1972 NAIA Division I football season

1972 NAIA Division I football season
Regular seasonAugust–November 1972
PostseasonNovember 25–December 9, 1972
National ChampionshipMemorial Stadium
Commerce, TX
ChampionsEast Texas State

The 1972 NAIA Division I football season was the 17th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA and the third season of the league's two-division structure.

The season was played from August to November 1972 and culminated in the 1972 NAIA Champion Bowl, played on December 9, 1972 in Commerce, Texas.[1]

East Texas State defeated Carson–Newman in the Division I Championship Bowl, 21–18, to win their first NAIA national title.[2]

Conference realignment

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Conference changes

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Membership changes

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Team 1971 conference 1972 conference
Emporia State Rocky Mountain Great Plains
Fort Hays State Rocky Mountain Great Plains
Northern Colorado Rocky Mountain Great Plains
Nebraska–Omaha Rocky Mountain Great Plains
Pittsburg State Rocky Mountain Great Plains
Southern Colorado State Rocky Mountain Great Plains
Washburn Rocky Mountain Great Plains

Conference standings

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1972 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Harding + 5 – 1 – 0 10 – 1 – 0
Southern Arkansas + 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Arkansas Tech 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 1
Ouachita Baptist 3 – 2 – 1 6 – 3 – 1
Henderson State 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Arkansas–Monticello 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
State College of Arkansas 0 – 5 – 1 2 – 7 – 1
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1972 Carolinas Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 20 Presbyterian + 4 – 0 – 1 7 – 2 – 1
Elon + 4 – 0 – 1 7 – 3 – 1
Newberry 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 1
Catawba 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Lenoir Rhyne 1 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Guilford 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1972 Evergreen Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 8 Central Washington $ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
Oregon College 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Southern Oregon 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Eastern Washington 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Eastern Oregon 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Western Washington 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Oregon Tech 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1972 Great Plains Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Emporia State $ 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
No. 11 Nebraska–Omaha 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Northern Colorado 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Southern Colorado 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Pittsburg State 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Washburn 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Fort Hays State 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1972 Gulf South Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 5 Northwestern State $ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
No. 3 Livingston ^ 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 2
No. 19 Jacksonville State 4 – 1 – 1 7 – 2 – 1
Delta State 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 1
Troy State 2 – 3 – 1 4 – 5 – 1
Southeastern Louisiana 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Nicholls State 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Florence State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
Tennessee–Martin 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
Mississippi College 0 – 0 – 0 4 – 5 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1972 Lone Star Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 East Texas State $^ 7 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
No. 12 Angelo State 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0
Southwest Texas State 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Howard Payne 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Texas A&I 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Sam Houston State 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Sul Ross 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Stephen F. Austin 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Tarleton State 0 – 8 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
McMurry * 0 – 0 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Abilene Christian * 0 – 0 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
    * – did not complete for conference title
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1972 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 10 North Carolina Central $ 5 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
No. 13 North Carolina A&T 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Morgan State 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Maryland Eastern Shore 4 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Howard 2 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Delaware State 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
South Carolina State 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1972 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Gustavus Adolphus $ 6 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
No. 14 Saint John's (MN) 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Concordia–Moorhead 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Minnesota–Duluth 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
St. Thomas (MN) 3 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Augsburg 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Hamline 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Macalester 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1972 Nebraska College Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Kearney State $ 3 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Chadron State 2 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Wayne State (NE) 1 – 2 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Peru State 0 – 3 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1972 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Michigan Tech $ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
Minnesota Morris 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Moorhead State 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
St. Cloud State 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Southwest State (MN) 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Bemidji State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
Winona State 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1972 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Central State (OK) $^ 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
No. T–16 Northeastern State 6 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
No. 15 SW Oklahoma State 5 – 3 – 0 8 – 3 – 0
SE Oklahoma State 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Langston 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
East Central 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Cameron 2 – 6 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
NW Oklahoma State 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 1
Panhandle 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 11 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1972 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
East Division
West Chester xy 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Millersville 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 1
Bloomsburg 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Kutztown 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Cheyney 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
East Stroudsburg 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Mansfield 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
West Division
No. 18 Slippery Rock xy$ 4 – 0 – 1 8 – 2 – 1
Clarion 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Edinboro 2 – 2 – 1 3 – 5 – 1
Lock Haven 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Shippensburg 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 1
California (PA) 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
No. 9 Indiana (PA) * 0 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
Championship: Slippery Rock 29, West Chester 27
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • * – Ineligible for conference title
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1972 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Adams State $ 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Western State (CO) 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Southern Utah 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Colorado Mines 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0
Western New Mexico 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0
Westminster (UT) 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Fort Lewis 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
1972 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 / T–8 Grambling + 5 – 1 – 0 11 – 2 – 0
Jackson State + 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0
Alcorn A&M 4 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1
Texas Southern 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 4 – 1
Mississippi Valley State 1 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Prairie View A&M 1 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Southern 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 1
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll and AP small college poll
1972 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Shepherd $ 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Bluefield State 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
West Liberty State 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Salem 6 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Glenville State 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
West Virginia State 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Concord 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Fairmont State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
West Virginia Tech 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
West Virginia Wesleyan 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Conference standings based on power ratings
1972 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Wisconsin–Oshkosh $ 8 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
No. T–16 Wisconsin–La Crosse 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Wisconsin–Whitewater 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Wisconsin–Platteville 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Wisconsin–River Falls 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Wisconsin–Eau Claire 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Wisconsin–Stevens Point 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
Wisconsin–Stout 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
Wisconsin–Superior 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1972 NAIA Division I independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Carson–Newman ^   –   10 – 2 – 0
Hillsdale   –   6 – 2 – 0
Wofford   –   6 – 4 – 0
Kentucky State   –   4 – 6 – 0
Eastern New Mexico   –   2 – 8 – 0
New Mexico Highlands   –   2 – 7 – 0
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

Postseason

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Semifinals
November 25, 1972 		1972 Champion Bowl
December 9, 1972
Commerce, TX
      
Livingston 7
Carson–Newman* 7†
Carson–Newman 18
East Texas State* 21
Central State (OK) 0
East Texas State* 54
  • † The game ended in a tie, but Carson–Newman advanced based on having more total penetrations within the 20 yard line.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NAIA Championship History" (PDF). NAIA. pp. 4–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  2. ^ "1972 Division I NAIA Football Playoffs". JonFMorse.com. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
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