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1972 Cleveland Browns season

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1972 Cleveland Browns season
General managerHarold Sauerbrei
Head coachNick Skorich
Home fieldCleveland Stadium
Local radioWHK
Results
Record10–4
Division place2nd AFC Central
Playoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs
(at Dolphins) 14–20
Pro BowlersNone

The 1972 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 23rd season with the National Football League. The Browns finished at 10–4 which qualified the team for the NFL Playoffs as a Wild Card. In the Divisional Playoffs they played the undefeated Miami 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 the Pro Bowl.[1]

Offseason

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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 one Pro Bowl during career

[2]

Staff

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1972 Cleveland Browns staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning


Roster

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1972 Cleveland Browns roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve None - vacant
Rookies in italics

Season summary

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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 until 1980.

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 the AFC divisional round in Miami against a Dolphins team that would go 17–0 and win the Super Bowl, the Browns lost 20–14 after blowing a 14–13 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

The Browns started the year with veteran quarterback Bill Nelsen as their starter; Nelsen had arrived from the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 1968 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 start Mike Phipps, drafted in 1970 with the No.3 overall pick the Browns obtained by trading Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Paul 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 the Steelers, 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 the Denver Broncos on the road 27–20.

Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Leroy Kelly, in his last productive season, rushed for 811 yards. Wide receiver Frank 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]

Exhibition schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 August 4 at Los Angeles Rams L 3–13 0–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 64,803
2 August 13 at San Francisco 49ers L 13–20 0–2 Candlestick Park 58,364
3 August 20 at Detroit 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 at New York Giants L 13–27 0–6 Yankee Stadium 60,152

Schedule

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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 at Philadelphia 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 at Houston Oilers W 23–17 3–3 Houston Astrodome 38,113 Recap
7 October 29 at Denver 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 at San 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 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 0–30 8–4 Three Rivers Stadium 50,350 Recap
13 December 9 at Cincinnati Bengals W 27–24 9–4 Riverfront Stadium 59,524 Recap
14 December 17 at New York Jets W 26–10 10–4 Shea Stadium 62,614 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Postseason

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See also: 1972–73 NFL playoffs
Round Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
Divisional December 24 at Miami Dolphins L 14–20 0–1 Miami Orange Bowl 78,196 Recap

Standings

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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

References

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  1. ^ https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/all-pros.htm
  2. ^ "1972 Cleveland Browns Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  3. ^ "Season summary and statistics at Cleveland Browns.com". Archived from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
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