1972 European Figure Skating Championships, Overview
The dance event was the only discipline in which the title changed hands, as Angelika and Erich Buck unseated the defending champions Lyudmila Pakhomova / Alexander Gorshkov. The bronze medal went to the veteran British competitor Janet Sawbridge, now skating with Peter Dalby. It was Sawbridge's sixth medal at the European championships, achieved with three different partners.


1972 European Formula Two Championship
The 1972 European Formula Two season was contested over 14 rounds. British Mike Hailwood, a previously famous motorcycle racer, was the season champion, driving a Surtees-Ford.


1972 European Formula Two Championship, Calendar
Race 1, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11 and 12 were held in two heats, with results shown in aggregate.


1972 European Formula Two Championship, Calendar
Race 2, 4, 5, 7 and 13 were held with two semi-final heats and the final run, with time only shown for the final.


1972 European Formula Two Championship, Calendar
Race 2, 6, 7, 9, 11 and 14 was won by a graded driver, all graded drivers are shown in Italics.


1972 European Formula Two Championship, Final point standings, Driver
For every race points were awarded: 9 points to the winner, 6 for runner-up, 4 for third place, 3 for fourth place, 2 for fifth place and 1 for sixth place. No additional points were awarded. The best 10 results count. No driver had a point deduction.


1972 European Formula Two Championship, Final point standings, Driver
Only drivers which were not graded were able to score points.


1972 European Formula Two Championship, Final point standings, Driver
Race 2 not all points were awarded (not enough finishers).


1972 European Judo Championships
The 1972 European Judo Championships were the 21st edition of the European Judo Championships, and were held in Voorburg, Netherlands on 13 and 14 May 1971. Championships were subdivided into six individual competitions, and a separate team competition.


1972 European Karate Championships
The 1972 European Karate Championships, the 7th edition of the European Karate Championships, was held in Brussels, Belgium from May 2 to 4, 1972.


1972 European Rowing Championships
The 1972 European Rowing Championships were rowing championships held at the regatta course on the Beetzsee in Brandenburg, which was then located in East Germany. There were five competitions for women only; the events for men were contested at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, instead. As World Rowing Championships were still held at four-year intervals at the time, the European Rowing Championships were open to nations outside of Europe and had become to be regarded as quasi-world championships.


1972 European Rowing Championships
It was only in March 1972 that the East German rowing association took on organising the championships that were held from 10 to 13 August 1972 and that saw entries from 20 nations. The first sixteen nations that put their nominations forward were the Soviet Union, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Sweden, Poland, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, West Germany, the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Belgium, Australia, and the host East Germany. Later registrations included the United States and New Zealand. The host country held its rowing championships at the same venue a month earlier not just to determine their national champions, but also to find the women that should get nominations for the European championships.


1972 European Sambo Championships
The 1972 European Sambo Championships was the first International Sambo competition of its kind and it was held in Riga, Latvia.


1972 European Super Cup
The 1972 European Super Cup was a football match played over two legs between the winner of the 1971–72 European Cup and the winner of the 1971–72 European Cup Winners' Cup. The match was proposed by Anton Witkamp of De Telegraaf to decide who was the best club in Europe.


1972 European Super Cup, History
In 1972, Witkamp proposed the idea to Jaap van Praag, the then president of Ajax, who were holders of the European Cup at that time. The idea was then taken to UEFA to seek official endorsement; however Artemio Franchi, the president of UEFA at that time, rejected the idea as the reigning European Cup Winners' Cup champions—Rangers—were serving a one-year ban at the time imposed by UEFA for the alleged misbehaviour of their fans.


1972 European Super Cup, History
The match went ahead, but unofficially as a celebration of the Centenary of Rangers F.C.. The first leg was played on 16 January 1973 and the second on 24 January 1973. Ajax won the tie 6–3 on aggregate, beating Rangers both at home and away, 3–1 in Glasgow and 3–2 in the second leg in Amsterdam. Despite not being officially recognised by UEFA it is often regarded as the first ever European Super Cup match.


1972 European Tour
The 1972 European Tour was a series of golf tournaments that comprised the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) tournament circuit. It is officially recognised as the first season of the PGA European Tour.


1972 European Tour
Historically, the PGA's Order of Merit only included tournaments in Great Britain and Ireland, but in 1970 events in continental Europe were included for the first time. The circuit and organisation evolved further over the following years, adopting the name PGA European Golf Tour in 1979.


1972 European Tour
The Order of Merit was won by England's Peter Oosterhuis, who also led the standings in prize money and stroke average.


1972 European Tour, Schedule
The table below shows the 1972 European Tour schedule which was made up of 20 tournaments counting for the Order of Merit, and some non-counting tournaments that later became known as "Approved Special Events". The schedule included the major national opens around Europe, with other tournaments mostly held in England and Scotland.


1972 European Tour, Schedule
There were several changes from the previous year's British PGA circuit schedule, with the inclusion of the Madrid Open, the Dutch Open and the Lancia d'Oro tournament; they joined the five national opens in continental Europe that were included in 1971. Also added were the John Player Trophy and the Scottish Open, and the returning John Player Classic and Sumrie Better-Ball tournaments; lost from the calendar were the Agfa-Gevaert Tournament, the Classic International, the Daks Tournament and the Gallaher Ulster Open.


1972 European Tour, Order of Merit
The PGA European Tour's money list was known as the "Order of Merit". It was based on a points system, which meant that some players could finish lower than others despite accumulating more prize money.


1972 European Weightlifting Championships
The 1972 European Weightlifting Championships were held in Constanţa, Romania from May 13 to May 21, 1972. This was the 51st edition of the event. There were 157 men in action from 27 nations.


1972 FA Charity Shield
The 1972 FA Charity Shield was contested between Manchester City and Aston Villa.


1972 FA Charity Shield
Normally, the Charity Shield would have been contested by the First Division champions and FA Cup holders, who were Derby County and Leeds United respectively, but both declined the chance to play in the Charity Shield. Instead, Manchester City, who had finished in fourth place in the First Division; and Aston Villa, who finished as Third Division champions accepted the invitation to play.


1972 FA Charity Shield
The match was played at Villa Park and Manchester City won 1–0, following a penalty from striker Francis Lee.


1972 FA Cup Final
The 1972 FA Cup Final took place on 6 May 1972 at Wembley Stadium. It was the centenary final (although only the 91st final due to the world wars) and the 44th to be played at Wembley.


1972 FA Cup Final
It was contested between cup holders Arsenal, who had won the Football League and the FA Cup the previous season, and Leeds United, who had won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and finished second in the league the previous season, but had never won the FA Cup. Arsenal and Leeds became the first clubs to have faced one another in both English domestic cup finals: the two had previously contested the 1968 Football League Cup Final, which Leeds had won, 1–0. Arsenal planned to make it the third successive decade for a club to return as Cup-holders and win for a second successive year, as Newcastle United had done in 1952 and Tottenham Hotspur in 1962.


1972 FA Cup Final
This final is the origin of the song "Leeds! Leeds! Leeds!" (commonly known as "Marching On Together"), which was the B-side of Leeds's Cup Final record. The song is still played by United and other Leeds sports teams.


1972 FA Cup Final, Match summary
The Leeds duo Mick Jones and Allan 'Sniffer' Clarke combined to produce a goal in the fifty-third minute. Jones sent across a hard, shoulder-high centre and Clarke headed powerfully past Arsenal keeper Geoff Barnett's left hand from fifteen yards.


1972 FA Cup Final, Match summary
A match that often fell below the highest level began badly with a foul by Clarke on Alan Ball in the first five seconds and the first of four bookings – Bob McNab bringing down Peter Lorimer as early as the second minute. Neither side played consistently up to their capabilities, yet both had their moments. Charlie George's fierce volley cannoned back off the bar for Arsenal, and both Clarke and Lorimer struck the woodwork for Leeds.


1972 FA Cup Final, Match summary
Leeds' jubilation at the end was tempered by a last-minute injury to Mick Jones, who dislocated his elbow and had to be helped up the steps by Norman Hunter to receive his winners' medal.


1972 FAMAS Awards
The 20th Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards Night was held in 1972 for the Outstanding Achievements for the year 1971.


1972 FAMAS Awards
Lilet, a Velarde and Associates Productions  won the most awards with 6 wins including the FAMAS Award for Best Picture and Best Actress for Celia Rodriguez.


1972 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
The 1972 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship (known at that time as 1972 European Championship for Juniors) was an international basketball competition held in Zadar, SFR Yugoslavia in 1972.


1972 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, Final standings
Dragan Todorić, Franc Volaj, Milan Grabovac, Dragan Kićanović, Rajko Žižić, Milan Milićević, Boris Beravs, Ratko Kaljević, Mirza Delibašić, Čedomir Perinčić, Branko Macura, and Željko Jerkov. Head Coach: Mirko Novosel.


1972 FIBA Intercontinental Cup of National Teams
The 1972 FIBA Intercontinental Cup of National Teams was a special edition tournament of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, and the 6th edition of the tournament overall. It took place at Ginásio do Ibirapuera, São Paulo, Brazil.


1972 FIBA Korać Cup
The 1971-72 FIBA Korać Cup was the inaugural edition of FIBA's competition for European basketball non national champions and cup winners, running from 4 January to 7 March 1972. 8 teams took part in the competition.


1972 FIBA Korać Cup
Lokomotiva from Zagreb defeated OKK Beograd (another Yugoslav club), in a two-legged final to become the competition's first champion.


1972 FIM Motocross World Championship
The 1972 FIM Motocross World Championship was the 16th F.I.M. Motocross Racing World Championship season.


