1972 Baltimore Colts season

20th season in franchise history; final one with Johnny Unitas August 2023 March 2026 Baltimore Colts 1972 5–9 3rd AFC East Don McCafferty (1–4)John Sandusky (4–5)(interim) Joe Thomas Robert Irsay Memorial Stadium Did not qualify C Bill CurryLB Ted HendricksKR Bruce Laird Colts seasons The 1972 Baltimore Colts season was the 20th season for the team in the National Football League. They finished with 5 wins and 9 losses, third in the AFC East. Robert Irsay, who had recently taken over the Los Angeles Rams, traded ownership of the NFL franchises with Colts' owner Carroll Rosenbloom, with players and coaching staffs remaining intact.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bHhQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uxEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6023%2C4498088 Milwaukee Sentinel Associated Press Colts owner trades club for Rams July 14, 1972 1, part 2 June 2023 InternetArchiveBot yes https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-1JYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=g_cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4192%2C221364 The Bulletin Bend, Oregon UPI Colts' owner now sole owner of Rams July 14, 1972 12 https://www.si.com/vault/1972/08/14/613140/nay-on-the-neighs-yea-on-the-baas Sports Illustrated Maule Tex Tex Maule Nay on the neighs, yea on the baas August 14, 1972 67 Rosenbloom had previously wanted to move the Colts to Tampa, but was turned down by the league.Snyder Cameron C. February 17, 1976 Viking Talks in N.Y. Do Not Surprise Thomas The Baltimore Sun C7 However, the Colts were getting older and started 1–4 before third-year head coach Don McCafferty was fired by new general manager Joe Thomas.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vMQVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WhEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7213%2C452205 Milwaukee Sentinel Associated Press Colts pick Sandusky as coach October 17, 1972 2, part 2 June 2023 InternetArchiveBot yes https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xp8oAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qygEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7278%2C4855722 Milwaukee Journal press dispatches Colt players meet secretly on McCafferty dismissal October 17, 1972 16, part 2 June 2023 InternetArchiveBot yes https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=A_5NAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yosDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3598%2C1954968 Free Lance-Star Fredericksburg, Virginia Associated Press Curry criticizes McCafferty firing October 17, 1972 6https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7xZJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cYMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3002%2C723736 Youngstown Vindicator Ohio Associated Press Colts players unhappy; rap coach's firing October 18, 1972 36 In their final nine games under interim head coach John Sandusky, Baltimore won four to finish at 5–9,https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=L6lVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9-ADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6484%2C4594700 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon Associated Press Miami succeeds, but Morris fails December 17, 1972 2D their first losing mark in sixteen seasons. The entire coaching staff was let go after the season concluded.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ySc0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=_eAIAAAAIBAJ&pg=680%2C2160053 Bangor Daily News Maine UPI Thomas fires entire Colt coaching staff December 21, 1972 26https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=npwrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EfwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4870%2C3879856 Nashua Telegraph New Hampshire Associated Press Coach Sandusky ousted by Colts December 21, 1972 23https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vN9NAAAAIBAJ&sjid=C4sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3431%2C2963448 Free Lance-Star Fredericksburg, Virginia Associated Press Mass firing starts Colt housecleaning December 21, 1972 8 Offseason July 13, 1972 — Robert Irsay bought the Los Angeles Rams and transferred ownership to Carroll Rosenbloom, in exchange for ownership of the Colts.NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book Workman Publishing Co. New York City 0-7611-2480-2 283 NFL draft 1972 NFL draft 1972 Baltimore Colts 1 22 Tom Drougas Offensive tackle Oregon yes no 2 46 Jack Mildren Quarterback Oklahoma no 2 47 Glenn Doughty Wide receiver Michigan yes no 2 48 Lydell Mitchell Running back Penn State yes yes 4 104 Eric Allen Wide receiver Michigan State Played for the Toronto Argonauts from 1972 to 1975 no no 5 115 Don Croft Defensive tackle UTEP no no 6 152 Bruce Laird Safety American International yes yes 7 169 John Sykes Running back Morgan State no no 8 191 Al Qualls Linebacker Oklahoma no no 8 204 Van Brownson Quarterback Nebraska no no 9 215 Gary Hambell Defensive tackle Dayton no no 10 256 Dave Shilling Running back Oregon State no no 11 282 Fred DeBernardi Defensive end UTEP no no 12 308 Gary Theiler Tight end Tennessee no no 13 334 Herb Washington Wide receiver Michigan State 14 359 John Morris Center Missouri Valley no no 15 386 Robin Parkhouse Linebacker Alabama no no 16 412 Gary Wichard Quarterback C.W. Post no no 17 438 Stan