The 1972 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois during the 1972 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second year under head coach Bob Blackman, the Illini compiled a 3–8 record and finished in a tie for sixth place in the Big Ten Conference.[1]
| 1972 Illinois Fighting Illini football | |
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| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 3–8 (3–5 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| MVP | Larry McCarren, Larry Allen |
| Captain | Larry McCarren, John Wiza |
| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Michigan + | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Ohio State + | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 2 | – | 6 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team's offensive leaders were quarterback Mike Wells with 837 passing yards, running back George Uremovich with 611 rushing yards, and wide receiver Garvin Roberson with 569 receiving yards.[2] Center Larry McCarren and defensive end Larry Allen were selected as the team's most valuable players.[3]
Schedule edit
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 16 | Michigan State | L 0–24 | 55,493 | ||
| September 23 | No. 1 USC* |
| L 20–55 | 61,277 | |
| September 30 | at No. 14 Washington* | L 11–31 | 60,200 | ||
| October 7 | No. 16 Penn State* |
| L 17–35 | 60,349 | |
| October 14 | at No. 4 Ohio State | L 7–26 | 86,298 | ||
| October 21 | No. 6 Michigan |
| L 7–31 | 64,290 | [4] |
| October 28 | at Purdue | L 14–20 | 61,754 | ||
| November 4 | at Northwestern | W 43–13 | 35,235 | ||
| November 11 | Indiana |
| W 37–20 | 55,077 | |
| November 18 | Wisconsin |
| W 27–7 | 45,703 | |
| November 25 | at Iowa | L 14–15 | 25,000 | ||
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Roster edit
| 1972 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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References edit
- ^ "1972 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ "1972 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Illinois. 2015. p. 155. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ Curt Sylvester (October 21, 1972). "U-M Rips Illinois for 6th in Row, 31–7". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E, 4E – via Newspapers.com.
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