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American college football season
The 1972 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the North Carolina Tar Heels of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season .[ 2] The team won its second consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship, going 6–0 in conference play, and played in the 1972 Sun Bowl , defeating Texas Tech by a score of 32–28. The Tar Heels ended the year ranked 12th in the AP Poll with an 11–1 record—the lone loss coming at Ohio State in their fourth game.[ 3] This was the first of only four seasons where North Carolina was able to win 11 games.
Schedule
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance Source September 9 1:30 p.m. Richmond * W 28–1831,500 [ 4]
September 16 1:30 p.m. Maryland W 31–2628,000 [ 5]
September 23 1:30 p.m. NC State Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (rivalry ) W 34–3347,000 [ 6]
September 30 1:30 p.m. at No. 5 Ohio State * L 14–2986,180 [ 7]
October 14 1:30 p.m. Kentucky * Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC W 31–2042,500 [ 8]
October 21 1:30 p.m. at Wake Forest W 21–027,000 [ 9]
November 4 1:30 p.m. at Clemson W 26–1038,235 [ 10] [ 11]
November 11 1:30 p.m. Virginia No. 18 W 23–336,500 [ 12]
November 18 1:30 p.m. Duke No. 16 W 14–047,000 [ 13]
November 25 1:30 p.m. East Carolina * No. 15 Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC W 42–1931,600 [ 14]
December 9 2:00 p.m. vs. Florida * No. 16 W 28–2433,103 [ 15]
December 30 1:00 p.m. vs. Texas Tech * No. 16 CBS W 32–2827,877 [ 16]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time
Personnel
1972 North Carolina Tar Heels football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
WR
Earle Bethea
RB
Ike Oglesby
QB
Nick Vidnovic
Jr
Defense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
DL
Gene Brown
Special teams
Pos.
#
Name
Class
K
Ellis Alexander
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
Game summaries
Ohio State
North Carolina Tar Heels at Ohio State Buckeyes
at Ohio Stadium , Columbus, Ohio
Date : September 30, 1972Game time : 1:30 p.m.Game weather : Cloudy, 49 °F (9 °C)Game attendance : 86,180Box Score
Game information
First quarter
UNC – Gene Brown recovered blocked punt in end zone (Ellis Alexander kick), 9:37. North Carolina 7–0.
OSU – Blair Conway 22-yard field goal, 0:06. North Carolina 7–3. Drive: 73 yards.
Second quarter
OSU – Greg Hare 17-yard run (kick failed), 11:50. Ohio St 9–7. Drive: 47 yards.
Third quarter
OSU – Randal Keith 11-yard run (Blair Conway kick), 8:41. Ohio St 16–7. Drive: 87 yards.
OSU – Champ Henson 9-yard run (Blair Conway kick), 2:00. Ohio St 23–7. Drive: 84 yards.
Fourth quarter
OSU – Archie Griffin 9-yard run (Blair Conway kick), 4:13. Ohio St 30–7. Drive: 31 yards.
UNC – Earle Bethea 37-yard pass from Nick Vidnovic (Ellis Alexander), 0:00. Ohio St 30–14. Drive: 1 play, 37 yards, 0:05.
Top passers
UNC – Nick Vidnovic – 4/14, 65 yards, TD, 2 INT
OSU – Greg Hare – 5/12, 96 yards, INT
Top rushers
UNC – Ike Oglesby – 14 rushes, 67 yards
OSU – Archie Griffin – 27 rushes, 239 yards, TD
Top receivers
UNC – Earle Bethea – 1 reception, 37 yards, TD
OSU – Richard Galbos – 3 receptions, 72 yards
References
^ "1972 Atlantic Coast Conference Year Summary" . sports-reference.com. Retrieved January 25, 2013 .
^ "1972 North Carolina Tar Heels" . College Football at Sports-Reference.com .
^ "1972 Final AP Football Poll" .
^ "Tar Heels rush past Richmond, 28–18" . The News and Observer . September 9, 1972. Retrieved October 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "North Carolina barely beats underdog Maryland 31–26" . The Danville Register . September 17, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Pack gamble fails, UNC victor, 34 to 33" . Richmond Times-Dispatch . September 24, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Frosh find leads Beckeyes by N.C." The Cincinnati Enquirer . October 1, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "North Carolina staves off upset-minded Kentucky, 31–20" . Rocky Mount Telegram . October 15, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "N. Carolina tops Wake Forest 21–0" . Tallahassee Democrat . October 22, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Clemson Football Media Guide - 1973" . Clemson University . 1973. p. 2. Retrieved November 5, 2023 .
^ "Tar Heels down Clemson" . Rocky Mount Telegram . November 5, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Tar Heels stumble to ACC title, 23–3" . The Gastonia Gazette . November 12, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "6 pass thefts carry UNC into Sun Bowl" . Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel . November 19, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Carolina runs through Pirates, 42–19" . The News and Observer . November 26, 1972. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "3 TDs by Johnson power N. Carolina" . The Courier-Journal . December 10, 1972. Retrieved October 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Tar Heels win on late score" . The Baltimore Sun . December 31, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons
National championships in bold