The 1972 Arizona Western Matadors football team was an American football team that represented Arizona Western College as a member of the Arizona Junior College Athletic Conference (AJCAC) during the 1972 junior college football season. In their fifth year under head coach Ray Butcher, the team compiled a perfect 10–0 record, won the NJCAA National Football Championship, and defeated Fort Scott in the El Toro Bowl.
| 1972 Arizona Western Matadors football | |
|---|---|
NJCAA champion AJCAC champion El Toro Bowl champion | |
El Toro Bowl, W 36–8 vs. Fort Scott | |
| Conference | Arizona Junior College Athletic Conference |
| Record | 10–0 (4–0 AJCAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona Western $ | 4 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Phoenix | 3 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mesa (AZ) | 2 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Arizona | 1 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Glendale (AZ) | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Arizona placed nine players on the 1972 AJCAC all-conference football team. Five players were honored on the offensive unit: running back Larry Bates; tight end Brian Adam; guards Bill Moody and John Segreti and tackle Steve Garcia. Four from the defensive unit were also honored: defensive end Charles Haynes; defensive tackle John Trujillo; linebacker Ron Davis and defensive back Reggie Pierson. Butcher was also named AJCC coach of the year.[1]
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 9 | Eastern Arizona* | Yuma, AZ | W 20–8 | [2] | ||
| September 16 | at New Mexico Military* | Roswell, NM | W 41–14 | |||
| September 23 | San Diego Mesa* | W 26–13 | [3] | |||
| September 30 | at Eastern Arizona | Thatcher, AZ | W 28–23 | |||
| October 7 | Mesa (AZ) | Yuma, AZ | W 19–14 | [4] | ||
| October 21 | Air Force junior varsity* | W 47–27 | ||||
| October 28 | Phoenix | Yuma, AZ | W 24–0 | [5] | ||
| November 3 | Glendale (AZ) | W 28–6 | ||||
| November 11 | Grossmont* | Yuma, AZ | W 18–6 | [6] | ||
| November 25 | Fort Scott* | Yuma, AZ (El Toro Bowl) | W 36–8 | [7] | ||
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References
edit- ^ "Juco all-staters list all-around strength". The Arizona Republic. November 26, 1972. p. D3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Western opens year beating EA, 20-8". The Arizona Republic. September 10, 1972. p. 2D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Vic Royce (September 22, 1972). "Western's Win Streak Challenged". The Arizona Daily Star. p. D7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hardy Price (October 8, 1972). "Mesa's closing bid stalled; AWC wins". The Arizona Republic. p. D7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hardy Price (October 29, 1972). "Western throttles Phoenix, 24-0, to remain undefeated". The Arizona Republic. p. D9 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Western Bound For Bowl". The Arizona Daily Star. November 13, 1972. p. 4B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Matadors triumph in El Toro Bowl". The Arizona Republic. November 26, 1972. pp. D1, D3 – via Newspapers.com.