1972 FIM Motocross World Championship, Summary
Roger De Coster won his second consecutive 500cc world championship for Suzuki ahead of East German rider, Paul Friedrichs and Finnish rider Heikki Mikkola. Joël Robert, claimed his sixth 250cc title, and fifth in a row for the Suzuki factory racing team. Yamaha joined the championship fray with former Husqvarna riders Christer Hammargren and Jaak van Velthoven in the 500cc class and Håkan Andersson in the 250cc class.


1972 Federation Cup (tennis)
The 1972 Federation Cup was the tenth edition of the most important competition between national teams in women's tennis. 31 nations participated in the tournament, which was held at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa from 20–25 March. South Africa defeated Great Britain in the final, in what was the first final not featuring United States or Australia, giving South Africa their first title. South Africa became the first team other than United States or Australia to win the Fed Cup.


1972 Federation Cup (tennis), Draw
All ties were played at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa on hard courts.


1972 Federation Cup (tennis), Consolation Round
Teams which lost in the first or second round of the main draw went on to play in the Consolation Round.


1972 Fiesta Bowl
The 1972 Fiesta Bowl was the second edition of the college football bowl game, played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona on Saturday, December 23. Part of the 1972–73 bowl game season, it matched the unranked Missouri Tigers of the Big Eight Conference and #15 Arizona State Sun Devils of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Arizona State never trailed, gained over 700 yards on offense, and won again on its home field, 49–35.


1972 Fiesta Bowl
This was the first of two consecutive Fiesta Bowls played at night.


1972 Fiesta Bowl, Teams, Missouri
The Tigers finished the regular season with a 6–5 overall record, 3-4 in the Big Eight Conference, with upset wins over Notre Dame,  Colorado, and Iowa State. This was Missouri's first bowl appearance in three years.


1972 Fiesta Bowl, Teams, Arizona State
The Sun Devils were champions of the WAC for the fourth straight year, the only conference loss was by two points at Wyoming in late September. The other blemish was a home loss to independent Air Force. ASU had won the previous year's  inaugural Fiesta Bowl.


1972 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary
Televised by Hughes, the kickoff on Saturday night was shortly after 6 p.m. MST. It was the only bowl game of the day, played after the first two NFL divisional playoff games.


1972 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary
Arizona State took the lead early with two touchdown runs by All-American halfback Woody Green, taking a 14–0 lead at the end of the first. Missouri fullback Don Johnson scored from a yard out to narrow the lead, but ASU responded with fullback Brent McClanahan's one-yard run, followed by Danny White's 34-yard touchdown pass to split end Ed Beverly to increase the lead to 28–7 at halftime.


1972 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary
Missouri's Chuck Link caught a touchdown pass from quarterback John Cherry to narrow the lead, but the extra point missed, making it only 28–13. Not to be deterred, Link caught another touchdown pass and converted the conversion to make it 28–21 as the third quarter came to a close.


1972 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary
The Sun Devils struck back, as Green scored his third touchdown of the day to make it 35–21. But on the kickoff return, Mike Fink returned it 100 yards to cut the lead back to seven. Beverly caught his second touchdown of the day from White to make it 42–28, and after a failed Missouri drive, Green scored his fourth touchdown to give ASU a commanding 49–28 lead. Tiger halfback Tommy Reamon had 31-yard touchdown run to make the final score 49–35, as ASU won its second straight Fiesta Bowl.


1972 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary
ASU set two records that still stand for most total yards (718) and first downs (33), which helped them win despite four turnovers compared to Missouri's three, which hurt them more. Green ran for 202 yards on 25 carries (8.1 avg.) for four touchdowns and was named Offensive MVP; in addition, backfield mate McClanahan had 171 yards on 26 carries (6.6 avg.) with a touchdown.


1972 Fiesta Bowl, Aftermath
While in the WAC, Arizona State appeared in three more Fiesta Bowls, winning its next two (1973, 1975). Through 2021, Missouri has yet to return to the Fiesta Bowl.


1972 Fijian general election
General elections were held in Fiji between 15 and 29 April 1972, the first since independence from the United Kingdom in 1970. They were characterised by the lack of rancour between racial groups, typical of the 1966 general election and the 1968 by-elections.


1972 Fijian general election
The result was a landslide for the Alliance Party of the Prime Minister, Kamisese Mara, which won 33 of the 52 seats, and surprised many observers by capturing almost 25 percent of the Indo-Fijian vote. The Indo-Fijian-dominated National Federation Party led by Sidiq Koya won the remaining 19 seats. The election re-affirmed the political allegiances of the past, with the Alliance Party winning all the Fijian Communal seats with 82% of the vote, as well as all the General Communal seats. The National Federation Party (NFP) won all the Indian Communal sets with 73% of the vote. Voter turnout was 85.2% in the communal seats.


1972 Fijian general election, Electoral system
The 52-member House of Representatives consisted of 27 members elected from communal constituencies (12 Fijian, 12 Indo-Fijian and three general electors) and 25 members elected from national constituencies (10 Fijian, 10 Indo-Fijian and five general electors), all elected by first-past-the-post voting.


1972 Fijian general election, Electoral system
Voters could cast up to four votes; one in their own communal constituency, and three in their national constituency, in which they voted for a Fijian, Indo-Fijian and general elector candidate.


1972 Fijian general election, Aftermath
Following the elections, R. D. Patel of the National Federation Party became Speaker.


1972 Fijian general election, Aftermath
Prime Minister Mara carried out a cabinet reshuffle, appointing a new cabinet with 14 ministers, an increase from 12 in the previous government. He appointed two members to the Senate – John Falvey and Penaia Ganilau – to allow them to join the cabinet.


1972 Fijian local elections
Local elections were held in Fiji on 5 November 1972, with voters electing members of the councils of Lautoka and Suva. They were the first local elections after the common electoral roll was introduced.


1972 Fijian local elections, Results
In Suva, the Alliance Party won fourteen seats on the City Council and the National Federation Party six, with the Alliance Party's Peter Allan elected mayor. In Lautoka, the National Federation Party won eight seats and the Alliance Party four, with the NFP's Hari Punja elected mayor.


1972 Finnish parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 2 and 3 January 1972.


1972 Finnish parliamentary election, Background
Prime Minister Ahti Karjalainen's centre-left coalition government lost the Finnish People's Democratic League in March 1971 as they opposed the removal of government subsidies from certain foods whose prices rose, and was forced to resign in October 1971, due to the disagreements between the Social Democratic Party and the Centre Party over the amount of agricultural subsidies.


1972 Finnish parliamentary election, Background
According to some historians, politicians and journalists, such as Allan Tiitta, Seppo Zetterberg, Johannes Virolainen, Veikko Vennamo and Pekka Hyvärinen, an underlying reason for these early parliamentary elections was President Urho Kekkonen's desire to continue in office without regular presidential elections which had been scheduled for 1974. Re -election as President through exceptional means would require a five-sixths majority in Parliament and, according to the above analysts, Kekkonen hoped that such early elections would reduce the number of Finnish Rural Party MPs, and would thus make the exceptional electoral law's passage in Parliament easier.


1972 Finnish parliamentary election, Background
Kekkonen remembered bitterly the loud and constant criticism of himself and of his foreign policy that Rural Party leader Veikko Vennamo had practised during the 1968 presidential election campaign, and he was determined not to submit himself to such a vicious election campaign this time. Finland was also negotiating a free trade agreement with the European Economic Community, and most Finnish politicians believed that Finland could get a favourable free trade agreement with President Kekkonen's help.


1972 Finnish parliamentary election, Aftermath
To most other parties' surprise, the Rural Party retained their 18 MPs. Government formation was difficult due to partisan bickering and the elections' rather inconclusive results. Rafael Paasio of the Social Democrats formed a minority government of his own party in February 1972, replacing the Helsinki city manager Teuvo Aura's liberal caretaker government. Finally, after tough negotiations, Social Democrat Kalevi Sorsa managed to form a new centre-left majority government that included the Social Democrats, the Centre Party, the Swedish People's Party and the Liberal People's Party in September 1972.


1972 Finnish parliamentary election, Aftermath
President Kekkonen's goal of re-election by Parliament was achieved in January 1973. It was helped by the Rural Party splitting as thirteen of their MPs left to form the Finnish People's Unity Party, and by most National Coalition MPs supporting his re-election.


1972 First National Tennis Classic
The 1972 First National Tennis Classic, also known as the Louisville WCT, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Louisville Tennis Center in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It was the third edition of the tournament and was held from July 24 through July 30, 1972. The tournament was part of the 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit and offered total prize money of $50,000. The singles final was won by ninth-seeded Arthur Ashe who earned $10,000 first-prize money.


1972 First National Tennis Classic, Finals, Doubles
John Alexander /  Phil Dent defeated  Arthur Ashe /  Bob Lutz 6–4, 6–3


1972 Five Nations Championship
The 1972 Five Nations Championship was the forty-third series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the seventy-eighth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. The championship was not completed for the first time since World War II.


1972 Five Nations Championship
Scotland and Wales did not travel to Dublin to play Ireland because of the escalating political situation. Although the remaining fixtures of the schedule were fulfilled, as both Ireland and Wales won all their matches, neither could claim the title. To fill the gap of the missing two fixtures, France played a friendly match in Dublin (in addition to the scheduled match in Paris).


1972 Five Nations Championship
In total nine matches were played between 15 January and 29 April. It was contested by England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.


