1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season

1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season
1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Owner	Art Rooney
Head coach	Chuck Noll
Home field	Three Rivers Stadium
Results
Record	11–3
Division place	1st AFC Central
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs ; (vs. Raiders) 13–7 ; Lost AFC Championship ; (vs. Dolphins) 17–21
Pro Bowlers	6 LB Henry Davis ; PK Roy Gerela ; DT Joe Greene ; RB Franco Harris ; LB Andy Russell ; DE Dwight White ;
AP All-Pros	4 Joe Greene (1st team); Roy Gerela (2nd team); Franco Harris (2nd team); Andy Russell (2nd team);
Team MVP	Franco Harris
	← 1971 ; Steelers seasons ; 1973 →;

Last updated November 27, 2024

The 1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 40th in the National Football League.

Pittsburgh finished with an 11–3 record in 1972, their first winning season in 9 years (1963), and won their first-ever AFC Central Division title. It was the Steelers' third-ever postseason appearance, first in ten seasons (the Playoff Bowl for third place in the league), and only its second playoff game since 1947. This season is famous for the Immaculate Reception, where the Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders 13–7 in the playoffs on a last second touchdown by rookie running back Franco Harris. But the momentum would not be enough to beat the Dolphins in the AFC Championship despite a strong season.

The rebuilding of the franchise that began in 1969 with the hiring of head coach Chuck Noll finally came to fruition in his fourth year. After winning only once in that first season, the Steelers then showed steady improvement. They broke through in 1972 and made the playoffs for the first time since 1947; their three losses were by a combined eleven points. The division title was the first in team history, as was the appearance in the AFC Championship game which they lost to the undefeated Miami Dolphins 21–17. It was the first of eight consecutive playoff appearances for the Steelers that led to four Super Bowl championships.

Offseason

NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1972 Pittsburgh Steelers draft
1	13	Franco Harris * ^†	RB	Penn State
2	38	Gordon Gravelle	OT	BYU
3	63	John McMakin	TE	Clemson
4	80	Lorenzo Brinkley	DB	Missouri
4	88	Ed Bradley	LB	Wake Forest
5	113	Steve Furness	DE	Rhode Island
6	143	Dennis Meyer	DB	Arkansas State
7	159	Joe Colquitt	DE	Kansas State
7	168	Robert Kelly	DB	Jackson State
8	193	Stahle Vincent	RB	Rice
9	217	Don Kelley	DB	Clemson
10	243	Bob Brown	DT	Tampa
11	273	Joe Gilliam	QB	Tennessee State
12	298	Ron Curl	OT	Michigan State
13	323	Ernie Messmer	OT	Villanova
14	348	Tommy Durrance	RB	Florida
15	368	John Hulecki	OG	UMass
15	373	Charles Harrington	OG	Wichita State
16	403	Nate Hawkins	WR	UNLV
17	428	Ron Linehan	LB	Idaho
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[1]

Roster

**1972 Pittsburgh Steelers roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 12 Terry Bradshaw QB 17 Joe Gilliam QB 5 Terry Hanratty QB Running backs (RB) 46 Warren Bankston RB 20 Rocky Bleier RB 35 Steve Davis RB 33 John Fuqua RB 32 Franco Harris RB 26 Preston Pearson RB Wide receivers (WR) 43 Frank Lewis WR 25 Ron Shanklin WR 88 Dave L. Smith WR 31 Al Young WR Tight ends (TE) 87 Larry Brown TE 89 John McMakin TE		Offensive linemen (OL) 50 Jim Clack G 85 Dave Davis G 57 Sam Davis G 71 Gordon Gravelle T 77 Mel Holmes G 55 Jon Kolb T 56 Ray Mansfield C 72 Gerry Mullins G 66 Bruce Van Dyke G Defensive linemen (DL) 64 Steve Furness DT 75 Joe Greene DT 68 L. C. Greenwood DE 67 Craig Hanneman DE 63 Ernie Holmes DT 60 Ben McGee DT 78 Dwight White DE		Linebackers (LB) 38 Ed Bradley LB 53 Henry Davis LB 59 Jack Ham LB 34 Andy Russell LB 61 Brian Stenger LB 90 George Webster LB 36 Chuck Winfrey LB Defensive backs (DB) 49 Ralph Anderson FS 37 Chuck Beatty SS 47 Mel Blount CB 44 Lee Calland CB 29 John Dockery CB 27 Glen Edwards FS 48 John Rowser CB 23 Mike Wagner FS Special teams 10 Roy Gerela K 39 Bobby Walden P 55 Jon Kolb LS 39 Bobby Walden H				Practice squad Head coach Chuck Noll Assistant coaches George Perles –Defensive line Bud Carson –Defensive backs Babe Parilli –Quarterbacks Lionel Taylor –Wide receivers Dick Hoak –Running backs Bob Fry –Offensive line Louis Riecke –Strength Paul Uram –Flexibility & Kickers Charlie Sumner Reserve 85 Bob Adams TE (IR) Rookies in italics

