1972 Denver Broncos season
OwnerGerald Phipps
General managerJohn Ralston
Head coachJohn Ralston
Home fieldMile High Stadium
Results
Record5–9
Division place3rd AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1972 Denver Broncos season was the team's 13th season in professional football and third in the National Football League (NFL). Under first-year head coach and general manager John Ralston, the Broncos finished with five wins and nine losses, third in the AFC West Division.[1]

Hired in early January, Ralston was previously the head coach for nine years at Stanford University; in his final two seasons, he led the Indians to consecutive Pac-8 titles and upset victories in the Rose Bowl.[2][3]

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1972 NFL Draft
1972 Denver Broncos draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 5 Riley Odoms *  Tight end Houston
3 58 Bill Phillips  LB Arkansas State
4 102 Tom Graham  LB Oregon
5 118 Jim Krieg  WR Washington
8 186 Ron Estay  DT LSU
9 214 Floyd Priester  DB Boston University
10 239 Richard Wilkins  DE Maryland State
11 263 Larry Brunson  WR Colorado
12 292 Randy McDougall  DB Weber State
13 317 Bob Warner  RB Bloomsburg (PA)
14 342 Jerome Kundich  G Texas-El Paso
15 370 Harold Parmenter  DT Massachusetts
16 395 Tom Bougus  RB Boston College
17 420 Lou Harris  RB USC
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1972 Denver Broncos staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special Teams – Myrel Moore


Source[4]

Roster

1972 Denver Broncos 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

The Broncos' last three home games kicked off at noon MST instead of the standard 2 p.m.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 17 Houston Oilers W 30–17 1–0 Mile High Stadium 51,656
2 September 24 at San Diego Chargers L 14–37 1–1 San Diego Stadium 49,048
3 October 1 Kansas City Chiefs L 24–45 1–2 Mile High Stadium 51,656
4 October 8 at Cincinnati Bengals L 10–21 1–3 Riverfront Stadium 55,812
5 October 15 Minnesota Vikings L 20–23 1–4 Mile High Stadium 51,656
6 October 22 at Oakland Raiders W 30–23 2–4 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 53,551
7 October 29 Cleveland Browns L 20–27 2–5 Mile High Stadium 51,656
8 November 5 at New York Giants L 17–29 2–6 Yankee Stadium 62,689
9 November 12 at Los Angeles Rams W 16–10 3–6 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 65,398
10 November 19 Oakland Raiders L 20–37 3–7 Mile High Stadium 51,656
11 November 26 at Atlanta Falcons L 20–23 3–8 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 58,850
12 December 3 at Kansas City Chiefs L 21–24 3–9 Arrowhead Stadium 66,725
13 December 10 San Diego Chargers W 38–13 4–9 Mile High Stadium 51,478
14 December 17 New England Patriots W 45–21 5–9 Mile High Stadium 51,656
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

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

References

  1. ^ "Pro football statistics". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). December 18, 1972. p. 14.
  2. ^ "Five-year pro deal to Ralston". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 6, 1972. p. 23.
  3. ^ King, Errol (January 6, 1972). "Ralston's talking Super Bowl". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). UPI. p. C1.
  4. ^ 1972 Denver Broncos Press Guide. p. 4. Retrieved July 19, 2012.

External links

Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos seasons
1972 NFL season
Categories