1972 Five Nations Championship
This was the first Five Nations Championship where a try was worth four points.


1972 Five Nations Championship
This tournament saw France play its last matches at its decades-long home ground of Colombes. The opening of the rebuilt Parc des Princes that June saw France move its Five Nations matches to that ground.


1972 Florida Gators football team
The 1972 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. The season was the third for Doug Dickey as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Dickey's 1972 Florida Gators finished with a 5–5–1 overall record and a 3–3–1 Southeastern Conference (SEC) record, tying for sixth among ten SEC teams.


1972 Florida Gators football team, Season summary, LSU
A massive rainstorm inundated Florida Field during the game, allowing a 4–4 Florida team to hang close enough with No. 8 LSU to tie the game at 3 with 2:08 left. LSU missed seven field goals during the deluge. The front page of the Youngstown Vindicator reported the next day that during the pre-game invocation, Catholic priest Michael Gannon prayed, "And if it be Thy will, we'd like You to stop the rain." It immediately started raining harder and continued heavily throughout the game


1972 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 1972 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University in the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. The Seminoles began the season ranked #19 in the AP poll and rose to #13 (#20, #17, #16, #13 in the second through fifth weeks respectively) before falling out completely following their loss to Florida. They entered again at #17 after their victory against Colorado State, but dropped out again after the loss at Auburn.


1972 Football Cup of Ukrainian SSR among KFK
The 1972 Football Cup of Ukrainian SSR among KFK  was the annual season of Ukraine's football knockout competition for amateur football teams.


1972 Football League Cup Final
The 1972 Football League Cup Final took place on 4 March 1972 at Wembley Stadium and was contested by Chelsea and Stoke City.


1972 Football League Cup Final
Chelsea went into the match as strong favourites having won the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in the previous two seasons, whereas Stoke were attempting to win their first major trophy. Terry Conroy put Stoke into the lead early on but Chelsea hit back through Peter Osgood just before half time. Stoke got the decisive final goal from veteran George Eastham to end their 109-year wait for a major honour. It remains the club's only major trophy victory; the closest they have come since then to beating this achievement was in 2011 when they lost to Manchester City in the 2011 FA Cup Final.


1972 Football League Cup Final, Match review
Both sides reached the final after epic semi-final ties with Chelsea beating Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke, West Ham United. The match took place on 4 March 1972 at Wembley Stadium in front of 97,852 with around 35,000 travelling down from Stoke-on-Trent.


1972 Football League Cup Final, Match review
Despite it being Stoke's first major final they showed no signs of nerves as they took the game to the "Blues" and after only five minutes, a long throw-in from Peter Dobing was headed on by Denis Smith. Chelsea's defence panicked and Terry Conroy was quickest to react to put Stoke into the lead. Chelsea improved their game, but it was Stoke who should have scored again with both Dobing and Jimmy Greenhoff being denied by the agile Peter Bonetti. A rare mistake from Alan Bloor inside his own goal-area brought Chelsea an equaliser just before half-time with Peter Osgood taking full advantage.


1972 Football League Cup Final, Match review
After the break Stoke again forced Chelsea back into their own half and although the play became rather scrappy both sides should have scored. But then on 73 minutes George Eastham scored a second goal for Stoke after Greenhoff's shot was only blocked by Bonetti. Gordon Banks made a number of fine saves to keep Stoke's one goal advantage intact and Stoke held out to secure their first major trophy. The club marked the achievement by parading the trophy in an open top bus around Stoke-on-Trent.


1972 Formula One season
The 1972 Formula One season was the 26th season of the FIA's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 23rd World Championship of Drivers, the 15th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers and numerous non-championship Formula One races. The World Championship season commenced on 23 January and ended on 8 October after twelve races.


1972 Formula One season
For 1972 Team Lotus focused again on the type 72 chassis. Imperial Tobacco continued its sponsorship of the team under its new John Player Special brand. The cars, now often referred to as 'JPS', were fielded in a new black and gold livery. Lotus took the championship by surprise in 1972 with 25-year-old Brazilian driver Emerson Fittipaldi who became the youngest World Champion at that point. Stewart came second in the championship.


1972 Formula One season
This was the first year where all the races were run on circuits with safety features on them, and considerable progress had been made since 1968, the last year where all races were run on circuits with no safety features.


1972 Formula One season
The British Racing Motors (BRM) team took its last victory when Jean-Pierre Beltoise won the rain-affected 1972 Monaco Grand Prix in a BRM P160.


1972 Formula One season
The Dutch Grand Prix was cancelled this year because of safety arrangements that were not completed for the race. It was supposed to be held between the Belgian and French Grand Prix's at the usual location, Zandvoort. Also, a second American motor race called the United States Grand Prix West, originally supposed to be held in April at the Ontario Motor Speedway near Los Angeles, was cancelled. The Mexican Grand Prix was scheduled to be the last race of the season, but it was cancelled after local interest dissipated after the death of Pedro Rodríguez.


1972 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The Argentine Grand Prix returned to the calendar in 1972, It was the first Formula One race in Argentina since 1960, the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez would be used again and was held on 23 January.


1972 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The Spanish Grand Prix was moved from Montjuïc to Jarama, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits.


1972 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The Belgian Grand Prix returned to the calendar for 1972, the 1971 race was cancelled because of the failure to bring Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps up to mandatory safety standards. The 1972 race was held at the Nivelles-Baulers circuit.


1972 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The French Grand Prix was moved from Circuit Paul Ricard to the Charade Circuit.


1972 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The British Grand Prix was moved from Silverstone to Brands Hatch, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits.


1972 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The Canadian Grand Prix was supposed to be held at Circuit Mont-Tremblant was due to host the race in rotation with Mosport Park but the Mont-Tremblant circuit had safety concerns regarding the bitter winters seriously affecting the track surface and a dispute with the local racing authorities there in 1972. Mosport would host the race in 1972 on its intended date.


1972 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The United States Grand Prix West was originally scheduled for 9 April at the Ontario Motor Speedway road course but was cancelled due to the FIA's insistence on circuits holding a test event first.


1972 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The Dutch Grand Prix was originally scheduled for 18 June but was cancelled because of safety upgrades that were not completed at the Zandvoort Circuit in time for the race.


1972 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The Mexican Grand Prix was originally scheduled for 22 October but was cancelled as interest waned following the death of Pedro Rodríguez in a sportscar crash in July 1971.


1972 Formula One season, Season Review, Race 1: Argentina
Formula One returned to Argentina in January for the first time since 1960. The short No.9 arena configuration of the Buenos Aires city autodrome was used, and Argentine Carlos Reutemann, in his first ever F1 race, took pole position in a Brabham-Ford/Cosworth. Defending World Champion Jackie Stewart of the UK won in a Tyrrell-Ford/Cosworth.


1972 Formula One season, Season Review, Race 2: South Africa
The South African Grand Prix took place at the Kyalami circuit near Johannesburg in March. Denny Hulme won the race in a McLaren-Ford/Cosworth, which was McLaren's first F1 victory since 1969.


1972 Formula One season, Season Review, Race 3: Spain
With the cancellation of the United States Grand Prix West at the Ontario Motor Speedway near Los Angeles, Formula One started its 4-month European tour in Spain at the Jarama circuit near Madrid. The Lotus 72, improved after suspension revisions to the chassis to make the car better suited to slick tires, won in the hands of Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi, in only his second F1 race.


1972 Formula One season, Season Review, Race 4: Monaco
The Monaco Grand Prix in 1972 was run in extremely wet conditions. The circuit had been changed to move the pits from the start-finish line to the harbour straight, though they were moved back to their original location the following year. Frenchman Jean-Pierre Beltoise won his only championship F1 race.


1972 Formula One season, Season Review, Race 5: Belgium
The Belgian Grand Prix took place at the Nivelles circuit just outside Brussels, replacing the Spa-Francorchamps circuit because of safety concerns. Fittipaldi won again in his John Player Lotus 72D.


1972 Formula One season, Season Review, Race 6: France
There was a four-week break between Grands Prix as the Dutch Grand Prix was cancelled due to safety issues with the Zandvoort circuit. The French Grand Prix was run at the 5.1 mile Charade circuit, consisting of closed-off public roads located in hills surrounding an extinct volcano above Clermont-Ferrand. The circuit's twisty, undulating and sometimes fast nature provided a considerable challenge, and the circuit had been lined with more Armco and had a few more safety features. New Zealander Chris Amon took pole with his new Matra MS120D, ahead of his countryman Denny Hulme in a McLaren.


1972 Formula One season, Season Review, Race 6: France
Amon led until suffering a puncture, which dropped him to third place, behind Stewart and Fittipaldi – the former returning from illness after missing the previous race in Belgium. Austrian Helmut Marko was hit and blinded in his left eye by a rock thrown from Fittipaldi's Lotus; the injury ended his racing career. The Charade circuit was never used again for F1, with subsequently planned events being cancelled over safety concerns.


1972 Formula One season, Season Review, Race 7: Great Britain
The British Grand Prix was at Brands Hatch in 1972, and Jacky Ickx in a Ferrari took pole ahead of Fittipaldi and Stewart. Fittipaldi won the race, 4.1 seconds ahead of Stewart.


