1972 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

1972 Alabama Crimson Tide football
SEC champion
Cotton Bowl Classic, L 13–17 vs. Texas
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 4
AP	No. 7
Record	10–2 (7–1 SEC)
Head coach	Bear Bryant (15th season)
Captains	Terry Davis John Mitchell
Home stadium	Denny Stadium Legion Field
Seasons ←  1971 1973  →

1972 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 7 Alabama $	7	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 5 Auburn	6	–	1	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
No. 11 LSU	4	–	1	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
No. 8 Tennessee	4	–	2	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Georgia	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Florida	3	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Ole Miss	2	–	5	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Kentucky	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Mississippi State	1	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1972 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 78th overall season and 39th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his 15th year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season with ten wins and two losses (10–2 overall, 7–1 in the SEC), as SEC champions and with a loss to Texas in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

Alabama opened the season with a non-conference victory over Duke. They then shut out Kentucky in their conference opener, and then easily won their next three games, over Vanderbilt, Georgia and Florida. In a top-ten match-up against rival Tennessee, they scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns en route to a 17–10 victory. Next, the Crimson Tide defeated Southern Miss and Mississippi State to set up a top-ten match-up against LSU.

With a 35–21 victory over the Tigers, Alabama captured the SEC championship for the 1972 season. The Crimson Tide next defeated Virginia Tech on homecoming and set up another top ten match-up Iron Bowl to close the regular season. Auburn defeated Alabama behind a pair of fourth-quarter blocked-punt returns in a game referred to as simply "Punt Bama Punt". The Crimson Tide then closed their season with a second-consecutive defeat, this time against Texas in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 9	Duke *	No. 7	Legion Field Birmingham, AL		W 35–12	71,281
September 23	Kentucky	No. 7	Legion Field Birmingham, AL		W 35–0	71,433
September 30	Vanderbilt	No. 6	Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL		W 48–21	56,179
October 7	at Georgia	No. 4	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)		W 25–7	60,013
October 14	Florida	No. 3	Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)		W 24–7	57,631
October 21	at No. 10 Tennessee	No. 3	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October)		W 17–10	72,049
October 28	Southern Miss *	No. 2	Legion Field Birmingham, AL		W 48–11	57,090
November 4	Mississippi State	No. 2	Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)		W 58–14	57,171
November 11	No. 6 LSU	No. 2	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (rivalry)	ABC	W 35–21	72,039
November 18	Virginia Tech *	No. 2	Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL		W 52–13	57,162
December 2	vs. No. 9 Auburn	No. 2	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Iron Bowl)		L 16–17	72,386
January 1, 1973	vs. No. 7 Texas *	No. 4	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic)	CBS	L 13–17	70,000
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[1]

Rankings

Main article: 1972 NCAA University Division football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Final
AP	7	5	7	6	4	3	3	2 (2)	2 (3)	2 (3)	2 (5)	2 (5)	2 (4)	4	7
Coaches	7	5 (2)	6 (1)	5 (1)	3 (1)	3 (1)	3 (1)	2 (2)	2 (2)	3 (2)	2 (3)	2 (3)	2 (3)	4	Not released

Game summaries

Duke

See also: 1972 Duke Blue Devils football team

1 2 3 4 Total Duke 0 12 0 0 12 •#7 Alabama 14 0 7 14 35 Date: September 9 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, AL Game attendance: 71,281 Sources: [2] [3]

Alabama opened the 1972 season ranked as the No. 7 team in the preseason AP Poll as they entered their game against Duke. ^[4] At Legion Field, the Crimson Tide scored 21 unanswered points in the second half en route to a 35–12 victory over the Blue Devils to open the 1971 season. ^{[2] [3] [5]} Alabama opened the game with a 14–0 lead after they scored on their first two possessions, on a pair of touchdown runs of eight-yards by Paul Spivey and one-yard by Joe LaBue. However, Duke was able to make the halftime score 14–12 after they scored on a pair of Robert Albright touchdown passes. The first was from 11-yards to Mark Landon and the second to Mike Bomgardner from eight-yards out. ^{[2] [3]}