Source:^[2]

Depth chart

Defense

1972 Pittsburgh Steelers roster

FS
49 Ralph Anderson
27 Glen Edwards
⋅

WLB	MLB	SLB
⋅	53 Henry Davis	⋅
36 Chuck Winfrey	38 Ed Bradley	⋅
61 Brian Stenger	⋅	⋅

SS
23 Mike Wagner
37 Chuck Beatty
⋅

CB
48 John Rowser
29 John Dockery
⋅

DE	DT	DT	DE
78 Dwight White	60 Ben McGee	75 Joe Greene	68 L. C. Greenwood
67 Craig Hanneman	63 Ernie Holmes	64 Steve Furness	⋅
⋅	⋅	⋅	⋅

CB
47 Mel Blount
44 Lee Calland
⋅

Offense

1972 Pittsburgh Steelers roster

WR
43 Frank Lewis
31 Al Young
⋅

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
55 Jon Kolb	57 Sam Davis	56 Ray Mansfield	66 Bruce Van Dyke	72 Gerry Mullins
71 Gordon Gravelle	⋅	50 Jim Clack	77 Mel Holmes	74 John Brown IR
⋅	⋅	⋅	⋅	⋅

TE
89 John McMakin
87 Larry Brown
85 Bob Adams IR

WR
25 Ron Shanklin
88 Dave L. Smith
⋅

QB
12 Terry Bradshaw
5 Terry Hanratty
17 Joe Gilliam

RB
33 John Fuqua
20 Rocky Bleier
35 Steve Davis

FB
32 Franco Harris
26 Preston Pearson
46 Warren Bankston

Special teams
PK 10 Roy Gerela
P 39 Bobby Walden
KR 26 Preston Pearson
PR 27 Glen Edwards
LS 55 Jon Kolb
H 39 Bobby Walden

Staff

•Lionel Taylor - Receiver Coach

•Charlie Sumner - Linebacker Coach

• - Quarterback Coach

•Dick Hoak – Defensive backfield coach

•Bud Carson – Defensive backfield coach

•Bob Fry – Offensive line coach

•Lou Riecke - Strength Coach

•George Perles – Defensive line coach

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue
1	September 17	Oakland Raiders	W 34–28	1–0	Three Rivers Stadium
2	September 24	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 10–15	1–1	Riverfront Stadium
3	October 1	at St. Louis Cardinals	W 25–19	2–1	Busch Memorial Stadium
4	October 8	at Dallas Cowboys	L 13–17	2–2	Texas Stadium
5	October 15	Houston Oilers	W 24–7	3–2	Three Rivers Stadium
6	October 22	New England Patriots	W 33–3	4–2	Three Rivers Stadium
7	October 29	at Buffalo Bills	W 38–21	5–2	War Memorial Stadium
8	November 5	Cincinnati Bengals	W 40–17	6–2	Three Rivers Stadium
9	November 12	Kansas City Chiefs	W 16–7	7–2	Three Rivers Stadium
10	November 19	at Cleveland Browns	L 24–26	7–3	Cleveland Municipal Stadium
11	November 26	Minnesota Vikings	W 23–10	8–3	Three Rivers Stadium
12	December 3	Cleveland Browns	W 30–0	9–3	Three Rivers Stadium
13	December 10	at Houston Oilers	W 9–3	10–3	Astrodome
14	December 17	at San Diego Chargers	W 24–2	11–3	San Diego Stadium
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	7	0	21	28
•Steelers	14	3	10	7	34

Date: Sunday, September 17
Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh
Game start: 1:00 p.m. local
Game attendance: 51,141
Game weather: 72 F, wind 13 mph
Referee: Pat Haggerty

References:

The Steelers were able to start off against the Raiders at home scoring 17 unanswered points (2TDs/PATs and a FG) and eventually ended up defeating the team by 6 for a 34–28 victory and a 1–0 start.

Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	10	0	0	10
•Bengals	3	0	6	6	15

Date: Sunday, September 24
Location: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati
Game start: 1:00 p.m. local
Game attendance: 54,292
Game weather: 69 F, wind 9 mph
Referee: Dick Jorgensen

References:

Week 3: at St. Louis Cardinals

	1	2	3	4	Total
•Steelers	3	12	0	10	25
Cardinals	0	6	6	7	19

Date: Sunday, October 1
Location: Busch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
Game start: 1:00 p.m. local
Game attendance: 49,140
Game weather: 58 F, wind 10 mph
Referee: Fred Wyant

References:

Week 4: at Dallas Cowboys

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	6	7	0	0	13
•Cowboys	3	7	7	0	17

Date: Sunday, October 8
Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Game start: 1:00 p.m. local
Game attendance: 65,682
Game weather: 68 F, wind 8 mph
Referee: Ben Dreith

References:

Week 5: vs. Houston Oilers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	7	0	0	0	7
•Steelers	0	10	7	7	24

Date: Sunday, October 15
Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh
Game start: 4:00 p.m. local
Game attendance: 42,929
Game weather: 47 F, wind 14 mph
Referee: Bernie Ulman

References:

Week 6: vs. New England Patriots

	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	0	0	3	0	3
•Steelers	10	7	13	3	33

Date: Sunday, October 22
Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh
Game start: 1:00 p.m. local
Game attendance: 46,081
Game weather: 52 F, wind 9 mph
Referee: Norm Schachter

References:

Week 7: at Buffalo Bills

	1	2	3	4	Total
•Steelers	0	17	7	14	38
Bills	0	0	7	14	21

Date: Sunday, October 29
Location: War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York
Game start: 1:00 p.m. local
Game attendance: 45,882
Game weather: 47 F, wind 10 mph
Referee: Tommy Bell

References:

Week 8: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	0	14	3	17
•Steelers	10	16	7	7	40

Date: Sunday, November 5
Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh
Game start: 1:00 p.m. local
Game attendance: 50,350
Game weather: 44 F, wind 10 mph
Referee: Fred Silva

References:

Week 9: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

	1	2	3	4	Total
Chiefs	0	7	0	0	7
• Steelers	0	0	3	13	16

Date: Sunday, November 12
Location: Three Rivers Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. local
Game attendance: 54,476
Referee: Jim Tunney

References:

Scoring drives:

Kansas City – Kearney 65 interception return (Stenerud kick) – Chiefs 7–0
Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 25 – Chiefs 7–3
Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 10 – Chiefs 7–6
Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 49 – Steelers 9–7
Pittsburgh – Harris 7 run (Gerela kick) – Steelers 16–7

Week 10: Cleveland Browns

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	3	7	7	7	24
• Browns	10	10	3	3	26

Date: Sunday, November 19
Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. local
Game attendance: 83,009
Game weather: 37 F, wind 8 mph
Referee: Dick Jorgensen

References:

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 39 – Steelers 3–0
Cleveland – FG Cockroft 26 – Tie 3–3
Cleveland – Phipps 1 run (Cockroft kick) – Browns 10–3
Cleveland – FG Cockroft 38 – Browns 13–3
Cleveland – Pitts 17 pass from Phipps (Cockroft kick) – Browns 20–3
Pittsburgh – Mullins 3 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) – Browns 20–10
Cleveland – FG Cockroft 12 – Browns 23–10
Pittsburgh – Fuqua 1 run (Gerela kick) – Browns 23–17
Pittsburgh – Harris 75 run (Gerela kick)- Steelers 24–23
Cleveland – FG Cockroft 26 – Browns 26–24

Week 11: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings (6–4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (7–3)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	3	0	0	7	10
Steelers	7	0	3	13	23

at Three Rivers Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Date: Sunday, November 26
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C) • Wind 18 miles per hour (29 km/h; 16 kn)
Game attendance: 50,348
TV announcers (CBS): Jack Drees, George Connor, and Andy Musser
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

Vikings

Fran Tarkenton
24/43, 235 Yds, TD, INT
Oscar Reed
16 Rush, 56 Yds
Ed Marinaro
9 Rec, 62 Yds

Steelers

Terry Bradshaw
7/19, 93 Yds, TD, INT
Franco Harris
17 Rush, 128 Yds, TD
Ron Shanklin
2 Rec, 52 Yds

