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1972 Philadelphia Eagles season

NFL team season


NFL team season

FieldValue
teamPhiladelphia Eagles
year1972
logoPhiladelphia-Eagles-mediaguide-1972.jpg
record2–11–1
division_place5th NFC East
coachEd Khayat
ownerLeonard Tose
general managerPete Retzlaff
stadiumVeterans Stadium
playoffs*Did not qualify*
pro_bowlersWR Harold Jackson
S Bill Bradley
shortnavlinkEagles seasons

S Bill Bradley The 1972 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 40th season in the National Football League. They failed to improve and declined on their previous output of 6–7–1, winning only two games and scoring the fewest points in the league (145). The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the twelfth consecutive season.

Both of the Eagles' victories were one-point decisions on the road vs. AFC teams, 21–20 over the Kansas City Chiefs and 18–17 over the Houston Oilers, a victory which ultimately cost the Eagles the #1 selection in the 1973 NFL draft. The meeting with the Chiefs was the last until 1992, and Kansas City did not come to Philadelphia until 1998. The Eagles failed to win a game at home during the season, the first and to date only time they've gone winless at home.

Following the disastrous season, the third with three wins or fewer since 1968, general manager Pete Retzlaff resigned and coach Ed Khayat was fired by owner Leonard Tose.

Offseason

The Eagles held training camp at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania. This was their last year there. The next year, they moved camp to Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, only 7 miles from Veterans Stadium where they played their home games in Philadelphia.

NFL draft

The 1972 NFL draft was held on February 1–2, 1972. The draft was 17 rounds and a total of 443 players were chosen.

The Eagles chose John Reaves, a quarterback from the University of Florida, with the 14th pick in the 1st round. They had the 14th pick in each of the 17 rounds. They chose 17 players in this year's draft.

The number 1 overall pick went to the Buffalo Bills, who chose Walt Patulski, a defensive end out of the University of Notre Dame. In the 2nd round with the 40th pick, the Atlanta Falcons took 1971 Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan, a quarterback out of Auburn University

Player selections

The table shows the Eagles' selections and which picks they had that were traded away and the teams that ended up with those picks. It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with. Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away.

= Pro BowlerHall of Famer]]
**Rd****Pick****Player****Position****School**
114John ReavesQuarterbackFlorida
237Dan Yochum
Acquired Pick via TradeTackleSyracuse
240Pick taken by Atlanta Falcons
366Pick taken by New York Jets
368Tom Luken
Acquired Pick via TradeGuardPurdue
376Bobby MajorsDefensive backTennessee
492Po JamesRunning backNew Mexico State
5118Pick taken by Denver Broncos
6144Vernon WinfieldGuardMinnesota
7170Will FosterLinebackerEastern Michigan
8196Larry RatcliffRunning backEastern Michigan
9222Pat GibbsDefensive backLamar University
10246John BuntingLinebackerNorth Carolina
11274Dennis SweeneyDefensive endWestern Michigan
12300Don ZimmermanWide receiverN.E. Louisiana
13326Preston CarpenterDefensive endMississippi
14352Bill OvermeyerLinebackerAshland
15378Tom SullivanRunning backMiami (FL)
16404Steve BielenbergLinebackerOregon State
17430Tom NashTackleGeorgia

Staff / Coaches

  • Owner – Leonard Tose

  • General manager – Pete Retzlaff

  • Head coach – Ed Khayat

  • Offensive Coordinator - Tom Fears

  • Offensive backfield - John Rauch

  • Offensive Line – Brad Ecklund

  • Defensive Coordinator – Walt Michaels

  • Defensive Line – Jess Richardson

  • Linebackers - Joe Moss

  • Defensive Backs - Jim Carr

  • Special Teams Assistant – Joe Moss

Roster

FS/P

Regular season

On November 12, Tom Dempsey kicked six field goals in one game.

Schedule

Philadelphia Eaglesyear=1972border=2}}"WeekPhiladelphia Eaglesyear=1972border=2}}"DatePhiladelphia Eaglesyear=1972border=2}}"OpponentPhiladelphia Eaglesyear=1972border=2}}"ResultPhiladelphia Eaglesyear=1972border=2}}"Attendance1234567891011121314
September 17, 1972at **[Dallas Cowboys](1972-dallas-cowboys-season)****L** 28–655,850
September 24, 1972[Cleveland Browns](1972-cleveland-browns-season)**L** 27–1765,720
October 2, 1972**[New York Giants](1972-new-york-giants-season)****L** 27–1265,720
October 8, 1972at **[Washington Redskins](1972-washington-redskins-season)****L** 14–053,039
October 15, 1972[Los Angeles Rams](1972-los-angeles-rams-season)**L** 34–365,720
October 22, 1972at [Kansas City Chiefs](1972-kansas-city-chiefs-season)**W** 21–2078,389
October 29, 1972at [New Orleans Saints](1972-new-orleans-saints-season)**L** 21–365,664
November 5, 1972**[St. Louis Cardinals](1972-st-louis-cardinals-nfl-season)****T** 6–665,720
November 12, 1972at [Houston Oilers](1972-houston-oilers-season)**W** 18–1734,175
November 19, 1972**[Dallas Cowboys](1972-dallas-cowboys-season)****L** 28–765,720
November 26, 1972at **[New York Giants](1972-new-york-giants-season)****L** 62–1062,586
December 3, 1972**[Washington Redskins](1972-washington-redskins-season)****L** 23–765,720
December 10, 1972[Chicago Bears](1972-chicago-bears-season)**L** 21–1265,720
December 17, 1972at **[St. Louis Cardinals](1972-st-louis-cardinals-nfl-season)****L** 24–2334,872

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game recaps

A recap of the scoring plays and the game scores by quarters during the year. The record after the team's name reflects this game's outcome also.

Week 9

Sunday, November 12, 1972

Played at Houston Astrodome on AstroTurf in 72 F indoors.

OilersPaul Robinson 30-yard rush (Skip Butler kick)1817

Week 11

Sunday, November 26, 1972

Played at Yankee Stadium on grass in 50 F weather with a wind of 15 mph

NOTE: The game was not televised by CBS after striking International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers members cut the transmission cables in The Bronx.

GiantsRandy Johnson 2-yard rush (Pete Gogolak kick)1062

Standings

Postseason

At the end of 1972 season, head coach Ed Khayat was fired. Mike McCormack, a Washington Redskins assistant coach from 1965 to 1972, was hired in his place. Khayat was never an NFL head coach again, although he would be the head coach of the New Orleans Night of the Arena Football League in 1991.

References

References

  1. "1972 Philadelphia Eagles Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  2. "Heisman Trophy". Heisman.
  3. Players are identified as Pro Bowlers if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
  4. ''NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book'', Workman Publishing Co, New York, {{ISBN. 0-7611-2480-2, p.134
Info: Wikipedia Source

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