1972 Formula One season, Season Review, Race 8: West Germany
The German Grand Prix was held at the 14.2 mile (22.8 km) Nürburgring Nordschleife – the longest, most demanding and most difficult circuit of the year for Formula One. The race distance was extended from 12 to 14 laps, and Jacky Ickx took pole with a record-breaking time of 7 minutes and 7 seconds, ahead of Stewart, Fittipaldi, Swede Ronnie Peterson in a March and Stewart's teammate Francois Cevert in a Tyrrell-Ford/Cosworth. Ickx went on to dominate the race – he set fastest lap and led from start to finish. Fittipaldi retired with a seized gearbox, and Stewart and Clay Regazzoni in a Ferrari battled until they collided on the last lap at the Hatzenbach. Stewart went off and crashed, but Regazzoni was able to finish behind his teammate Ickx to make it a Ferrari 1–2.


1972 Formula One season, Season Review, Race 9: Austria
The Austrian Grand Prix was held at the fastest circuit of the year – the Österreichring in the Styrian mountains. Stewart and Fittipaldi fought for the lead early on, but Stewart, with a new model Tyrrell-Ford/Cosworth 005, eventually fell back and finished 7th, while Fittipaldi won ahead of Denny Hulme and American Peter Revson.


1972 Formula One season, Season Review, Race 10: Italy
The European season concluded four weeks after Austria at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The Monza autodrome had been slowed compared to previous years by chicanes fitted just after the pit straight and at what was the flat-out Vialone left hander. Fittipaldi's win in Austria and Stewart's failure to score points meant that Fittipaldi could become World Champion at the race, and after Stewart retired at the start with gearbox failure, he was able to take the win and his first Drivers' Championship. At the age of 25, he was the youngest-ever World Champion, a record not beaten until 2005.


1972 Formula One season, Season Review, Race 11: Canada
The Formula One season traditionally concluded in North America, and the first of two North American rounds was in Canada, at the Mosport Park circuit near Toronto. The race was originally supposed to be held at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant in northern Quebec, but a dispute with the local authorities saw the race moved back to Mosport, which had received safety upgrades after a fatal accident during a Formula Ford race during the previous year's event. Jackie Stewart won the race from McLaren drivers Revson and Hulme.


1972 Formula One season, Season Review, Race 12: United States
Two weeks after Canada, the 12th and last race of the 1972 Formula One season was held at Watkins Glen International circuit in New York State. Stewart won again ahead of his teammate Cevert, in a race that had 31 cars and drivers start the race.


1972 Formula One season, Results and standings, World Drivers' Championship standings
Points for the 1972 World Championship of Drivers were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the top six finishers in each race. For classification, only the best five results from the first half of the season and the best five results from the second half of the season could be retained.


1972 Formula One season, Results and standings, International Cup for F1 Manufacturers standings
Points for the 1972 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the top six finishers in each race. Only the best placed car from each manufacturer was eligible to score points. For classification, only the best five results from the first half of the season and the best five results from the second half of the season could be retained.


1972 Formula One season, Results and standings, Non-championship races
Other Formula One races were also held in 1972, which did not count towards the World Championship.


1972 France rugby union tour of Australia
The 1972 France rugby union tour of Australia was a series of nine matches played by the France national rugby union team in Australia in May and June 1972. The French team went through the tour unbeaten by winning eight of its nine matches and drawing the other. France won the two-match test series against Australia (the Wallabies) 1–0 with the other match drawn. As of 2018 this remains France's only series victory on Australian soil.


1972 French European Communities enlargement referendum
A referendum on the enlargement of the EC was held in France on 23 April 1972. Voters were asked whether they approved of Denmark, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom joining the EC. (Norway later voted in its own referendum not to join). The proposals were approved by 68.3% of voters, with a turnout of 60.2%.


1972 French European Communities enlargement referendum
The referendum asked: "Do you agree with the new opportunities opening up in Europe, the draft law submitted to the French people by the President of the Republic, and authorising the ratification of the Treaty concerning the accession of United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland and Norway to the European Communities?"


1972 French European Communities enlargement referendum
This was the first referendum to be held in any country relating to an issue regarding the European Communities.


1972 French Grand Prix
The 1972 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Charade in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne, France on 2 July 1972. It was race 6 of 12 in both the 1972 World Championship of Drivers and the 1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.


1972 French Grand Prix
The Circuit de Charade's natural setting around the base of an extinct volcano created safety concerns due to the dark, volcanic rocks which fell from the mountain onto both sides of the track. Drivers who skirted the track edge would often send rocks flying into the middle of the road and into the path of pursuing competitors. The hazard was highlighted when driver Helmut Marko suffered a career-ending injury during the race, when a stone thrown from Emerson Fittipaldi's Lotus penetrated his helmet visor and blinded him in the left eye. The rocks also meant that tyre punctures were a perennial hazard on the circuit, as was shown when ten competitors suffered punctures during the race. The French Grand Prix was moved to the new Circuit Paul Ricard for 1973.


1972 French Grand Prix
Chris Amon achieved the fifth and final pole position of his career and was leading the race in his Matra until a puncture forced him to pit, leaving Jackie Stewart to win in his Tyrrell-Ford. Fittipaldi finished second, just ahead of a charging Amon, who shattered the circuit's lap record.


1972 French Open
The 1972 French Open was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. The tournament ran from 22 May until 4 June. It was the 76th staging of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam tennis event of 1972. Andrés Gimeno and Billie Jean King won the singles titles.


1972 French Open, Finals, Men's doubles
Bob Hewitt /  Frew McMillan defeated  Patricio Cornejo /  Jaime Fillol, 6–3, 8–6, 3–6, 6–1


1972 French Open, Finals, Women's doubles
Billie Jean King /  Betty Stöve defeated  Winnie Shaw /  Nell Truman, 6–1, 6–2


1972 French Open, Finals, Mixed doubles
Evonne Goolagong /  Kim Warwick defeated  Françoise Dürr /  Jean-Claude Barclay, 6–2, 6–4


1972 French Open – Men's Doubles
Arthur Ashe and Marty Riessen were the defending champions but none could compete this year, as both players were banned for the Grand Prix tournaments during the dispute between the ILTF and the WCT.


1972 French Open – Men's Doubles
Bob Hewitt and Frew McMillan won the title by defeating Patricio Cornejo and Jaime Fillol 6–3, 8–6, 3–6, 6–1 in the final.


1972 French Open – Men's Doubles, Seeds
The top seven seeds received a bye to the second round.


1972 French Open – Men's Singles
Sixth-seeded Andrés Gimeno defeated Patrick Proisy 4–6, 6–3, 6–1, 6–1 in the final to win the Men's Singles tennis title at the 1972 French Open. This was his first and only grand slam title and, at the age of 34, he became the oldest first-time grand slam champion in the open era. Jan Kodes was the two-time defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Patrick Proisy.


1972 French Open – Men's Singles
The French Lawn Tennis Federation halved the size of the draw from 128 to 64 players in an attempt to attract the top players on tour to the tournament; this change was reverted the following year as results were mixed.


1972 French Open – Men's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Andrés Gimeno is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1972 French Open – Men's Singles Qualifying
Players who neither had high enough rankings nor received wild cards to enter the main draw of the annual French Open Tennis Championships participated in a qualifying tournament held in the week before the event.


1972 French Open – Mixed Doubles
Jean-Claude Barclay and Françoise Dürr were the defending champions but lost in the final 6–2, 6–4 against Kim Warwick and Evonne Goolagong.


1972 French Open – Women's Doubles
The Women's Doubles tournament at the 1972 French Open was held from 22 May to 4 June 1972 on the outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. The fourth-seeded team of Billie Jean King and Betty Stöve won the title, defeating the unseeded pair of Winnie Shaw and Nell Truman in the final in straight sets.


1972 French Open – Women's Singles
Third-seeded Billie Jean King defeated defending champion Evonne Goolagong in the final 6–3, 6–3, to win the Women's Singles title at the 1972 French Open and complete a career Grand Slam in singles.


1972 French Open – Women's Singles
The French Lawn Tennis Federation halved the size of the draw from 64 to 32 players in an attempt to attract the top players on tour to the tournament; this change was reverted the following year as results were mixed.


1972 French Open – Women's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Billie Jean King is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1972 French Open – Women's Singles Qualifying
Players who neither had high enough rankings nor received wild cards to enter the main draw of the annual French Open Tennis Championships participated in a qualifying tournament held in the week before the event.


1972 French Polynesian legislative election
Legislative elections were held in French Polynesia on 10 September 1972 for the Territorial Assembly. Anti -autonomist parties won a majority.


1972 French Polynesian legislative election, Aftermath
Louis Palmer died in February 1973 and was replaced by Lucien Ratinassamy. Pouvanaa a Oopa resigned during the term of the Territorial Assembly and was replaced by Yannick Amaru. André Teikitutoua died shortly before the 1977 elections and was not replaced.


1972 Fresno State Bulldogs football team
The 1972 Fresno State Bulldogs football team represented California State University, Fresno during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. The team was led by head coach Darryl Rogers, in his seventh (and last) year, and they played their home games at Ratcliffe Stadium on the campus of Fresno City College in Fresno, California. They finished the season with a record of six wins, four losses and one tie (6–4–1, 1–3 PCAA).


1972 GP Ouest–France
The 1972 GP Ouest-France was the 36th edition of the GP Ouest-France cycle race and was held on 22 August 1972. The race started and finished in Plouay. The race was won by Robert Bouloux.


1972 Gambian general election
General elections were held in the Gambia on 28 and 29 March 1972. They were won by the ruling party, the People's Progressive Party, which took 28 of the 32 elected seats (including five in which its candidates were unopposed).


1972 Gator Bowl
The 1972 Gator Bowl was held on December 30, 1972, at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. The sixth-ranked Auburn Tigers defeated the 13th-ranked Colorado Buffaloes by a score of 24–3.