After Terry Davis extended the Crimson Tide lead to 21–12 with his two-yard run in the third, Alabama closed the game with a pair of touchdown runs in the fourth quarter. ^{[2] [3]} The first was scored by Steve Bisceglia on a 39-yard run and the second by Wilbur Jackson on a 12-yard run. ^{[2] [3]} In the game, Alabama outgained the Blue Devils in rushing yards 333 to 156. ^[2] The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Duke to 1–1. ^[6]

Kentucky

See also: 1972 Kentucky Wildcats football team

1 2 3 4 Total Kentucky 0 0 0 0 0 •#7 Alabama 14 0 7 14 35 Date: September 23 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, AL Game attendance: 71,433 Source: [7] [8]

Coming off their bye week, the Crimson Tide retained their No. 7 team in the AP Poll prior to their game against Kentucky. ^[9] In what was the first meeting against the Wildcats since their victory in 1947, Alabama won 35–0 at Birmingham. ^{[5] [7] [8]} The Crimson Tide took a 14–0 lead in the first quarter after Terry Davis threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Wayne Wheeler and then scored himself on a three-yard run. ^{[7] [8]} Still up only 14–0 as the teams entered the second half, Alabama extended their lead to 21–0 on a three-yard Steve Bisceglia touchdown run. ^{[7] [8]}

The Crimson Tide then closed the game with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. The first came on a nine-yard Bisceglia run and the second on a 48-yard Gary Rutledge pass to Ralph Stokes that made the final score 35–0. ^{[7] [8]} In their previous meeting, Kentucky was led by head coach Bear Bryant, who since that time had moved on and was Alabama's head coach for this game. ^[7] The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Kentucky 25–1–1. ^[10]

Vanderbilt

See also: 1972 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

1 2 3 4 Total Vanderbilt 7 0 7 7 21 •#6 Alabama 6 28 7 7 48 Date: September 30 Location: Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL Game attendance: 56,179 Sources: [11] [12]

After their victory over Kentucky, Alabama moved into the No. 6 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Vanderbilt. ^[13] Behind a 28-point second quarter, the Crimson Tide defeated the Commodores 48–21 in the first Denny Stadium game of the season. ^{[5] [11] [12]} After Alabama took a 6–0 lead on a four-yard Wilbur Jackson touchdown run, Vanderbilt responded and took a 7–6 lead on a one-yard Walter Overton later in the first quarter. ^{[11] [12]} The Crimson Tide responded with four touchdowns in the second quarter and took a 34–7 halftime lead. The points were scored on runs of three and 16-yards by Ellis Beck, one-yard by Terry Davis and one-yard by Steve Dean. ^{[11] [12]}

In the second half, both teams traded touchdowns in each of the final two quarters. In the third, Gary Rutledge scored on a seven-yard run for Alabama and Steve Burger responded for Vanderbilt with his three-yard run. ^{[11] [12]} Finally in the fourth quarter, Rutledge scored on a five-yard run for the Crimson Tide and Stephen Lainhart followed with a 51-yard touchdown pass to Douglas Martin for the Commodores that made the final score 48–21. ^{[11] [12]} The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 29–17–4. ^[14]

Georgia

See also: 1972 Georgia Bulldogs football team

1 2 3 4 Total •#4 Alabama 7 0 12 6 25 Georgia 0 0 0 7 7 Date: October 7 Location: Sanford Stadium Athens, GA Game attendance: 60,013 Sources: [15] [16]

After their victory over Vanderbilt, Alabama moved into the No. 4 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Georgia. ^[17] Playing for the first time since a loss to Georgia in 1965, the Crimson Tide defeated the Bulldogs 25–7 in their first road game of the season. ^{[5] [15] [16]} Alabama scored their only points in the first half on a five-yard Wilbur Jackson touchdown run in the first quarter. ^{[15] [16]}

In the third quarter, Terry Davis first threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Wayne Wheeler and later scored on a one-yard run that made the score 19–0. ^{[15] [16]} After Jimmy Poulos scored Georgia's only points with his 17-yard touchdown run in the fourth, Alabama closed the game with a two-yard Steve Bisceglia that made the final score 25–7. ^{[15] [16]} The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Georgia to 29–19–4. ^[18]

