rellford ended his career with 124 games played, which surpassed Steve Grote's 1977 record of 116. Antoine Joubert would surpass the record the following season. On January 5, 1985, the team began a 24-game home winning streak against Ohio State that continued through a February 15, 1986, victory over Iowa. This stands as the longest home winning streak in school history. The streak ended with a February 20, 1986 74–59 loss to Michigan State. January 12, 1985, victory over Purdue also marked the start of a 10-game road winning streak that continued through a January 4, 1986, victory over Ohio State. This stands as the longest road winning streak in school history. The streak ended with a January 16, 1986 73–63 loss to Minnesota.


1985–86 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
In the 64-team NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, number two seeded Michigan advanced one round by defeating the Akron Zips 70–64. In the second round the team was upset by seven-seeded Iowa State 72–69.


1985–86 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Team players drafted into the NBA
Seven players from this team were selected in the NBA Draft.


1985–86 Middlesbrough F.C. season
This period in the history of Middlesbrough is considered its most traumatic. The club was in financial difficulties which eventually led to liquidation in 1986 and the near loss of professional football on Teesside. At the end of 1985–86 season Boro were relegated to the old Third Division. By then Willie Maddren was no longer manager. He was sacked with 13 games remaining, replaced by his assistant Bruce Rioch. Maddren is remembered for his astute signings. Bernie Slaven was signed from part-time football in Scotland to become a Middlesbrough legend. Maddren also brought youth team players through the ranks, including Colin Cooper and Stuart Ripley.


1985–86 Middlesbrough F.C. season
August 1985 – Don O'Riordan's  performances for Carlisle United earned himself a £55,000 move to Middlesbrough in August 1985. Despite missing only one game the following season, O'Riordan was released amidst Middlesbrough's financial crisis.


1985–86 Middlesbrough F.C. season
30 August 1985 – Newcastle United midfielder Pat Heard moves to Middlesbrough on a month's loan with a view to a permanent deal.


1985–86 Middlesbrough F.C. season
October 1985 – In a trial game against Bradford City, Bernie Slaven scored and impressed the Middlesbrough management enough to snap him up. Bradford boss Terry Yorath also wanted him to sign on the dotted line, but the then Albion Rovers owner negotiated a deal with Middlesbrough which satisfied all parties and manager Willie Maddren picked Slaven up for a bargain price of £25,000.


1985–86 Middlesbrough F.C. season
22 October 1985 – Home team Sunderland beat ten man Middlesbrough 1-0 after Archie Stephens was sent off in the 33rd minute.


1985–86 Middlesbrough F.C. season
November 1985 - Middlesbrough beat Shrewsbury Town 3-1, in front of a home gate of 4,061, with goals from Gary Rowell, Pat Heard and Tony McAndrew.


1985–86 Middlesbrough F.C. season
2 January 1986 – Second Division strugglers Middlesbrough are reported to be £1 million in debt.


1985–86 Middlesbrough F.C. season
21 May 1986 – Middlesbrough, recently relegated to the Third Division for the second time in their history, are faced with the threat of losing their Football League status and going out of business after going into liquidation.


1985–86 Middlesbrough F.C. season, Senior squad
The following are all the players who were involved the Middlesbrough F.C. first team at some point during the 1985-86 season. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1985–86 Midland Football Combination
The 1985–86 Midland Football Combination season was the 49th in the history of Midland Football Combination, a football competition in England.


1985–86 Midland Football Combination, Premier Division
The Premier Division featured 19 clubs which competed in the division last season along with one new club, promoted from Division One:


1985–86 Milwaukee Bucks season
The 1985–86 Milwaukee Bucks season was the 18th season for the Bucks. Milwaukee posted a 57-25 record but lost to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.


1985–86 Minnesota North Stars season
The 1985–86 Minnesota North Stars season was the North Stars' 19th season.


1985–86 Minnesota North Stars season
Coached by Lorne Henning, the team compiled a record of 38-33-9 for 85 points, to finish the regular season 2nd in the Norris Division. In the playoffs they lost the division semi-finals 3-2 to the St. Louis Blues.


1985–86 Minnesota North Stars season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against


1985–86 Minnesota North Stars season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1985–86 Minnesota North Stars season, Draft picks
Minnesota's draft picks at the 1985 NHL Entry Draft held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario.


1985–86 Minnesota Strikers season
The 1985–86 Minnesota Strikers season of the Major Indoor Soccer League  was the second season of the team in the indoor league, and the club's nineteenth season in professional soccer. This year, the team finished second in the Eastern Division of the regular season. They made it to the playoffs and the MISL Championship Series. They were this year's Runners-up.


1985–86 Montreal Canadiens season
The 1985–86 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 77th season. The team won the Stanley Cup for the first time in seven seasons, and their 23rd overall.


1985–86 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals againstNote: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1985–86 Montreal Canadiens season, Transactions, 1986 Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup Champions
Bob Gainey, Doug Soetaert, Patrick Roy, Rick Green, David Maley, Ryan Walter, Serge Boisvert, Mario Tremblay, Bobby Smith, Craig Ludwig, Tom Kurvers, Kjell Dahlin, Larry Robinson, Guy Carbonneau, Chris Chelios, Petr Svoboda, Mats Naslund, Lucien DeBlois, Steve Rooney, Gaston Gingras, Mike Lalor, Chris Nilan, John Kordic, Claude Lemieux, Mike McPhee, Brian Skrudland, Stephane Richer, Serge Savard (general manager), Jean Perron (coach), Jacques Laperriere (assistant coach), Eddy Palchak (trainer).


1985–86 Montreal Canadiens season, Draft picks
Montreal's draft picks at the 1985 NHL Entry Draft held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario.


1985–86 Moroccan Throne Cup
The 1985–86 season of the Moroccan Throne Cup was the 30th edition of the competition.


1985–86 Moroccan Throne Cup
FAR de Rabat won the cup, beating Difaâ Hassani El Jadidi 3–1 in the final, played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. FAR de Rabat won the tournament for the fifth time in their history.


1985–86 Moroccan Throne Cup, Tournament, Final
The final was between the two winning semi-finalists, FAR de Rabat and Difaâ Hassani El Jadidi, on 4 September 1986 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.


1985–86 NBA season
The 1985–86 NBA season was the 40th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning their third championship of the decade, beating the Houston Rockets 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.


1985–86 NBA season, Playoffs
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.


1985–86 NBA season, NBA awards, Yearly awards
Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on


1985–86 NBA season, NBA awards, Player of the week
The following players were named NBA Player of the Week.


1985–86 NBA season, NBA awards, Player of the month
The following players were named NBA Player of the Month.


1985–86 NBA season, NBA awards, Rookie of the month
The following players were named NBA Rookie of the Month.


1985–86 NBA season, NBA awards, Coach of the month
The following coaches were named NBA Coach of the Month.


1985–86 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team
The 1985–86 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University during the 1985–86 men's college basketball season. It was Jim Valvano's 6th season as head coach.


1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
The 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's preseason basketball rankings was made up of two human polls, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various other preseason polls. The Louisville Cardinals would finish the season ranked at the top of both polls after winning the National Championship.


1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Season outlook, Pre-season polls
The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.


1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Coaching changes
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.


1985–86 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season
The 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began in October 1985 and concluded with the 1986 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on March 29, 1986 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. This was the 39th season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 91st year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team.


1985–86 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season
The 1985–86 season was the first for the Great West Hockey Conference.


1985–86 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the season.


1985–86 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Scoring leaders
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes


1985–86 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the end of the regular season while playing at least 33% of their team's total minutes.


1985–86 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Leading goaltenders
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average


1985–86 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
Two human polls comprise the 1985–86 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various publications' preseason polls. The AP poll is currently a poll of sportswriters, while the USA Today Coaches' Poll is a poll of college coaches. The AP conducts polls weekly through the end of the regular season and conference play, while the Coaches poll conducts a final, post-NCAA tournament poll as well.


1985–86 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season
The 1985–86 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season began in November 1985 and concluded on March 22 of the following year. This was the 13th season of Division III college ice hockey.


1985–86 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season
Though ECAC 2 formally split into two separate conferences in 1985, all games played between ECAC East and ECAC West teams would count for their conference standings. This arrangement remained until 1992.


1985–86 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season
ECAC 3, in order to prevent confusion with the other two Division III ECAC conferences, was renamed ECAC North/South and divided into two divisions (North and South).


1985–86 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season
In 1990 the NCAA ruled that Plattsburgh State had violated regulations by allowing some of their players to reside in houses owned by people invested in the ice hockey program and were provided with some benefits including free housing, free meals and cash loans. Because these violations occurred between 1985 and 1988 Plattsburgh State's participation in all NCAA games during that time was vacated.


1985–86 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season, 1986 NCAA Tournament
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)Note: † Plattsburgh State's participation in the tournament was later vacated by the NCAA


1985–86 NCAA football bowl games
The 1985–86 NCAA football bowl games were a series of post-season games played in December 1985 and January 1986 to end the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. A total of 18 team-competitive games, and two all-star games, were played. The post-season began with the California Bowl on December 14, 1985, and concluded on January 18, 1986, with the season-ending Senior Bowl.


1985–86 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 1985 season began on December 28, 1985. The postseason tournament concluded with the Chicago Bears defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, 46–10, on January 26, 1986, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Participants
Within each conference, the three division winners and the two wild card teams (the top two non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The three division winners were seeded 1 through 3 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams were seeded 4 and 5. The NFL did not use a fixed bracket playoff system. In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the fourth seed wild card hosted the fifth seed. All three division winners from each conference then received a bye in the first round.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Participants
The second round, the divisional playoffs, had a restriction where two teams from the same division cannot meet: the surviving wild card team visited the division champion outside its own division that had the higher seed, and the remaining two teams from that conference played each other. The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl, the fourth and final round of the playoffs, was played at a neutral site, the designated home team was based on an annual rotation by conference.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Schedule
Because the Jets and Giants both used Giants Stadium as their home field, the two wild card playoff games were held on different days.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Schedule
In the United States, CBS televised the NFC playoff games, while NBC broadcast the AFC games and Super Bowl XX.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, December 28, 1985, AFC: New England Patriots 26, New York Jets 14
In the NFL's first ever playoff game at Giants Stadium, the Patriots dominated the game by forcing five sacks and four turnovers from a Jets offense that had ranked #1 during the season for fewest turnovers lost (29). This was New England's first playoff win since 1963.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, December 28, 1985, AFC: New England Patriots 26, New York Jets 14
New England jumped to 3–0 lead in the first quarter after Tony Franklin made a 33-yard field goal. Then after New York scored on quarterback Ken O'Brien's 11-yard touchdown pass to running back Johnny Hector, Franklin kicked his second field goal from 41 yards. Late in the second quarter, safety Fred Marion intercepted a pass from O'Brien and returned it 26 yards to the Jets 33-yard line.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, December 28, 1985, AFC: New England Patriots 26, New York Jets 14
A few plays later, Jets defensive back Russell Carter failed to make contact with receiver Stanley Morgan while trying to jam him at the line of scrimmage, enabling Morgan to take off past Carter and haul in a 36-yard touchdown completion from Tony Eason, giving New England a 13–7 halftime lead.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, December 28, 1985, AFC: New England Patriots 26, New York Jets 14
In the third quarter, Franklin made a 20-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 16–7 lead and on the ensuing kickoff, Hector was stripped of the ball by linebacker Johnny Rembert, who then picked up the fumble and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown, which gave the Patriots a commanding 23–7 lead. However, Hector returned the next kickoff 33 yards to the Pats 43-yard line.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, December 28, 1985, AFC: New England Patriots 26, New York Jets 14
From there, Pat Ryan replaced O'Brien, who had been suffering from a concussion ever since the first half, and completed 5/7 passes on a 57-yard scoring drive, the last a 12-yard touchdown throw to tight end Mickey Shuler, making the score 23–14. But in the fourth quarter, Patriots linebacker Andre Tippett deflected a Ryan pass into the arms of defensive end Garin Veris, who returned the interception 18 yards to set up Franklin's fourth field goal and finish off the scoring.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, December 28, 1985, AFC: New England Patriots 26, New York Jets 14
Veris finished the game with three sacks and an interception. Eason completed 12 of 17 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. Hector returned six kickoffs for 115 yards and added 24 more yards rushing and receiving. Jets receiver Al Toon set a franchise playoff record for receptions (9), good for 93 yards.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, December 28, 1985, AFC: New England Patriots 26, New York Jets 14
This was the first postseason meeting between the Patriots and Jets.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, December 29, 1985, NFC: New York Giants 17, San Francisco 49ers 3
In the Giants first home playoff game since 1962, despite the fact that the 49ers recorded 362 yards of total offense, with receiver Dwight Clark catching eight passes for 120 yards, the Giants defense limited San Francisco to only one field goal the entire game. It was a very satisfying win for New York, who had lost their last five games played against the 49ers, including playoff losses in 1981 and 1984. Meanwhile, the 49ers dropped nine passes and finished without a touchdown for the first time in their last 40 games.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, December 29, 1985, NFC: New York Giants 17, San Francisco 49ers 3
The Giants scored on their opening possession of the game with kicker Eric Schubert's 47-yard field goal. Then in the second quarter, New York defensive back Terry Kinard intercepted a pass from 49ers quarterback Joe Montana and returned it 15 yards to set up Phil Simms' 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Bavaro. San Francisco managed to drive inside the Giants 10-yard line with a 15-play drive that included two personal fouls and a holding call against New York's defense. However, they could not get into the end zone and had to settle for Ray Wersching's 21-yard field goal, cutting the score to 10-3 going into halftime.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, December 29, 1985, NFC: New York Giants 17, San Francisco 49ers 3
A 77-yard drive in the third quarter was capped by Simms' 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Don Hasselbeck, increasing New York's lead to 17–3. In the fourth quarter, the Giants made two key defensive stands to keep the game out of range. First, they forced San Francisco to turn the ball over on downs at the New York 26 with 4:46 left. Following a New York punt, the 49ers drove into the Giants red zone.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, December 29, 1985, NFC: New York Giants 17, San Francisco 49ers 3
With 2:16 left in the game, Montana threw a touchdown pass to tight end John Frank, but it was eliminated by a holding penalty against guard John Ayers. On the next play, he threw a pass to running back Carl Monroe, only to have him drop it in the end zone. Then on fourth and 15, Montana's final pass was incomplete and New York ran out the rest of the clock.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, December 29, 1985, NFC: New York Giants 17, San Francisco 49ers 3
New York running back Joe Morris finished the game with 141 rushing yards. Defensive lineman Jim Burt had two of New York's four sacks. 49ers running back Roger Craig, who became the first player in NFL history to gain over 1,000 rushing and receiving yards during the regular season, was held to just 24 rushing yards and 18 receiving yards.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, December 29, 1985, NFC: New York Giants 17, San Francisco 49ers 3
This was the third postseason meeting between the 49ers and Giants. San Francisco won both previous meetings.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Cleveland Browns 21
Barely making the playoffs with an 8–8 record, Cleveland hardly seemed a match for the 12–4 defending AFC champion Dolphins. However, the Browns jumped to a 21–3 lead midway through the third quarter, but the Dolphins then scored 21 unanswered points—the final touchdown with 1:57 left to play.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Cleveland Browns 21
Aided by a 17-yard run from Woody Bennett on the first play of the game, Miami scored on their opening drive with a 51-yard field goal by Fuad Reveiz. Cleveland later marched 82 yards in 10 plays, mainly on the strength of their ground game, with Kevin Mack rushing for 12, Curtis Dickey picking up 9, and Earnest Byner's 15-yard carry taking them into the red zone. Bernie Kosar eventually finished the drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ozzie Newsome to give the Browns a 7–3 lead.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Cleveland Browns 21
In the second quarter, Miami got two big chances to score, but came up empty both times. First, they threatened to score with a drive to a first down on the Cleveland 36-yard line. But the Browns defense stepped up, forcing two incompletions and a run for no gain, and the Dolphins decided to punt rather than risk another long field goal. On the Browns next drive, Dolphins defensive back Paul Lankford intercepted Kosar and returned the ball to the Cleveland 25-yard line.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Cleveland Browns 21
Miami then drove to the 6-yard line, only to lose the ball when Marino was picked off in the end zone by Browns safety Don Rogers, who returned it 45 yards to set up a 21-yard rushing touchdown from Byner, increasing the lead to 14–3. Miami responded with a drive to the Browns 29-yard line, but Reveiz missed a 47-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the half.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Cleveland Browns 21
Byner ran for a 66-yard touchdown with 11:03 left in the third quarter, the longest play in Cleveland's postseason history, to give Cleveland a 21–3 lead. However, Miami then controlled the rest of the game. A 13-play 74-yard drive, aided by a 15-yard late hit penalty against Cleveland and a 15-yard reception by Mark Clayton, was capped by Marino's 6-yard touchdown pass to Nat Moore. Miami's defense quickly forced a punt, and Jeff Gossett's kick went just 26 yards to the Browns 49-yard line.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Cleveland Browns 21
From there it took just five plays to score on a 31-yard burst by Ron Davenport, who trucked right through Rogers and linebacker Clarence Weathers on the way to the end zone. Browns receiver Glen Young gave his team a chance to get their momentum back with a 35-yard kickoff return to the 42-yard line. But after a holding penalty wiped out a first down run, Cleveland could not recover and had to punt.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Cleveland Browns 21
In the fourth quarter, Marino got the team rolling on a 74-yard, 10-play drive for the game winning score, connecting with halfback Tony Nathan for a 39-yard gain (the longest reception of the day from either team) to the Browns 35-yard line, and later finding tight end Bruce Hardy for 18 yards inside the Cleveland red zone. On the first play after the two-minute warning, Davenport went into the end zone on a 1-yard score with 1:57 left to give the Dolphins the lead, 24–21. Cleveland then took the ball and tried to drive for the tying field goal, but on the game's last play, Byner was tackled on the Miami 45-yard line as time expired.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Cleveland Browns 21
Byner finished the game with 161 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 16 carries, while also catching four passes for 25 yards. Nathan rushed for 21 yards and caught 10 passes for 101 yards. Marino was 25/45 for 238 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Cleveland racked up a whopping 251 rushing yards against the Dolphins defense, which turned out to be an omen of what lay in store for them in the AFC Championship Game.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Cleveland Browns 21
This was the second postseason meeting between the Browns and Dolphins. Miami won the only previous meeting.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 20, Dallas Cowboys 0
Running back Eric Dickerson led the Rams to a victory by scoring two touchdowns and recording a playoff record 248 rushing yards, while LA's defense held the Cowboys to 243 yards and forced six turnovers.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 20, Dallas Cowboys 0
Rams receiver Henry Ellard's 23-yard punt return to the Dallas 38-yard line and 21-yard reception on the next play set up the first score of the game, a 33-yard field goal by Mike Lansford 5:19 into the first quarter. This ended up being the only score of the first half, while Ellard's 21-yard catch ended up being nearly half of the Rams total passing yards (47) for the entire game.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 20, Dallas Cowboys 0
LA running back Charles White returned the second half kickoff (a squib kick by punter Mike Saxon, who had replaced injured kicker Rafael Septién) 14 yards to the Rams 45-yard line. Dickerson scored on a 55-yard touchdown run on the next play, giving the Rams a 10–0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Kenny Duckett fumbled, and the ball was recovered by Vince Newsome on the Dallas 18 to set up Lansford's second field goal. In the fourth quarter, Dallas managed to reach the Rams 20-yard line, but Kevin Greene sacked Cowboys quarterback Danny White on third down.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 20, Dallas Cowboys 0
Now on 4th and 14 from the Rams 24 and without their injured kicker, the Cowboys seemed unsure of what to do. First they sent their field goal unit in, with linebacker Brian Salonen, who played kicker in college, lined up to make the kick. This caused the Rams to sense a potential fake try, so they kept their regular defense on the field. Then Dallas called a timeout and sent their regular offense back to try and convert the fourth down, which failed as White's pass was batted away. The Cowboys defense subsequently forced a punt, but Gordon Banks muffed the kick and Rams defensive back Jerry Gray recovered the ball to set up Dickerson's 40-yard rushing touchdown.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 20, Dallas Cowboys 0
This was Tom Landry's final postseason game as the Cowboys head coach, and also the final NFL playoff game at Anaheim Stadium. The Rams would not host another NFL postseason game until 1999, the team's fifth season following their 1995 relocation to St. Louis. The Rams would not host another playoff game as the Los Angeles Rams until 2017. It would be their record breaking eighth playoff meeting between the two teams and the last one until the 2018 season. Rams defensive end Gary Jeter finished the game with three sacks, while Gray had a fumble recovery and an interception. The Rams won despite a dismal day for their 34-year old rookie quarterback Dieter Brock, who completed just 6 of 22 passes for 50 yards and was intercepted once.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 20, Dallas Cowboys 0
"It seemed like we just gave up," said Dallas future hall of fame running back Tony Dorsett, who was held to just 58 rushing yards, though he did catch 8 passes for 80. "We should have gone back to Dallas and gave them the ball game at halftime." "As far as playoff games go, I don't think we've ever been dominated like we were today," added White, who was sacked five times and threw three interceptions.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 4, 1986, NFC: Los Angeles Rams 20, Dallas Cowboys 0
This was the eighth postseason meeting between the Cowboys and Rams. Dallas had won four of the previous seven meetings.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, NFC: Chicago Bears 21, New York Giants 0
The Bears defense dominated the game by allowing only 32 rushing yards, 181 total yards, and sacking the Giants quarterbacks for 60 yards. Giants quarterback Phil Simms was sacked six times during the game, 3.5 of them coming from Chicago defensive end Richard Dent. New York's offense passed for just 104 yards in the first half, and had 89 total yards in the third quarter.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, NFC: Chicago Bears 21, New York Giants 0
Chicago's first touchdown resulted on a New York punt attempt from their own 12, forcing Sean Landeta to make the kick three yards into his goal line. As Landeta dropped the ball to kick it, the wind altered the ball's descent and caused it to go off the side of his foot. As a result, the ball went right into the ground and bounced a short distance before reserve safety Shaun Gayle picked it up and returned the -7 yard punt five yards for a touchdown. Gayle's run was the shortest punt return touchdown in NFL history.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, NFC: Chicago Bears 21, New York Giants 0
New York had their best chance to score late in the second quarter when Simms completed passes to George Adams and Bobby Johnson for gains of 31 and 17 yards, giving the team a first down on the Chicago 2-yard line. But Simms' next three passes were incomplete, and with just 11 seconds left in the half, kicker Eric Schubert hit the left upright on his 19-yard field goal attempt.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, NFC: Chicago Bears 21, New York Giants 0
In the third quarter, Bears quarterback Jim McMahon increased the Bears lead to 14–0 with a 23-yard touchdown pass to receiver Dennis McKinnon. Later in the quarter, with Chicago facing second and 12 on their own 34, the Giants made another key error. The Giants defense came out of the huddle planning for a massive blitz, but decided to switch to a zone defense after reading the Bears formation. However, half the defenders were unable to hear the new play call over the roaring crowd at Soldier Field and ended up blitzing, leaving receiver Tim Wrightman completely uncovered.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, NFC: Chicago Bears 21, New York Giants 0
McMahon threw the ball to Wrightman for a 46-yard gain, and then finished the drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to McKinnon on the next play, making the final score of the game 21–0. The Bears could have had a much larger lead, but the normally reliable rookie kicker Kevin Butler had an uncharacteristically bad day, missing three field goal attempts from distances of 26, 49 and 38 yards.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, NFC: Chicago Bears 21, New York Giants 0
McMahon finished the game with 216 passing yards, while running back Walter Payton rushed for 94 yards and caught a 4-yard pass.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, NFC: Chicago Bears 21, New York Giants 0
This was the seventh postseason meeting between the Giants and Bears. Chicago won four of the previous six meetings.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 27, Los Angeles Raiders 20
LA had defeated New England 35–20 during the regular season, but in this game, Patriots running back Craig James rushed for 104 yards, caught three passes for 48 yards, completed one pass for eight yards, and scored a touchdown while the Patriots defense forced six turnovers and shut out the Raiders in the second half.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 27, Los Angeles Raiders 20
In the first quarter, Patriots safety Jim Bowman recovered a muffed punt by returner Fulton Walker to set up Tony Eason's 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Lin Dawson. On LA's next drive, Ronnie Lippett intercepted a pass from Marc Wilson, but the Patriots were unable to move the ball. Then Raiders defensive end Greg Townsend blocked Rich Camarillo's punt, getting the ball back for his team at the Pats 16-yard line and leading to a 29-yard field goal by Chris Bahr.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 27, Los Angeles Raiders 20
In the second quarter, Bahr missed a 44-yard field goal, but their defense once again held the Patriots down and forced a punt, which Walker returned 16 yards to start off a 52-yard scoring drive culminating in Wilson's 16-yard touchdown throw to receiver Jessie Hester. On New England's first play from scrimmage after the turnover, Raiders lineman Howie Long recovered Mosi Tatupu's fumble on the New England 19, and LA scored another touchdown on Marcus Allen's 11-yard run, increasing their lead to 17–7. The Patriots stormed back with an 80-yard touchdown possession.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 27, Los Angeles Raiders 20
Tatupu helped make up for his fumble with a 22-yard run, while James caught a 24-yard reception and rushed for 27 yards on the drive, including a 2-yard touchdown on third down out of shotgun formation that cut the score to 17–14. Then on LA's ensuing possession, Lippett recorded his second interception of the day, giving the Patriots the ball at LA's 28-yard line and setting up a Tony Franklin field goal to tie the game. There was just 1:40 left in the half at this point, but the Raiders still managed to retake the lead before halftime, with Allen rushing for a 17-yard gain and Wilson completing a 31-yard pass to tight end Todd Christensen on the way to a 32-yard field goal from Bahr.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 27, Los Angeles Raiders 20
Midway through the third quarter, Allen lost a fumble that led to Franklin's field goal, tying the game back up at 20. Then in what turned out to be the key play of the game, Raiders cornerback Sam Seale fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Bowman recovered in the end zone for a touchdown to give his team a 27–20 lead. There was still a full quarter left to play, but the Raiders would get no further in the game than the New England 41-yard line. Los Angeles' three fourth quarter drives would result in a punt, an interception by Fred Marion and a turnover on downs at their own 13.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 27, Los Angeles Raiders 20
Allen finished the game with 121 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with three receptions for eight yards.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 27, Los Angeles Raiders 20
This was the last victory by a road team in an AFC divisional playoff game until 1992, when the Buffalo Bills defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, January 5, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 27, Los Angeles Raiders 20
This was the second postseason meeting between the Patriots and Raiders. The Raiders won the only previous meeting when they were based in Oakland.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, NFC: Chicago Bears 24, Los Angeles Rams 0
The Bears defense dominated the game by limiting Rams running back Eric Dickerson to 46 yards, forcing him to fumble twice, and holding quarterback Dieter Brock to 10 out of 31 completions for 66 passing yards. While Chicago's offensive numbers were hardly stellar (232 yards and 10 punts), Los Angeles only gained 130 yards of total offense and had to punt the ball 11 times.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, NFC: Chicago Bears 24, Los Angeles Rams 0
After forcing the Rams to go three-and-out on the game's first possession, Bears quarterback Jim McMahon threw consecutive 20-yard completions to tight end Emery Moorehead and receiver Willie Gault before finishing the drive with a 16-yard touchdown run on third down and 10. Kevin Butler added a 34-yard field goal to give the Bears a 10-0 first quarter lead.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, NFC: Chicago Bears 24, Los Angeles Rams 0
With 1:04 left in the second quarter, LA had a huge opportunity to get back in the game when Dale Hatcher's punt bounced into the leg of Bears defensive back Reggie Phillips and safety Jerry Gray recovered the ball for the Rams on Chicago's 21-yard line. Dickerson rushed twice for nine yards and caught a pass for 7, but on his reception he was tackled on the 5 as time expired in the half. "We did call time out right before the half", John Robinson, the Rams' coach, insisted. "It depends on how long the ref takes to recognize that a player has called a timeout."


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, NFC: Chicago Bears 24, Los Angeles Rams 0
The Rams drove to their own 47-yard line on their first drive of the second half, but then linebacker Otis Wilson forced a fumble from Dickerson that was recovered by defensive back Mike Richardson on the Bears 48. Faced with fourth down and 6 on the Rams 35-yard line on the ensuing drive, Chicago picked up a first down with McMahon's 13-yard completion to running back Walter Payton. Then they took a 17–0 lead with McMahon's 22-yard touchdown pass to Gault on the next play. LA responded with a drive into Chicago territory, but Leslie Frazier ended it with an interception.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, NFC: Chicago Bears 24, Los Angeles Rams 0
With 2:37 left in the fourth quarter, Dent forced Brock to fumble while sacking him, and linebacker Wilber Marshall picked up the loose ball and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown. It marked the end of a long day for Brock, having been sacked three times and taken numerous additional hits and harassment the entire game by the stifling Bears defense.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, NFC: Chicago Bears 24, Los Angeles Rams 0
This was the second postseason meeting between the Rams and Bears. Los Angeles won the only prior meeting.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 31, Miami Dolphins 14
In an upset, the Patriots racked up 255 rushing yards and converted six Dolphins turnovers into 24 points.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 31, Miami Dolphins 14
On Miami's first offensive play, Steve Nelson stripped the ball from running back Tony Nathan, and Patriots defensive end Garin Veris recovered it to set up Tony Franklin's 23-yard field goal. The Dolphins later scored on an 80-yard drive, with quarterback Dan Marino completing passes to Bruce Hardy for 12 yards and Mark Duper for 18 before finding tight end Dan Johnson in the end zone with an 11-yard touchdown pass.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 31, Miami Dolphins 14
But New England responded on a 66-yard possession, featuring a 45-yard run from Robert Weathers, to score on quarterback Tony Eason's 4-yard touchdown to Tony Collins, giving the Pats a 10–7 lead. On Miami's next drive, Marino fumbled the ball and nose tackle Lester Williams recovered for New England on the Dolphins 36-yard line. Patriots running back Craig James then rushed for 23 yards on three carries and Eason completed a 12-yard pass to Stanley Morgan on the 1-yard line before throwing a 1-yard touchdown toss to tight end Derrick Ramsey, giving the Patriots a 17–7 lead.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 31, Miami Dolphins 14
Just before halftime Miami missed the chance to cut the deficit down to three points when tight end Dan Johnson dropped a pass from Marino in the end zone on a first and 10 from the Patriots' 16. As the next two plays fell short of a first down, Miami settled for a field goal from the Patriots' 14 yard-line, but Fuad Reveiz' kick sailed wide to the right after a badly taken snap.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 31, Miami Dolphins 14
Miami's Lorenzo Hampton then lost a fumble on the second half kickoff on a hit from Mosi Tatupu, and Greg Hawthorne recovered for New England on the Dolphins 25. Eason then converted the turnover into points at the end of a 6-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Weathers, making the score 24–7. The Dolphins had a chance to take the momentum back when safety Bud Brown recovered Fred Marion's fumbled punt return on the Patriots 45-yard line.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 31, Miami Dolphins 14
But after a 19-yard run by Joe Carter and a 16-yard catch by Ron Davenport, Marion made up for his error by intercepting Marino's pass in the end zone to keep Miami from scoring. New England then put together a 13-play drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock and moved the ball to the Dolphins 24-yard line. But Franklin missed a 41-yard field goal attempt, keeping the Dolphins' slim comeback hopes alive going into the fourth quarter.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 31, Miami Dolphins 14
Three plays into the final quarter, New England fumbled another punt return, this one lost by Roland James, and Miami took over on the Patriots 10-yard line. This time, they took advantage of their scoring opportunity with Marino's 10-yard touchdown pass to Tony Nathan on the next play, cutting their deficit to 24–14. Things looked even more promising for the Dolphins when they forced a punt and drove to the New England 38-yard line. But then Carter fumbled the ball and defensive end Julius Adams picked it up for the Patriots fourth fumble recovery of the day.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 31, Miami Dolphins 14
New England then put the game away with a 9-play drive, featuring a 14-yard run by Tony Collins and a 13-yard carry by James. Tatupu later finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, putting the score out of reach at 31–14. With 7:34 left in the game, Miami mounted one last spirited drive, moving the ball to the NE 8-yard line. But two penalties pushed them back to the 28, and then a desperate pass from Marino was picked off by Raymond Clayborn in the end zone.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 31, Miami Dolphins 14
James was their main contributor on offense, rushing for a career postseason high 105 yards of the Patriots 255 total rushing yards in a game played in a steady rain. Of note, the Patriots ran the ball on 59 out of 71 offensive plays, amassing 255 rushing yards in an upset of the favored Dolphins. Weathers added 87 yards, while Collins rushed for 61 and caught three passes for 15. Eason threw for just 71 yards, but completed 10 of 12 passes with three touchdowns and no interceptions.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 31, Miami Dolphins 14
The win was the first for the Patriots at the Miami Orange Bowl since 1966, the Dolphins inaugural season, ending a string of 18 consecutive losses by the Patriots in Miami and earning the Patriots their first trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history, and becoming the first ever to do so by winning three playoff games on the road.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 12, 1986, AFC: New England Patriots 31, Miami Dolphins 14
This was the second postseason meeting between the Patriots and Dolphins. Miami won the only prior meeting.


