1972 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
---|---|
Owner | Lamar Hunt |
General manager | Jack Steadman |
Head coach | Hank Stram |
Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 8–6 |
Division place | 2nd AFC West |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | WR Otis Taylor LB Willie Lanier LB Bobby Bell CB Emmitt Thomas P Jerrel Wilson |
The 1972 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's third season in the National Football League, tenth as the Kansas City Chiefs, and thirteenth overall. The Chiefs moved into the new Arrowhead Stadium and ended with an 8–6 record, runner-up in the AFC West, but missed the playoffs.[1]
The last original member of the franchise (1960 Dallas Texans) departed on July 12 when safety Johnny Robinson announced his retirement at training camp.[2] Starting quarterback Len Dawson ended speculation about his retirement and signed a two-year contract. Franchise owner Lamar Hunt became the first AFL figure to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on July 29;[3] Dawson was inducted in 1987 and Robinson in 2019.
After two different construction strikes and a myriad of other delays, Arrowhead Stadium was officially dedicated on August 12,[4] when the Chiefs registered a 24–14 preseason victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. On a very warm Saturday night with an attendance of 78,190, running back Ed Podolak scored the first touchdown in the facility.[5][6] Regular season ticket prices for this first season at Arrowhead were eight dollars for box seats and $7 for reserved seating.[3]
In the opener on September 17, the Chiefs lost 20–10 to Miami (the first win of their perfect season) in the first regular season game at the new Arrowhead Stadium, in front of a crowd of 79,829.[3][7] A standing-room-only crowd of 82,094 was in attendance for a 27–14 victory over division rival Oakland on November 5,[8] the largest “in-house” attendance total for an NFL contest in Arrowhead's history.[3] After a 5–3 start, a three-game losing streak effectively eliminated the club from playoff contention.[9] An 8–6 record was only good enough for a second-place finish in the AFC West, 2½ games behind Oakland.[1] Linebacker Willie Lanier became the first Chiefs player to receive the prestigious NFL Man of the Year Award in the offseason.[3]
In week six, the Chiefs dropped a shocking 21–20 decision at home to the lowly Philadelphia Eagles, who entered the game 0–5 and won only once more (also a one-point victory, over the Houston Oilers, who finished 1–13). It was the only time the Chiefs and Eagles met until 1992,[10] and Kansas City did not visit Philadelphia until 1998.[11]
Main article: 1972 NFL Draft |
Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/club team |
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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
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Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HOF | July 29 | vs. New York Giants | W 23–17 | 1–0 | Fawcett Stadium (Canton, OH) | 19,307 | Recap |
1 | August 5 | vs. Chicago Bears | W 24–10 | 2–0 | Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, IN) | 32,391 | Recap |
2 | August 12 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 24–14 | 3–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | 78,190 | Recap |
3 | August 21 | Baltimore Colts | L 17–23 | 3–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 76,882 | Recap |
4 | August 27 | Los Angeles Rams | W 19–13 | 4–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 77,064 | Recap |
5 | September 2 | Dallas Cowboys | W 20–10 | 5–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 79,592 | Recap |
6 | September 9 | at Green Bay Packers | L 0–20 | 5–2 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 47,281 | Recap |
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 17 | Miami Dolphins | L 10–20 | 0–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 79,829 | Recap |
2 | September 25 | at New Orleans Saints | W 20–17 | 1–1 | Tulane Stadium | 70,793 | Recap |
3 | October 1 | at Denver Broncos | W 45–24 | 2–1 | Mile High Stadium | 51,656 | Recap |
4 | October 8 | at Cleveland Browns | W 31–7 | 3–1 | Cleveland Stadium | 83,819 | Recap |
5 | October 15 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 16–23 | 3–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | 79,068 | Recap |
6 | October 22 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 20–21 | 3–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | 78,389 | Recap |
7 | October 29 | at San Diego Chargers | W 26–14 | 4–3 | San Diego Stadium | 54,533 | Recap |
8 | November 5 | Oakland Raiders | W 27–14 | 5–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | 82,094 | Recap |
9 | November 12 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 7–16 | 5–4 | Three Rivers Stadium | 50,350 | Recap |
10 | November 19 | San Diego Chargers | L 17–27 | 5–5 | Arrowhead Stadium | 79,011 | Recap |
11 | November 26 | at Oakland Raiders | L 3–26 | 5–6 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,801 | Recap |
12 | December 3 | Denver Broncos | W 24–21 | 6–6 | Arrowhead Stadium | 66,725 | Recap |
13 | December 10 | Baltimore Colts | W 24–10 | 7–6 | Arrowhead Stadium | 44,175 | Recap |
14 | December 17 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 17–14 | 8–6 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 7 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
Saints | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 3 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 45 |
Broncos | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 7 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
Browns | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bengals | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 23 |
Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 16 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eagles | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
Chiefs | 0 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 26 |
Chargers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raiders | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Chiefs | 0 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 27 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Steelers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 16 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 7 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
Chiefs | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Raiders | 10 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 26 |
at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Broncos | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
Chiefs | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Chiefs | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
Falcons | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Game information | ||
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AFC West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |