1972 Dallas Cowboys season
| 1972 Dallas Cowboys season |
|
| Head coach |
Tom Landry |
| Home field |
Texas Stadium |
|
| Results |
| Record |
10–4 |
| Division Place |
2nd NFC East |
| Playoff finish |
Lost Conference Championship |
| Timeline |
|
| Previous season |
Next season |
| 1971 |
1973 |
The 1972 Dallas Cowboys season was their 13th in the league. The team failed to improve their previous output of 11–3, winning only ten games.[1] They qualified for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season but settled for the wildcard spot. A pre-season injury to quarterback Roger Staubach and the trade of Duane Thomas (both had been integral figures in the 1971 championship team) hindered the offense (mitigated somewhat since their replacements, Craig Morton and Calvin Hill, were former starters). In the divisional playoff round, Staubach came off the bench to engineer an improbable 30–28 comeback win over the 49ers (Dallas had trailed by 28–16 with less than 2 minutes to play). The win over the 49ers still ranks as one of the all-time great Cowboys wins. However, the momentum could not carry them to a victory over Washington in the NFC Championship game.
Regular season
Schedule
| Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Attendance |
| 1 |
September 17, 1972 |
Philadelphia Eagles |
W 28–6 |
55,850
|
| 2 |
September 24, 1972 |
at New York Giants |
W 23–14 |
62,725
|
| 3 |
October 1, 1972 |
at Green Bay Packers |
L 16–13 |
47,103
|
| 4 |
October 8, 1972 |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
W 17–13 |
65,682
|
| 5 |
October 15, 1972 |
at Baltimore Colts |
W 21–0 |
58,992
|
| 6 |
October 22, 1972 |
at Washington Redskins |
L 24–20 |
53,039
|
| 7 |
October 30, 1972 |
Detroit Lions |
W 28–24 |
65,378
|
| 8 |
November 5, 1972 |
at San Diego Chargers |
W 34–28 |
54,476
|
| 9 |
November 12, 1972 |
St. Louis Cardinals |
W 33–24 |
65,218
|
| 10 |
November 19, 1972 |
at Philadelphia Eagles |
W 28–7 |
65,720
|
| 11 |
November 23, 1972 |
San Francisco 49ers |
L 31–10 |
65,124
|
| 12 |
December 3, 1972 |
at St. Louis Cardinals |
W 27–6 |
49,787
|
| 13 |
December 9, 1972 |
Washington Redskins |
W 34–24 |
65,136
|
| 14 |
December 17, 1972 |
New York Giants |
L 23–3 |
64,602
|
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
| Week One: Phildelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary |
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| Eagles |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
| Cowboys |
0 |
7 |
14 |
7 |
28 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
- Date: September 17
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 80 degrees, wind 11 mph
- Box Score
|
| Game information |
- First quarter
- Second quarter
- Third quarter
- DAL - Lance Alworth 13 yard pass from Craig Morton (Toni Fritsch kick), Cowboys 14-6
- DAL - Calvin Hill 3 yard run (Toni Fritsch kick), Cowboys 21-6
- Fourth quarter
|
- Top passers
- PHI – John Reaves - 11/19, 143 yards, 2 interceptions
- DAL – Craig Morton - 13/26, 235 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
- Top rushers
- PHI – Po James - 13 carries, 28 yards
- DAL – Calvin Hill - 17 carries, 65 yards, 1 touchdown
- Top receivers
- PHI – Harold Jackson - 9 receptions, 161 yards
- DAL – Ron Sellers - 3 receptions, 88 yards, 1 touchdown
|
|
|
Week 2: at New York Giants
| Week Two: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants – Game summary |
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| Cowboys |
7 |
3 |
3 |
10 |
23 |
| Giants |
0 |
7 |
0 |
7 |
14 |
at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
- Date: September 24
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 60 degrees, wind 8 mph
- Box Score
|
| Game information |
- First quarter
- Second quarter
- DAL - Toni Fritsch 54 yard field goal, Cowboys 10-0
- NYG - Rich Houston 55 yard pass from Norm Snead (Pete Gogolak kick), Cowboys 10-7
- Third quarter
- DAL - Toni Fritsch 13 yard field goal, Cowboys 13-7
- Fourth quarter
- DAL - Toni Fritsch 8 yard field goal, Cowboys 16-7
- NYG - Rich Houston 94 yard pass from Norm Snead (Pete Gogolak kick), Cowboys 16-14
- DAL - Lance Alworth 3 yard pass from Craig Morton (Toni Fritsch kick), Cowboys 23-14
|
- Top passers
- DAL - Craig Morton - 15/27, 158 yards, 1 touchdown
- NYG - Norm Snead - 19/26, 298 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
- Top rushers
- DAL - Calvin Hill - 20 carries, 91 yards
- NYG - Ron Johnson - 14 carries, 42 yards
- Top receivers
- DAL - Billy Parks - 4 receptions, 49 yards
- NYG - Rich Houston - 5 receptions, 175 yards, 2 touchdowns
|
|
|
Playoffs
Standings
Roster
| Dallas Cowboys 1972 roster |
| Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
|
Reserve Lists
Currently vacant
Rookies in italics
45 Active, 0 Inactive
|
Trivia
This season marks the first time in Cowboys history they wore their white jerseys for every game. The second and only other time so far was 2010.
References
|
|
|
|
|
|
| The Franchise |
|
|
| Stadiums |
|
|
| Culture |
|
|
| Lore |
|
|
| Rivalries |
|
|
| Head Coaches |
|
|
| Super Bowl Appearances (8) |
|
|
| League Championships (5) |
|
|
| Ring of Honor |
|
|
| Seasons |
|
|
| Current League Affiliations |
|
|