1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season

Pittsburgh Steelers
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 (Raiders) 13–7; Lost AFC Championship (Dolphins) 21–17
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

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

The team posted a record of 11–3 in 1972, and won their first-ever AFC Central Division title. It was the team's third-ever postseason appearance, its first postseason appearance 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 in the playoffs 13-7 on a last second touchdown by Franco Harris.

The rebuilding of the franchise that began in 1969 with the hiring of Chuck Noll finally came to fruition in his fourth year. After winning only one game in his first year in 1969 the team that showed steady improvement broke through in 1972 and made the playoffs for the first time since 1947. 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 8 straight playoff appearances for the Steelers that led to 4 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 final roster**

	Quarterbacks 12 Terry Bradshaw QB 17 Joe Gilliam QB 5 Terry Hanratty QB Running backs 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 43 Frank Lewis WR 25 Ron Shanklin WR 88 Dave L. Smith WR 31 Al Young WR Tight ends 85 Bob Adams TE 87 Larry Brown TE 89 John McMakin TE		Offensive linemen 50 Jim Clack OG 85 Dave Davis OG 57 Sam Davis OG (C) 71 Gordon Gravelle OT 77 Mel Holmes OG 55 Jon Kolb OT 56 Ray Mansfield C 72 Gerry Mullins OG 66 Bruce Van Dyke OG Defensive linemen 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 38 Ed Bradley LB 53 Henry Davis LB 59 Jack Ham LB 34 Andy Russell LB (C) 61 Brian Stenger LB 90 George Webster LB 36 Chuck Winfrey LB Defensive backs 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		Reserve lists 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 Rookies in italics

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

Preseason

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result
1	September 17, 1972	Oakland Raiders	W 34–28
2	September 24, 1972	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 15–10
3	October 1, 1972	at St. Louis Cardinals	W 25–19
4	October 8, 1972	at Dallas Cowboys	L 17–13
5	October 15, 1972	Houston Oilers	W 24–7
6	October 22, 1972	New England Patriots	W 33–3
7	October 29, 1972	at Buffalo Bills	W 38–21
8	November 5, 1972	Cincinnati Bengals	W 40–17
9	November 12, 1972	Kansas City Chiefs	W 16–7
10	November 19, 1972	at Cleveland Browns	L 26–24
11	November 26, 1972	Minnesota Vikings	W 23–10
12	December 3, 1972	Cleveland Browns	W 30–0
13	December 10, 1972	at Houston Oilers	W 9–3
14	December 17, 1972	at San Diego Chargers	W 24–2

Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders

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)

	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
	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

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 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.

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

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
Bold indicates Super Bowl victory Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance

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 Players Starting quarterbacks First-round draft picks Records
Stadiums	Home fields: Forbes Field Pitt Stadium Three Rivers Stadium Heinz Field Training facilities: Rooney Field Point Stadium UPMC Sportsplex Chuck Noll Field
Culture	Football in Western PA Rooney family Myron Cope Steeler Nation Terrible Towel Steel Curtain Black Sunday Evening Shade "Right Here, Right Now" "Renegade" "Here We Go" "Black and Yellow" YinzCam This Is Us
Lore	Steelers lore J.P. Rooneys Pennsylvania Keystoners "Pennsylvania Polka" Steagles Card-Pitt Steelerettes Immaculate Reception Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story 1995 AFC Championship Game Jerome Bettis trade The Chief Immaculate Redemption/The Tackle
Rivalries	Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Tennessee Titans Las Vegas Raiders Dallas Cowboys Philadelphia Eagles
Media	Broadcasters KDKA-TV WPCW-TV AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh Charlie Batch Chris Hoke Bob Pompeani 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	70 75
Hall of Fame members	Players: Bettis Blount Bradshaw Butler Dawson Dudley 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
Seasons (87)	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
Championship seasons in bold