1972 Buffalo Bills season

1972 Buffalo Bills season
1972 Buffalo Bills season
Owner	Ralph Wilson
Head coach	Lou Saban
Home field	War Memorial Stadium
Results
Record	4–9–1
Division place	4th AFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
	← 1971; Bills seasons; 1973 →;

The 1972 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise’s third season in the National Football League, and thirteenth overall. It was also their last season at War Memorial Stadium which had been their home field since the franchise started in 1960.

Season summary

The 1972 season marked the return of former Bills coach Lou Saban,^[a] who had previously led the team to two AFL Championships.

Saban had a new offensive philosophy for Buffalo in 1972. In his first three seasons, former number one overall pick O. J. Simpson had only carried the ball an average of 161 times per season. Saban rushed Simpson 292 times in 1972,^[1] the second-most in the league behind the Giants' Ron Johnson.^[2]

Despite losing two starting offensive lineman – center Bruce Jarvis and guard Jim Reilly—in the season opener,^[3] O. J. Simpson still led the league in rushing with 1,251 yards. This would be was Simpson’s first of four rushing titles over the next five seasons.

Although the Bills had a potent, yard-gaining rushing attack, they could not put enough points on the scoreboard, scoring only 257 points (18.3 per game) all season, ninteeenth in the league out of 26 teams.^[4] Furthermore, Buffalo's defense gave up 377 points (23.5 per game), the third-most in the NFL in 1972.^[5]

As of 2023, this season was the most recent in which the Bills recorded a tie game.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1972 Buffalo Bills draft
1	1	Walt Patulski	DE	Notre Dame
2	27	Reggie McKenzie^[b]	G	Michigan
4	79	Randy Jackson	RB	Wichita State
5	105	Leon Garror	DB	Alcorn A&M
5	108	Bob Penchion	G	Alcorn A&M
8	183	Paul Gibson	WR	UTEP
10	235	Maurice Tyler	DB	Morgan State
13	313	Eddie Moss	RB	Southeast Missouri State
14	340	Karl Salb	DT	Kansas
16	391	Brian Linstrom	QB	Arizona
17	417	John Shelley	DB	Oklahoma
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[6]

Personnel

Staff/Coaches

**1972 Buffalo Bills staff**
	Front office President – Ralph Wilson Vice President and General Manager – Bob Lustig Vice President – Pat McGroder Head coaches Head coach – Lou Saban Offensive coaches Receivers – Bob Shaw Offensive Line – Jim Ringo			Defensive coaches Defensive Line – Stan Jones Linebackers – Jim Dooley Defensive Backfield – Bill Atkins Special teams coaches Special Teams – Ed Cavanaugh

Roster

**1972 Buffalo Bills roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 10 Leo Hart 16 Dennis Shaw 17 Mike Taliaferro Running backs (RB) 34 Jim Braxton FB 33 Randy Jackson 30 Wayne Patrick 32 O. J. Simpson Wide receivers (WR) 86 Marlin Briscoe 81 Bob Chandler 26 Linzy Cole 40 J. D. Hill 25 Haven Moses Tight ends (TE) 37 Ted Koy 80 Jan White		Offensive linemen (OL) 60 Bill Adams G 79 Paul Costa T 78 Dave Foley T 74 Donnie Green T 51 Bruce Jarvis C 53 John Matlock C 67 Reggie McKenzie G 66 Bob Penchion G 68 Remi Prudhomme C Defensive linemen (DL) 83 Bob Christiansen DT 75 Frank Cornish DT 82 Al Cowlings DE 72 Don Croft DT 76 Mike McBath DE 88 Steve Okoniewski DT 85 Walt Patulski DE		Linebackers (LB) 52 Edgar Chandler 57 Dale Farley 59 Paul Guidry 56 Ken Lee 50 Dick Palmer 58 Mike Stratton 86 Dave Washington Defensive backs (DB) 47 Leon Garror CB 43 Tony Greene FS 20 Robert James CB 48 John Pitts FS 21 John Saunders SS 42 Maurice Tyler SS 41 Alvin Wyatt CB Special teams 11 Spike Jones P 3 John Leypoldt K				Reserve 61 Jim Reilly G (NF-Inj.) Rookies in italics

October 16 – Haven Moses (WR) was traded to Denver for Dwight Harrison (WR).^[7]^[8]

