The 1972 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 35th year with the National Football League and the 27th season in Los Angeles. The Rams looked to improve on their 8–5–1 record from 1971 and make the playoffs for the first time since 1969. After a win against the New Orleans Saints at home, the Rams tied the Chicago Bears, 13–13, their third straight season with a tie. This was followed by an embarrassing loss to the Atlanta Falcons, 31–3. However, the Rams would then pick up their winning ways, beating the San Francisco 49ers 31–7 at home, the Philadelphia Eagles 34–3 in Philly, and the Cincinnati Bengals 15–12 at home. However, following this three-game winning streak, the Rams struggled, losing several close games, including an embarrassing 19-16 setback to the woeful New Orleans Saints, as they lost five of their last six to end the season 6–7–1. This was the last time the Rams missed the playoffs until 1981, as they started a dynasty the next season that won the NFC West seven consecutive times, from 1973–1979. They also finished in second place in 1980.
| 1972 Los Angeles Rams season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Carroll Rosenbloom |
| Head coach | Tommy Prothro |
| Home field | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–7–1 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
After two seasons as head coach of the Rams, Tommy Prothro was dismissed in late January 1973 and succeeded by Chuck Knox, previously the offensive line coach of the Detroit Lions.[1][2]
Offseason
editOn July 13, 1972, Robert Irsay and Willard Keland bought the Los Angeles Rams from the estate of Dan Reeves and transferred ownership to Carroll Rosenbloom, in exchange for ownership of the Baltimore Colts.[3][4][5]
NFL Draft
edit| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
|---|
Roster
edit| Quarterbacks (QB)
Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
|
Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
|
Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB)
|
|
Regular season
editSchedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17 | New Orleans Saints | W 34–14 | 1–0 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 66,303 | |
| 2 | September 24 | at Chicago Bears | T 13–13 | 1–0–1 | Soldier Field | 55,701 | |
| 3 | October 1 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 3–31 | 1–1–1 | Atlanta Stadium | 57,122 | |
| 4 | October 8 | San Francisco 49ers | W 31–7 | 2–1–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 77,382 | |
| 5 | October 15 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 34–3 | 3–1–1 | Veterans Stadium | 65,720 | |
| 6 | October 22 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 15–12 | 4–1–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 73,385 | |
| 7 | October 29 | at Oakland Raiders | L 45–17 | 4–2–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,660 | |
| 8 | November 5 | Atlanta Falcons | W 20–7 | 5–2–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 75,018 | |
| 9 | November 12 | Denver Broncos | L 10–16 | 5–3–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 65,398 | |
| 10 | November 19 | Minnesota Vikings | L 41–45 | 5–4–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 77,982 | |
| 11 | November 26 | at New Orleans Saints | L 16–19 | 5–5–1 | Tulane Stadium | 64,325 | |
| 12 | December 4 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 26–16 | 6–5–1 | Candlestick Park | 61,214 | |
| 13 | December 10 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 14–24 | 6–6–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 36,873 | |
| 14 | December 17 | Detroit Lions | L 17–34 | 6–7–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 71,761 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
edit| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 8 | 5 | 1 | .607 | 3–2–1 | 6–4–1 | 353 | 249 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 5–5 | 269 | 274 | L2 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6 | 7 | 1 | .464 | 4–2 | 5–5–1 | 291 | 286 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2 | 11 | 1 | .179 | 1–4–1 | 2–8–1 | 215 | 361 | L3 |
References
edit- ^ "Rams axe Prothro, hire Lions aide". Milwaukee Sentinel. wire services. January 25, 1973. p. 1, part 2.
- ^ "Prothro is fired, Knox Rams coach". Lodi News-Sentinel. (California). UPI. January 25, 1973. p. 12.
- ^ "Colts owner trades club for Rams". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. July 14, 1972. p. 1, part 2.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Colts' owner now sole owner of Rams". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. July 14, 1972. p. 12.
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p.283
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