Florida

See also: 1972 Florida Gators football team

1 2 3 4 Total Florida 7 0 0 0 7 •#3 Alabama 7 3 7 7 24 Date: October 14 Location: Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL Game attendance: 57,631 Sources: [19] [20]

After their victory over Georgia, Alabama moved into the No. 3 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Florida. ^[21] Against the Gators, the Crimson Tide rallied from an early 7–0 deficit and defeated Florida 24–7 at Denny Stadium. ^{[5] [19] [20]} Florida took an early 7–0 lead behind a 60-yard Nat Moore touchdown run. However, the Gators were unable to score again as Alabama responded with 24 unanswered points. ^{[19] [20]} After a 13-yard Paul Spivey touchdown run tied the game 7–7 later in the first, a 31-yard Bill Davis field goal in the second gave the Crimson Tide a 10–7 halftime lead. ^{[19] [20]} They then closed the game with a pair of touchdown runs that made the final score 24–7. The first came on a four-yard Terry Davis run in the third and then on a one-yard Ralph Stokes run in the fourth. ^{[19] [20]} The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Florida to 12–5. ^[22]

Tennessee

See also: 1972 Tennessee Volunteers football team

Third Saturday in October

1 2 3 4 Total •#3 Alabama 0 3 0 14 17 #10 Tennessee 0 0 7 3 10 Date: October 21 Location: Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN Game attendance: 72,049 Sources: [23] [24]

After their victory over Florida, Alabama retained their No. 3 position and Tennessee moved into the No. 10 position in the AP Poll prior to their game at Neyland Stadium. ^[25] Against the Volunteers, Alabama scored two touchdowns in the final 2:39 of the game for a 17–10, come-from-behind victory at Knoxville. ^{[5] [23] [24]} After a scoreless first quarter, the Crimson Tide took a 3–0 lead into halftime after Bill Davis connected on a 31-yard field goal in the second. ^{[23] [24]} Tennessee then took a 7–3 lead on a two-yard Condredge Holloway touchdown run in the third, and extended it to 10–3 with a 36-yard Ricky Townsend field goal in the fourth quarter. ^{[23] [24]}

With 2:39 left in the game, Alabama took possession at the Vols 48-yard line, and three plays later Wilbur Jackson scored on a two-yard run. ^{[23] [24]} On the Tennessee possession that ensued, John Mitchell recovered a Holloway fumble at the Vols' 17-yard line. On the next play, Terry Davis gave Alabama a 17–10 lead with his touchdown run with just over one minute left in the game. ^{[23] [24]} The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 25–23–7. ^[26]

Southern Miss

See also: 1972 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

1 2 3 4 Total Southern Miss 0 3 0 8 11 •#2 Alabama 7 0 21 20 48 Date: October 28 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, AL Game attendance: 57,090 Sources: [27] [28]

After their come-from-behind victory over Tennessee, Alabama moved into the No. 2 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Southern Miss. ^[29] Although they only led the Golden Eagles 7–3 at halftime, 41 second half points resulted in a 48–11 Alabama victory at Legion Field. ^{[5] [27] [28]} In what was a very low scoring first half, the Crimson Tide scored on a two-yard Steve Bisceglia touchdown run and the Golden Eagles on a 32-yard Ricky Palmer field goal for a 7–3 halftime score. ^{[27] [28]}

Alabama then dominated the second half and scored five offensive touchdowns in six total possessions en route to the 48–11 victory. ^{[27] [28]} Third quarter touchdowns were scored on runs of 12, 16 and five-yards by Bisceglia, Wilbur Jackson and Paul Spivey. Southern Miss responded with their lone points of the second half early in the fourth when Buddy Palazzo connected with Marshall Veal on a 12-yard touchdown pass. ^{[27] [28]} The Crimson Tide then closed the game with touchdowns on a 64-yard Gary Rutledge pass to Wayne Wheeler, a 15-yard Robin Cary interception return and on a 13-yard Robert Fraley pass to Pete Pappas for the 48–11 win. ^{[27] [28]} The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Southern Miss to 13–2–1. ^[30]