White Linebacker Ohio State yes no nohttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/clt/1972_draft.htm 1972 Baltimore Colts Draftees Pro Football Reference January 17, 2022 Personnel Staff/coaches 1972 Baltimore Colts staff Front office Owner/president and treasurer – Robert Irsay General manager – Don Klosterman Coaching staff Head coach – Don McCafferty (fired after 1–4 start) Interim Head Coach - John Sandusky (4-5) Offensive coaches Receivers/offensive ends – Dick Bielski Offensive coordinator – John Idzik Offensive line coach – Red Miller Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/defensive line – John Sandusky Defensive backfield – Bobby Boyd Linebackers coach – Hank Bullough Roster 1972 Baltimore Colts 14 Marty Domres 19 Johnny Unitas 41 Tom Matte 23 Don McCauley 26 Lydell Mitchell y 48 Don Nottingham 34 Tom Nowatzke 30 Willie Franklin y no 17 Sam Havrilak 33 Eddie Hinton American football 80 Jim O'Brien American football K 84 Tom Mitchell American football 88 John Mosier American football 50 Bill Curry C 74 Tom Drougas y T 61 Cornelius Johnson offensive lineman G 57 Ken Mendenhall C 62 Glenn Ressler G 71 Dan Sullivan American football G 72 Bob Vogel T 73 Richard Amman y DE 79 Jim Bailey American football DT 85 Roy Hilton DE 75 Chuck Hinton American football DT 76 Fred Miller defensive lineman DT 81 Billy Newsome DE 32 Mike Curtis American football MLB 52 Randy Edmunds American football OLB 83 Ted Hendricks OLB 51 Bill Laskey American football OLB 56 Ray May OLB 54 Stan White linebacker y MLB 43 Lonnie Hepburn CB 40 Bruce Laird American football CB 20 Jerry Logan SS 11 Jack Mildren y FS 31 Nelson Munsey CB 47 Charlie Stukes CB 21 Rick Volk FS 49 David Lee punter P  2 Boris Shlapak y K 36 Norm Bulaich RB IR -- Fred DeBernardi y DT DNR 35 Glenn Doughty y WR IR 44 Rex Kern CB IR 68 Dennis Nelson American football T IR 78 Bubba Smith DE IR 28 Cotton Speyrer WR IR Regular season 1972 NFL season The season began ominously for the Colts when they were defeated at home on opening day by the St. Louis Cardinals and their journeyman quarterback, Tim Van Galder. In week two, Johnny Unitas threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns, but it was far from enough as Joe Namath threw for 496 yards and six touchdowns to power the New York Jets to a 44–34 victory at Memorial Stadium, the Jets' first victory over the Colts since Super Bowl III. In October, the Colts' season reached its nadir when it was shut out twice at home in a three-week stretch by the Dallas Cowboys, who undoubtedly wanted revenge for their loss to Baltimore in Super Bowl V, and the Miami Dolphins, who were on their way to a 17–0 season and their first Super Bowl championship under former Colts coach Don Shula. Unitas, age 39, made his final appearance in Baltimore in the fourth quarter of a 35–7 victory over Buffalo on December 3, and threw a 63-yard completion for his 287th career touchdown pass.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7G5QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bREEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7186%2C1176498 Milwaukee Sentinel UPI Domres stars as Colts whip Bills December 4, 1972 3, part 2https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BQorAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4pkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2547%2C2767883 Reading Eagle Pennsylvania (AP wirephoto) 287th TD pass December 4, 1972 25 Two weeks later, he played his final game as a Colt, with a completion and an interception. For the third consecutive year, the Colts played their season finale at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Only this time, it was not in the postseason, but a humbling 16–0 shutout to the Dolphins in Week 14 in a game which was nowhere near as close as the final score. Baltimore ended the 1970 season with a win over the Cowboys in Super Bowl V, and ended the 1971 season with a loss to the Dolphins in the AFC Championship game. Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 17 St. Louis Cardinals L 3–10 0–1 Memorial Stadium 53,562 Recap 2 September 24 New York Jets L 34–44 0–2 Memorial Stadium 56,626 Recap 3 October 1 at Buffalo Bills W 17–0 1–2 War Memorial Stadium 46,206 Recap 4 October 8 San Diego Chargers L 20–23 1–3 Memorial Stadium 55,459 Recap 5 October 15 Dallas Cowboys L 0–21 1–4 Memorial Stadium 58,992 Recap 6 October 22 at New York Jets L 20–24 1–5 Shea Stadium 62,948 Recap 7 October 29 Miami Dolphins L 0–23 1–6 Memorial Stadium 60,000 Recap 8 November 6, 1972 at New England Patriots W 24–17 2–6 Schaefer Stadium 60,999 Recap 9 November 12 at San Francisco 49ers L 21–24 2–7 Candlestick Park 61,214 Recap 10 November 19 at Cincinnati Bengals W 20–19 3–7 Riverfront Stadium 49,512 Recap 11 November 26 New England Patriots W 31–0 4–7 Memorial Stadium 54,907 Recap 12 December 3 Buffalo Bills W 35–7 5–7 Memorial Stadium 55,390 Recap 13 December 10 at Kansas City Chiefs L 10–24 5–8 Arrowhead Stadium 44,175 Recap 14 December 16, 1972 at Miami Dolphins L 0–16 5–9 Orange Bowl 80,010 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Standings See also History of the Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts seasons Colts–Patriots rivalry References 2 External links 1972 Baltimore Colts at Pro-Football-Reference.com 1972 Baltimore Colts at JT-SW.com "The 1972 Baltimore Colts," Baltimore Football Inc. via YouTube.com, Dec. 24, 2021. (Video.) Baltimore Colts Category:Baltimore Colts seasons Baltimore Colts