1972 Gator Bowl, Game summary
The scoring was opened in the second quarter by Auburn, as they converted a 27-yard field goal to take a 3–0 lead. They extended their lead to ten as they found the end zone later in the same quarter off of a 1-yard run. They took a 10–0 lead into halftime. They controlled the third quarter as well, scoring on a 22-yard pass to take a 17–0 lead into the fourth quarter. The Tigers lost their shutout when the Buffaloes hit a 33-yard field goal, but Auburn quickly responded, scoring a 16-yard touchdown pass to make the score 24–3. The game finished with the same score.


1972 Gator Bowl, Aftermath
6th-ranked Auburn rose to #5 following their win; #13 Colorado fell to #16.


1972 Gent–Wevelgem
The 1972 Gent–Wevelgem was the 34th edition of the Gent–Wevelgem cycle race and was held on 12 April 1972. The race started in Ghent and finished in Wevelgem. The race was won by Roger Swerts of the Molteni team.


1972 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 1972 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the Georgia Bulldogs of the University of Georgia during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season.


1972 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
The 1972 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. The Yellow Jackets were led by first-year head coach Bill Fulcher and played their home games at Grant Field in Atlanta. They were invited to the 1972 Liberty Bowl, where they defeated Iowa State, 31–30.


1972 German Formula Three Championship
The 1972 German Formula Three Championship (German: 1972 ADAC Preis der Formel 3) was a multi-event motor racing championship for single-seat open wheel formula racing cars held across Europe. The championship featured drivers competing in two-litre Formula Three racing cars which conformed to the technical regulations, or formula, for the championship. It commenced on 2 April at Nürburgring and ended at Zolder on 17 September after eight rounds.


1972 German Formula Three Championship
Willi Sommer became a champion. He won three races. Manfred Mohr finished as runner-up, winning the season opener and the season finale. Dieter Kern completed the top-three in the drivers' standings with wins at Nürburgring and Hockenheimring. Jochen Mass was the only other driver who was able to win a race in the season.


1972 German Grand Prix
The 1972 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on 30 July 1972. It was race 8 of 12 in both the 1972 World Championship of Drivers and the 1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.


1972 German Grand Prix
The 14-lap race was won by Belgian driver Jacky Ickx, driving a Ferrari. Ickx achieved a Grand Chelem – taking pole position, leading every lap and setting the fastest lap – and the fourth at the circuit. It was his eighth, and final, World Championship race victory. Swiss teammate Clay Regazzoni finished second, with Swedish driver Ronnie Peterson third in a March-Ford.


1972 Gibraltar general election
Early general elections were held in Gibraltar on 23 June 1972. The result was a victory for the Association for the Advancement of Civil Rights, which won eight of the 15 seats in the House of Assembly.


1972 Gibraltar general election, Background
The 1969 elections had seen the Association for the Advancement of Civil Rights emerge as the largest party in the legislature, winning seven of the 15 seats. However, the opposition Integration with Britain Party and the Isola Group between them held eight seats, and were able to form a government. However, in 1972 a member of the Isola Group defected, resulting in early elections being called.


1972 Gibraltar general election, Electoral system
The electoral system for the House of Assembly allowed each voter to vote for up to eight candidates.


1972 Gillette Cup
The 1972 Gillette Cup was the tenth Gillette Cup, an English limited overs county cricket tournament. It was held between 5 July and 2 September 1972. The tournament was won by Lancashire County Cricket Club who defeated Warwickshire County Cricket Club by 4 wickets in the final at Lord's.


1972 Gillette Cup, Format
The seventeen first-class counties were joined by five Minor Counties: Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Durham, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. Teams who won in the first round progressed to the second round. The winners in the second round then progressed to the quarter-final stage. Winners from the quarter-finals then progressed to the semi-finals from which the winners then went on to the final at Lord's which was held on 2 September 1972.


1972 Gird by-election
In June 1972 a by-election was held in for the Gird seat of the Legislative Assembly of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The by-election was called after the resignation of the sitting MLA Vijaya Raje Scindia.


1972 Gird by-election
Scindia, once the Rajmata of Gwalior, had won both the Gird Legislative Assembly seat as well the Bhind seat of the Lok Sabha (lower house of the parliament of India) in the 1971 general election by impressive margins, standing for the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS). In the March 1972 Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly election in Gird she defeated the Indian National Congress candidate Ghuraiya Sarnamsingh with a margin of over 12,000 votes. After the elections she had to choose between the two posts, and decided to retain her Lok Sabha seat and resigned from the Gird Legislative Assembly seat. At the time Gird was seen as a Scindia-BJS stronghold.


1972 Gird by-election
The main contenders of the by-election were Maheshdutta Mishra and Balkrishna Sharma. Mishra was the candidate put forth by Scindia and represented the BJS. Scindia and other prominent BJS personalities conducted speaking tours across the vast constituency to support Mishra's candidacy, at least 50 jeeps were used the purpose. Sharma was a Communist Party of India leader with 35 years experience in working with the peasant movement in the area. The Indian National Congress had declared its support for Sharma's candidature, but local Congress leaders in Gwalior offered little support for him.


1972 Gird by-election
The election was held on 5 June 1972. Sharma narrowly won the seat, largely due to support from the peasants. He got 12,704 votes compared to 11,915 votes for Mishra. There were also six independent candidates in the fray; B. Kushwah (1,868 votes), J. Raosahib (1,682 votes), Nathu (238 votes), Roopchand (110 votes) and G. Sharma (70 votes). All independent candidates lost their deposits.


1972 Gird by-election
The French scholar Christophe Jaffrelot argued that "[t]he victory of the people's candidate over that of the 'palace' was the abiding image of this contest. Nor must one forget that it happened after the passing of a law establishing a ceiling of 10 acres on landholdings owned by individuals and 15 acres on those owned by families of five individuals, a measure which Congress had promised before the elections and was supported by the CPI." According to the publication Link the election outcome was "a significant event in the anti-feudal wind blowing in the northern districts of Madhya Pradesh". The election sparked internal dissent within the BJS, with some sectors beginning to call for a break with the relationship with the Scindias.


1972 Giro d'Italia
The 1972 Giro d'Italia was the 55th running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours races. The Giro started in Venice on 21 May, with a 5.2 km (3.2 mi) prologue and concluded with a 197 km (122 mi) mass-start stage, on 11 June. A total of 100 riders from ten teams entered the 20-stage race, that was won by Belgian Eddy Merckx of the Molteni team. The second and third places were taken by Spaniards José Manuel Fuente and Francisco Galdós, respectively.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Teams
A total of ten teams were invited to participate in the 1972 Giro d'Italia. Each team sent a squad of ten riders, which meant that the race started with a peloton of 100 cyclists. In total, 63 riders were from Italy, while the remaining 37 riders came from: Belgium (18), Spain (10), Switzerland (6), Sweden (2), and Denmark (1). Of those starting, 21 were riding the Giro d'Italia for the first time. The average age of riders was 27.34 years, ranging from 22–year–old Jürg Schneider from GBC to 38–year–old Aldo Moser of GBC. The team with the youngest average rider age was Magniflex (25), while the oldest was Salvarani (29). From the riders that began this edition, 69 made it to the finish on the Milan.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Pre-race favorites
Eddy Merckx (Molteni) entered as the unanimous favorite to win the event. He had previously won the race in 1968 and 1970, but did not ride in 1971 in order to race the Tour de France, which he won. Early in the season, he broke a  vertebra in a fall during the Paris–Nice. Merckx entered the race as the reigning world champion,  with victories at Milan–San Remo and Liège–Bastogne–Liège in the season so far. He was viewed to be in great physical shape coming into the race.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Pre-race favorites
Despite his success, there were concerns that Merckx's constant racing during the 1969 and 1970 seasons might have diminished his capabilities. The Molteni team was viewed to have strong supports for Merckx with Roger Swerts, Martin Van Den Bossche, and Jozef Spruyt. It was known that Merckx wished to target the upcoming Tour de France and it was thought that he and his team would try to be conservative with their efforts at the Giro. A third victory would tie Merckx with the likes of Giovanni Brunero, Gino Bartali, and Fiorenzo Magni, whom each had won the race three times. Five-time champion Alfredo Binda commented that Merckx's participation "promises episodes of high competitive value, even if the Belgian is no longer the powerful athlete, almost irresistible from two years ago." Binda commented that Merckx is vulnerable when considering his results from the previous season to the current one.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Pre-race favorites
Reigning champion Gösta Pettersson (Ferretti) was found to be a dangerous opponent. Pettersson's teammate Gianni Motta was also viewed as a general classification threat, which was thought to hinder their chances as Merckx was the sole leader of his Molteni team. The same was thought for the Salvarani team which featured two-time winner Felice Gimondi (1967 and 1969) and Italo Zilioli. Gimondi stated before the race that on the fourth stage where the Blockhaus is climbed, "you will know what I am worth." Binda felt Gimondi had the best chance of all the Italian competitors to win the general classification.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Pre-race favorites
Spanish climbers José Manuel Fuente and Miguel María Lasa, both from the KAS team, were expected to disrupt Merckx in the mountains and could challenge for a high general classification ranking. The KAS team was viewed as a strong squad after their stranglehold over the recent Vuelta a España where Fuente was victorious, but it was noted that featured minimal competition for the squad.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Pre-race favorites
Outside contenders for the race were Roger de Vlaeminck (Dreher), Ole Ritter (Dreher), Pierfranco Vianelli (Dreher), and Franco Bitossi (Filotex). De Vlaeminck was viewed as a threat due to his victory at Paris–Roubaix and stage-race Tirreno–Adriatico. He suffered scaphoid fracture before the race and got the cast removed before the race began and started the event with a bandage on his left wrist. He stated he hoped his condition would improve before the race reached the Blockhaus. In addition, one of de Vlaeminck's knees would be operated on in the fall.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Pre-race favorites
Sprinters Marino Basso (Salvarani) and Patrick Sercu (Dreher) were thought to be the favorites to win the opening flat stages. Notable absences from the race included Rik Van Linden (Magniflex) who had injured his foot in the Vuelta.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Route and stages
Race director Vincenzo Torriani revealed the race route on 28 March 1972 in front of several journalists. Torriani reported that Belgium had expressed interest in hosting the start of the race with a cash incentive, but arrived late in the process and would be considered for the 1973 edition. After the routes announcement in March, it was modified and contained twenty days of racing, with three split stages, which covered a grand total of 3,716 km (2,309 mi), which was reduced from the 3,794 km (2,357 mi) initially.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Route and stages
The race featured two rest days, the first of which was used to transfer from Messina to Rome on 30 May. There were eleven stages containing seventeen categorized climbs that awarded points for the mountains classification across eleven stages. In total, the race climbed 24.3 km (15.1 mi), 3.4 km (2.1 mi) less than the previous year. The average length of each stage was 185.8 km (115.5 mi). The route contained three time trial stages for a total of 58 km (36 mi).