Mississippi State

See also: 1972 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

1 2 3 4 Total Mississippi State 0 6 8 0 14 •#2 Alabama 17 13 7 21 58 Date: November 4 Location: Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL Game attendance: 57,171 Sources: [31] [32]

As they entered their game against Mississippi State, Alabama retained their No. 2 position in the AP Poll. ^[33] Against the Bulldogs, the Crimson Tide won 58–14 en route to their 25th consecutive victory at Denny Stadium. ^{[5] [31] [32]} Alabama took a 17–0 lead in the first quarter behind touchdown runs of 28 and one-yard by Terry Davis and Steve Bisceglia and a 22-yard field goal by Bill Davis. ^{[31] [32]} After the Bulldogs responded with a one-yard Wayne Jones touchdown run early in the second, the Crimson Tide extended their lead to 30–6 at halftime behind a 15-yard David McMakin blocked punt return and one-yard Ellis Beck touchdown run. ^{[31] [32]}

In the third, both teams traded touchdowns. Alabama scored first on a 44-yard Davis pass to Wayne Wheeler and State followed with a 47-yard Frank Dowsing punt return that made the score 37–14. ^{[31] [32]} The Crimson Tide then closed the game with a trio of fourth quarter touchdowns on a 20-yard Gary Rutledge pass to Wheeler and runs of one and two-yards by Robert Fraley and Vern Wilmot. ^{[31] [32]} The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State to 44–10–3. ^[34]

LSU

See also: 1972 LSU Tigers football team

1 2 3 4 Total #6 LSU 7 0 7 7 21 •#2 Alabama 0 7 14 14 35 Date: November 11 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, AL Game attendance: 72,039 Sources: [35] [36]

After their victory over Mississippi State, Alabama retained their No. 2 position and LSU was in the No. 6 position in the AP Poll prior to their match-up at Birmingham. ^[37] Playing in a regionally televised game on ABC, Alabama defeated the previously undefeated Tigers 35–21 at Legion Field and captured the 1972 conference championship. ^{[5] [35] [36]} LSU took a 7–0 first quarter lead on a 21-yard Bert Jones touchdown pass to Jimmy LeDoux. Alabama responded with a 25-yard Terry Davis touchdown pass to Wayne Wheeler in the second that tied the game 7–7 at halftime. ^{[35] [36]}

In the third, the Crimson Tide took a 21–7 lead behind touchdowns scored on a 29-yard Davis pass to Wheeler and on a 25-yard Davis run. LSU then cut the lead to 21–14 on a five-yard Jones pass to Charles Williamson later in the quarter. ^{[35] [36]} In the fourth, Alabama scored on touchdown runs of one and 52-yards by Steve Bisceglia and Joe LaBue, and LSU scored on a three-yard Jones run that made the final score 35–21. ^{[35] [36]} The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against LSU to 22–10–4. ^[38]

Virginia Tech

See also: 1972 Virginia Tech Gobblers football team

1 2 3 4 Total Virginia Tech 0 0 6 7 13 •#2 Alabama 14 17 7 14 52 Date: November 18 Location: Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL Game attendance: 57,162 Sources: [39] [40]

After their victory over LSU, Alabama retained their No. 2 position prior to their match-up against Virginia Tech at Tuscaloosa. ^[41] After their 52–13 victory over the Hokies on homecoming at Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide accepted an invitation to play in the Cotton Bowl Classic. ^{[5] [39] [40]} Alabama opened with a pair of first quarter touchdowns on runs of 67-yards by Wilbur Jackson and two-yards by Terry Davis. They next extended their lead to 31–0 at halftime behind a 36-yard Bill Davis field goal and touchdown runs of nine-yards by Jackson and two-yards by Randy Billingsley. ^{[39] [40]}

