1972 San Diego State Aztecs football team

1972 San Diego State Aztecs football
PCAA champion
Conference	Pacific Coast Athletic Association
Ranking
Coaches	No. 20
Record	10–1 (4–0 PCAA)
Head coach	Don Coryell (12th season)
Offensive coordinator	Rod Dowhower (5th season)
Home stadium	San Diego Stadium
Seasons ←  1971 1973  →

1972 Pacific Coast Athletic Association football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
San Diego State $	4	–	0	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
Pacific (CA)	3	–	1	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Fresno State	1	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	1
Long Beach State	1	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
San Jose State	1	–	3	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Cal State Los Angeles*	0	–	0	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion * – Did not compete for conference title

The 1972 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented California State University San Diego ^{[note 1]} during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA). ^{[note 2]}

The Aztecs were led by head coach Don Coryell, in his twelfth (and final) year, and played home games at San Diego Stadium ^{[note 3]} in San Diego, California. They finished the season as conference champion, with a record of ten wins and one loss (10–1, 4–0 PCAA).

Coryell had an overall record of 104–19–2 (.840) in twelve seasons. The total wins, winning percentage, and games coached are all San Diego State coaching records. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999 and was the first coach to win more than 100 games at both the collegiate and professional level. ^[1]

After the season, Coryell left to become the head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National Football League (NFL).

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 9		Oregon State *	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 17–8	32,829	[2]
September 23	5:30 p.m.	at North Texas State *	Texas Stadium Irving, TX	W 25–0	10,500	[3]
September 30	10:30 a.m.	at Kent State *	Memorial Stadium Kent, OH	W 14–0	5,415–5,421	[4]
October 7	7:30 p.m.	San Jose State	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 23–12	35,030	[5]
October 14		at Houston *	Jeppesen Stadium Houston, TX	L 14–49	29,891	[6]
October 21		Bowling Green *	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 35–19	36,121	[7]
October 28		Fresno State	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA (rivalry)	W 21–14	23,653	[8]
November 4	8:00 p.m.	West Texas State *	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 37–6	23,000–23,206	[9]
November 11	7:30 p.m.	Pacific (CA)	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 20–7	25,000–25,838	[10]
November 25	7:30 p.m.	at Long Beach State	Anaheim Stadium Anaheim, CA	W 33–14	17,644	[11]
December 2		Iowa State *	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	W 27–14	39,048	[12]
*Non-conference game All times are in Pacific time

^{[13] [14]}

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1973 NFL draft. ^[15]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL Team
Isaac Curtis	Wide receiver	1	15	Cincinnati Bengals
Bill Ferguson	Linebacker	4	90	New York Jets
Jim Peterson	Linebacker	6	133	Los Angeles Rams
Joe Lavender	Defensive back	12	288	Philadelphia Eagles

The following finished their college career in 1972, were not drafted, but played in the NFL. ^[16]

Player	Position	First NFL Team
Bill Donckers	Quarterback	1976 St. Louis Cardinals

Team awards

Award	Player
Most Valuable Player (John Simcox Memorial Trophy)	Isaac Curtis
Outstanding Offensive & Defensive Linemen (Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)	Chris Miller, Off Randy Bixler, Def
Team captains Dr. R. Hardy / C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy	Bill Donckers, Off Bill Ferguson, Def
Most Inspirational Player	Bill Ferguson

^[14]

Notes

1. San Diego State University was known as California State University, San Diego from 1972 to 1973.
2. The Big West Conference was known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association from its founding in 1969 through 1987.
3. San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (SDCCU Stadium) was known as San Diego Stadium from its opening in 1967 through 1980.

References

1. "Hall of Fame Inductee Detail: Don "Air" Coryell" . Retrieved January 4, 2018.
2. "Oregon State 2016 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 7, 2016.
3. Bob Anderson (September 24, 1972). "Aztecs Breeze, 25-0". Denton Record-Chronicle. Denton, Texas. p. Section D. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
4. "San Diego 14, Kent State 0". News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. October 1, 1972. p. 6-E. Retrieved March 16, 2018– via Newspapers.com.
5. Arnold Wechter (October 8, 1972). "San Diego Bombs Spartans". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, California. p. 30. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Coogs rout San Diego St". Valley Morning Star. October 15, 1972. Retrieved April 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Unbeaten Mustangs Win 11-10 Thriller". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 22, 1972. p. C-17. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Bulldogs Bow to San Diego Rally, 21-14". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 29, 1972. p. D-19. Retrieved February 8, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
9. Dave Densmore (November 6, 1972). "Buffs Defend Well Despite Loss". The Amarillo Globe-Times. Amarillo, Texas. p. 30. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
10. "San Diego State Clinches Tie for Title With 20-7 Triumph". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 12, 1972. p. D-14. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
11. Jim McCormack (November 26, 1972). "Aztecs crunch 49ers". Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. p. S-1. Retrieved January 16, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Iowa State 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 7, 2016.
13. "San Diego State 1972 Schedule" . Retrieved December 6, 2016.
14. "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
15. "1973 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
16. "San Diego St. Players/Alumni" . Retrieved December 8, 2016.