1972 Dallas Cowboys season
Encyclopedia
The 1972
Dallas Cowboys
season was their 13th in the league
. The team failed to improve their previous output
of 11–3, winning only ten games. They qualified for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season but settled for the wildcard spot. A pre-season injury to quarterback Roger Staubach and the trade of Duane Thomas (both had been integral figures in the 1971 championship team) hindered the offense (mitigated somewhat since their replacements, Craig Morton and Calvin Hill, were former starters). In the divisional playoff round, Staubach came off the bench to engineer an improbable 30–28 comeback win over the 49ers (Dallas had trailed by 28–16 with less than 2 minutes to play). The win over the 49ers still ranks as one of the all-time great Cowboys wins. However, the momentum could not carry them to a victory over Washington in the NFC Championship game.
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1972 NFL season
The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.-Major rule changes:...
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
season was their 13th in the league
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. The team failed to improve their previous output
1971 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1971 Dallas Cowboys season was their 12th in the NFL. The club led the NFL with 406 points scored. Their defense allowed 222 points. For the sixth consecutive seasons, the Cowboys had a first place finish. The Cowboys made it to their second consecutive Super Bowl and beat the Miami Dolphins to...
of 11–3, winning only ten games. They qualified for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season but settled for the wildcard spot. A pre-season injury to quarterback Roger Staubach and the trade of Duane Thomas (both had been integral figures in the 1971 championship team) hindered the offense (mitigated somewhat since their replacements, Craig Morton and Calvin Hill, were former starters). In the divisional playoff round, Staubach came off the bench to engineer an improbable 30–28 comeback win over the 49ers (Dallas had trailed by 28–16 with less than 2 minutes to play). The win over the 49ers still ranks as one of the all-time great Cowboys wins. However, the momentum could not carry them to a victory over Washington in the NFC Championship game.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17, 1972 | Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 28–6 | |
| 2 | September 24, 1972 | at New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 23–14 | |
| 3 | October 1, 1972 | at Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
L 16–13 | |
| 4 | October 8, 1972 | Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
W 17–13 | |
| 5 | October 15, 1972 | at Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls.... |
W 21–0 | |
| 6 | October 22, 1972 | at Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
L 24–20 | |
| 7 | October 30, 1972 | Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
W 28–24 | |
| 8 | November 5, 1972 | at San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 34–28 | |
| 9 | November 12, 1972 | St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 33–24 | |
| 10 | November 19, 1972 | at Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 28–7 | |
| 11 | November 23, 1972 | San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
L 31–10 | |
| 12 | December 3, 1972 | at St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 27–6 | |
| 13 | December 9, 1972 | Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
W 34–24 | |
| 14 | December 17, 1972 | New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 23–3 | |
Week 1: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 2: at New York Giants
Playoffs
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 23, 1972 | at San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
W 30–28 | |
| Conference Championship | December 31, 1972 | at Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
L 26–3 | |
Standings
| NFC East NFC East The NFC East is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins.... |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Washington Redskins 1972 Washington Redskins season The 1972 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 9-4-1 record from 1971.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-Playoffs:-Awards and records:* Larry Brown, NFL MVP * Larry Brown, Bert Bell Award... |
11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 336 | 218 | L-2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 319 | 247 | L-1 |
| New York Giants 1972 New York Giants season The 1972 New York Giants season was the 48th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants had an 8–6 record and finished in third place in the National Football Conference East Division, three games behind the Washington Redskins.-Schedule:... |
8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 331 | 247 | W-1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals 1972 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season The 1972 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 53rd year with the National Football League. On September 2, William V. Bidwill purchased the stock of his brother Charles Bidwill to become sole owner of the Cardinals.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:... |
4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 193 | 303 | W-2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles 1972 Philadelphia Eagles season The 1972 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 40th in the league. They failed to improve on their previous output of 6–7–1, winning only two games. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the twelfth consecutive season.-Offseason:... |
2 | 11 | 1 | .179 | 145 | 352 | L-5 |
Roster
| Dallas Cowboys 1972 roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
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Offensive Linemen
Dave Manders David Francis Manders was an American football center in the National Football League from 1964 through 1974. He played college football at Michigan State University... C Ralph Neely Ralph Eugene Neely is a former American football offensive tackle who played 13 seasons and 172 games for the Dallas Cowboys from 1965 to 1977.-Early years:... T John Niland (American football) John Hugh Niland is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League from 1966 through 1975.-Early years:He was an All-State fullback at Long Island's Amityville High School.... G Blaine Nye Blaine Francis Nye is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League and founder and president of Stanford Consulting Group, Inc... G Rodney Wallace (American football) Rodney Wallace is a former NFL running back. He was drafted out of New Mexico and earned a Super Bowl ring in his first year in the league as a member of the 1972 Super Bowl VI-winning Dallas Cowboys under coach Tom Landry.... T/G Rayfield Wright Larry Rayfield Wright is a former American football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.-High school and college years:... T Defensive Linemen
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Linebackers
Chuck Howley Charles Louis "Chuck" Howley is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League... OLB Lee Roy Jordan Lee Roy Jordan is a retired American football linebacker. After attending the University of Alabama, playing under head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, he spent 14 years in the National Football League playing for the Dallas Cowboys between 1963–1976... MLB Mike Keller Michael F. Keller is a former American football player and executive. He played college football as a defensive end and linebacker for the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1971 and professional football as a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys in 1972... MLB Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Reserve Lists
Currently vacant Rookies in italics 45 Active, 0 Inactive |
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Trivia
This season marks the first time in Cowboys history they wore their white jerseys for every game. The second and only other time so far was 20102010 Dallas Cowboys season
The 2010 Dallas Cowboys season is the 51st season for the team in the National Football League, and the second season playing their home games at Cowboys Stadium...
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