1972 San Diego Chargers season

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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

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]

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 Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 17 at San Francisco 49ers L 3–34 0–1 Candlestick Park 59,438 Recap
2 September 24 Denver Broncos W 37–14 1–1 San Diego Stadium 49,048 Recap
3 October 1 at Oakland Raiders T 17–17 1–1–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 53,455 Recap
4 October 8 at Baltimore Colts W 23–20 2–1–1 Memorial Stadium 55,459 Recap
5 October 15 at Miami Dolphins L 10–24 2–2–1 Miami Orange Bowl 80,010 Recap
6 October 22 at Detroit Lions L 20–34 2–3–1 Tiger Stadium 54,371 Recap
7 October 29 Kansas City Chiefs L 14–26 2–4–1 San Diego Stadium 54,533 Recap
8 November 5 Dallas Cowboys L 28–34 2–5–1 San Diego Stadium 54,476 Recap
9 November 13 Cleveland Browns L 17–21 2–6–1 San Diego Stadium 54,205 Recap
10 November 19 at Kansas City Chiefs W 27–17 3–6–1 Arrowhead Stadium 79,011 Recap
11 November 26 Houston Oilers W 34–20 4–6–1 San Diego Stadium 46,289 Recap
12 December 3 Oakland Raiders L 19–21 4–7–1 San Diego Stadium 54,611 Recap
13 December 10 at Denver Broncos L 13–38 4–8–1 Mile High Stadium 51,478 Recap
14 December 17 Pittsburgh Steelers L 2–24 4–9–1 San Diego Stadium 52,873 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings[]

AFC West
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 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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