Wikipedia

1972 Arizona Wildcats football team

The 1972 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. In their fourth and final season under head coach Bob Weber, the Wildcats compiled a 4–7 record (4–3 against WAC opponents), finished in fourth place in the WAC, and were outscored by their opponents, 271 to 226.[1][2] The team played its home games in Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.

1972 Arizona Wildcats football
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
Record4–7 (4–3 WAC)
Head coach
Home stadiumArizona Stadium
Seasons
← 1971
1973 →
1972 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 13 Arizona State $ 5 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
BYU 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Utah 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Arizona 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Wyoming 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
New Mexico 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Colorado State 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
UTEP 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Weber was fired after the season due to his failure to produce winning records.[3]

The team's statistical leaders included Bill Demory with 1,175 passing yards, Bob McCall with 1,148 rushing yards, and Barry Dean with 414 receiving yards.[4]

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 9Colorado State
W 17–030,000[5]
September 16at Oregon*
L 7–3430,000[6][7]
September 23Washington State*
  • Arizona Stadium
  • Tucson, AZ
L 6–2830,000[8]
October 7at No. 14 UCLA*
L 31–4227,321[9]
October 14at New Mexico
W 27–1515,672[10]
October 21at Texas Tech*
L 10–3533,320[11]
October 28UTEP
  • Arizona Stadium
  • Tucson, AZ
W 45–2228,000[12]
November 4at Utah
L 27–2819,236[13]
November 11BYU
  • Arizona Stadium
  • Tucson, AZ
W 21–726,500[14]
November 18Wyoming
  • Arizona Stadium
  • Tucson, AZ
L 14–2230,500[15]
November 25 No. 18 Arizona State
  • Arizona Stadium
  • Tucson, AZ (rivalry)
L 21–3838,500[16]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[17]

After the season

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Soon after losing to Arizona State, the Wildcats fired Weber and had to search for a new coach.[18] Weber went 16–26 at Arizona and lost all four meetings against ASU. The team had been underperforming with Weber in charge and fans called for Weber to fired.[19] Arizona did not post any winning seasons under Weber and that the inability to beat Arizona State was a main reason for his dismissal.[20]

After a national coaching search, the Wildcats hired Michigan defensive coordinator Jim Young as the new head coach for the 1973 season.[21]

References

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  1. ^ "1972 Arizona Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  2. ^ "Arizona Football 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona. 2016. p. 107. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  3. ^ "Wildcats dismiss Weber as football coach after four seasons". Arizona Daily Star. November 28, 1972.
  4. ^ "1972 Arizona Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  5. ^ "Rams drop opener to Arizona Wildcats, 17–0". Fort Collins Coloradoan. September 10, 1972. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Cawood, Neil (September 17, 1972). "Webfoots bury Wildcats by 34-7". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1B.
  7. ^ "Fouts leads". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. September 17, 1972. p. 18.
  8. ^ "Cougars KO Arizona, 28–6". The Sunday Oregonian. September 24, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "UCLA explodes for 2 late TDs to whip Arizona 42–31". The Tacoma News Tribune. October 8, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Arizona rips New Mexico in 27–15 win". The El Paso Times. October 15, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Texas Tech trims Arizonans, 35–10". Brownwood Bulletin. October 22, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Wildcats remain on top in WAC standings". The Arizona Daily Star. October 29, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Utah nips Arizona, 28–27". The Arizona Republic. November 5, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Wildcats top Bringham Young, 21–7". The Arizona Republic. November 12, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Wyoming stuns Arizona 22–14". The Billings Gazette. November 19, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Arizona St. wins Fiesta Bowl trip". Lincoln Journal Star. November 26, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "1972 NCAA Football Statistics (Arizona)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  18. ^ "UA fires Weber after loss to ASU". The Arizona Republic. November 28, 1972.
  19. ^ "Fans call for Weber to fired due to Wildcats' lack of winning games". Arizona Daily Wildcat. November 21, 1972.
  20. ^ "Winless record against ASU led to Weber's firing". Arizona Daily Star. November 28, 1972.
  21. ^ "Wildcats hire Michigan DC Young as head football coach". Arizona Daily Star. December 30, 1972.
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