1972 San Diego Chargers season
The 1972 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's third season in the National Football League (NFL), and its 13th overall. The team failed to improve on their 6–8 record in 1971. The Chargers would get off to a poor start, as they were devoured 34-3 in their season opener at San Francisco. After their week 2 win against the Denver Broncos, the Chargers would play to a 17-17 draw with another cross-state rival, the Oakland Raiders. It was San Diego's fourth tie in 3 seasons (they tied 3 times in 1970). Even after they defeated the Baltimore Colts in the week following the tie, the Bolts would stumble the rest of the year, winning only 2 more games en route to a 4-9-1 season.
1972 San Diego Chargers season | |
---|---|
Head coach | Harland Svare |
General manager | Harland Svare |
Owner | Eugene V. Klein |
Home field | San Diego Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 4–9–1 |
Division place | 4th AFC West |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
NFL Draft
Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
|
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 17, 1972 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 34–3 | |
2 | September 24, 1972 | Denver Broncos | W 37–14 | |
3 | October 1, 1972 | at Oakland Raiders | T 17–17 | |
4 | October 8, 1972 | at Baltimore Colts | W 23–20 | |
5 | October 15, 1972 | at Miami Dolphins | L 24–10 | |
6 | October 22, 1972 | at Detroit Lions | L 34–20 | |
7 | October 29, 1972 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 26–14 | |
8 | November 5, 1972 | Dallas Cowboys | L 34–28 | |
9 | November 13, 1972 | Cleveland Browns | L 21–17 | |
10 | November 19, 1972 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 27–17 | |
11 | November 26, 1972 | Houston Oilers | W 34–20 | |
12 | December 3, 1972 | Oakland Raiders | L 21–19 | |
13 | December 10, 1972 | at Denver Broncos | L 38–13 | |
14 | December 17, 1972 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 24–2 |
Standings
AFC West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Oakland Raiders | 10 | 3 | 1 | .750 | 3–2–1 | 7–3–1 | 365 | 248 | W6 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 4–2 | 6–5 | 287 | 254 | W3 |
Denver Broncos | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 2–4 | 4–6 | 325 | 350 | W2 |
San Diego Chargers | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 2–3–1 | 4–6–1 | 264 | 344 | L3 |
Notable events
In their last game for the year, the Chargers became the thirty-third team in the NFL or leagues that merged with the NFL to score only a safety in a full game. This unusual occurrence has been repeated only five times since: by the 1980 Buffalo Bills, the 1983 Minnesota Vikings, the 1993 Cincinnati Bengals, the 2011 Atlanta Falcons (the only team to do so in a playoff game) and the 2013 Jacksonville Jaguars.