1972 Pro Bowl

1972 NFL Pro Bowl
	The front of the L.A. Memorial Coliseum
13	26
Date	January 23, 1972
Stadium	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
Co-MVPs	Jan Stenerud (Kansas City Chiefs, K), Willie Lanier (Kansas City Chiefs, LB)
Referee	Ben Dreith
Attendance	53,647
TV in the United States
Network	NBC
Announcers	Curt Gowdy, Al DeRogatis
	← 1971 ; Pro Bowl ; 1973 → ;

The 1972 Pro Bowl was the NFL's 22nd annual all-star game which featured the outstanding performers from the 1971 season. The game was played on January 23, 1972, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.^[1]^[2] The final score was AFC 26, NFC 13.^[3]^[4]

The Kansas City Chiefs swept the Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, with placekicker Jan Stenerud named the game's offensive MVP and Willie Lanier selected as the defensive MVP.^[5]

This was the last NFL game overall played with the hashmarks (also called the inbound lines) set at 40 feet apart (20 yards from the sidelines); the next season, they were brought in to 18½ feet, the width of the goalposts, where they still stand to this day.^[6]

Attendance at the game was 53,647.^[7] Don McCafferty of the Baltimore Colts coached the AFC while the NFC was led by the San Francisco 49ers' Dick Nolan.^[8] The referee was Ben Dreith.^[9]

AFC roster

Offense

Position	Starter(s)	Reserve(s)
Quarterback	12 Bob Griese, Miami	16 Len Dawson, Kansas City
Running back	44 Floyd Little, Denver	36 Norm Bulaich, Baltimore 44 Leroy Kelly, Cleveland
Fullback	39 Larry Csonka, Miami	44 Marv Hubbard, Oakland
Wide receivers	89 Otis Taylor, Kansas City 42 Paul Warfield, Miami	25 Fred Biletnikoff, Oakland 27 Gary Garrison, San Diego
Tight end	87 Raymond Chester, Oakland	89 Milt Morin, Cleveland
Offensive tackle	77 Jim Tyrer, Kansas City 75 Winston Hill, N.Y. Jets	76 Bob Brown, Oakland 72 Bob Vogel, Baltimore
Offensive guard	66 Larry Little, Miami 78 Walt Sweeney, San Diego	71 Ed Budde, Kansas City
Center	50 Bill Curry, Baltimore	00 Jim Otto, Oakland

Defense

Position	Starter(s)	Reserve(s)
Defensive end	65 Elvin Bethea, Houston 78 Bubba Smith, Baltimore	84 Bill Stanfill, Miami
Defensive tackle	86 Buck Buchanan, Kansas City 75 Joe Greene, Pittsburgh	61 Curley Culp, Kansas City
Outside linebacker	78 Bobby Bell, Kansas City 83 Ted Hendricks, Baltimore	34 Andy Russell, Pittsburgh
Inside linebacker	63 Willie Lanier, Kansas City	32 Mike Curtis, Baltimore
Cornerback	24 Willie Brown, Oakland 18 Emmitt Thomas, Kansas City	20 Lemar Parrish, Cincinnati
Free safety	21 Rick Volk, Baltimore	13 Jake Scott, Miami
Strong safety	29 Ken Houston, Houston	20 Jerry Logan, Baltimore

Special teams

Position	Starter(s)	Reserve(s)
Punter	44 Jerrel Wilson, Kansas City
Placekicker	3 Jan Stenerud, Kansas City
Kick returner	22 Mercury Morris, Miami

NFC roster

Offense

Position	Starter(s)	Reserve(s)
Quarterback	12 Roger Staubach, Dallas	11 Greg Landry, Detroit
Running back	43 Larry Brown, Washington	33 Willie Ellison, Los Angeles 22 Vic Washington, San Francisco
Fullback	42 John Brockington, Green Bay	36 Steve Owens, Detroit
Wide receivers	45 Dick Gordon, Chicago 18 Gene Washington, San Francisco	27 Bob Grim, Minnesota 80 Roy Jefferson, Washington
Tight end	88 Charlie Sanders, Detroit	82 Ted Kwalick, San Francisco
Offensive tackle	75 George Kunz, Atlanta 73 Ron Yary, Minnesota	70 Rayfield Wright, Dallas
Offensive guard	68 Gale Gillingham, Green Bay 76 John Niland, Dallas	65 Tom Mack, Los Angeles
Center	75 Forrest Blue, San Francisco	54 Ed Flanagan, Detroit

Defense

Position	Starter(s)	Reserve(s)
Defensive end	86 Cedrick Hardman, Dallas 87 Claude Humphrey, Atlanta	81 Carl Eller, Minnesota
Defensive tackle	74 Bob Lilly, San Francisco 88 Alan Page, Minnesota	74 Merlin Olsen, Los Angeles
Outside linebacker	54 Chuck Howley, Dallas 64 Dave Wilcox, San Francisco	58 Isiah Robertson, Los Angeles
Inside linebacker	51 Dick Butkus, Chicago	53 Mike Lucci, Detroit
Cornerback	37 Jimmy Johnson, San Francisco 44 Bruce Taylor, San Francisco	20 Mel Renfro, Dallas 22 Roger Wehrli, St. Louis
Free safety	28 Bill Bradley, Philadelphia	22 Paul Krause, Minnesota
Strong safety	34 Cornell Green, Dallas	20 Jerry Logan, Baltimore

Special teams

Position	Starter(s)	Reserve(s)
Punter	10 Ron Widby, Dallas
Placekicker	5 Curt Knight, Washington
Kick returner	45 Speedy Duncan, Washington

References

^ "The game to end all games: Griese, Staubach foes again". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 23, 1972. p. D1.
^ "Pro Bowl brings an end to the '1971' football campaign". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 23, 1972. p. 3B.
^ "Stenerud, AFC kick NFC in Pro Bowl". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 24, 1972. p. 30.
^ "Stenerud answers critics by booting 4 FGs". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 24, 1972. p. 5B.
^ "'Sten' treats NFC pros rudely, 26–13". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. AP. January 24, 1972. pp. 20, 23. Retrieved January 18, 2012.
^ "Owners give offense big seven-yard boost". Rome News-Tribune. Georgia. Associated Press. March 24, 1972. p. 6A.
^ "NFL Pro Bowl history". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2012.
^ "The 1972 Pro Bowl". Bolding Sports Research. Archived from the original on April 30, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2012.
^ "1972 Pro Bowl game book" (PDF). NFL Game Statistics & Information. National Football League. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2012.

External links

"1972 Pro Bowl players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.

[endall-1] "The game to end all games: Griese, Staubach foes again". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 23, 1972. p. D1.

[endcam-2] "Pro Bowl brings an end to the '1971' football campaign". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 23, 1972. p. 3B.

[sten-3] "Stenerud, AFC kick NFC in Pro Bowl". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 24, 1972. p. 30.

[crit-4] "Stenerud answers critics by booting 4 FGs". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 24, 1972. p. 5B.

[GameRecap-5] "'Sten' treats NFC pros rudely, 26–13". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. AP. January 24, 1972. pp. 20, 23. Retrieved January 18, 2012.

[ogobsybs-6] "Owners give offense big seven-yard boost". Rome News-Tribune. Georgia. Associated Press. March 24, 1972. p. 6A.

[7] "NFL Pro Bowl history". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2012.

[8] "The 1972 Pro Bowl". Bolding Sports Research. Archived from the original on April 30, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2012.

[GameBook-9] "1972 Pro Bowl game book" (PDF). NFL Game Statistics & Information. National Football League. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2012.

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