1972 Giro d'Italia, Route and stages
One of the days featured two time trials each in Forte dei Marmi, where Torriani pitched the idea that there could be three winners on the stage, one for each winner of the split time trial stage and one winner for the best combined time from both performances. At the initial route announcement there was speculation that a prologue would take place on 20 May in Venice, but it was later reported to have failed because Torriani did not get approval from the Venetian government.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Route and stages
The route began in Venice for the first time in race history and traveled south and crossed the Apennines until reaching the edge of the continental section of Italy. The race transferred to Sicily for a stage. Following the conclusion of Messina stage, the race had a rest day that was used to transfer for Rome. The event continued north and reached the Alps before reaching the Alps and making a turn south and west to travel towards Milan for the finish. The entire route crossed through the majority of Italian regions.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Route and stages
It was believed Torriani made the race very mountainous in order to keep Merckx from overly dominating the race. Author William Fotheringham shared that sentiment, specifically stating that Torriani designed the route in order to give José Manuel Fuente several opportunities to attack Eddy Merckx. The race was predicted to be under poor weather for the majority of its duration.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Race overview
During the fourteenth stage, the race jury disqualified Zilioli, Motta and Bitossi, among others.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Classification leadership
There were three main individual classifications contested in the 1972 Giro d'Italia, as well as a team competition. Two of them awarded jerseys to their leaders. The general classification was the most important and was calculated by adding each rider's finishing times on each stage. The rider with the lowest cumulative time was the winner of the general classification and was considered the overall winner of the Giro. The rider leading the classification wore a pink jersey to signify the classification's leadership.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Classification leadership
The second classification was the points classification. Riders received points for finishing in the top positions in a stage finish, with first place getting the most points, and lower placings getting successively fewer points down to fifteenth place. The rider leading this classification wore a purple (or cyclamen) jersey. The mountains classification was the third classification. In this ranking, points were won by reaching the summit of a climb ahead of other cyclists. Climbs were ranked in first and second categories, the former awarded 50, 30, and 20 points while the latter awarded 30, 20, and 10 points.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Classification leadership
In this ranking, points were won by reaching the summit of a climb ahead of other cyclists. Most stages of the race included one or more categorized climbs, in which points were awarded to the riders that reached the summit first. In addition there was the Cima Coppi, the Passo dello Stelvio, which was the highest mountain crossed in this edition of the race. For this designation it gave 200, 100, 80, 70, and 50 points to the first five riders summit the climb. The first rider over the Stelvio was José Manuel Fuente.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Classification leadership
The final classification, the team classification, awarded no jersey to its leaders. This was calculated by adding together points earned by each rider on the team during each stage through the intermediate sprints, the categorized climbs, stage finishes, etc. The team with the most points led the classification.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Final standings, Minor classifications
Merckx also won the combination classification which was calculated by totaling each rider's placement in the general, points, and mountains classifications.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11
The 1972 Giro d'Italia was the 55th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro began in Venice on 21 May, and Stage 11 occurred on 1 June with a stage to Forte dei Marmi. The race finished in Milan on 11 June.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 1
21 May 1972 — Venice to Ravenna, 196 km (122 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 2
22 May 1972 — Ravenna to Fermo, 212 km (132 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 3
23 May 1972 — Porto San Giorgio to Francavilla al Mare, 205 km (127 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 4a
24 May 1972 — Francavilla al Mare to Blockhaus, 48 km (30 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 4b
24 May 1972 — Blockhaus to Foggia, 210 km (130 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 5
25 May 1972 — Foggia to Montesano sulla Marcellana, 238 km (148 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 6
26 May 1972 — Montesano sulla Marcellana to Cosenza, 190 km (120 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 7
27 May 1972 — Cosenza to Catanzaro, 151 km (94 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 8
28 May 1972 — Catanzaro to Reggio Calabria, 160 km (99 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 9
29 May 1972 — Messina to Messina, 110 km (68 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 10
31 May 1972 — Rome to Monte Argentario, 166 km (103 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 1 to Stage 11, Stage 11
1 June 1972 — Monte Argentario to Forte dei Marmi, 242 km (150 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12a to Stage 20
The 1972 Giro d'Italia was the 55th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro began in Venice on 21 May, and Stage 12a occurred on 2 June with a stage from Forte dei Marmi. The race finished in Milan on 11 June.


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12a to Stage 20, Stage 12a
2 June 1972 — Forte dei Marmi, 20 km (12 mi) (ITT)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12a to Stage 20, Stage 12b
2 June 1972 — Forte dei Marmi, 20 km (12 mi) (ITT)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12a to Stage 20, Stage 13
3 June 1972 — Forte dei Marmi to Savona, 200 km (120 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12a to Stage 20, Stage 14
4 June 1972 — Savona to Monte Jafferau, 256 km (159 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12a to Stage 20, Stage 15
6 June 1972 — Parabiago to Parabiago, 168 km (104 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12a to Stage 20, Stage 16
7 June 1972 — Parabiago to Livigno, 256 km (159 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12a to Stage 20, Stage 17
8 June 1972 — Livigno to Passo dello Stelvio, 88 km (55 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12a to Stage 20, Stage 18
9 June 1972 — Sulden to Asiago, 223 km (139 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12a to Stage 20, Stage 19a
10 June 1972 — Asiago to Arco, 163 km (101 mi)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12a to Stage 20, Stage 19b
10 June 1972 — Arco to Arco, 18 km (11 mi) (ITT)


1972 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12a to Stage 20, Stage 20
11 June 1972 — Arco to Milan, 185 km (115 mi)


1972 Giro di Lombardia
The 1972 Giro di Lombardia was the 66th edition of the Giro di Lombardia cycle race and was held on 7 October 1972. The race started in Milan and finished in Como. The race was won by Eddy Merckx of the Molteni team.


1972 Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly election
Goa, Daman & Diu Legislative Assembly election, 1972 was held in Indian Union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu in 1972, to elect 30 members to the Goa, Daman & Diu Legislative Assembly.


1972 Golden Gate Pacific Coast Classic
The 1972 Golden Gate Pacific Coast Classic, also known as the Pacific Coast Championships, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Golden Gate Fields in Albany, California in the United States. The event was part of Group C of the 1972 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix circuit. It was the 82nd edition of the tournament and ran from September 25 through October 1, 1972. Jimmy Connors won the singles title and earned $8,000 first-prize money.


1972 Golden Gate Pacific Coast Classic, Finals, Doubles
Frew McMillan /  Bob Hewitt defeated  Björn Borg /  Ove Nils Bengtson 6–2, 2–6, 6–2


1972 Golden Helmet (Poland)
The Golden Helmet (Polish: Turniej o Złoty Kask, ZK) is an annual motorcycle speedway event, and has been organized by the Polish Motor Union (PZM) since 1961. Currently the race is held in PC Team 3rd from last season (previously Wrocław), with the top twelve riders in the Extraleague and the top four riders in the First League.


1972 Golden Helmet (Poland)
1972 Golden Helmet season was the 12th since its establishment.


1972 Golden Helmet (Poland), Final classification
Note: Result from final score was subtracted with two the weakest events.


1972 Governor General's Awards
Each winner of the 1972 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.


1972 Grambling Tigers football team
The 1972 Grambling Tigers football team represented Grambling College (now known as Grambling State University) as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1972 NCAA College Division football season. In its 30th season under head coach Eddie Robinson, Grambling compiled an 11–2 record (5–1 against conference opponents), tied for the SWAC championship, defeated North Carolina Central in the Pelican Bowl, and outscored opponents by a total of 346 to 123. The team was recognized as the 1972 black college football national champion and was ranked No. 8 by the Associated Press in the final 1972 NCAA College Division football rankings.


1972 Grand National
The 1972 Grand National was the 126th renewal of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 8 April 1972. The winner was Well To Do, whose price went down from 33–1 to 14-1 the day before. Former winner Gay Trip was second, and there was a dead-heat for third place.


1972 Grand National
The winning colours of Capt Tim Forster were - crimson, gold sleeves, hooped cap.


1972 Grand National, Media coverage
David Coleman presented Grand National Grandstand on the BBC for the thirteenth year (his twelfth). Peter O'Sullevan, John Hanmer (first National), and Julian Wilson formed the commentary team. The three of them would go on to cover 21 National's together. Peter Bromley remained the voice on BBC radio.


