1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season

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

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 5 Terry Hanratty Running backs (RB) 20 Rocky Bleier 35 Steve Davis 33 John Fuqua 32 Franco Harris 26 Preston Pearson Wide receivers (WR) 43 Frank Lewis 25 Ronnie Shanklin 31 Al Young Tight ends (TE) 87 Larry Brown 89 John McMakin		Offensive linemen (OL) 50 Jim Clack G/C 71 Gordon Gravelle T 77 Melvin Holmes G 55 Jon Kolb T 56 Ray Mansfield C 72 Gerry Mullins T/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 OLB 53 Henry Davis MLB 59 Jack Ham OLB 34 Andy Russell OLB 61 Brian Stenger MLB 90 George Webster OLB 51 Chuck Winfrey OLB Defensive backs (DB) 49 Ralph Anderson SS 47 Mel Blount CB 29 John Dockery CB 27 Glen Edwards FS 48 John Rowser CB 23 Mike Wagner FS Special teams (ST) 10 Roy Gerela K 39 Bobby Walden P		Practice squad 74 John Brown T 44 Lee Calland CB -- Milt Davis LB 57 Sam Davis G 41 Dennis Meyer S 83 Barry Pearson WR 66 Bruce Van Dyke G 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) 46 Warren Bankston RB (IR) 69 Ron Curl T (IR) 17 Joe Gilliam QB (IR) -- Stahle Vincent RB (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

Team	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: [1]

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

Team	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: [2]

Week 3: at St. Louis Cardinals

Team	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: [3]

Week 4: at Dallas Cowboys

Team	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: [4]

Week 5: vs. Houston Oilers

Team	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:[5]

Week 6: vs. New England Patriots

Team	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: [6]

Week 7: at Buffalo Bills

Team	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: [7]

Week 8: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Team	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: [8]

Week 9: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Team	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: [9]

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

Team	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: [10]

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

Team	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: [11]

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

Team	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

Team	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: [12]

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
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
	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

Team	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

Team	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

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

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

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

[1]

[2]


1	PIT	Henry Davis 5-yard blocked punt return (Roy Gerela kick)	PIT 7–0

1	PIT	Terry Bradshaw 20-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)	PIT 14–0

2	PIT	Roy Gerela 48-yard field goal	PIT 17–0

2	OAK	Raymond Chester 26-yard pass from George Blanda (George Blanda kick)	PIT 17–7

3	PIT	Roy Gerela 8-yard field goal	PIT 20–7

3	PIT	Terry Bradshaw 2-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)	PIT 27–7

4	OAK	Mike Siani 24-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick)	PIT 27–14

4	PIT	Ron Shanklin 57-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)	PIT 34–14

4	OAK	Don Highsmith 1-yard run (George Blanda kick)	PIT 34–21

4	OAK	Mike Siani 70-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick)	PIT 34–28


1	CIN	Horst Muhlmann 41-yard field goal	CIN 3–0

2	PIT	Terry Bradshaw 12-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)	PIT 7–3

2	PIT	Roy Gerela 17-yard field goal	PIT 10–3

3	CIN	Horst Muhlmann 32-yard field goal	PIT 10–6

3	CIN	Horst Muhlmann 20-yard field goal	PIT 10–9

4	CIN	Horst Muhlmann 32-yard field goal	CIN 12–10

4	CIN	Horst Muhlmann 34-yard field goal	CIN 15–10


1	PIT	Roy Gerela 17-yard field goal	PIT 3–0

2	PIT	Roy Gerela 20-yard field goal	PIT 6–0

2	STL	Jim Bakken 19-yard field goal	PIT 6–3

2	PIT	Terry Bradshaw 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)	PIT 13–3

2	PIT	Safety, Donny Anderson tackled by Ralph Anderson in end zone	PIT 15–3

2	STL	Jim Bakken 44-yard field goal	PIT 15–6

3	STL	Donny Anderson 8-yard run (kick failed)	PIT 15–12

3	PIT	Roy Gerela 15-yard field goal	PIT 18–12

4	STL	Norm Thompson 8-yard blocked punt return (Jim Bakken kick)	STL 19–18

4	PIT	Frank Lewis 38-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)	PIT 25–19


1	PIT	Roy Gerela 39-yard field goal	PIT 3–0

1	DAL	Toni Fritsch 40-yard field goal	Tied 3–3

1	PIT	Roy Gerela 39-yard field goal	PIT 6–3

2	PIT	Mel Blount 35-yard fumble return (Roy Gerela kick)	PIT 13–3

2	DAL	Calvin Hill 1-yard run (Toni Fritsch kick)	PIT 13–10

3	DAL	Ron Sellers 55-yard pass from Calvin Hill (Toni Fritsch kick)	DAL 17–13


1	HOU	Ward Walsh recovered blocked punt in end zone (Skip Butler kick)	HOU 7–0

2	PIT	Roy Gerela 28-yard field goal	HOU 7–3

2	PIT	Franco Harris 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)	PIT 10–7

3	PIT	Frank Lewis 11-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)	PIT 17–7

4	PIT	Terry Bradshaw 8-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)	PIT 24–7

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

References

Further reading

External links