| 1972 Washington State Cougars football | |
| Conference | Pacific-8 Conference |
|---|---|
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 17 |
| AP | No. 19 |
| 1972 record | 7–4 (4–3 Pac-8) |
| Head coach | Jim Sweeney (5th season) |
| Offensive coordinator | Joe Tiller (1st season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Ray Braun (1st season) |
| Home stadium | Martin Stadium, Joe Albi Stadium (Spokane) |
Seasons | |
| 1972 Pacific-8 football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #1 USC † | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #15 UCLA | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #19 Washington State | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1972 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-8 Conference (Pac-8) during the 1972 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth season under head coach Jim Sweeney, the Cougars compiled a 7–4 record (4–3 in the Pac-8, tied for 3rd), and outscored their opponents 274 to 241.[1][2]
The team's statistical leaders included Ty Payne with 1,349 passing yards, Ken Grandberry with 833 rushing yards, and Brock Aynsley with 344 receiving yards.[3]
Martin Stadium made its debut in late September and hosted four games; top-ranked USC was played in Seattle (at Husky Stadium),[4] and the Apple Cup was at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane.
Washington State won their first Apple Cup in four years over favored #17 Washington, dealing Husky quarterback Sonny Sixkiller a 27–10 loss in his final collegiate game.[5][6][7][8] The Cougars finished in the top twenty in both major polls; the Pac-8 did not allow a second bowl team until the 1975 season.
Schedule[]
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 9 | at Kansas* | W 18–17 | 33,500 | ||
| September 16 | at California | L 23–37 | 30,794 | ||
| September 23 | at Arizona* | W 28–6 | 30,000 | ||
| September 30 | Utah* | L 25–44 | 20,200 | ||
| October 7 | Idaho* |
| W 35–14 | 18,500 | |
| October 14 | at Oregon | W 31–14 | 23,000 | ||
| October 21 | Oregon State |
| W 37–7 | 22,100 | |
| October 28 | at No. 9 UCLA | L 20–35 | 29,950 | ||
| November 4 | vs. No. 1 USC | L 3–44 | 46,500 | ||
| November 11 | No. 20 Stanford |
| W 27–13 | 20,500 | |
| November 18 | No. 17 Washington | No. 20 | W 27–10 | 34,100 | |
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NFL Draft[]
One Cougar was selected in the 1973 NFL Draft
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | Franchise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ty Paine | QB | 9 | 225 | New York Giants |
References[]
- ↑ "1972 Washington State Cougars Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/washington-state/1972-schedule.html. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ↑ "2016 Media Guide". Washington State Cougars Athletics. p. 76. http://sidearm.sites.s3.amazonaws.com/wsu.sidearmsports.com/documents/2016/8/25/2016_Football_Media_Guide_Color.pdf. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ↑ "1972 Washington State Cougars Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/washington-state/1972.html. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ↑ Emerson, Paul (November 5, 1972). "Top-ranked Trojans bomb Cougars 44-3". Lewiston Morning Tribune ((Idaho)): p. 19. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aIJfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lTAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6041%2C1386311.
- ↑ Emerson, Paul (November 19, 1972). "Inspired Cougars upset Washington 27-10". Lewiston Morning Tribune ((Idaho)): p. 15. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=doJfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lTAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5148%2C5242435.
- ↑ "Cougars bounce Huskies". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press ((Oregon)): p. 5B. November 19, 1972. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NApWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UuEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5203%2C4902085.
- ↑ Missildine, Harry (November 19, 1972). "Cougar defense unyielding in 27-10 win over Huskies". Spokesman-Review ((Spokane, Washington)): p. 1, sports. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6-URAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Ee0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7151%2C2063747.
- ↑ Brown, Bruce (November 20, 1972). "Cougar title hopes run high". Spokane Daily Chronicle ((Washington)): p. 14. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LpFYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aPgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3699%2C1070663.
- ↑ "Giants tab Paine as draft resumes". Spokane Daily Chronicle ((Washington)): p. 10. January 31, 1973. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4qhYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tvgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6372%2C4659965.
- ↑ "Giants tab Coug QB Ty Paine". Spokesman-Review ((Spokane, Washington)): p. 18. February 1, 1973. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tJoRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=De0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7014%2C420813.
- ↑ "Paine still likes QB position". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press ((Idaho)): p. 21. February 1, 1973. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FaxfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tTIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4668%2C177052.
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