1972 Oklahoma Sooners football team

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1972 Oklahoma Sooners football
Oklahoma Sooners Logo 1966-79.png
Big 8 co-champion
Sugar Bowl champion
Sugar Bowl, W 14–0 vs. Penn State
Conference Big Eight Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 2
Record11–1 (6–1 or 3–4 Big 8)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Barry Switzer (7th season)
Offensive scheme Wishbone
Defensive coordinator Larry Lacewell (3rd season)
Base defense 5–2
Captains
Home stadium Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Seasons
  1971
1973  
1972 Big Eight Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Oklahoma $ 6 1 011 1 0
No. 4 Nebraska $ 5 1 19 2 1
No. 16 Colorado 4 3 08 4 0
Oklahoma State 4 3 06 5 0
Missouri 3 4 06 6 0
Iowa State 2 4 15 6 1
Kansas 2 5 04 7 0
Kansas State 1 6 03 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • The Big 8 Conference mandated Oklahoma forfeits in three conference games, giving Nebraska the title. Oklahoma reverted this record at a later date; hence, both Oklahoma [1] and Nebraska [2] claim this title.
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1972 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. Oklahoma was a member of the Big Eight Conference and played its home games in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where it has played its home games since 1923. [3] The team posted an 11–1 overall record and were 6–1 in conference, later changed to 8–4 and 3–4. [4] [5] This was Chuck Fairbanks' last season as Sooner head coach; [4] he left for the New England Patriots of the NFL.

Contents

The Sooners' 1972 record is marred by the use of an ineligible player. In self-reporting the violations to the NCAA, Oklahoma voluntarily forfeited eight games. [6] [7] [8] The NCAA later penalized the program by reducing scholarships, TV appearances and bowl appearances. In 2008 a blogger for Washington, DC TV station WJLA stated, "The NCAA claims that according to a now-retired statistician of the era, and a review of its database (which the NCAA admits might not be totally complete) that forfeits were NOT [ sic ] part of the NCAA sanctions levied against the Sooners." A commenter stated, "The 1972 forfeits by Oklahoma were sanctioned by The Big Eight. As such Oklahoma's conference record was adjusted, while their overall record was not. In older Oklahoma media guide ... Oklahoma would show their record as 11–1 with a 3–4 conference record (reflecting 3 forfeits, despite the original 7 or 8 forfeited. ...) Also, if you check the media guides of the teams Oklahoma "forfeited" to, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma State, you'll not[e] similar adjustments. Each team didn't change their overall record, but changed their conference record." [9] Oklahoma had used players (including Kerry Jackson, the team's first black quarterback) with falsified transcripts and on April 18, 1973, voluntarily forfeited eight games. [10] Eventually, the Big Eight sanctioned the forfeit of three conference victories (Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma State), [11] but Oklahoma now recognizes these as wins and claims the 1972 conference title. [12]

Oklahoma was led by four All-Americans: Rod Shoate (OU's second three-time All-American), [13] Greg Pruitt, [14] Tom Brahaney [15] and Derland Moore. [16] This was the first season that the Selmon brothers Lucious, Lee Roy and Dewey, all eventual All-Americans, [17] anchored the defensive line. The Sooners played seven ranked opponents (In order, #10 Texas, #9 Colorado, #14 Iowa State, #14 Missouri, #5 Nebraska, #20 Oklahoma State, and #5 Penn State), and four of these opponents finished the season ranked. Oklahoma's only loss on the field was in the fifth game against Colorado. The team concluded its season with a 14–0 victory over Penn State in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Eve. [5]

Pruitt led the Sooners in rushing with 1024 yards, Dave Robertson led in passing with 1136 yards, and Tinker Owens led in receiving (for the first of four consecutive seasons) with 430 yards. Pruitt led in scoring with 86 points, Shoate in tackles with 145, and Dan Ruster in interceptions with seven. [18]

