# 1972 Baltimore Colts season

The 1972 Baltimore Colts season was the 20th season for the team in the National Football League. They finished with 5 wins and 9 losses, third in the AFC East.
Robert Irsay, who had recently taken over the Los Angeles Rams, traded ownership of the NFL franchises with Colts' owner Carroll Rosenbloom, with players and coaching staffs remaining intact. Rosenbloom had previously wanted to move the Colts to Tampa, but was turned down by the league.
However, the Colts were getting older and started 1–4 before third-year head coach Don McCafferty was fired by new general manager Joe Thomas. In their final nine games under interim head coach John Sandusky, Baltimore won four to finish at 5–9, their first losing mark in sixteen seasons. The entire coaching staff was let go after the season concluded.

## Offseason

* July 13, 1972 — Robert Irsay bought the Los Angeles Rams and transferred ownership to Carroll Rosenbloom, in exchange for ownership of the Colts.

### NFL draft

1972 Baltimore Colts draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 22 | Tom Drougas | Offensive tackle | Oregon | |
| 2 | 46 | Jack Mildren | Quarterback | Oklahoma | |
| 2 | 47 | Glenn Doughty | Wide receiver | Michigan | |
| 2 | 48 | Lydell Mitchell * | Running back | Penn State | |
| 4 | 104 | Eric Allen | Wide receiver | Michigan State | Played for the Toronto Argonauts from 1972 to 1975 |
| 5 | 115 | Don Croft | Defensive tackle | UTEP | |
| 6 | 152 | Bruce Laird * | Safety | American International | |
| 7 | 169 | John Sykes | Running back | Morgan State | |
| 8 | 191 | Al Qualls | Linebacker | Oklahoma | |
| 8 | 204 | Van Brownson | Quarterback | Nebraska | |
| 9 | 215 | Gary Hambell | Defensive tackle | Dayton | |
| 10 | 256 | Dave Shilling | Running back | Oregon State | |
| 11 | 282 | Fred DeBernardi | Defensive end | UTEP | |
| 12 | 308 | Gary Theiler | Tight end | Tennessee | |
| 13 | 334 | Herb Washington | Wide receiver | Michigan State | |
| 14 | 359 | John Morris | Center | Missouri Valley | |
| 15 | 386 | Robin Parkhouse | Linebacker | Alabama | |
| 16 | 412 | Gary Wichard | Quarterback | C.W. Post | |
| 17 | 438 | Stan White | Linebacker | Ohio State | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Regular season

The season began ominously for the Colts when they were defeated at home on opening day by the St. Louis Cardinals and their journeyman quarterback, Tim Van Galder. In week two, Johnny Unitas threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns, but it was far from enough as Joe Namath threw for 496 yards and six touchdowns to power the New York Jets to a 44–34 victory at Memorial Stadium, the Jets' first victory over the Colts since Super Bowl III.
In October, the Colts' season reached its nadir when it was shut out twice at home in a three-week stretch by the Dallas Cowboys, who undoubtedly wanted revenge for their loss to Baltimore in Super Bowl V, and the Miami Dolphins, who were on their way to a 17–0 season and their first Super Bowl championship under former Colts coach Don Shula.
Unitas, age 39, made his final appearance in Baltimore in the fourth quarter of a 35–7 victory over Buffalo on December 3, and threw a 63-yard completion for his 287th career touchdown pass. Two weeks later, he played his final game as a Colt, with a completion and an interception.
For the third consecutive year, the Colts played their season finale at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Only this time, it was not in the postseason, but a humbling 16–0 shutout to the Dolphins in Week 14 in a game which was nowhere near as close as the final score. Baltimore ended the 1970 season with a win over the Cowboys in Super Bowl V, and ended the 1971 season with a loss to the Dolphins in the AFC Championship game.

### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 17 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 3–10 | 0–1 | Memorial Stadium | 53,562 | Recap |
| 2 | September 24 | New York Jets | L 34–44 | 0–2 | Memorial Stadium | 56,626 | Recap |
| 3 | October 1 | at Buffalo Bills | W 17–0 | 1–2 | War Memorial Stadium | 46,206 | Recap |
| 4 | October 8 | San Diego Chargers | L 20–23 | 1–3 | Memorial Stadium | 55,459 | Recap |
| 5 | October 15 | Dallas Cowboys | L 0–21 | 1–4 | Memorial Stadium | 58,992 | Recap |
| 6 | October 22 | at New York Jets | L 20–24 | 1–5 | Shea Stadium | 62,948 | Recap |
| 7 | October 29 | Miami Dolphins | L 0–23 | 1–6 | Memorial Stadium | 60,000 | Recap |
| 8 | November 6 | at New England Patriots | W 24–17 | 2–6 | Schaefer Stadium | 60,999 | Recap |
| 9 | November 12 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 21–24 | 2–7 | Candlestick Park | 61,214 | Recap |
| 10 | November 19 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 20–19 | 3–7 | Riverfront Stadium | 49,512 | Recap |
| 11 | November 26 | New England Patriots | W 31–0 | 4–7 | Memorial Stadium | 54,907 | Recap |
| 12 | December 3 | Buffalo Bills | W 35–7 | 5–7 | Memorial Stadium | 55,390 | Recap |
| 13 | December 10 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 10–24 | 5–8 | Arrowhead Stadium | 44,175 | Recap |
| 14 | December 16 | at Miami Dolphins | L 0–16 | 5–9 | Orange Bowl | 80,010 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. ||||||||

### Standings

AFC East :
| viewtalkedit | 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 |