1972 Iowa State Cyclones football team

The 1972 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State University in the Big Eight Conference during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. In their fifth and final year under head coach Johnny Majors, the Cyclones compiled a 5–6–1 record (2–4–1 against conference opponents), finished in seventh place in the conference, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 319 to 238.[3][4] They played their home games at Clyde Williams Field in Ames, Iowa.

1972 Iowa State Cyclones football
Liberty Bowl, L 30–31 vs. Georgia Tech
Conference	Big Eight Conference
1972 record	5–6–1 (2–4–1 Big 8)
Head coach	Johnny Majors (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	George Haffner (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Jackie Sherrill (3rd season)
Captain	George Amundson, Matt Blair
Home stadium	Clyde Williams Field

1972 Big Eight Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Oklahoma $	6	–	1	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 4 Nebraska $	5	–	1	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
No. 16 Colorado	4	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Oklahoma State	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Missouri	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	6	–	0
Iowa State	2	–	4	–	1			5	–	6	–	1
Kansas	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Kansas State	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Due to a dispute over Oklahoma forfeiting games, both Oklahoma[1] and Nebraska[2] claim this title. Rankings from AP Poll

George Amundson and Matt Blair were the team captains.[4]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 16	at Colorado State*		Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO	W 41–0	20,651
September 23	Utah*		Clyde Williams Field Ames, IA	W 44–22	28,885
September 30	New Mexico*		Clyde Williams Field Ames, IA	W 31–0	29,697
October 14	at No. 13 Colorado	No. 18	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	L 22–34	51,312
October 21	Kansas State	No. 20	Clyde Williams Field Ames, IA (rivalry)	W 55–22	35,893
October 28	at Kansas	No. 15	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 34–8	33,710
November 4	No. 7 Oklahoma	No. 14	Clyde Williams Field Ames, IA	L 6–20	34,941
November 11	No. 3 Nebraska	No. 17	Clyde Williams Field Ames, IA	T 23–23	36,690
November 18	at No. 19 Missouri	No. 12	Faurot Field Columbia, MO (Telephone Trophy)	L 5–6	43,718
November 25	at Oklahoma State	No. 17	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK	L 14–45	26,495
December 2	at San Diego State*		San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA	L 14–27	39,048
December 18	vs. Georgia Tech*		Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl)	L 30–31	50,021
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Source:[4][5]

Roster

1972 Iowa State Cyclones Football[6]

Quarterback 10 John Piekelko - Sophomore (6'2", 186) 11 Bob Martin - Freshman (6'1", 180) 12 George Amundson - Senior (6'2", 214) 15 Wendy Holloway - Sophomore (6'4", 216) 16 Bill Miller - Junior (6'2", 195) 17 Kerry Robinson - Sophomore (6'2", 198) 18 Wayne Stanley - Sophomore (6'1", 180) Running backs 31 Moses Moore 32 Jerry Moses 33 Mike Strachan 34 Jim Wingender

Rankings

See also: 1972 NCAA University Division football rankings

Ranking Movement

Poll	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	RV	20	18	20	15	14	17	12	17	RV	NR	RV
Coaches	19	17	18	15	17	14	NR	14	13	14	12	18	NR	NR	NR

Game summaries

at Colorado State

To open the 1972 season, Iowa State went on the road to shutout the Colorado State Rams 41–0, the first of three games against Western Athletic Conference opponents. The first quarter of the game was a stalemate, but the running of tailback Jerry Moses powered an 86-yard drive that concluded in a four-yard touchdown run on a sneak play by George Amundson in the first minutes of the second quarter.[7] George Amundson completed 12 of 126 passes for 171 yards, throwing three touchdowns and running for another. Don Greenwood, who started at tight end after Keith Krepfle cracked a neck vertebrae during practice the previous week, caught six passes for 80 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown reception. Moses, who gained 66 yards in twelve carries, suffered a knee injury early in the second quarter and was replaced by Mike Strachan, who had 143 yards in seven carries, including a 24-yard run to set up the third Iowa State touchdown.[8] In the final minutes of the blowout, reserve quarterback Wayne Stanley came in and ran for 53 yards, including the final touchdown.[9]

References

1. "2018 Media Guide" (PDF). soonersports.com. Oklahoma Athletics. p. 6. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
2. "2018 Media Guide" (PDF). huskers.com. Nebraska Athletics. p. 206. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
3. "1972 Iowa State Cyclones Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
4. "2019 Iowa State Football Fact Book" (PDF). Iowa State University. 2019. p. 172.
5. "1972 Football Schedule". Iowa State Cyclones. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
6. Iowa State vs. New Mexico Official Football Program. Iowa State University Department of Athletics. 1972. p. 28.
7. "Amundson Tosses Three As Cyclones Romp, 41–0". Cedar Rapids Gazette. September 17, 1972. p. 1D.
8. Moackler, Jim (September 17, 1972). "Cyclones off to rousing start". Des Moines Register. pp. 1D, 4D.
9. Twitty, Mike (September 17, 1972). "Cyclones stun Colorado State, 41–0". Fort Collins Coloradoan. p. 23.