1972 Navy Midshipmen football team

1972 Navy Midshipmen football
Conference	Independent
Record	4–7
Head coach	Rick Forzano (4th season)
Captain	Jim Garban
Home stadium	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1971 1973  →

1972 NCAA University Division independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 10 Penn State			–					10	–	2	–	0
No. 14 Notre Dame			–					8	–	3	–	0
Utah State			–					8	–	3	–	0
West Virginia			–					8	–	4	–	0
Florida State			–					7	–	4	–	0
Northern Illinois			–					7	–	4	–	0
Rutgers			–					7	–	4	–	0
No. 20 Georgia Tech			–					7	–	4	–	1
Air Force			–					6	–	4	–	0
Army			–					6	–	4	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					6	–	4	–	1
Houston			–					6	–	4	–	1
Tulane			–					6	–	5	–	0
Temple			–					5	–	4	–	0
Colgate			–					5	–	4	–	1
Holy Cross			–					5	–	4	–	1
Syracuse			–					5	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					5	–	6	–	0
Dayton			–					4	–	6	–	1
Boston College			–					4	–	7	–	0
Navy			–					4	–	7	–	0
South Carolina			–					4	–	7	–	0
Southern Miss			–					3	–	7	–	1
Xavier			–					3	–	8	–	0
Marshall			–					2	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati			–					2	–	9	–	0
Villanova			–					2	–	9	–	0
Pittsburgh			–					1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1972 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. The team was led by fourth-year head coach Rick Forzano. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16		William & Mary	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	W 13–9	16,196	[2]
September 23	1:30 p.m.	at No. 11 Penn State	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	L 10–21	50,457	[3]
September 30		Boston College	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	W 27–20	23,121	[4]
October 7	1:30 p.m.	at No. 5 Michigan	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	L 7–35	81,131	[5]
October 14	1:30 p.m.	at Syracuse	Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	L 14–30	22,187	[6]
October 21	3:30 p.m.	at No. 16 Air Force	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy)	W 21–17	39,078	[7]
October 28		vs. Duke	Foreman Field Norfolk, VA (Oyster Bowl)	L 16–17	26,000	[8]
November 4	1:30 p.m.	vs. No. 12 Notre Dame	Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA (rivalry)	L 23–42	43,089	[9]
November 11	1:30 p.m.	Pittsburgh	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	W 28–13	21,244	[10]
November 18	2:00 p.m.	at Georgia Tech	Grant Field Atlanta, GA	L 7–30	39,233	[11]
December 2	12:55 p.m.	vs. Army	John F. Kennedy Stadium Philadelphia, PA (Army–Navy Game)	L 15–23	95,774	[12]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[13]

Game summaries

Army

• Cleveland Cooper 112 yards rushing

Roster

1972 Navy Midshipmen football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 24 Dan Howard So RB Cleveland Cooper So   Larry Van Loan	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Rick Forzano Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "Football History" (PDF). United States Naval Academy. p. 193. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
2. "Navy leads late TD to nip W&M". Press of Atlantic City. September 17, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Penn State rally beats Navy, 21–10". The Houston Post. September 24, 1972. Retrieved September 27, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Navy edges BC 27–20". Sunday News. October 1, 1972. Retrieved September 27, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Michigan's Salvo in 3d period sinks Navy 35–7". Chicago Tribune. October 8, 1972. Retrieved September 27, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Syracuse swamps Naval boys 30–14". Florence Morning News. October 15, 1972. Retrieved September 27, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Navy pulls upset". Messenger-Inquirer. October 22, 1972. Retrieved September 27, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Blue Devils nip Navy by 17–16". The Gastonia Gazette. October 29, 1972. Retrieved January 25, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Parseghian unhappy at Irish defense; Diminick starts rout". The Courier-Journal. November 5, 1972. Retrieved September 27, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Howard leads Navy over Panthers, 28–13". Syracuse Herald-Journal. November 12, 1972. Retrieved September 27, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "McAshan passes Georgia Tech over Navy 30–7". Bristol Herald Courier. November 19, 1972. Retrieved September 27, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Blocked FG by Cadets beats Navy". The Spokesman-Review. December 3, 1972. Retrieved September 27, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Schedule/Results (1972 Navy)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 14, 2025.