The 1972 Sooners twice posted 37 first downs, which was a school record that stood for 16 seasons. [19]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 16 Utah State *No. 4W 49–061,826 [20]
September 23 Oregon *No. 2
  • Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
  • Norman, OK
W 68–361,862–62,240 [21] [22]
September 30 Clemson *No. 2
  • Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
  • Norman, OK
W 52–361,210–61,826 [23]
October 14vs. No. 10 Texas *No. 2 ABC W 27–072,030 [24]
October 21at No. 9 Colorado No. 2ABCL 14–2052,022 [25]
October 28 Kansas State No. 8
  • Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
  • Norman, OK
W 52–061,826 [26]
November 4at No. 14 Iowa State No. 7W 20–636,231 [27]
November 11No. 14 Missouri No. 7
  • Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
  • Norman, OK (rivalry)
W 17–661,826 [28]
November 18at Kansas No. 4W 31–743,350 [29]
November 23at No. 5 Nebraska No. 4ABCW 17–1476,587 [30]
December 2No. 20 Oklahoma State No. 3
W 38–1561,826 [31]
December 31vs. No. 5 Penn State *No. 2ABCW 14–080,123 [32]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • Source: [33] [34]

Game summaries

Utah State

Team1234Total
Utah St00000
Oklahoma21714749
  • Date: September 16
  • Location: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
  • Game attendance: 62,546

[35]

  • Kerry Jackson 10 Rush, 109 Yds

Oregon

Team1234Total
Oregon00033
Oklahoma142126768
  • Date: September 23
  • Location: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
  • Game attendance: 62,240

Clemson

#2 Oklahoma Sooners at Clemson Tigers
Team1234Total
Clemson00033
#2 Oklahoma71721752

[36]

  • Tim Welch 24 Rush, 158 Yds

Vs. Texas

At Colorado

Kansas State

At Iowa State

Missouri

At Kansas

#4 Oklahoma Sooners at Kansas Jayhawks
Team1234Total
#4 Oklahoma71014031
Kansas00707

[37]

At Nebraska

Oklahoma State

Team1234Total
Oklahoma St009615
Oklahoma141001438
  • Date: December 2
  • Location: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
  • Game attendance: 62,363

Sugar Bowl (vs Penn State)

1234Total
Oklahoma707014
Penn St00000

[38]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213Final
AP 6 (2)4 (12)2 (11)2 (14)2 (13)2 (15)2 (20)87844322
UPI 3 (2)1 (11)2 (13)2 (12)2 (11)2 (13)2 (12)2 (8)6744322

Roster

1972 Oklahoma Sooners football team roster
PlayersCoaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
OT 63Neil AckerJr
SE 8Steve AllenSo
OT 73Drake AndarakesSo
FB 1Bill AndersonSo
OT 74Jerry ArnoldSo
C 54 Tom Brahaney Sr
OE 82 Al Chandler Sr
FB 17 Leon Crosswhite Sr
G 69John McLaughlinJr
TE 85Mike McLaughlinJr
SE 11 Tinker Owens Fr
HB 34 Greg Pruitt Sr
QB 15Dave RobertsonSr
HB 24 Joe Washington Fr
G 60Dean UnruhSr
HB/P 22Joe WylieSr
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
LB 41 Gary Gibbs So
DE 96 Ray Hamilton Sr
DT 97 Derland Moore Sr
DT 98 Lucious Selmon Jr
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K 10John CarrollSr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injury icon 2.svg Injured
  • Redshirt.svg Redshirt

Roster

Awards and honors

After the season

NFL draft

The following players were drafted into the National Football League following the season. [39] [40]

RoundPickPlayerPositionNFL Team
229 Derland Moore Defensive end New Orleans Saints
230 Greg Pruitt Running back Cleveland Browns
243 Al Chandler Tight end Cincinnati Bengals
244 Leon Crosswhite Running back Detroit Lions
4101Joe Wylie Wide receiver Oakland Raiders
5109 Tom Brahaney Center St. Louis Cardinals
7164Ken Jones Tackle St. Louis Cardinals
10238Dan Ruster Defensive back New England Patriots
12292Dean UnruhTackleSt. Louis Cardinals
14342 Ray Hamilton Linebacker New England Patriots
17424Larry RoachDefensive backChicago Bears

