1972 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team

The 1972 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented Oklahoma State University in the Big Eight Conference during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. In their first and only season under head coach Dave Smith, the Cowboys compiled a 6–5 record (4–3 against conference opponents), tied for third place in the conference, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 259 to 203.[3][4]

1972 Oklahoma State Cowboys football
ConferenceBig Eight Conference
Record6–5 (4–3 Big 8)
Head coach
Home stadiumLewis Field
Seasons
← 1971
1973 →
1972 Big Eight Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Oklahoma $ 6 1 0 11 1 0
No. 4 Nebraska $ 5 1 1 9 2 1
No. 16 Colorado 4 3 0 8 4 0
Oklahoma State 4 3 0 6 5 0
Missouri 3 4 0 6 6 0
Iowa State 2 4 1 5 6 1
Kansas 2 5 0 4 7 0
Kansas State 1 6 0 3 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • The Big 8 Conference mandated Oklahoma forfeits in three conference games, giving Nebraska the title. Oklahoma reverted this record at a later date; hence, both Oklahoma[1] and Nebraska[2] claim this title.
Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included George Palmer with 937 rushing yards, Brent Blackman with 572 passing yards, Steve Pettes with 154 receiving yards, and Alton Gerard with 42 points scored.[5][6]

The team played its home games at Lewis Field in Stillwater, Oklahoma.[7]

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 16Texas–ArlingtonW 21–331,500[8]
September 23at Arkansas*L 23–2454,431
September 30No. 3 Colorado
  • Lewis Field
  • Stillwater, OK
W 31–638,500
October 7Missouri
  • Lewis Field
  • Stillwater, OK
W 17–16
October 14at Virginia Tech*No. 19L 32–3436,000[9]
October 21Baylor* 
  • Lewis Field
  • Stillwater, OK
W 20–739,000
October 28at No. 3 NebraskaL 0–3476,432
November 4Kansas
  • Lewis Field
  • Stillwater, OK
L 10–1331,164
November 11at Kansas StateW 45–1425,000
November 25No. 17 Iowa State
  • Lewis Field
  • Stillwater, OK
W 45–1426,495
December 2at No. 3 OklahomaNo. 20L 15–3862,363
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

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1972 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
TE 82 Charlie Beall Sr
QB 10 Brent Blackman Jr
G 75 Bon Boatwright Jr
OT 61 Mike Clendennen Jr
TE 85 Reuben Gant Jr
C 52 Bert Jacobson Sr
RB 35 George Palmer So
WR 81 Steve Pettes Jr
WR 18 David Rosenthal Jr
OT 77 Tom Wolf So
G 64 Pat Yates Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 54 Bobby Bacon Jr
LB 62 Bubba Bain Sr
DT 68 Gill Barnes Sr
FS 36 Alvin Brown Jr
DT 65 Barry Price Jr
DE 93 Glenn Robinson Jr
CB 28 Darryl Stewart Jr
CB 34 Mike Terry So
DE 94 Doug Tarrant Jr
LB 60 Cleveland Vann Jr
DT 72 Jimmy Williams Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

References

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  1. ^ "2018 Media Guide" (PDF). soonersports.com. Oklahoma Athletics. p. 6. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  2. ^ "2018 Media Guide" (PDF). huskers.com. Nebraska Athletics. p. 206. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  3. ^ "1972 Oklahoma State Cowboys Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  4. ^ "Oklahoma State Cowboy Football 2016 Guide" (PDF). Oklahoma State University. p. 173. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  5. ^ 2016 Football Guide, pp. 168, 170.
  6. ^ "1972 Oklahoma State Cowboys Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  7. ^ 2016 Football Guide, pp. 217, 219.
  8. ^ "Poke wishbone shines". The Daily Oklahoman. September 17, 1972. p. C8. Retrieved December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.  
  9. ^ "Virginia Tech upsets Oklahoma St. on FG". The Journal News. October 15, 1972. Retrieved December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.