After the Crimson Tide extended their lead on a one-yard Steve Bisceglia touchdown run in the third, the Hokies scored their first points on a five-yard J. B. Barber touchdown run that made the score 38–6. ^{[39] [40]} The game concluded after both teams traded touchdowns in the final quarter. After Gary Rutledge scored for Alabama with his one-yard run, Don Strock threw a ten-yard touchdown pass to Craig Valentine. ^{[39] [40]} The Crimson Tide then made the final score 52–13 after Robert Fraley threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Pete Pappas late in the fourth quarter. ^{[39] [40]} The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Virginia Tech to 7–0. ^[42]

Auburn

See also: Punt Bama Punt and 1972 Auburn Tigers football team

Iron Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total •#9 Auburn 0 0 0 17 17 #2 Alabama 0 9 7 0 16 Date: December 2 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, AL Game attendance: 72,386 Sources: [43] [44]

As they entered their annual rivalry game against Auburn, Alabama retained their No. 2 position and the Tigers were in the No. 9 position in the AP Poll prior to their match-up in the Iron Bowl. ^[45] In what was one of the most memorable games in the history of the rivalry, Auburn won 17–16 after they scored a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns on blocked punt returns in a game subsequently deemed "Punt Bama Punt". ^{[5] [43] [44] [46]} After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama took a 9–0 halftime lead after Steve Bisceglia scored on a three-yard touchdown run and Bill Davis connected on a 24-yard field goal. ^{[43] [44]} The Crimson Tide extended their lead to 16–0 after Wilbur Jackson scored on a six-yard touchdown run in the third before Auburn started their dramatic comeback in the fourth. ^{[43] [44]}

The Tigers scored their first points on a 42-yard Gardner Jett field goal that cut the lead to 16–3. ^{[43] [44]} Late in the quarter, Bill Newton blocked a Greg Gantt punt and David Langner returned it 25-yards for an Auburn touchdown and cut the lead further to 16–10. After the Tigers defense forced another Alabama punt on the next series, Newton blocked a second Greg Gantt punt and Langner returned it 20-yards for the 17–16 victory. ^{[43] [44]} The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Auburn to 19–17–1. ^[47]

Texas

See also: 1973 Cotton Bowl Classic and 1972 Texas Longhorns football team

Cotton Bowl Classic

1 2 3 4 Total •#7 Texas 0 3 7 7 17 #4 Alabama 10 3 0 0 13 Date: January 1 Location: Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX Game attendance: 72,000 Source: [48] [49]

In what was the finale of the 1972 season, Alabama was upset by the Texas Longhorns 17–13 in the Cotton Bowl. ^{[48] [49]} The Crimson Tide took a 10–0 first quarter lead behind a 50-yard Greg Gantt field goal and a 31-yard Wilbur Jackson touchdown run. ^{[48] [49]} Second quarter field goals of 24-yards by Billy Schott of Texas and 30-yards by Bill Davis of Alabama made the halftime score 13–3. ^{[48] [49]}

In the third, the Longhorns scored on a three-yard Alan Lowry touchdown run and Lowey then scored the game-winning points with his 34-yard touchdown run in the fourth. ^{[48] [49]} The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Texas to 0–6–1. ^[50]

NFL Draft

Several players that were varsity lettermen from the 1972 squad were drafted into the National Football League (NFL) in the 1973, 1974 and 1975 drafts. These players included:

Year	Round	Overall	Player name	Position	NFL team
1973 NFL draft [51]	1	4	John Hannah	Offensive guard	New England Patriots
	7	174	John Mitchell	Defensive end	San Francisco 49ers
	12	309	Jim Krapf	Guard	Oakland Raiders
1974 NFL draft [51]	1	9	Wilbur Jackson	Running back	San Francisco 49ers
	3	54	Wayne Wheeler	Wide receiver	Chicago Bears
	6	138	Mike Raines	Defensive tackle	San Francisco 49ers
	8	187	Greg Gantt	Punter	New York Jets
	16	2	Buddy Brown	Guard	New York Giants
1975 NFL draft [51]	3	53	Mike Washington	Defensive back	Baltimore Colts
	8	195	Ricky Davis	Defensive back	Cincinnati Bengals

