| 1972 Denver Broncos season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Gerald Phipps |
| General manager | John Ralston |
| Head coach | John Ralston |
| Home field | Mile High Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–9 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
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The 1972 Denver Broncos season was the team's 13th season in professional football and third in the National Football League (NFL). Under first-year head coach and general manager John Ralston, the Broncos finished with five wins and nine losses, third in the AFC West Division.[1]
Hired in early January, Ralston was previously the head coach for nine years at Stanford University; in his final two seasons, he led the Indians to consecutive Pac-8 titles and upset victories in the Rose Bowl.[2][3]
| 1972 Denver Broncos draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Riley Odoms * | Tight end | Houston | |
| 3 | 58 | Bill Phillips | LB | Arkansas State | |
| 4 | 102 | Tom Graham | LB | Oregon | |
| 5 | 118 | Jim Krieg | WR | Washington | |
| 8 | 186 | Ron Estay | DT | LSU | |
| 9 | 214 | Floyd Priester | DB | Boston University | |
| 10 | 239 | Richard Wilkins | DE | Maryland State | |
| 11 | 263 | Larry Brunson | WR | Colorado | |
| 12 | 292 | Randy McDougall | DB | Weber State | |
| 13 | 317 | Bob Warner | RB | Bloomsburg (PA) | |
| 14 | 342 | Jerome Kundich | G | Texas-El Paso | |
| 15 | 370 | Harold Parmenter | DT | Massachusetts | |
| 16 | 395 | Tom Bougus | RB | Boston College | |
| 17 | 420 | Lou Harris | RB | USC | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Practice squad
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The Broncos' last three home games kicked off at noon MST instead of the standard 2 p.m.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17 | Houston Oilers | W 30–17 | 1–0 | Mile High Stadium | 51,656 | |
| 2 | September 24 | atSan Diego Chargers | L 14–37 | 1–1 | San Diego Stadium | 49,048 | |
| 3 | October 1 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 24–45 | 1–2 | Mile High Stadium | 51,656 | |
| 4 | October 8 | atCincinnati Bengals | L 10–21 | 1–3 | Riverfront Stadium | 55,812 | |
| 5 | October 15 | Minnesota Vikings | L 20–23 | 1–4 | Mile High Stadium | 51,656 | |
| 6 | October 22 | atOakland Raiders | W 30–23 | 2–4 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 53,551 | |
| 7 | October 29 | Cleveland Browns | L 20–27 | 2–5 | Mile High Stadium | 51,656 | |
| 8 | November 5 | atNew York Giants | L 17–29 | 2–6 | Yankee Stadium | 62,689 | |
| 9 | November 12 | atLos Angeles Rams | W 16–10 | 3–6 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 65,398 | |
| 10 | November 19 | Oakland Raiders | L 20–37 | 3–7 | Mile High Stadium | 51,656 | |
| 11 | November 26 | atAtlanta Falcons | L 20–23 | 3–8 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 58,850 | |
| 12 | December 3 | atKansas City Chiefs | L 21–24 | 3–9 | Arrowhead Stadium | 66,725 | |
| 13 | December 10 | San Diego Chargers | W 38–13 | 4–9 | Mile High Stadium | 51,478 | |
| 14 | December 17 | New England Patriots | W 45–21 | 5–9 | Mile High Stadium | 51,656 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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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 |
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| Division championships (15) |
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| Conference championships (8) |
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| League championships (3) |
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| Current league affiliations |
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| Former league affiliation |
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Bold indicates Super Bowl victory |
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