Regular season

In his fourth NFL season, running back O. J. Simpson gained over 1,000 yards rushing for the first time. The 23–24 loss on October 22 was the closest margin of victory for the Dolphins in the NFL’s only perfect season.^[9]

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 17	New York Jets	L 24–41	0–1	War Memorial Stadium	Recap
2	September 24	San Francisco 49ers	W 27–20	1–1	War Memorial Stadium	Recap
3	October 1	Baltimore Colts	L 0–17	1–2	War Memorial Stadium	Recap
4	October 8	New England Patriots	W 38–14	2–2	War Memorial Stadium	Recap
5	October 15	at Oakland Raiders	L 16–28	2–3	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	Recap
6	October 22	at Miami Dolphins	L 23–24	2–4	Orange Bowl	Recap
7	October 29	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 21–38	2–5	War Memorial Stadium	Recap
8	November 5	Miami Dolphins	L 16–30	2–6	War Memorial Stadium	Recap
9	November 12	at New York Jets	L 3–41	2–7	Shea Stadium	Recap
10	November 19	at New England Patriots	W 27–24	3–7	Schaefer Stadium	Recap
11	November 26	at Cleveland Browns	L 10–27	3–8	Cleveland Stadium	Recap
12	December 3	at Baltimore Colts	L 7–35	3–9	Memorial Stadium	Recap
13	December 10	Detroit Lions	T 21–21	3–9–1	War Memorial Stadium	Recap
14	December 17	at Washington Redskins	W 24–17	4–9–1	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

^[10]

Season summary

Week 2: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week Two: San Francisco 49ers (1–0) at Buffalo Bills (0–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	3	7	3	7	20
Bills	0	6	7	14	27

at War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York

Date: September 24
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 60 °F (15.6 °C); wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
^[11]

Game information

First Quarter

SF — Gossett 47-yard field goal. 49ers 3–0

Second Quarter

BUF — Leypoldt 32-yard field goal. 3–3
BUF — Leypoldt 22-yard field goal. Bills 6–3
SF — Kwalick 20-yard pass from Spurrier (Gossett kick). 49ers 10–6

Third Quarter

SF — Gossett 20-yard field goal. 49ers 13–6
BUF — White 17-yard pass from Shaw (Leypoldt kick). 13–13

Fourth Quarter

SF — Schreiber 2-yard rush (Gossett kick). 49ers 20–13
BUF — Braxton 2-yard rush (Leypoldt kick). 20–20
BUF — Braxton 1 yard rush (Leypoldt kick). Bills 27–20

Top passers

SF — Steve Spurrier, 10/25, 171 yards, TD, 2 INT
BUF — Dennis Shaw, 8/20, 105 yards, TD, INT

Top rushers

SF — Vic Washington, 9 rushes, 18 yards
BUF — O. J. Simpson, 29 rushes, 138 yards

Top receivers

SF — Gene Washington, 3 receptions, 89 yards
BUF — J. D. Hill, 2 receptions, 33 yards

Week 13: vs Detroit Lions

Week Thirteen: Detroit Lions (7–5) at Buffalo Bills (3–9)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	0	7	7	7	21
Bills	0	7	7	7	21

at War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York

Date: December 10
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 32 °F (0 °C), wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn), wind chill 24 °F (−4.4 °C)
Game attendance: 41,583
^[12]

Game information

First quarter

No scoring

Second quarter

DET – Earl McCullouch 9-yard pass from Greg Landry (Errol Mann kick). Lions 7–0. Drive:
BUF – J.D. Hill 58-yard pass from Dennis Shaw (John Leypoldt kick). Tie 7–7. Drive:

Third quarter

BUF – Bob Chandler 39-yard pass from Dennis Shaw (John Leypoldt kick). Bills 14–7. Drive:
DET – Nick Eddy 36-yard pass from Greg Landry (Errol Mann kick). Tie 14–14. Drive:

Fourth quarter

BUF – Jan White 2-yard pass from Dennis Shaw (John Leypoldt kick). Bills 21–14. Drive:
DET – Ron Jessie 37-yard pass from Greg Landry (Errol Mann kick). Tie 21–21. Drive:

Top passers

DET – Greg Landry – 8/25, 150 yards, 3 TD
BUF – Dennis Shaw – 18/32, 239 yards, 3 TD

Top rushers

DET – Greg Landry – 9 rushes, 46 yards
BUF – O.J. Simpson – 27 rushes, 116 yards

Top receivers

DET – Ron Jessie – 2 receptions, 51 yards, TD
BUF – J.D. Hill – 8 receptions, 129 yards, TD

