| 1987 State of Origin series | |
|---|---|
| Won by |  Queensland (4th series title) |
| Series margin | 2-1 |
| Points scored | 72 |
| Attendance | 109,091 (ave. 36,364 per match) |
| Top points scorer(s) |  Michael O'Connor Dale Shearer (14 points each) |
| Top try scorer(s) | Dale Shearer (3 tries) |
The 1987 State of Origin series saw the sixth time the annual three-match series between the New South Wales and Queensland representative rugby league football teams was contested entirely under 'State of Origin' selection rules. It saw the emergence of new faces who would go on to become Origin legends (Queensland's Allan Langer and New South Wales' Andrew Ettingshausen), record crowds for all three matches, and an additional exhibition game played in Long Beach, California (near Los Angeles).
The 1987 series was also the last in which players for Queensland were selected from teams of the Brisbane Rugby League premiership. With the introduction of the Brisbane and Gold Coast clubs to the New South Wales Rugby League premiership the following year, after this series all players in State of Origin would be sourced from NSWRL teams. The final seven BRL players selected for Queensland were captain Wally Lewis, Gene Miles, Allan Langer, Colin Scott, Greg Conescu, Greg Dowling and Bryan Niebling, all of whom joined the Brisbane Broncos in 1988.