1972 Oklahoma Sooners football team

1972 Oklahoma Sooners football
Big Eight co-champion
Sugar Bowl champion
Sugar Bowl, W 14–0 vs. Penn State
Conference Big 8 Conference
Ranking
Coaches No. 2
AP No. 2
1972 record 11–1 (6–1 Big 8)
Head coach Chuck Fairbanks (6th season)
Offensive coordinator Barry Switzer (7th season)
Offensive scheme Wishbone
Defensive coordinator Larry Lacewell (3rd season)
Base defense 5-2
Home stadium Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 61,836)
1972 Big 8 football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 2 Oklahoma $ 6 –1 –0  11 –1 –0
No. 4 Nebraska $ 5 –1 –1  9 –2 –1
No. 16 Colorado 4 –3 –0  8 –4 –0
Oklahoma State 4 –3 –0  6 –5 –0
Missouri 3 –4 –0  6 –6 –0
Iowa State 2 –4 –1  5 –6 –1
Kansas 2 –5 –0  4 –7 –0
Kansas State 1 –6 –0  3 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Due to a dispute over Oklahoma forfeiting games, both OU and Nebraska claim this title.
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1972 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1972 college football season. Oklahoma was a member of the Big Eight Conference and played its home games in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where it has played its home games since 1923.[1] The team posted an 11–1 overall record and were 6–1 in conference, later changed to 8–4 and 3–4.[2][3] This was Chuck Fairbanks' last season as Sooner head coach;[2] he left for the New England Patriots of the NFL.

There is actually a discrepancy as to the Sooners' 1972 record. The NCAA never officially forced Oklahoma to forfeit games, having only penalized scholarships, TV appearances, bowl appearances, etc.[4] Oklahoma had used players (including Kerry Jackson, the team's first black quarterback) with falsified transcripts and at one point volunteered to forfeit all its games.[5] Eventually, the Big Eight asked them to forfeit three conference victories (Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma State) despite the fact that the NCAA still recognizes them,[6] but Oklahoma now recognizes these as wins and claims the 1972 conference title.[7]

Oklahoma was led by four All-Americans: Rod Shoate (OU's second three-time All-American),[8] Greg Pruitt,[9] Tom Brahaney[10] and Derland Moore.[11] This was the first season that the Selmon brothers Lucious, Lee Roy and Dewey, all eventual All-Americans,[12] anchored the defensive line. The Sooners played seven ranked opponents (In order, #10 Texas, #9 Colorado, #14 Iowa State, #14 Missouri, #5 Nebraska, #20 Oklahoma State, and #5 Penn State), and four of these opponents finished the season ranked. Oklahoma's only loss on the field was in the fifth game against Colorado. The team concluded its season with a 14–0 victory over Penn State in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Eve.[3]

Pruitt led the Sooners in rushing with 1024 yards, Dave Robertson led in passing with 1136 yards, and Tinker Owens led in receiving (for the first of four consecutive seasons) with 430 yards. Pruitt led in scoring with 86 points, Shoate in tackles with 145, and Dan Ruster in interceptions with seven.[13]

The 1972 Sooners twice posted 37 first downs, which was a school record that stood for 16 seasons.[14]

Schedule

Date Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
September 16 Utah State* No. 4 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK W 49–0   62,546[15]
September 23 Oregon* No. 2 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma W 68–3   62,240[15]
September 30 Clemson* No. 2 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma W 52–3   61,210[15]
October 14 vs. No. 10 Texas* No. 2 Cotton Bowl • Dallas, TX (Red River Shootout) ABC W 27–0   72,032[15]
October 21 at No. 9 Colorado No. 2 Folsom Field • Boulder, CO ABC L  14–20   52,022[15]
October 28 Kansas State No. 8 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma W 52–0   61,451[15]
November 4 at No. 14 Iowa State No. 7 Clyde Williams Field • Ames, IA W 20–6   34,941[15]
November 11 No. 14 Missouri No. 7 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma (Tiger–Sooner Peace Pipe) W 17–6   62,267[15]
November 18 at Kansas No. 4 Memorial Stadium • Lawrence, KS W 31–7   37,356[15]
November 23 at No. 5 Nebraska No. 4 Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE (Rivalry) ABC W 17–14   76,587[15]
December 2 No. 20 Oklahoma State No. 3 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma (Bedlam Series) W 38–15   62,363[15]
December 31 vs. No. 5 Penn State* No. 2 Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl) ABC W 14–0   80,123[15]
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll.

Game summaries

Utah State

1 234Total
Utah St 0 000 0
• Oklahoma 21 7147 49
  • Date: September 16
  • Location: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
  • Game attendance: 62,546

[16]

Oregon

1 2Total
Oregon 0
Oklahoma 0
  • Date: September 23
  • Location: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
  • Game attendance: 62,240

Clemson

#2 Oklahoma Sooners at Clemson Tigers
1 234Total
Clemson 0 003 3
• #2 Oklahoma 7 17217 52

[17]

Kansas

#4 Oklahoma Sooners at Kansas Jayhawks
1 234Total
• #4 Oklahoma 7 10140 31
Kansas 0 070 7

Oklahoma State

1 2Total
Oklahoma St 0
Oklahoma 0
  • Date: December 2
  • Location: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
  • Game attendance: 62,363

[18]

Awards and honors

References

  1. ↑ "Memorial Stadium". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "OU Football Tradition – 42 Conference Titles". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 22, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "1972 Football Season". SoonerStats.com. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  4. ↑ Brant, Tim (January 11, 2008). "After Further Review...The NCAA Weighs In". WJLA/NewsChannel 8. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  5. ↑ Cronley, Jay (April 30, 1973). "Oklahoma Penalty: Illegal Procedure: Admitting that Quarterback Kerry Jackson's high school transcript was altered, the Sooners forfeited eight of their 1972 wins". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  6. ↑ Edwards, Mark (June 13, 2009). "Forfeits, Voids, Vacations Make Mess of Records". Decatur Daily. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  7. ↑ "1972 season". soonersports.com. Sooner Sports Properties. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  8. 1 2 "All-American: Rod Shoate". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  9. 1 2 "All-American: Greg Pruitt". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  10. 1 2 "All-American: Tom Brahaney". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  11. 1 2 "All-American: Derland Moore". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  12. ↑ "OU Football Tradition – All-Americans". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  13. ↑ "2009 Football Record Book" (PDF). Big12sports.com. p. 164. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  14. ↑ "2009 Football Record Book" (PDF). Big 12 Conference. p. 164. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 http://www.soonerstats.com/football/seasons/schedule.cfm?seasonid=1972
  16. ↑ Palm Beach Post. 17 Sep 1972. Retrieved 2017-Jul-15.
  17. ↑ "Sooners again." Eugene Register-Guard. October 1, 1972
  18. ↑ Eugene Register-Guard. 1972 November 19.
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