Standings

AFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Miami Dolphins	14	0	0	1.000	8–0	11–0	385	171	W14
New York Jets	7	7	0	.500	6–2	6–5	367	324	L2
Baltimore Colts	5	9	0	.357	4–4	5–6	235	252	L2
Buffalo Bills	4	9	1	.321	2–6	2–9	257	377	W1
New England Patriots	3	11	0	.214	0–8	0–11	192	446	L1

Notes

^ Saban had coached the Bills from 1962 to 1965 before leaving for the University of Maryland
^ Made 1973 First Team All-Pro and Second Team All-Pro in 1974 and 1975.

References

^ "O. J. Simpson". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
^ "1972 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
^ Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; Korch, Rich (August 1994). "Pro Football". The Sports Encyclopedia (12th ed.). Martin's Press. p. 234. ISBN 0-312-11073-1.
^ "1972 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
^ "1972 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
^ Buffalo Bills 1972 NFL Draft
^ Wallace, William N. (October 17, 1972). "Morrall perfectly cast as Griese's substitute". New York Times. p. 51.
^ "Broncos deal end to Bills". Schenectady Gazette. (New York). Associated Press. October 17, 1972. p. 28.
^ Salguero, Armando (2020). 100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3.
^ "1972 Buffalo Bills Schedule". National Football League.
^ "San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills — September 24th, 1972". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
^ "Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills — December 10th, 1972". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

This article relating to an American football season is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Saban had coached the Bills from 1962 to 1965 before leaving for the University of Maryland

[7] Made 1973 First Team All-Pro and Second Team All-Pro in 1974 and 1975.

[2] "O. J. Simpson". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

[3] "1972 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

[4] Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; Korch, Rich (August 1994). "Pro Football". The Sports Encyclopedia (12th ed.). Martin's Press. p. 234. ISBN 0-312-11073-1.

[5] "1972 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

[6] "1972 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

[Buffalo_Bills_1972_NFL_Draft-8] Buffalo Bills 1972 NFL Draft

[nytrd-9] Wallace, William N. (October 17, 1972). "Morrall perfectly cast as Griese's substitute". New York Times. p. 51.

[schne-10] "Broncos deal end to Bills". Schenectady Gazette. (New York). Associated Press. October 17, 1972. p. 28.

[11] Salguero, Armando (2020). 100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3.

[1972_Buffalo_Bills_Schedule-12] "1972 Buffalo Bills Schedule". National Football League.

[13] "San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills — September 24th, 1972". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 27, 2014.

[14] "Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills — December 10th, 1972". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

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v t e Buffalo Bills
Founded in 1960 Based and headquartered in Orchard Park, New York
Franchise	Franchise History All-time roster Seasons Pro Bowl selections First-round draft picks Starting quarterbacks Coaches NFL in Toronto
Stadiums	War Memorial Stadium Highmark Stadium Rogers Centre (Bills Toronto Series) New Highmark Stadium (set to open in 2026)
Culture	Ralph Wilson Billy Buffalo Buffalo Jills Ken "Pinto Ron" Johnson Tim Russert Buffalo '66 Second String Flutie Flakes "Shout" song "Mr. Brightside" "3 Acts of God" Elway to Marino Four Falls of Buffalo Zubaz "No one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills!"
Lore	Electric Company Wide Right No Punt Game The Comeback Music City Miracle Snowvertime Hail Murray 13 Seconds
Rivalries	Kansas City Chiefs Miami Dolphins New England Patriots New York Jets Tennessee Titans
Division championships (14)	1964 1965 1966 1980 1988 1989 1990 1991 1993 1995 2020 2021 2022 2023
Conference championships (4)	1990 1991 1992 1993
League championships (2)	1964 1965
Wall of Fame	Simpson Kemp McGroder Sestak Shaw Wilson 12th Man Dubenion Stratton Ferguson Levy DeLamielleure James Abramoski Kalsu Saimes Kelly Smerlas Hull Talley Ritcher Thomas Reed Tasker Smith Edgerson Hansen Polian Miller Saban Gilchrist
Media	Broadcasters Radio Radio Network WGR 550 Television MSG Western New York Personalities: Chris Brown Van Miller Eric Wood Steve Tasker
Owners	Ralph Wilson Pegula family Terry Kim
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: East Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)
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