1972 Grand Prix (tennis)
The 1972 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit held that year and organized by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF). It consisted of 33 Grand Prix tournaments in different categories including three of the four Grand Slam tournaments and was followed by a season-ending Masters tournament. The circuit ran from February through November.


1972 Grand Prix (tennis)
The 1972 Grand Prix circuit ran in competition with the 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit and, to a lesser extent, with the smaller 1972 USLTA Indoor Circuit. In July 1971 at its annual meeting, the ILTF voted to ban all WCT contract professionals from their tournaments and facilities from the beginning of 1972 onwards. This meant that leading WCT players such as Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Arthur Ashe and John Newcombe did not initially have permission to compete in the Grand Prix circuit and Newcombe could not defend his two consecutive Wimbledon titles of 1970 and 1971.


1972 Grand Prix (tennis)
In April 1972, however, an agreement was reached between the ILTF and WCT that divided the 1973 tour in a WCT circuit that ran from January through April and a Grand Prix circuit that was scheduled for the rest of the year. Under the agreement the players contracted by the WCT could play in the Grand Prix events as of September 1972. The deal was ratified at the annual ILTF meeting in July.


1972 Grand Prix (tennis), Schedule, November
* Tournaments combined with a women's Grand Prix tour event.


1972 Grand Prix (tennis), Standings
Cliff Richey, Roscoe Tanner, Alex Metreveli, Tom Okker and Arthur Ashe played too few Grand Prix tournaments to qualify for prize money.


1972 Grand Prix (tennis), List of tournament winners
The list of winners and number of singles titles won, alphabetically by last name:


1972 Grand Prix (tennis), List of tournament winners
The following players won their first Grand Prix title in 1972:


1972 Grand Prix German Open
The 1972 Grand Prix German Open was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on outdoor red clay courts. It was the 64th edition of the event and was part of the 1972 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix circuit. It took place at the Am Rothenbaum in Hamburg, West Germany, from 5 June through 11 June 1972. Manuel Orantes and Helga Masthoff won the singles titles.


1972 Grand Prix German Open, Finals, Men's doubles
Jan Kodeš /  Ilie Năstase defeated  Bob Hewitt /  Ion Ţiriac 4–6, 6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2


1972 Grand Prix German Open, Finals, Women's doubles
Helga Masthoff /  Heide Orth defeated  Wendy Overton /  Valerie Ziegenfuss 6–3, 2–6, 6–0


1972 Grand Prix German Open, Finals, Mixed doubles
Helga Masthoff /  Jürgen Fassbender defeated  Helga Masthoff /  Hans-Jürgen Pohmann 6–4, 6–2


1972 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1972 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 24th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of twelve Grand Prix races in six classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc, 50cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 30 April, with West German Grand Prix and ended with Spanish Grand Prix on 23 September.


1972 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Season summary
Another year, another championship for Giacomo Agostini, claiming a record 11 victories to take his seventh consecutive 500cc crown for MV Agusta. Things were tighter in the 350cc class with Jarno Saarinen giving Agostini a strong challenge by winning three races, including a victory at the German Grand Prix held at the daunting Nürburgring race track, where Saarinen defeated Agostini for the first time in a head to head race. Saarinen also scored a double victory at the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix with victories in both the 250cc and 350cc classes. The threat from Saarinen's two stroke Yamaha was so strong that the previously dominant MV Agusta factory was forced to produce a new 350cc motorcycle for Agostini.


1972 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Season summary
In the 250cc division, Saarinen would win a tight race in a season-long battle with Renzo Pasolini and Rod Gould. Angel Nieto claimed a double, winning the 125cc and 50cc championships for Derbi before the Spanish factory announced its pull out from Grand Prix racing. The Yamaha factory won its first-ever 500cc Grand Prix race at the season ending Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama when Chas Mortimer won the race after Agostini sat out the event after already winning the championship,


1972 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Season summary
This would be the final season for the East German Grand Prix as a championship race, as SED officials, troubled by fans singing Das Lied der Deutschen (the West German national anthem) after Dieter Braun's victory the previous season, limited entries to only Eastern Bloc nations beginning in 1973.


1972 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1972 Grand Prix season calendar, Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top ten finishers in each race. Only the best of five races were counted on 50cc and Sidecars championships, while in the 125cc, 250cc, 350cc and 500cc championships, the best of seven races were counted.


1972 Grantland Rice Bowl
The 1972 Grantland Rice Bowl was an NCAA College Division game following the 1972 season, between the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. Louisiana Tech quarterback Denny Duron was named outstanding offensive player, while his teammate linebacker Joe McNeely was named outstanding defensive player.


1972 Grantland Rice Bowl, Notable participants
Louisiana Tech wide receiver Roger Carr was selected in the 1974 NFL Draft, while defensive end Fred Dean and running back Roland Harper were selected in the 1975 NFL Draft, and tight end Mike Barber  was selected in the 1976 NFL Draft. Carr, Dean, Harper, Barber, and Joe McNeely are inductees of their university's athletic hall of fame, as is head coach Maxie Lambright. Dean is an inductee of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.


1972 Grantland Rice Bowl, Notable participants
Tennessee Tech linebackers Jim Youngblood and Mike Hennigan were selected in the 1973 NFL Draft. Youngblood, Hennigan, defensive back John Fitzpatrick, and guard Howard Cochran are inductees of their university's sports hall of fame, as is head coach Don Wade. Youngblood is an inductee of the College Football Hall of Fame.


1972 Grantland Rice Bowl, Further reading
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1972 Great Daylight Fireball
The Great Daylight Fireball (or US19720810) was an Earth-grazing fireball that passed within 57 kilometres (35 mi; 187,000 ft) of Earth's surface at 20:29 UTC on August 10, 1972. It entered Earth's atmosphere at a speed of 15 kilometres per second (9.3 mi/s) in daylight over Utah, United States (14:30 local time) and passed northwards leaving the atmosphere over Alberta, Canada. It was seen by many people and recorded on film and by space-borne sensors. An eyewitness to the event, located in Missoula, Montana, saw the object pass directly overhead and heard a double sonic boom. The smoke trail lingered in the atmosphere for several minutes.


1972 Great Daylight Fireball
The atmospheric pass modified the object's mass and orbit around the Sun, but it is probably still in an Earth-crossing orbit and is thought to have passed close to Earth again in August 1997. However IAU's website states that these "suggestions have not been substantiated".


1972 Great Daylight Fireball, Description
Analysis of its appearance and trajectory showed the object was about 3–14 m (10–45 ft) in diameter, depending on whether it was a comet made of ice or a stony and therefore denser asteroid. Other sources identified it as an Apollo asteroid in an Earth-crossing orbit that would make a subsequent close approach to Earth in August 1997. In 1994, Czech astronomer Zdeněk Ceplecha reanalysed the data and suggested the passage would have reduced the asteroid's mass to about a third or half of its original mass (reducing its diameter to 2–10 metres (6.6–32.8 ft)).


1972 Great Daylight Fireball, Description
The object was tracked by military surveillance systems and sufficient data obtained to determine its orbit both before and after its 100-second passage through Earth's atmosphere. Its velocity was reduced by about 800 metres per second (2,600 ft/s) and the encounter significantly changed its orbital inclination from 15 degrees to 7 degrees.


1972 Great Daylight Fireball, In popular culture
The US19720810 meteoroid is described in the preface of the first chapter of Arthur C. Clarke's The Hammer of God.


1972 Great Daylight Fireball, In popular culture
The clip featuring the fireball is shown in the 1994 made-for-TV film Without Warning, in which it is described as a 1,640-foot (500-meter) asteroid narrowly missing the Earth by just thousands of feet.


1972 Green Bay Packers season
The 1972 Green Bay Packers season was their 54th season overall and their 52nd season in the National Football League. The team finished with a 10–4 record under second-year head coach Dan Devine, earning them the NFC Central division title. The Packers returned to the playoffs after a four-year drought (and qualified for the first time since Vince Lombardi departed as head coach); their most recent division title was in 1967, completing that postseason with a decisive win in Super Bowl II in January 1968.


1972 Green Bay Packers season
In 1972, Green Bay entered the penultimate regular season game at Minnesota on December 10 with an 8–4 record. The Vikings (7–5) had won the season's earlier game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay by breaking a fourth quarter tie with two interceptions for touchdowns. This time, the Packers overcame a 7–0 halftime deficit at Metropolitan Stadium with 23 unanswered points to clinch the division title. Running back John Brockington became the first in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, and did it again the following season.


1972 Green Bay Packers season
Placekicker Chester Marcol established an NFL rookie record for field goals in a season (since broken). It was the fifteenth and final season of hall of fame linebacker Ray Nitschke.


1972 Green Bay Packers season
The Packers' next division title came 23 years later, in 1995.


1972 Green Bay Packers season, Offseason
In February 1972, running back (and punter) Donny Anderson was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for MacArthur Lane. Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr retired as a player in July; he was the quarterbacks coach and play caller in 1972. (He then pursued business interests and was a color analyst for CBS, then returned to the Packers as their head coach in the 1975 season.)


1972 Green Bay Packers season, Regular season, Playoffs
Green Bay met the NFC East champion Washington Redskins (11–3) in the divisional playoffs on Christmas Eve at RFK Stadium. The Packers practiced the week before at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The two teams had played four weeks earlier at the same venue; the Redskins won by five points on November 26, and were favored by in the playoff game by 4½ points. The results were similar, as Green Bay scored first but lost again in D.C., this time by thirteen points, 16–3.


