Pittsburgh Steelers 40th US football season
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. Their 3 losses were by a combined 11 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 8 straight playoff appearances for the Steelers that led to 4 Super Bowl Championships.
Offseason [ ]
NFL Draft [ ]
1972 Pittsburgh Steelers draft
Round
Pick
Player
Position
College
Notes
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
Running backs
Wide receivers
43 Frank Lewis WR
25 Ron Shanklin WR
88 Dave L. Smith WR
31 Al Young WR
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
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
Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
Practice squad
Head coach
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 [ ]
Staff [ ]
This section is empty. You can help by . (February 2011 )
•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
(As of August 11th, 1972)
Preseason [ ]
Schedule [ ]
Game summaries [ ]
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
Game summaries [ ]
Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders [ ]
See also: 1972 Oakland Raiders season
1
2 3 4 Total
Raiders
0
7 0 21
28
• Steelers
14
3 10 7
34
Date: Sunday, September 17Location: Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh Game start: 1:00 p.m. local Game attendance: 51,141Game weather: 72 F, wind 13 mphReferee: Pat Haggerty
Scoring summary 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
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 [ ]
See also: 1972 Cincinnati Bengals season
1
2 3 4 Total
Steelers
0
10 0 0
10
• Bengals
3
0 6 6
15
Date: Sunday, September 24Location: Riverfront Stadium , Cincinnati Game start: 1:00 p.m. local Game attendance: 54,292Game weather: 69 F, wind 9 mphReferee: Dick Jorgensen
Scoring summary 1 CIN Horst Muhlmann 41-yard field goalCIN 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
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 1Location: Busch Memorial Stadium , St. Louis, Missouri Game start: 1:00 p.m. local Game attendance: 49,140Game weather: 58 F, wind 10 mphReferee: Fred Wyant
Scoring summary 1 PIT Roy Gerela 17-yard field goalPIT 3–0
2 PIT Roy Gerela 20-yard field goal PIT 6–0
2 STL Jim Bakken 19-yard field goalPIT 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
Week 4: at Dallas Cowboys [ ]
See also: 1972 Dallas Cowboys season
1
2 3 4 Total
Steelers
6
7 0 0
13
• Cowboys
3
7 7 0
17
Date: Sunday, October 8Location: Texas Stadium , Irving, Texas Game start: 1:00 p.m. local Game attendance: 65,682Game weather: 68 F, wind 8 mphReferee: Ben Dreith
Scoring summary 1 PIT Roy Gerela 39-yard field goalPIT 3–0
1 DAL Toni Fritsch 40-yard field goalTied 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
Week 5: vs. Houston Oilers [ ]
See also: 1972 Houston Oilers season
1
2 3 4 Total
Oilers
7
0 0 0
7
• Steelers
0
10 7 7
24
Date: Sunday, October 15Location: Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh Game start: 4:00 p.m. local Game attendance: 42,929Game weather: 47 F, wind 14 mphReferee: Bernie Ulman
Scoring summary 1 HOU Ward Walsh recovered blocked punt in end zone (Skip Butler kick)HOU 7–0
2 PIT Roy Gerela 28-yard field goalHOU 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
Week 6: vs. New England Patriots [ ]
See also: 1972 New England Patriots season
1
2 3 4 Total
Patriots
0
0 3 0
3
• Steelers
10
7 13 3
33
Date: Sunday, October 22Location: Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh Game start: 1:00 p.m. local Game attendance: 46,081Game weather: 52 F, wind 9 mphReferee: Norm Schachter
Scoring summary 1 PIT Roy Gerela 19-yard field goalPIT 3–0
1 PIT Jack Ham 32-yard interception return (Roy Gerela kick)PIT 10–0
2 PIT Ron Shanklin 30-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)PIT 17–0
3 PIT Roy Gerela 22-yard field goal PIT 20–0
3 NE Charlie Gogolak 16-yard field goalPIT 20–3
3 PIT Steve Davis 28-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)PIT 27–3
3 PIT Roy Gerela 35-yard field goal PIT 30–3
4 PIT Roy Gerela 33-yard field goal PIT 33–3
Week 7: at Buffalo Bills [ ]
See also: 1972 Buffalo Bills season
1
2 3 4 Total
• Steelers
0
17 7 14
38
Bills
0
0 7 14
21
Date: Sunday, October 29Location: War Memorial Stadium , Buffalo, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. local Game attendance: 45,882Game weather: 47 F, wind 10 mphReferee: Tommy Bell
Scoring summary 2 PIT Franco Harris 2-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)PIT 7–0
2 PIT Terry Bradshaw 2-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)PIT 14–0
2 PIT Roy Gerela 29-yard field goal PIT 17–0
3 BUF O.J. Simpson 94-yard run (John Leypoldt kick)PIT 17–7
3 PIT Franco Harris 18-yard run (Roy Gerela kick) PIT 24–7
4 BUF Bob Chandler 11-yard pass from Dennis Shaw (John Leypoldt kick)PIT 24–14
4 PIT Franco Harris 17-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick) PIT 31–14
4 BUF Bob Chandler 4-yard pass from Dennis Shaw (John Leypoldt kick) PIT 31–21
4 PIT John Fuqua 4-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)PIT 38–21
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 5Location: Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh Game start: 1:00 p.m. local Game attendance: 50,350Game weather: 44 F, wind 10 mphReferee: Fred Silva
Scoring summary 1 PIT John Fuqua 7-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)PIT 7–0
1 PIT Roy Gerela 15-yard field goal PIT 10–0
2 PIT Roy Gerela 22-yard field goal PIT 13–0
2 PIT Frank Lewis 28-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (kick failed)PIT 19–0
2 PIT Larry Brown 13-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick)PIT 26–0
3 CIN Virgil Carter 1-yard run (Horst Muhlmann kick)PIT 26–7
3 PIT Frank Lewis 34-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick) PIT 33–7
3 CIN Chip Myers 2-yard pass from Virgil Carter (Horst Muhlmann kick)PIT 33–14
4 PIT Franco Harris 2-yard run (Roy Gerela kick)PIT 40–14
4 CIN Horst Muhlmann 37-yard field goal PIT 40–17
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 12Location: Three Rivers Stadium Game start: 1:00 p.m. local Game attendance: 54,476Referee: Jim Tunney
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 19Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium Game start: 1:00 p.m. local Game attendance: 83,009Game weather: 37 F, wind 8 mphReferee: Dick Jorgensen
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 [ ]
See also: 1972 Minnesota Vikings season
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
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
Plays
Yards
TOP
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 3Location: Three Rivers Stadium Game start: 1:00 p.m. local Game attendance: 50,350Game weather: 44 F, wind 14 mphReferee: Tommy Bell
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 10Location: Houston Astrodome Game start: 1:00 p.m. local Game attendance: 36,528Referee: 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 17Location: San Diego Stadium Game start: 1:00 p.m. local Game weather: 60 F, wind 6 mphReferee: Pat Haggerty
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 [ ]
Game summaries [ ]
AFC Divisional: vs. Oakland Raiders [ ]
Main article: The Immaculate Reception
See also: 1972 Oakland Raiders season
1
2 3 4 Total
Raiders
0
0 0 7
7
• Steelers
0
0 3 10
13
Date: Saturday, December 23Location: Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 50,327Game weather: 42° F, wind 6 mphReferee: Fred Swearingen TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis
Scoring summary 3 PIT Roy Gerela 18-yard field goalPIT 3–0
4 PIT Roy Gerela 29-yard field goal PIT 6–0
4 OAK Ken Stabler 30-yard run (George Blanda kick)OAK 7–6
4 PIT Franco Harris 60-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Gerela kick)PIT 13–7
AFC Championship: vs. Miami Dolphins [ ]
See also: 1972 Miami Dolphins season
1
2 3 4 Total
• Dolphins
0
7 7 7
21
Steelers
7
0 3 7
17
Date: Sunday, December 31Location: Three Rivers Stadium Game start: 12 p.m. EST Game attendance: 50,845Game 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 [ ]
External links [ ]
Pittsburgh Steelers seasons
Formerly the Pittsburgh Pirates (1933–1939)
Bold indicates Super Bowl victoryItalics indicates Super Bowl appearance
Pittsburgh Steelers
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 Rooney Sports Complex
Chuck Noll Field
Culture Lore Rivalries Media Division championships (24) Conference championships (8) League championships (6) Retired numbers 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