| 1972 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Harold Sauerbrei |
| Head coach | Nick Skorich |
| Home stadium | Cleveland Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–4 |
| Division place | 2ndAFC Central |
| Playoffs | LostDivisional Playoffs (atDolphins) 14–20 |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
The1972 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 23rd season with theNational Football League. The Browns, after losing all six of their preseason games, finished at 10–4 which qualified the team for the NFL Playoffs as a Wild Card. In the Divisional Playoffs they played the undefeatedMiami Dolphins and held a one-point lead in the 4th quarter. But a late Dolphins touchdown put them up for good, and the Browns lost 20–14.
For the first time since joining the league, the Browns had no players selected to thePro Bowl.[1]
Their week 2 game against the Eagles, which was a 27–17 win, as well as their first of ten on the season, marked head coach Nick Skorich's only return to Philadelphia after having been the head coach of the Eagles from 1961 to 1963.
| 1972 Cleveland Browns draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Thom Darden * | Defensive back | Michigan | |
| 2 | 45 | Clifford Brooks | Defensive back | Tennessee State | |
| 2 | 51 | Lester Sims | Defensive end | Alabama | |
| 5 | 122 | George Hunt | Kicker | Tennessee | |
| 5 | 128 | Greg Kucera | Running back | Northern Colorado | |
| 6 | 149 | Leonard Forey | Guard | Texas A&M | |
| 7 | 174 | Don Wesley | Tackle | Maryland Eastern Shore | |
| 8 | 201 | Hugh McKinnis | Running back | Arizona State | Made roster in 1973 |
| 9 | 226 | Larry McKee | Guard | Arizona | |
| 9 | 230 | Billy Lefear | Running back | Henderson State | |
| 10 | 253 | Herschell Mosier | Defensive tackle | Northwestern Oklahoma State | |
| 11 | 278 | Mel Long | Linebacker | Toledo | |
| 12 | 305 | Bernie Chapman | Defensive back | UTEP | |
| 13 | 330 | Brian Sipe * | Quarterback | San Diego State | made practice squad |
| 14 | 357 | Ed Stewart | Guard | East Central | |
| 15 | 382 | Jewel McCuller | Linebacker | Chico State | |
| 16 | 409 | Richard Wakefield | Wide receiver | Ohio State | |
| 17 | 434 | Bill Portz | Defensive back | Sterling | |
| Made roster * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB) Special teams(ST) | Practice squad
Reserve
|
1972 marked the end of a nine-year span in which the Browns made the playoffs seven times; it would be the Browns' last playoff appearance until1980.
The 1972 Cleveland Browns not only made it to the postseason as a wild card team with a 10–4 record, but also nearly pulled off what would have been one of the biggest upsets in team and NFL playoff history. Playing in theAFC divisional round inMiami against aDolphins team that would go 17–0 and win theSuper Bowl, the Browns lost 20–14 after blowing a 14–13 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
The Browns started the year with veteranquarterbackBill Nelsen as their starter; Nelsen had arrived from thePittsburgh Steelers in a1968 trade. But Nelsen, who had knee problems, struggled early, and the team followed suit by getting off to a rocky 2–3 start. The move was made to startMike Phipps,drafted in 1970 with the No.3 overall pick the Browns obtained by tradingPro Football Hall of Famewide receiverPaul Warfield to Miami. Although Phipps didn't have a very good year statistically—he completed only 47.2 percent of his passes and threw for just 13 touchdowns with 16 interceptions—he was able to make plays when he had to.
The Browns were only 2–3 and had been outscored 48–7 in their last two games, and 74–17 in their three losses, before a six-game winning streak ensued. Included in the streak was a last-second, 26–24 comeback win at home over theSteelers, who were trying to win the AFC Central title and make the playoffs for the second time in franchise history and first time since 1947. The Browns finished second to the Steelers (11–3) by a game after winning eight of their last nine contests, the only loss being a 30–0 decision in the rematch in Pittsburgh. The Browns also turned back theDenver Broncos on the road 27–20.
Pro Football Hall of Fame running backLeroy Kelly, in his last productive season, rushed for 811 yards. Wide receiverFrank Pitts led the team in receptions with 36, good for eight touchdowns—or 62 percent of the team total of 13. But it was primarily the defense that saved the season for the Browns. The unit gave up over 30 points only twice all year, posted a shutout and kept foes to 17 points or less eight times.[3]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 4 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 3–13 | 0–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 64,803 |
| 2 | August 13 | atSan Francisco 49ers | L 13–20 | 0–2 | Candlestick Park | 58,364 |
| 3 | August 20 | atDetroit Lions | L 7–34 | 0–3 | Tiger Stadium | 58,422 |
| 4 | August 26 | Minnesota Vikings | L 17–20 | 0–4 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 70,583 |
| 5 | September 3 | vs.Cincinnati Bengals | L 17–27 | 0–5 | Ohio Stadium | 84,816 |
| 6 | September 10 | atNew York Giants | L 13–27 | 0–6 | Yankee Stadium | 60,152 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17 | Green Bay Packers | L 10–26 | 0–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 75,771 | Recap |
| 2 | September 24 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | W 27–17 | 1–1 | Veterans Stadium | 65,720 | Recap |
| 3 | October 1 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 27–6 | 2–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 81,564 | Recap |
| 4 | October 8 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 7–31 | 2–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 83,819 | Recap |
| 5 | October 15 | Chicago Bears | L 0–17 | 2–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 72,339 | Recap |
| 6 | October 22 | atHouston Oilers | W 23–17 | 3–3 | Houston Astrodome | 38,113 | Recap |
| 7 | October 29 | atDenver Broncos | W 27–20 | 4–3 | Mile High Stadium | 51,656 | Recap |
| 8 | November 5 | Houston Oilers | W 20–0 | 5–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 61,985 | Recap |
| 9 | November 13 | atSan Diego Chargers | W 21–17 | 6–3 | San Diego Stadium | 54,205 | Recap |
| 10 | November 19 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 26–24 | 7–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 83,009 | Recap |
| 11 | November 26 | Buffalo Bills | W 27–10 | 8–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 70,104 | Recap |
| 12 | December 3 | atPittsburgh Steelers | L 0–30 | 8–4 | Three Rivers Stadium | 50,350 | Recap |
| 13 | December 9 | atCincinnati Bengals | W 27–24 | 9–4 | Riverfront Stadium | 59,524 | Recap |
| 14 | December 17 | atNew York Jets | W 26–10 | 10–4 | Shea Stadium | 62,614 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 24 | atMiami Dolphins | L 14–20 | 0–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 78,196 | Recap |
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 4–2 | 9–2 | 343 | 175 | W4 |
| Cleveland Browns | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 5–1 | 9–2 | 268 | 249 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 3–3 | 6–5 | 299 | 229 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | 0–6 | 1–10 | 164 | 380 | L11 |
