1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season

Infobox NFL season
team = Pittsburgh Steelers
year = 1972
record = 11-3
division_place = 1st AFC Central
coach = Chuck Noll
stadium = Three Rivers Stadium
playoffs = L to the undefeated Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship game
previous = 1971
next = 1973

Offseason

NFL Draft

Preseason

Schedule

Game Summaries

Regular Season

Game Summaries

Week 1 (Sunday September 17, 1972): Oakland Raiders

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Raiders
R1=0
R2=7
R3=0
R4=21
Home=Steelers
H1=14
H2=3
H3=10
H4=7"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 51,141
* Referee:
* TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - H. Davis 5 blocked punt return (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 20 run (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 48
* Oakland - Chester 26 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 8
* Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 2 run (Gerela kick)
* Oakland - Siani 24 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
* Pittsburgh - Shanklin 57 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)
* Oakland - Highsmith 1 run (Blanda kick)
* Oakland - Siani 70 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)

Week 2 (Sunday September 24, 1972): Cincinnati Bengals

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=0
R2=10
R3=0
R4=0
Home=Bengals
H1=3
H2=0
H3=6
H4=6"at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 54,292
* Referee: Dick Jorgensen
* TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

* Cincinnati - FG Muhlmann 41
* Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 12 run (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 17
* Cincinnati - FG Muhlmann 32
* Cincinnati - FG Muhlmann 20
* Cincinnati - FG Muhlmann 32
* Cincinnati - FG Muhlmann 34

Week 3 (Sunday October 1, 1972): St. Louis Cardinals

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=3
R2=12
R3=0
R4=10
Home=Cardinals
H1=0
H2=6
H3=6
H4=7"at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 49,140
* Referee:
* TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 17
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 20
* St. Louis - FG Bakken 19
* Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 1 run (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - Safety, Anderson tackled Anderson in end zone
* St. Louis - FG Bakken 44
* St. Louis - Anderson 8 run (kick failed)
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 15
* St. Louis - Thompson 8 blocked punt return (Bakken kick)
* Pittsburgh - Lewis 38 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)

Week 4 (Sunday October 8, 1972): Dallas Cowboys

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=6
R2=7
R3=0
R4=0
Home=Cowboys
H1=3
H2=7
H3=7
H4=0"at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 65,682
* Referee:
* TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 39
* Dallas - FG Fritsch 40
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 39
* Pittsburgh - Blount 35 fumble recovery return (Gerela kick)
* Dallas - Hill 1 run (Fritsch kick)
* Dallas - Sellers 55 pass from Hill (Fritsch kick)

Week 5 (Sunday October 15, 1972): Houston Oilers

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Oilers
R1=7
R2=0
R3=0
R4=0
Home=Steelers
H1=0
H2=10
H3=7
H4=7"at the Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 42,929
* Referee:
* TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

* Houston - Walsh recovered blocked punt in end zone (Butler kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 28
* Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - Lewis 11 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 8 run (Gerela kick)

Week 6 (Sunday October 22, 1972): New England Patriots

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Patriots
R1=0
R2=3
R3=0
R4=0
Home=Steelers
H1=10
H2=7
H3=13
H4=3"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 46,081
* Referee:
* TV announcers: Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 19
* Pittsburgh - Ham 32 interception return (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - Shanklin 30 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 22
* New England - FG Gogolak 16
* Pittsburgh - Steve Davis 28 run (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 35
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 33

Week 7 (Sunday October 29, 1972): Buffalo Bills

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=0
R2=17
R3=7
R4=14
Home=Bills
H1=0
H2=0
H3=7
H4=14"at War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 45,882
* Referee:
* TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - Harris 2 run (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 1 run (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 29
* Buffalo - Simpson 94 run (Leypoldt kick)
* Pittsburgh - Harris 18 run (Gerela kick)
* Buffalo - B. Chandler 11 pass from Shaw (Leypoldt kick)
* Pittsburgh - Harris 17 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)
* Buffalo - B. Chandler 4 pass from Shaw (Leypoldt kick)
* Pittsburgh - Fuqua 4 run (Gerela kick)

Week 8 (Sunday November 5, 1972): Cincinnati Bengals

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Bengals
R1=0
R2=0
R3=14
R4=3
Home=Steelers
H1=10
H2=16
H3=7
H4=7"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 50,350
* Referee:
* TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - Fuqua 7 run (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 15
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 22
* Pittsburgh - Lewis 28 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed)
* Pittsburgh - Brown 13 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)
* Cincinnati - Carter 1 run (Muhlmann kick)
* Pittsburgh - Lewis 34 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)
* Cincinnati - Myers 2 pass from Carter (Muhlmann kick)
* Pittsburgh - Harris 2 run (Gerela kick)
* Cincinnati - FG Muhlmann 37

Week 9 (Sunday November 12, 1972): Kansas City Chiefs

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Chiefs
R1=0
R2=7
R3=0
R4=0
Home=Steelers
H1=0
H2=0
H3=3
H4=13"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 54,476
* Referee: Jim Tunney
* TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

* Kansas City - Kearney 65 interception return (Stenerud kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 25
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 10
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 49
* Pittsburgh - Harris 7 run (Gerela kick)

Week 10 (Sunday November 19, 1972): Cleveland Browns

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=3
R2=7
R3=7
R4=7
Home=Browns
H1=10
H2=10
H3=3
H4=3"at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 83,009
* Referee:
* TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 39
* Cleveland - FG Cockroft 26
* Cleveland - Phipps 1 run (Cockroft kick)
* Cleveland - FG Cockroft 38
* Cleveland - Pitts 17 pass from Phipps (Cockroft kick)
* Pittsburgh - Mullins 3 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)
* Cleveland - FG Cockroft 12
* Pittsburgh - Fuqua 1 run (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - Harris 75 run (Gerela kick)
* Cleveland - FG Cockroft 26

Week 11 (Sunday November 26, 1972): Minnesota Vikings

Linescore Amfootball
Road= Vikings
R1=3
R2=0
R3=0
R4=7
Home=Steelers
H1=7
H2=0
H3=3
H4=13"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 50,348
* Referee:
* TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

* Minnesota - FG Cox 24
* Pittsburgh - Harris 12 run (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 17
* Minnesota - Voigt 5 pass from Tarkenton (Cox kick)
* Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 1 run (kick blocked)
* Pittsburgh - Lewis 17 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)

Week 12 (Sunday December 3, 1972): Cleveland Browns

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Browns
R1=0
R2=0
R3=0
R4=0
Home=Steelers
H1=3
H2=7
H3=7
H4=13"at the Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 50,350
* Referee:
* TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 19
* Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - Harris 11 run (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - McMakin 78 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 44
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 37

Week 13 (Sunday December 10, 1972): Houston Oilers

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=3
R2=0
R3=6
R4=0
Home=Oilers
H1=0
H2=3
H3=0
H4=0"at the Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 36,528
* Referee:
* TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 24
* Houston - FG Butler 34
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 39
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 13

Week 14 (Sunday December 17, 1972): San Diego Chargers

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Steelers
R1=7
R2=7
R3=3
R4=7
Home=Chargers
H1=2
H2=0
H3=0
H4=0"at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance:
* Referee:
* TV announcers:

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:

* San Diego - Safety, Costa tackled Bradshaw in end zone
* Pittsburgh - Harris 2 run (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - Fuqua 2 run (Gerela kick)
* Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 24
* Pittsburgh - Shanklin 17 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)

Postseason

Game Summaries

Week 15 (Saturday December 23, 1972): Oakland Raiders

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Raiders
R1=0
R2=0
R3=0
R4=7
Home=Steelers
H1=0
H2=0
H3=3
H4=10"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 50,350
* Referee:Fred Swearingen
* TV announcers:NBC Curt Gowdy

Scoring Drives:

* PIT - FG Gerela 18 PIT 3-0
* PIT - FG Gerela 29 PIT 6-0
* OAK - Stabler 30 run (Blanda kick) OAK 7-6
* PIT - Harris 60 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) PIT 13-7

Week 16 (Sunday December 31, 1972): Miami Dolphins

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Dolphins
R1=0
R2=7
R3=7
R4=7
Home=Steelers
H1=7
H2=0
H3=3
H4=7"at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 67 degrees, partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 50,350
* Referee: Ben Dreith
* TV announcers: NBC (Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis)

Scoring Drives:

* 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 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