Wikiwand AI

1972 Buffalo Bills season

13th season in franchise history From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1972 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise’s third season in the National Football League, and thirteenth overall. It was also their last season at War Memorial Stadium which had been their home field since the franchise started in 1960.

OwnerRalph Wilson
Head coachLou Saban
Home stadiumWar Memorial Stadium
Record4–9–1
Quick facts Buffalo Bills season, Owner ...
1972 Buffalo Bills season
OwnerRalph Wilson
Head coachLou Saban
Home stadiumWar Memorial Stadium
Results
Record4–9–1
Division place4th AFC East
PlayoffsDid not qualify
Pro BowlersWR J.D. Hill
CB Robert James
RB O.J. Simpson
Close

Season summary

Coming off a 1-13 record the previous season, the Bills had the first overall pick in the draft, which they used to select Notre Dame defensive end Walt Patulski. This came after the Bills allowed 394 points the previous season. The 1972 season marked the return of former Bills coach Lou Saban,[a] who had previously led the team to two AFL Championships. Saban had a new offensive philosophy for Buffalo in 1972. In his first three seasons, former number one overall pick O. J. Simpson had only carried the ball an average of 161 times per season. Saban rushed Simpson 292 times in 1972,[1] the second-most in the league behind the Giants' Ron Johnson.[2]

Despite losing two starting offensive lineman – center Bruce Jarvis and guard Jim Reilly—in the season opener,[3] O. J. Simpson still led the league in rushing with 1,251 yards. This would be was Simpson’s first of four rushing titles over the next five seasons.

Although the Bills had a potent, yard-gaining rushing attack, they could not put enough points on the scoreboard, scoring only 257 points (18.3 per game) all season, nineteenth in the league out of 26 teams.[4] Furthermore, Buffalo's defense gave up 377 points (23.5 per game), the third-most in the NFL in 1972.[5] As of 2023, this season was the most recent in which the Bills recorded a tie game.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1972 NFL draft
More information Round, Pick ...
1972 Buffalo Bills draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 1 Walt Patulski  DE Notre Dame
2 27 Reggie McKenzie[b]  G Michigan
4 79 Randy Jackson  RB Wichita State
5 105 Leon Garror  DB Alcorn A&M
5 108 Bob Penchion  G Alcorn A&M
8 183 Paul Gibson  WR UTEP
10 235 Maurice Tyler  DB Morgan State
13 313 Eddie Moss  RB Southeast Missouri State
14 340 Karl Salb  DT Kansas
16 391 Brian Linstrom  QB Arizona
17 417 John Shelley  DB Oklahoma
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career
Close

[6]

Personnel

Staff/Coaches

1972 Buffalo Bills staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches


Roster

1972 Buffalo Bills roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

 Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

 Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Reserve


Rookies in italics

Regular season

In his fourth NFL season, running back O. J. Simpson gained over 1,000 yards rushing for the first time. The 23–24 loss on October 22 was the closest margin of victory for the Dolphins in the NFL’s only perfect season.[9]

Schedule

More information Week, Date ...
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 17 New York Jets L 24–41 0–1 War Memorial Stadium Recap
2 September 24 San Francisco 49ers W 27–20 1–1 War Memorial Stadium Recap
3 October 1 Baltimore Colts L 0–17 1–2 War Memorial Stadium Recap
4 October 8 New England Patriots W 38–14 2–2 War Memorial Stadium Recap
5 October 15 at Oakland Raiders L 16–28 2–3 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Recap
6 October 22 at Miami Dolphins L 23–24 2–4 Orange Bowl Recap
7 October 29 Pittsburgh Steelers L 21–38 2–5 War Memorial Stadium Recap
8 November 5 Miami Dolphins L 16–30 2–6 War Memorial Stadium Recap
9 November 12 at New York Jets L 3–41 2–7 Shea Stadium Recap
10 November 19 at New England Patriots W 27–24 3–7 Schaefer Stadium Recap
11 November 26 at Cleveland Browns L 10–27 3–8 Cleveland Stadium Recap
12 December 3 at Baltimore Colts L 7–35 3–9 Memorial Stadium Recap
13 December 10 Detroit Lions T 21–21 3–9–1 War Memorial Stadium Recap
14 December 17 at Washington Redskins W 24–17 4–9–1 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Close

[10]

Season summary

Week 2: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week Two: San Francisco 49ers (1–0) at Buffalo Bills (0–1)
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 3 7 3720
Bills 0 6 71427
Close

at War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York

  • Date: September 24
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 60 °F (15.6 °C); wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
  • [11]
More information Game information ...
Game information

First quarter

  • SF — Gossett 47-yard field goal. 49ers 3–0

Second quarter

  • BUF — Leypoldt 32-yard field goal. 3–3
  • BUF — Leypoldt 22-yard field goal. Bills 6–3
  • SF — Kwalick 20-yard pass from Spurrier (Gossett kick). 49ers 10–6

Third quarter

  • SF — Gossett 20-yard field goal. 49ers 13–6
  • BUF — White 17-yard pass from Shaw (Leypoldt kick). 13–13

Fourth quarter

  • SF — Schreiber 2-yard rush (Gossett kick). 49ers 20–13
  • BUF — Braxton 2-yard rush (Leypoldt kick). 20–20
  • BUF — Braxton 1 yard rush (Leypoldt kick). Bills 27–20

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

Close

Week 13: vs Detroit Lions

See also: 1972 Detroit Lions season
Week Thirteen: Detroit Lions (7–5) at Buffalo Bills (3–9)
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 7 7721
Bills 0 7 7721
Close

at War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York

  • Date: December 10
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 32 °F (0 °C), wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn), wind chill 24 °F (−4.4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 41,583
  • [12]
More information Game information ...
Game information

First quarter

  • No scoring

Second quarter

Third quarter

  • BUF – Bob Chandler 39-yard pass from Dennis Shaw (John Leypoldt kick). Bills 14–7. Drive:
  • DET – Nick Eddy 36-yard pass from Greg Landry (Errol Mann kick). Tie 14–14. Drive:

Fourth quarter

  • BUF – Jan White 2-yard pass from Dennis Shaw (John Leypoldt kick). Bills 21–14. Drive:
  • DET – Ron Jessie 37-yard pass from Greg Landry (Errol Mann kick). Tie 21–21. Drive:
Top passers
Top rushers
  • DET – Greg Landry – 9 rushes, 46 yards
  • BUF – O.J. Simpson – 27 rushes, 116 yards
Top receivers
  • DET – Ron Jessie – 2 receptions, 51 yards, TD
  • BUF – J.D. Hill – 8 receptions, 129 yards, TD
Close

Standings

More information AFC East, W ...
AFC East
 W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Miami Dolphins 14 0 0 1.000 8–0 11–0 385 171 W14
New York Jets 7 7 0 .500 6–2 6–5 367 324 L2
Baltimore Colts 5 9 0 .357 4–4 5–6 235 252 L2
Buffalo Bills 4 9 1 .321 2–6 2–9 257 377 W1
New England Patriots 3 11 0 .214 0–8 0–11 192 446 L1
Close

Notes

  1. [a]
    Saban had coached the Bills from 1962 to 1965 before leaving for the University of Maryland
  2. [b]
    Made 1973 First Team All-Pro and Second Team All-Pro in 1974 and 1975.

References

Related Articles

Timelines

Top Qs

Fact Checks