References

  1. "2018 Media Guide" (PDF). soonersports.com. Oklahoma Athletics. p. 6. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  2. "2018 Media Guide" (PDF). huskers.com. Nebraska Athletics. p. 206. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  3. "Memorial Stadium". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  4. 1 2 "OU Football Tradition – 42 Conference Titles". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 22, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  5. 1 2 "1972 Football Season". SoonerStats.com. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  6. White, Gordon S. Jr. (April 19, 1973). "OKLAHOMA AGREES TO FORFEIT GAMES Gives Up Eight Victories in Football in Case Involving Player's Altered Record". New York Times. New York. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  7. Gems, Gerald R.; Pfister, Gertrud (2017). Touchdown: An American Obsession. Berkshire Publishing Group. p. 74. ISBN   9781614728238 . Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  8. Dozier, Ray (2013). The Oklahoma Football Encyclopedia: 2nd Edition. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   9781613216200.
  9. Brant, Tim (January 11, 2008). "After Further Review...The NCAA Weighs In". WJLA/NewsChannel 8. Archived from the original on September 30, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  10. Cronley, Jay (April 30, 1973). "Oklahoma Penalty: Illegal Procedure: Admitting that Quarterback Kerry Jackson's high school transcript was altered, the Sooners forfeited eight of their 1972 wins". Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  11. Edwards, Mark (June 13, 2009). "Forfeits, Voids, Vacations Make Mess of Records". Decatur Daily . Archived from the original on June 16, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  12. "1972 season". soonersports.com. Sooner Sports Properties. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  13. 1 2 "All-American: Rod Shoate". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  14. 1 2 "All-American: Greg Pruitt". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  15. 1 2 "All-American: Tom Brahaney". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  16. 1 2 "All-American: Derland Moore". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  17. "OU Football Tradition – All-Americans". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  18. "2009 Football Record Book" (PDF). Big12sports.com. p. 164. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  19. "2009 Football Record Book" (PDF). Big 12 Conference. p. 164. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  20. "Sooners rout Utah State". The Palm Beach Post-Times. September 17, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  21. Cawood, Neil (September 24, 1972). "Big Green suffers its blackest day". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1B.
  22. "Sooners explode for over 700 yards in 68-3 win over Ducks". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. September 24, 1972. p. 18.
  23. "Clemson Football Media Guide - 1973". Football Media Guides. Clemson University: 2. 1973. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  24. "OU defense throttles Longhorns, 27–0". The Odessa American. October 15, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  25. "Interceptions key in Colorado's win". The Billings Gazette. October 22, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  26. "Sooners dump Kansas State". Longview Morning Journal. October 29, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  27. "ISU's Majors impressed by Oklahoma; Fears NU most". Lincoln Journal Star. November 5, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  28. "Defense! Sooner vise chokes Missouri". The Commercial Appeal. November 12, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  29. "Sooners rip Kansas, 31–7". The San Francisco Examiner. November 19, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  30. "Oklahoma spoils Devaney's party". Wisconsin State Journal. November 24, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  31. "Sooners drop Okla. St. 38–15". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. December 3, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  32. "Sooners 'Tinker' with Penn State Lions 14–0". Chicago Tribune. January 1, 1973. Retrieved September 28, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  33. "1972 OU Football Season Schedule - SoonerStats - Historical scores, records, and stats for Oklahoma Sooners football, basketball, baseball, and softball".
  34. "Schedule/Results (1972 Oklahoma)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  35. Palm Beach Post. 17 Sep 1972. Retrieved 2017-Jul-15.
  36. "Sooners again." Eugene Register-Guard. October 1, 1972
  37. Eugene Register-Guard. 1972 November 19.
  38. 2018 Oklahoma football media guide. Retrieved 2019-Jan-15.
  39. "1973 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  40. "Oklahoma Drafted Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2023.