1972 San Diego Chargers season

The 1972 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's third season in the National Football League (NFL), and its 13th overall. The team failed to improve on their 6–8 record in 1971. The Chargers would get off to a poor start, as they were devoured 34-3 in their season opener at San Francisco. After their week 2 win against the Denver Broncos, the Chargers would play to a 17-17 draw with another cross-state rival, the Oakland Raiders. It was San Diego's fourth tie in 3 seasons (they tied 3 times in 1970). Even after they defeated the Baltimore Colts in the week following the tie, the Bolts would stumble the rest of the year, winning only 2 more games en route to a 4-9-1 season. This squad featured several players like Duane Thomas, Tim Rossovich, Dave Costa and John Mackey who were unwanted by most of the other NFL teams.[1]

1972 San Diego Chargers season
OwnerEugene V. Klein
Head coachHarland Svare
General managerHarland Svare
Home fieldSan Diego Stadium
Results
Record4–9–1
Division place4th AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify

NFL Draft
Main article: 1972 NFL Draft
Round Pick Player Position School/Club Team

Roster
1972 San Diego Chargers final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 17, 1972 at San Francisco 49ers L 34–3
59,438
2 September 24, 1972 Denver Broncos W 37–14
49,048
3 October 1, 1972 at Oakland Raiders T 17–17
53,455
4 October 8, 1972 at Baltimore Colts W 23–20
55,459
5 October 15, 1972 at Miami Dolphins L 24–10
80,010
6 October 22, 1972 at Detroit Lions L 34–20
54,371
7 October 29, 1972 Kansas City Chiefs L 26–14
54,533
8 November 5, 1972 Dallas Cowboys L 34–28
54,476
9 November 13, 1972 Cleveland Browns L 21–17
54,205
10 November 19, 1972 at Kansas City Chiefs W 27–17
79,011
11 November 26, 1972 Houston Oilers W 34–20
46,289
12 December 3, 1972 Oakland Raiders L 21–19
54,611
13 December 10, 1972 at Denver Broncos L 38–13
51,478
14 December 17, 1972 Pittsburgh Steelers L 24–2
52,873

Standings
AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Oakland Raiders 10 3 1 .750 3–2–1 7–3–1 365 248 W6
Kansas City Chiefs 8 6 0 .571 4–2 6–5 287 254 W3
Denver Broncos 5 9 0 .357 2–4 4–6 325 350 W2
San Diego Chargers 4 9 1 .321 2–3–1 4–6–1 264 344 L3

Notable events

In their last game for the year, the Chargers became the thirty-third team in the NFL or leagues that merged with the NFL to score only a safety in a full game. This unusual occurrence has been repeated only five times since: by the 1980 Buffalo Bills, the 1983 Minnesota Vikings, the 1993 Cincinnati Bengals, the 2011 Atlanta Falcons (the only team to do so in a playoff game) and the 2013 Jacksonville Jaguars.

References
  1. Anderson, Dave. "Sports of The Times: John Mackey's Week," The New York Times, Tuesday, September 19, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2020
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