1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season

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 (vs. Raiders) 13–7 Lost AFC Championship (vs. Dolphins) 17–21
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
← 1971 Steelers seasons 1973 →

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.

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

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 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 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

Source:^[2]

Depth chart

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

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]

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

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]

Scoring summary 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

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: [3]

Scoring summary 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

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: [4]

Scoring summary 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

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:[5]

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 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

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: [6]

Scoring summary 1 PIT Roy Gerela 19-yard field goal PIT 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 goal PIT 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

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]

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 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]

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 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

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

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 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

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: [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
view talk edit	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

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

Scoring summary 3 PIT Roy Gerela 18-yard field goal PIT 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

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

External links

• 1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season at Profootballreference.com
• 1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season statistics at jt-sw.com