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	MIN	PIT
1					Vikings	24-yard field goal by Fred Cox	3	0
1					Steelers	Franco Harris 12-yard touchdown run, Roy Gerela kick good	3	7
3					Steelers	17-yard field goal by Roy Gerela	3	10
4					Vikings	Stu Voigt 5-yard touchdown reception from Fran Tarkenton, Fred Cox kick good	10	10
4					Steelers	Terry Bradshaw 1-yard touchdown run, Roy Gerela kick no good (blocked)	10	16
4					Steelers	Frank Lewis 17-yard touchdown reception from Terry Bradshaw, Roy Gerela kick good	10	23
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							10	23

Week 12: vs. Cleveland Browns

	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	0	0	0	0	0
• Steelers	3	7	7	13	30

Date: Sunday, December 3
Location: Three Rivers Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. local
Game attendance: 50,350
Game weather: 44 F, wind 14 mph
Referee: Tommy Bell

References:

Franco Harris breaks Jim Brown's record for consecutive 100 yd games.

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 19 – Steelers 3–0
Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Gerela kick) – Steelers 10–0
Pittsburgh – Harris 11 run (Gerela kick) – Steelers 17–0
Pittsburgh – McMakin 78 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) – Steelers 24–0
Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 44 – Steelers 27–0
Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 37 – Steelers 30–0

Week 13: at Houston Oilers

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Steelers	3	0	6	0	9
Oilers	0	3	0	0	3

Date: Sunday, December 10
Location: Houston Astrodome
Game start: 1:00 p.m. local
Game attendance: 36,528
Referee: John McDonough

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 24 – Steelers 3–0
Houston – FG Butler 34 – Tie 3–3
Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 39 – Steelers 6–3
Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 13 – Steelers 9–3

Steelers clinch their 1st playoff berth.

Week 14: San Diego Chargers

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Steelers	7	7	3	7	24
Chargers	2	0	0	0	2

Date: Sunday, December 17
Location: San Diego Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. local
Game weather: 60 F, wind 6 mph
Referee: Pat Haggerty

References:

The Pittsburgh Steelers clinched their first AFC Central Division title. The day before the game Frank Sinatra is inducted into Franco's Italian Army.

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – Harris 7 yd run (Gerela kick) Steelers 7-0
San Diego – Safety, Costa tackled Bradshaw in end zone – Steelers 7-2
Pittsburgh – Fuqua 2 run (Gerela kick) – Steelers 14–2
Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 24 – Steelers 17–2
Pittsburgh – Shanklin 17 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) – Steelers 24–2

Standings

AFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Pittsburgh Steelers	11	3	0	.786	4–2	9–2	343	175	W4
Cleveland Browns	10	4	0	.714	5–1	9–2	268	249	W2
Cincinnati Bengals	8	6	0	.571	3–3	6–5	299	229	W1
Houston Oilers	1	13	0	.071	0–6	1–10	164	380	L11

Postseason

Game summaries

AFC Divisional: vs. Oakland Raiders

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	0	0	7	7
•Steelers	0	0	3	10	13

Date: Saturday, December 23
Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 50,327
Game weather: 42°F, wind 6 mph
Referee: Fred Swearingen
TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis

AFC Championship: vs. Miami Dolphins

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Dolphins	0	7	7	7	21
Steelers	7	0	3	7	17

Date: Sunday, December 31
Location: Three Rivers Stadium
Game start: 12 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 50,845
Game weather: Partly cloudy, 58°F (wind 16 mph)
Referee: Ben Dreith
TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis

PIT – Mullins recovered fumble in end zone (Gerela kick) PIT 7–0
MIA – Csonka 9 pass from Morrall (Yepremian kick) 7–7
PIT – FG Gerela 14 11:00 3rd PIT 10–7
MIA – Kiick 2 run (Yepremian kick) MIA 14–10
MIA – Kiick 3 run (Yepremian kick) MIA 21–10
PIT – Young 12 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) MIA 21–17

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl VII</span> 1973 Edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl VII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1972 season. The Dolphins vanquished the Redskins by the score of 14–7, winning their first Super Bowl, and became the first and still the only team in modern NFL history to complete a perfect undefeated season. They also remain the only Super Bowl champion to win despite having been shut out in the second half of the game. The game was played on January 14, 1973, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, the second time the Super Bowl was played in that city. At kickoff, the temperature was 84 °F (29 °C), making the game the warmest Super Bowl.

