The 1972 Green Bay Packers season was their 54th season overall and their 52nd season in the National Football League. This for first time since 1955 Bart Starr was not on the opening day roster. The team finished with a 10–4 record under second-year head coach Dan Devine, earning them the NFC Central division title. The Packers returned to the playoffs after a four-year drought (and qualified for the first time since Vince Lombardi departed as head coach); their most recent division title was in 1967, completing that postseason with a decisive win in Super Bowl II in January 1968.
In 1972, Green Bay entered the penultimate regular season game at Minnesota on December 10 with an 8–4 record. The Vikings (7–5) had won the season's earlier game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay by breaking a fourth quarter tie with two interceptions for touchdowns. This time, the Packers overcame a 7–0 halftime deficit at Metropolitan Stadium with 23 unanswered points to clinch the division title. Running back John Brockington became the first in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, and did it again the following season.
Placekicker Chester Marcol established an NFL rookie record for field goals in a season (since broken).NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 409 It was the fifteenth and final season of hall of fame linebacker Ray Nitschke.
The Packers' next playoff appearance would come in 1982, however their last playoff appearance in a full season came in 1993, and their next division title came 23 years later, in 1995.
Offseason In February , running back (and punter) Donny Anderson was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for MacArthur Lane. Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr retired as a player in July; he was the quarterbacks coach and play caller in 1972. (He then pursued business interests and was a color analyst for CBS, then returned to the Packers as their head coach in the 1975 season.)
NFL draft
Undrafted free agents
+ 1972 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeBob KrollSafetyNorthern MichiganBill JohanningmeierDefensive endColorado State
Roster 1972 Green Bay Packers roster Quarterbacks Scott Hunter Jerry Tagge
Running backs John Brockington Bob Hudson David Kopay MacArthur Lane Perry Williams
Wide receivers Carroll Dale Dave Davis Paul Gibson Leland Glass Jon Staggers
Tight ends Len Garrett Pete Lammons Offensive linemen Ken Bowman C Bill Hayhoe T Dick Himes T Kevin Hunt T Bill Lueck G Francis Peay T Malcolm Snider T Cal Withrow C Keith Wortman G
Defensive linemen Bob Brown DT Mike McCoy DT Dave Pureifory DE Alden Roche DE Vernon Vanoy DT Clarence Williams DE Linebackers Fred Carr OLB Jim Carter OLB Tommy Joe Crutcher OLB Larry Hefner OLB Ray Nitschke MLB Dave Robinson OLB
Defensive backs Willie Buchanon CB Ken Ellis CB Charlie Hall CB/S Jim Hill FS Bob Kroll FS Al Matthews SS Ike Thomas CB
Special teams Chester Marcol K Ron Widby PReserve lists Gale Gillingham DT (IR) Larry Krause RB (IR) Rich McGeorge TE (IR) Frank Patrick QB (IR)
Practice squad Charlie Napper QB Charlie Pittman RB Ward Walsh RB
Regular season
Schedule In week 3, the Packers defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys in Milwaukee, improving their all-time record to 7–1 over Dallas; the sole loss was in 1970. Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 17 at Cleveland Browns W 26–10 1–0 Cleveland Stadium 75,771 2 September 24 Oakland Raiders L 14–20 1–1 Lambeau Field 56,263 3 October 1 Dallas Cowboys W 16–13 2–1 Milwaukee County Stadium 47,103 4 October 8 Chicago Bears W 20–17 3–1 Lambeau Field 56,263 5 at Detroit Lions W 24–23 4–1 Tiger Stadium 54,418 6 October 22 Atlanta Falcons L 9–10 4–2 Milwaukee County Stadium 47,967 7 October 29 Minnesota Vikings L 13–27 4–3 Lambeau Field 56,263 8 November 5 San Francisco 49ers W 34–24 5–3 Milwaukee County Stadium 47,897 9 November 12 at Chicago Bears W 23–17 6–3 Soldier Field 55,701 10 November 19 at Houston Oilers W 23–10 7–3 Astrodome 41,752 11 November 26 at Washington Redskins L 16–21 7–4 RFK Stadium 53,039 12 December 3 Detroit Lions W 33–7 8–4 Lambeau Field 56,263 13 December 10 at Minnesota Vikings W 23–7 9–4 Metropolitan Stadium 49,784 14 December 17 at New Orleans Saints W 30–20 10–4 Tulane Stadium 65,881 Monday (October 16) Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Playoffs Green Bay met the NFC East champion Washington Redskins (11–3) in the divisional playoffs on Christmas Eve at RFK Stadium. The Packers practiced the week before at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The two teams had played four weeks earlier at the same venue; the Redskins won by five points on November 26, and were favored by in the playoff game by 4½ points. The results were similar, as Green Bay scored first but lost again in D.C., this time by thirteen points, 16–3.
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Divisional December 24 at Washington Redskins L 3–16 0–1 RFK Stadium 53,140
Standings
Awards, records, and honors Chester Marcol, NFL rookie record (since broken), most Field Goals in one year by a rookie, (32) Willie Buchanon – AP Defensive Rookie of the Year
References
Sources Sportsencyclopedia.com