Freshman squad

Prior to the 1972 NCAA University Division football season, NCAA rules prohibited freshmen from participating on the varsity team, and as such many schools fielded freshman teams. ^{[52] [53]} The Alabama freshman squad was led by coach Clem Gryska for the 1972 season and finished with a record of four wins and one loss (4–1). ^[54] The Baby Tide opened the season with a 14–7 loss to Georgia Tech before 7,000 fans at Grant Field. ^[55] Ray Bolden scored Alabama's only points with his two-yard touchdown run and the offense had six turnovers in the loss. ^[55] Although they had eight fumbles in their game at Vanderbilt, the Baby Tide won the game 21–13. ^[56] After Vandy took a 7–0 lead on a six-yard Larry Polston touchdown run in the first, Alabama responded three minutes later and tied the game when Alan Pizzitola returned an interception 25-yards for a score. ^[56] The Commodores retook a 13–7 lead early in the second quarter after Ed Oaks threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Matt Gossage and retained their lead through halftime. ^[56] The Baby Tide then closed the game with a pair of third quarter touchdown runs for the 21–13 victory. The first came on a six-yard Joey Bolton run and the second on a five-yard Willy Shelby run. ^[56]

In their first home game of the season, Alabama defeated Tennessee 34–21 at Denny Stadium. ^[57] With just over four minutes left in the game and the score tied 21–21, the Baby Tide scores a pair of late touchdowns after Tennessee turnovers for a 34–21 victory. Both touchdowns were scored by, Richard Todd first from 35-yards and the second from two-yards out. ^[57] Against Tulane, Alabama rallied from a 10-point deficit with just under six minutes left in the game for a 21–20 victory at Denny Stadium. ^[58] Alabama took a 7–0 lead on the third play of the game when Willy Shelby scored on an 82-yard touchdown run. However, The Green Wave responded with a pair of touchdowns on a one-yard Gary Rudick run and a 67-yard Wyatt Washington punt return that made the score 14–7 in their favor at the end of the first quarter. ^[58] A 39-yard Mike Davis field goal cut the Tulane lead to 14–10 at halftime. ^[58] After a one-yard Wally Harris touchdown run early in the fourth extended the Green Wave lead to 20–10, Alabama closed the game with a 29-yard Davis field goal and an 11-yard Mike Stock touchdown run for the 21–20 victory. ^[58]

In their final game at Auburn, the Baby Tide for the third consecutive game came from behind and defeated the Tigers 17–14. ^[54] After a scoreless first, a 24-yard Mike Davis field goal gave Alabama a 3–0 lead in the second quarter. However, Auburn took a 7 halftime lead after Mitzie Jackson scored on a short run in the final second of the first half. ^[54] The Tigers then extended their lead to 14–3 early in the third quarter when Jack Verucchi scored on a 40-yard touchdown run that capped their opening drive of the second half. ^[54] Alabama then closed the game with touchdowns on a short Richard Todd run in the third and on a Stock run in the fourth. ^[54] This game also marked the final played by a freshman team at Alabama as the NCAA changed their rules and allowed freshmen to compete with the varsity squad starting in 1973. ^{[52] [53]}

