1972 Denver Broncos season

Last updated

1972 Denver Broncos season
Owner Gerald Phipps
General managerJohn Ralston
Head coach John Ralston
Home field Mile High Stadium
Results
Record5–9
Division place3rd AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1972 Denver Broncos season was the team's 13th season in professional football and third in the National Football League (NFL). Under first-year head coach and general manager John Ralston, the Broncos finished with five wins and nine losses, third in the AFC West Division. [1]

Contents

Hired in early January, Ralston was previously the head coach for nine years at Stanford University; in his final two seasons, he led the Indians to consecutive Pac-8 titles and upset victories in the Rose Bowl. [2] [3]

Offseason

NFL draft

1972 Denver Broncos draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
15 Riley Odoms  *  Tight end Houston
358Bill Phillips  LB Arkansas State
4102 Tom Graham   LB Oregon
5118 Jim Krieg   WR Washington
8186 Ron Estay   DT LSU
9214Floyd Priester  DB Boston University
10239Richard Wilkins  DE Maryland State
11263 Larry Brunson   WR Colorado
12292Randy McDougall  DB Weber State
13317Bob Warner  RB Bloomsburg (PA)
14342Jerome Kundich  G Texas-El Paso
15370Harold Parmenter  DT Massachusetts
16395Tom Bougus  RB Boston College
17420Lou Harris  RB USC
      Made roster    †    Pro Football Hall of Fame     *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1972 Denver Broncos staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches


Source [4]

Roster

1972 Denver Broncos roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

The Broncos' last three home games kicked off at noon MST instead of the standard 2 p.m.

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance
1September 17 Houston Oilers W 30–171–0 Mile High Stadium 51,656
2September 24at San Diego Chargers L 14–371–1 San Diego Stadium 49,048
3October 1 Kansas City Chiefs L 24–451–2Mile High Stadium51,656
4October 8at Cincinnati Bengals L 10–211–3 Riverfront Stadium 55,812
5October 15 Minnesota Vikings L 20–231–4Mile High Stadium51,656
6October 22at Oakland Raiders W 30–232–4 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 53,551
7October 29 Cleveland Browns L 20–272–5Mile High Stadium51,656
8November 5at New York Giants L 17–292–6 Yankee Stadium 62,689
9November 12at Los Angeles Rams W 16–103–6 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 65,398
10November 19Oakland RaidersL 20–373–7Mile High Stadium51,656
11November 26at Atlanta Falcons L 20–233–8 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 58,850
12December 3at Kansas City ChiefsL 21–243–9 Arrowhead Stadium 66,725
13December 10San Diego ChargersW 38–134–9Mile High Stadium51,478
14December 17 New England Patriots W 45–215–9Mile High Stadium51,656
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

AFC West
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
Oakland Raiders 1031.7503–2–17–3–1365248W6
Kansas City Chiefs 860.5714–26–5287254W3
Denver Broncos 590.3572–44–6325350W2
San Diego Chargers 491.3212–3–14–6–1264344L3

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References

  1. ↑ "Pro football statistics". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). December 18, 1972. p. 14.
  2. ↑ "Five-year pro deal to Ralston". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 6, 1972. p. 23.
  3. ↑ King, Errol (January 6, 1972). "Ralston's talking Super Bowl". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). UPI. p. C1.
  4. ↑ 1972 Denver Broncos Press Guide. p. 4. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
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