Super Bowl X was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1975 season. The Steelers defeated the Cowboys by the score of 21–17 to win their second consecutive Super Bowl. They were the third team to win back-to-back Super Bowls. It was also the first Super Bowl in which both participating teams had previously won a Super Bowl, as the Steelers were the defending champions and the Cowboys had won Super Bowl VI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1971–72 NFL playoffs</span> American football tournament

The National Football League playoffs for the 1971 season began on December 25, 1971. The postseason tournament concluded with the Dallas Cowboys defeating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI, 24–3, on January 16, 1972, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972–73 NFL playoffs</span> American football tournament

The National Football League playoffs for the 1972 season began on December 23, 1972. The postseason tournament concluded with the Miami Dolphins defeating the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII, 14–7, on January 14, 1973, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California, becoming the only NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied.

The National Football League playoffs for the 1974 season began on December 21, 1974. The postseason tournament concluded with the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX, 16–6, on January 12, 1975, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The 1980 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 35th overall, and 31st season in the National Football League. The Browns finished the regular season with eleven wins and five losses, and their first division title since 1971, winning a tiebreaker with the Houston Oilers. The 1980 Browns were known as the Kardiac Kids for having several games decided in the final moments. The 1980 season was the first time that Cleveland had qualified for the postseason since 1972. Also, for the second straight year, Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano was named NFL Coach of the Year, and quarterback Brian Sipe was named the league's Most Valuable Player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 Miami Dolphins season</span> 7th season in franchise history; first Super Bowl win and only perfect season in NFL history

The 1972 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's seventh season and third in the National Football League (NFL). The team was led by third-year head coach Don Shula and achieved the only perfect season in NFL history. It also led the league in both points scored and fewest points allowed.

The 1969 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 37th in the National Football League. It would mark a turning point of the Steelers franchise. 1969 was the first season for Hall of Fame head coach Chuck Noll, the first season for defensive lineman "Mean Joe" Greene and L. C. Greenwood, the first season for longtime Steelers public relations director Joe Gordon, and the team's last season in Pitt Stadium before moving into then-state-of-the-art Three Rivers Stadium the following season.

The 1970 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 38th in the National Football League. They improved from a league-worst 1–13 record the previous year, finishing with a 5–9 record and third place in the newly formed AFC Central. The Steelers began the decade in a new conference and a new stadium with a new quarterback. After nearly 40 years in the NFL they shifted to the AFC, to complete the merger between the NFL and AFL. It was the NFL’s weakest division that season, as the Steelers finished three games behind the first place Cincinnati Bengals — a team that was only in its third year of existence.

The 1971 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 39th in the National Football League. The Steelers showed improvement finishing in second place in the AFC Central Division with a 6–8 record. Terry Bradshaw struggled with turnovers in his second season throwing 22 interceptions to 13 touchdown passes. The Steelers that year drafted wide receiver Frank Lewis, Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Ham, guard Gerry Mullins, defensive end Dwight White, tight end/tackle Larry Brown, defensive tackle Ernie Holmes, and safety Mike Wagner, all key contributors during the Steelers Super Bowl teams of the 1970s.

The 1973 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 41st season in the National Football League. The team finished second in the AFC Central division, but qualified for the postseason for the second consecutive season. The Steelers got off to a terrific start winning eight of their first nine games. However, a costly three game losing streak would put their playoff hopes in jeopardy. The Steelers would recover to win their last two games, but had to settle for a Wild Card berth with a 10–4 record. The Steelers would lose in the playoffs to the Oakland Raiders 33–14 in Oakland.

The 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 45th in the National Football League. The 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers failed to improve on their 10–4 record from 1976 and finished with a 9–5 record; however, they appeared in the playoffs for their 6th straight season and won the AFC Central again. They had a hard time for most of the season as their record hovered around .500. Even the Steel Curtain seemed to have a little wear and tear allowing 243 points on the season, more than 100 more than the previous season. The sloppy plays would catch up with them in the Divisional Playoffs when they were knocked off by the Broncos 34–21 in Denver.

The 1981 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 49th in the National Football League. After enduring an injury plagued 9–7 season the previous year and missing the playoffs for the first time since 1971, the Steelers had hoped that the 1980 season was just a small hiatus from contending for championships. However, while the Steelers had flashes of their former glory years after starting the season with 2 unimpressive losses, the 1981 season would end in an 8–8 record and eventually prove the end of the Steelers great dynasty of the 1970s. The Steelers had a chance to make the playoffs with an 8–5 start to the year but lost all of their last three games to miss the playoffs.

The 1988 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 56th in the National Football League. Hall of Fame team founder and owner Art Rooney died at age 87 less than two weeks before the start of the season on August 25. The team wore AJR patches on the left shoulder the entire season in memory of "The Chief".