Roster

1972 Alabama Crimson Tide football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class FB 35 Ellis Beck Jr RB 22 Randy Billingsley So FB 44 Steve Bisceglia Sr RB 38 Duffy Boles So G 65 Buddy Brown Jr OT 70 Bob Bryan So FB 43 Richard Bryan So C 59 Chip Burke So TE 47 Wayne Cotton Jr OT 75 Allen Cox Jr TE 94 Sylvester Croom So QB 10 Terry Davis Sr RB 46 Steve Dean Jr G 79 Mike Denson Jr RB 41 Joe Doughty So TE 86 Warren Dyar Jr C 69 Mike Eckenrod Jr QB 12 Robert Fraley So G 62 Tommy Ford Jr OT 73 John Hannah Sr RB 84 Joe Dale Harris So QB 17 Butch Hobson Sr FB 31 Bob Holmes So OT 60 Morris Hunt Jr WR 80 Wilbur Jackson Jr WR 19 Pat Keever So RB 39 David Knapp Sr OT 66 Steve Kulback So RB 30 Joe LaBue Sr C 58 Rand Lambert So C 54 Jim Krapf Sr TE 87 Randy Moore Jr RB 20 Phil Murphy So TE 28 Tom Nelson So WR 6 Pete Pappas So G 71 Steve Patterson So TE George Pugh Fr C 53 Pat Raines Sr QB 15 Danny Ridgeway So G 61 John Rogers So G 68 Rick Rogers Jr QB 11 Gary Rutledge So QB 14 Billy Sexton Jr SE 16 Johnny Sharpless Jr RB 24 Paul Spivey Jr OT 78 Steve Sprayberry Jr WR 34 Tommy Steakley Sr RB 42 Ralph Stokes So WR 88 Danny Taylor Jr RB 27 James Taylor So WR 82 Wayne Wheeler Jr G 72 Richard Whitley So WR 92 Dexter Wood Jr OT 67 Rudy Wooten So	Defense Pos. # Name Class S 21 Wayne Atkinson Sr DE 96 Ronnie Joe Barnes So LB 25 Jeff Blitz Jr DB 48 Robin Cary Jr DT 98 Dave Capan So LB 52 Andy Cross Sr DE 83 John Croyle Jr DB 19 Ricky Davis So DB 37 Jimmy Dawson So DB 41 Joe Doughty So LB 57 Mike DuBose So DT 76 Doug Faust Jr DE 91 Don Groves So DT 62 Randy Hall So LB 50 Wayne Hall Jr DE 89 Ed Hines Sr DT 95 Skip Kubelius Jr WR 81 Darrell Owen Jr DT 99 Greg Mantooth So DE 85 Rick Meadows So LB 77 Ray Maxwell So DB 26 Bob McKinney Sr DB 18 David McMakin Jr LB 51 Noah Miller So DE 97 John Mitchell Sr DE 90 Butch Norman Jr DB 40 Lanny Norris Sr SO 33 Mark Prudhomme Sr DT 74 Max Raines Jr DB 23 Mike Riley So LB 55 Ronnie Robertson So LB 56 Jeff Rouzie Sr DB 29 Robby Rowan Jr LB 36 Chuck Strickland Jr S 32 Steve Wade Sr DB 34 Mike Washington So DE 93 David Watkins So LB 49 Gary Yelvington So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class PK 1 Bill Davis Jr PK 8 Greg Gantt Jr	Head coach Bear Bryant (15th year, Alabama) Coordinators/assistant coaches Ken Donahue (9th year, Tennessee) Pat Dye (8th year, Georgia) Danny Ford (1st year, Alabama) Jim Goostree (16th year, Tennessee) Clem Gryska (13th year, Alabama) Dude Hennessey (13th year, Kentucky) Bobby Marks (1st year, Texas A&M) Ken Martin (2nd year, Alabama) Bud Moore (1st year, Alabama) Mal Moore (9th year, Alabama) Bill Oliver (2nd year, Alabama) Dee Powell (9th year, Texas A&M) Jack Rutledge (7th year, Alabama) Jimmy Sharpe (10th year, Alabama) References: [59] [60] Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: October 15, 2013

References

General

• "1972 Season Recaps" (PDF). RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
• "2012 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book" (PDF). Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2014.

Specific

1. "1972 Alabama football schedule". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
2. Reed, Delbert (September 10, 1972). "Tide leaves Devils Blue as expected". The Tuscaloosa News. p. B1. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
3. Martin, Steve (September 10, 1972). "Bama unleashes host of runners". The Gadsden Times. p. 13. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
4. "Devaney "stirred" by poll". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. September 5, 1972. p. 6. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
5. 1972 Season Recap
6. DeLassus, David. "Alabama vs Duke". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
7. Reed, Delbert (September 24, 1972). "Galloping Tide leaves Cats behind, 35–0". The Tuscaloosa News. p. B1. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
8. "Alabama, Tennessee breeze to easy victories". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. September 24, 1972. p. 7B. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
9. "Trojans easily on top". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. September 19, 1972. p. 13. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
10. DeLassus, David. "Alabama vs Kentucky". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
11. Reed, Delbert (October 1, 1972). "Tide runs Vandy down, wins 48–21". The Tuscaloosa News. p. B1. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
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