The 1972 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 23rd season in the National Football League and their 27th overall. The 49ers appeared in the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
| 1972 San Francisco 49ers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Josephine Morabito Jane Morabito |
| General manager | Louis Spadia |
| Head coach | Dick Nolan |
| Home field | Candlestick Park |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–5–1 |
| Division place | 1st NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (vs. Cowboys) 28–30 |
| Pro Bowlers | C Forrest Blue G Woody Peoples WR Gene Washington TE Ted Kwalick OLB Dave Wilcox CB Jimmy Johnson |
After an ankle injury to quarterback John Brodie in a loss to the Giants to fall to 2–3,[1] Steve Spurrier stepped in and turned things around with brilliant performances to get the 49ers back in the playoff picture by going 5–2–1 in the next eight games. In the regular season finale, Brodie returned late in the third quarter and threw two touchdown passes in the fourth to rally the 49ers to a 20–17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings for an 8–5–1 record and third straight division title.[2][3]
In the divisional playoffs at Candlestick Park, the 49ers looked poised for a return to the NFC Championship game, leading the Dallas Cowboys 28–13 at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Cowboys scored seventeen unanswered points to win by two.[4][5]
This was the third consecutive season that San Francisco lost to Dallas in the playoffs, and the 49ers' last postseason appearance for nine years.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1972 San Francisco 49ers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Terry Beasley | Wide receiver | Auburn | |
| 2 | 28 | Ralph McGill | Defensive back | Tulsa | |
| 2 | 44 | Jean Barrett | Tackle | Tulsa | started playing for the 49ers in 1973 |
| 3 | 71 | Jubilee Dunbar | Wide receiver | Southern | |
| 4 | 96 | Windlan Hall | Defensive back | Arizona State | |
| 5 | 123 | Mike Greene | Linebacker | Georgia | |
| 6 | 148 | Jackie Walker | Defensive back | Tennessee | |
| 7 | 175 | Ed Hardy | Guard | Jackson State | started playing for the 49ers in 1973 |
| 8 | 200 | Tom Wittum * | Punter | Northern Illinois | started playing for the 49ers in 1973 |
| 9 | 227 | Jerry Brown | Defensive back | Northwestern | |
| 10 | 252 | Steve Williams | Defensive end | Western Carolina | |
| 11 | 279 | Tom Laputka | Defensive end | Southern Illinois | |
| 12 | 304 | Steve Setzler | Defensive end | Saint John's (MN) | |
| 13 | 331 | Leon Pettigrew | Tackle | Cal State Northridge | |
| 14 | 356 | Eric Guthrie | Quarterback | Boise State | |
| 15 | 383 | Bob Maddox | Defensive end | Frostburg State | was ineligible to be drafted. |
| 16 | 408 | Ron Davis | Guard | Virginia State | |
| 17 | 435 | Ted Alexander | Running back | Langston | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
- Source:[6]
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists Practice squad
| ||||||
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 5 | vs. New York Jets | L 10–17 | 0–1 | Gator Bowl | 41,920 |
| 2 | August 13 | Cleveland Browns | W 20–13 | 1–1 | Candlestick Park | 58,364 |
| 3 | August 19 | at San Diego Chargers | L 16–17 | 1–2 | San Diego Stadium | 47,308 |
| 4 | August 27 | Denver Broncos | L 24–27 | 1–3 | Candlestick Park | 58,115 |
| 5 | September 3 | Oakland Raiders | W 34–21 | 2–3 | Candlestick Park | 61,237 |
| 6 | September 8 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 17–14 | 3–3 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 60,807 |
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17 | San Diego Chargers | W 34–3 | 1–0 | Candlestick Park | 59,438 | |
| 2 | September 24 | at Buffalo Bills | L 20–27 | 1–1 | War Memorial Stadium | 45,845 | |
| 3 | October 1 | at New Orleans Saints | W 37–2 | 2–1 | Tulane Stadium | 69,840 | |
| 4 | October 8 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 7–31 | 2–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 77,382 | |
| 5 | October 15 | New York Giants | L 17–23 | 2–3 | Candlestick Park | 58,606 | |
| 6 | October 22 | New Orleans Saints | T 20–20 | 2–3–1 | Candlestick Park | 59,167 | |
| 7 | October 29 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 49–14 | 3–3–1 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 | |
| 8 | November 5 | at Green Bay Packers | L 24–34 | 3–4–1 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 47,897 | |
| 9 | November 12 | Baltimore Colts | W 24–21 | 4–4–1 | Candlestick Park | 61,214 | |
| 10 | November 19 | at Chicago Bears | W 34–21 | 5–4–1 | Soldier Field | 55,701 | |
| 11 | November 23 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 31–10 | 6–4–1 | Texas Stadium | 65,124 | |
| 12 | December 4 | Los Angeles Rams | L 16–26 | 6–5–1 | Candlestick Park | 61,214 | |
| 13 | December 10 | Atlanta Falcons | W 20–0 | 7–5–1 | Candlestick Park | 61,214 | |
| 14 | December 16 | Minnesota Vikings | W 20–17 | 8–5–1 | Candlestick Park | 61,214 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 8 | 5 | 1 | .607 | 3–2–1 | 6–4–1 | 353 | 249 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 5–5 | 269 | 274 | L2 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6 | 7 | 1 | .464 | 4–2 | 5–5–1 | 291 | 286 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2 | 11 | 1 | .179 | 1–4–1 | 2–8–1 | 215 | 361 | L3 |
Postseason
Schedule
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 23 | Dallas Cowboys | L 28–30 | 0–1 | Candlestick Park | 61,214 |