The 1989 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 57th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. They were considered a rebuilding team filled with many young players, especially after the release of longtime center Mike Webster in the offseason. The young team showed its inexperience in the first game of the season, when they lost at home to the archrival Cleveland Browns 51–0. The loss marked the Steelers worst defeat in franchise history. The following week wasn't much better, losing 41–10 to another division rival, the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals.

The 1968 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 36th in the National Football League.

The 1993 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 61st season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.

The 1964 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 32nd in the National Football League.

The 1975 AFC Championship Game was the sixth title game of the American Football Conference (AFC). Played on January 4, 1976, the game was hosted by the AFC Central champion and defending AFC and Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers who, in a rematch of the 1974 title game, played the AFC West champion Oakland Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Along with the 1975 NFC Championship Game played on the same day, this game constituted the penultimate round of the 1975–76 NFL playoffs which had followed the 1975 regular season of the National Football League (NFL).

References

↑ Football Database – 1972 Pittsburgh Steelers Draft. Retrieved 2014-Feb-10.
↑ "Steelers numbers". Pittsburgh Press. October 22, 1972. p. D9.

External links

1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season at Profootballreference.com
1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season statistics at jt-sw.com

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Football Database – 1972 Pittsburgh Steelers Draft. Retrieved 2014-Feb-10.

[stnum-2] "Steelers numbers". Pittsburgh Press. October 22, 1972. p. D9.

[1]

[2]

v t e Pittsburgh Steelers seasons
Formerly the Pittsburgh Pirates (1933–1939)
1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Bold indicates Super Bowl victory Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance

v t e Pittsburgh Steelers
Founded in 1933 Formerly the Pittsburgh Pirates (1933–1939) Based and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Franchise	History All-Time Team Seasons Logos and uniforms Coaches All-time roster (A–K, L–Z) Starting quarterbacks First-round draft picks Records
Stadiums	Home fields: Forbes Field Pitt Stadium Three Rivers Stadium Acrisure Stadium Training facilities: Rooney Field Point Stadium UPMC Rooney Sports Complex Chuck Noll Field
Culture	Football in Western Pennsylvania Rooney family Myron Cope Steelmark Steeler Nation Terrible Towel Steel Curtain Black Sunday Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story Evening Shade The Chief "Renegade" "Here We Go" "Black and Yellow" YinzCam This Is Us Steel Curtain Roller Coaster
Lore	Steelers lore J.P. Rooneys Pennsylvania Keystoners "Pennsylvania Polka" Steagles Card-Pitt Steelerettes Immaculate Reception 1975 AFC Championship Game Immaculate Deflection Jerome Bettis trade Immaculate Redemption/The Tackle 3:16 game
Rivalries	Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Las Vegas Raiders New England Patriots Philadelphia Eagles Tennessee Titans
Media	Broadcasters KDKA-TV WPKD-TV SportsNet Pittsburgh Charlie Batch Chris Hoke Radio Network WDVE-FM WBGG-AM Bill Hillgrove Tunch Ilkin Craig Wolfley Steelers figures in broadcasting
Division championships (24)	1972 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1983 1984 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 2001 2002 2004 2007 2008 2010 2014 2016 2017 2020
Conference championships (8)	1974 1975 1978 1979 1995 2005 2008 2010
League championships (6)	1974 (IX) 1975 (X) 1978 (XIII) 1979 (XIV) 2005 (XL) 2008 (XLIII)
Retired numbers	32 70 75
Hall of Fame members	Players: Bettis Blount Bradshaw Butler Dawson Dudley Faneca Greene Ham Harris Johnson Lambert Layne Polamalu Shell Stallworth Stautner Swann Webster Woodson Coaches and administration: Bell Cowher Kiesling Noll Art Rooney Dan Rooney
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: American Football Conference Division: North Division

1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season

Contents

Offseason

NFL draft

Roster

Depth chart

Staff

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 3: at St. Louis Cardinals

Week 4: at Dallas Cowboys

Week 5: vs. Houston Oilers

Week 6: vs. New England Patriots

Week 7: at Buffalo Bills

Week 8: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week 9: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 10: Cleveland Browns

Week 11: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 12: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 13: at Houston Oilers

Week 14: San Diego Chargers

Standings

Postseason

Game summaries

AFC Divisional: vs. Oakland Raiders

AFC Championship: vs. Miami Dolphins

Related Research Articles

References

External links