1985–86 NFL playoffs, Super Bowl XX: Chicago Bears 46, New England Patriots 10
This was the first Super Bowl meeting between the Bears and Patriots.


1985–86 NHL season
The 1985–86 NHL season was the 69th season of the National Hockey League. This season saw the league's Board of Governors introduce the Presidents' Trophy, which would go to the team with the best overall record in the NHL regular season. The Edmonton Oilers would be the first winners of this award.


1985–86 NHL season
The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Calgary Flames four games to one in the final series to win the Stanley Cup.


1985–86 NHL season, League business
On June 13, 1985, the NHL board of governors voted 17–4 in favour of amending a penalty rule. Previously, coincidental minor penalties would result in 4-on-4 play. The amendment allowed teams to substitute another player to keep the play 5-on-5. It was seen by many as a shot at trying to slow down the high-flying Edmonton Oilers. Wayne Gretzky was quoted as saying, "I think the NHL is making a big mistake. I think the NHL should be more concerned with butt-ending, spearing, and three-hour hockey games than getting rid of 4-on-4 situations." It wasn't until 1992, with the Oiler dynasty (five cups in seven years) having ended, that the NHL reverted to the original 4-on-4 rules.


1985–86 NHL season, Regular season
The Edmonton Oilers once again regained control of top spot in the NHL and were awarded with the Presidents' Trophy—the first time the trophy had been awarded for the best record—while last year's best team, the Philadelphia Flyers slipped to second. The Flyers continued their dominance of the Wales Conference despite the death of their Vezina-winning goaltender, Pelle Lindbergh, in a car accident on November 11. Edmonton's Wayne Gretzky won his seventh straight Hart Memorial Trophy and his sixth straight Art Ross Trophy. This season saw Gretzky score 52 goals, and set records of 163 assists and 215 points.


1985–86 NHL season, Regular season
This was the fourth time in five years that Gretzky reached the 200 point plateau; no other player has reached 200 point mark, although Mario Lemieux would garner 199 points in 76 games in 1988–89. Edmonton's defenceman Paul Coffey broke Bobby Orr's record of 46 goals for most goals in a season by a defenceman by scoring 48 times.


1985–86 NHL season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalty Minutes


1985–86 NHL season, Playoffs
The playoffs of 1986 saw three first place teams eliminated in the opening round and the fourth, Edmonton, bowed out in the second.


1985–86 NHL season, Playoffs
The Montreal Canadiens decided to go with a rookie goaltender by the name of Patrick Roy. This decision proved to be a good one just like when the Canadiens rode rookie goalie Ken Dryden to a Stanley Cup championship in 1971. In the Final, the Canadiens beat the Calgary Flames, who were also riding a rookie netminder, Mike Vernon. Patrick Roy won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP and had a sparkling 1.92 goals against average along with 15 wins.


1985–86 NHL season, Playoffs
The 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs are the last time to date (as of 2021) that all active Canadian teams have qualified in the same season. It is also the second time that all seven active teams at the time qualified, the first occurring three years earlier. Also, the Hartford Whalers won their only playoff series during their tenure in Hartford against the Quebec Nordiques.