1972 Greenlandic Football Championship
The 1972 Greenlandic Football Championship was the 2nd edition of the Greenlandic Football Championship. The final round was held in Nuuk. It was the first football championship won by Grønlands Seminarius Sportklub and the second national title in its history.


1972 Grenadian general election
General elections were held in Grenada on 28 February 1972. The result was a victory for the Grenada United Labour Party, which won 13 of the 15 seats. Voter turnout was 83.5%.


1972 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election
The 4th Gujarat Legislative Assembly election was held in 1972. Indian National Congress won 140 seats out of 168 seats. While, NCO won 16 seats. Congress performed better in this election and gained 47 seats.


1972 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election
Total of 852 men and 21 women contested the election. Total 167 men and 1 woman won in the elections. The number of polling stations was 17,994 and the number of electors per polling station was 695. 1 . BJS 100 3 69 643032 9.29% 15.03%2 . CPI 11 1 10 32439 0.47% 7.00%3 . CPM 4 0 4 15500 0.22% 9.57%4 . INC 168 140 1 3527035 50.93% 50.93%5 . NCO 138 16 29 1626736 23.49% 28.95%6 . SOP 15 0 12 50009 0.72% 9.11%7 . SWA 47 0 42 123589 1.78% 6.32%483 160 167 6018340 86.91%STATE PARTIES8 . RSP 1 0 0 8649 0.12% 22.33%1 0 0 8649 0.12%REGISTERED (Unrecognised) PARTIES9 . HMS 1 0 1 136 0.00% 0.35%1 0 1 136 0.00%INDEPENDENTS10 . IND 337 8 299 897584 12.96% 15.54%337 8 299 897584 12.96%


1972 Hamilton Tiger-Cats season
The 1972 Hamilton Tiger-Cats season was the 15th season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 23rd overall. The Tiger-Cats finished in 1st place in the Eastern Conference with an 11–3 record and won the Grey Cup over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Ralph Sazio became Tiger-Cats President in 1972, the year in which Hamilton hosted and won the Grey Cup. In 1972, Tony Gabriel improved his receiving numbers to 49 catches for 733 yards, finishing second in the East in passes caught. It would be Tommy Joe Coffey's final season with the Tiger-Cats. Ellison Kelly would be in his final season with the Tiger-Cats. During his 13-year career, he never missed a game, playing in 175 consecutive regular season games. Joe Zuger left the Tiger-Cats to play for the Detroit Lions of the NFL.


1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500
The 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was an endurance motor race open to Group E Series Production Touring Cars. The race was held on 1 October 1972 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia. Cars competed in four classes defined by Capacity Price Units, where the engine capacity, expressed in litres (to three decimal places), was multiplied by the purchase price in Australian dollars to arrive at a CP value for each vehicle. It was the 13th running of the Bathurst 500 race and the last to be held over the original distance of 500 miles. It was also the last to allow drivers to compete for the full distance without a relief driver. The race was the third round of the 1972 Australian Manufacturers' Championship.


1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500
The race was memorable as the first time rain had significantly affected the race. It was won by Peter Brock driving a Holden Dealer Team prepared Holden Torana, the first of Brock's record nine victories.


1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500
Brock finished a lap ahead of Queensland racer John French driving a Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III, this despite Brock being penalised one minute at his last pit stop for starting his car while the HDT crew were still re-fueling (under the ARDC's race regulations of the day, car engines had to be switched off during pit stops and could only be restarted once the re-fueling had been completed). A further lap behind was the Chrysler Valiant Charger of Doug Chivas. It was the only time the big three manufacturers of Australia in the 1960s and 1970s all had representatives in the top three finishers.


1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500
Pole sitter and winner of the previous two Bathurst 500's, Allan Moffat, had a race he would rather forget. After dicing for the lead with Brock in the early laps, Moffat spun his Works Phase III Falcon at Sulman Park on top of The Mountain in the wet conditions. Although he would fight his way back, he would twice be penalised one minute for restarting his car during pit stops before the re-fueling had been completed. Later in the race the Falcon would also encounter brake problems and Moffat dropped back to finish the race in 9th place, 8 laps down on Brock.


1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500
1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 winner Colin Bond's race ended early when he rolled his Holden Dealer Team Torana on lap 3 while in 4th place. 1967 winner Fred Gibson also rolled his Works GTHO Falcon at McPhillamy Park in the early wet conditions after being forced offline when lapping a slower car. The Falcon spun into the bank and rolled onto its roof on lap 22.


1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500, Class structure, Class A
The smallest class was for under 3000 CP units. It was made up of Chrysler Valiant Galant, Datsun 1200, Fiat 850 and Mazda 1300.


1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500, Class structure, Class B
The 3001 to 9000 CP units class saw a mix of Datsun 1600, Fiat 124 Sport, Ford Escort, 2.8 litre Holden Torana and Mazda RX-2.


1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500, Class structure, Class C
The 9001 to 18000 CP units class featured Alfa Romeo GTV 1750, E38 version of the Chrysler Valiant Charger and 3.3 litre Holden Torana.


1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500, Class structure, Class D
For cars over 18001 CP units, the class consisted only of E49 version of the Chrysler Valiant Charger and Ford Falcon GT-HO.


1972 Hardy Cup
The 1972 Hardy Cup was the 1972 edition of the Canadian intermediate senior ice hockey championship.


1972 Harlem mosque incident
The 1972 Harlem mosque shooting occurred on April 14, 1972, when a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer was shot and fatally wounded at the Nation of Islam Mosque No. 7 in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, United States. The officer responded to a fake emergency call, but was shot and died from his wounds six days later. The incident sparked political and public outcry about mishandling of the incident by the NYPD and the administration of Mayor John V. Lindsay.


1972 Harlem mosque incident, The incident
On April 14, 1972, a 10-13, or officer's call for assistance, from a man claiming to be a Detective Thomas was received by police. The call came from 102 West 116th Street, the Nation of Islam Mosque No. 7, where Malcolm X was once minister before his conversion to Sunni Islam. Officers Phillip Cardillo and Vito Navarra of the New York City Police Department's 28th Precinct responded, entering the mosque.


1972 Harlem mosque incident, The incident
When they arrived, they heard scuffling on the floor above. As they made their way to a staircase they were intercepted by fifteen to twenty men who forced the officers to retreat down the stairs and back into the hallway. Officers Victor Padilla and Ivan Negron, of the 25th Precinct, arrived and entered the premises. The four officers were outnumbered and were then attacked. Navarra was able to escape as a steel door was closed, trapping Cardillo, Padilla and Negron.


1972 Harlem mosque incident, The incident
According to the NYPD, the officers were attacked by around fifteen to twenty congregants, were beaten, and stripped of their guns. Padilla was then beaten and blackjacked into semi-consciousness while his partner fought off several men who were trying to grab his revolver. With his back to the door, Negron suddenly heard shots. He turned and saw a man with a gun in his hand who seemed to be getting up from the floor where Cardillo now lay shot.


1972 Harlem mosque incident, The incident
Cardillo had been assaulted, stripped of his firearm and was shot at point-blank range. Negron, managing to free himself from his attackers, drew his revolver and fired three shots. It is not known if the man with the gun was hit; he escaped. Officer Rudy Andre of the 28th Precinct broke the glass on the front metal door and saw the patrolmen inside on their backs. He fired several shots through the broken glass into the hallway which scattered the men who had been assaulting the officers, thus enabling Negron to unbolt the double metal door. During the melee, Cardillo and Padilla were seriously injured.


1972 Harlem mosque incident, The incident
Mosque representatives maintained that the officers entered with guns drawn and interrupted prayer despite repeated requests to leave their guns outside. During the initial attempt to enter the mosque, police officers, including Navarra, claimed that prior to being forced out, they witnessed a man named Louis 17X Dupree standing over the dying Cardillo with a gun in hand. After reinforcements arrived, allowing police to retake the mosque, Dupree and several others were initially arrested at the scene. However, before Dupree could be taken into custody, Louis Farrakhan and Congressman Charles Rangel arrived at the scene, threatening a riot if Dupree was not released.


1972 Harlem mosque incident, The incident
The NYPD's chief of detectives, Albert Seedman, was the ranking officer at the scene. He said years afterwards that he called Chief Inspector Michael Codd from the basement and asked for two busloads of police cadets, to be armed only with nightsticks, to keep the peace outside. Codd, Seedman said, refused, hung up the phone, and would not take Seedman's subsequent calls.


1972 Harlem mosque incident, The incident
Soon after, more officers arrived on the scene. An angry mob began to form around the police barricade, and began pelting officers with projectiles and calling them "pigs." Several high ranking police officials ordered all officers out of the mosque and sent away all white officers. It was hours later before 300–500 people were able to peacefully exit from the mosque after negotiations. Due to the lower police force and a still angry crowd, police abandoned the scene.


1972 Harlem mosque incident, The incident
A promise was made by Rangel and Farrakhan, according to Seedman, that Dupree and the other suspects would turn themselves in to the 24th police precinct the following day, though none ever did. Rangel denies making such a promise. A new police policy was summarily enacted, identifying the mosque as a "sensitive location," thus preventing an investigation into the shooting for two years. Officer Cardillo died six days later at St. Luke's Hospital as a result of his wounds. In a decided break with tradition, neither mayor John V. Lindsay nor the police commissioner at the time, Patrick V. Murphy, attended officer Cardillo's funeral.


1972 Harlem mosque incident, The incident
The 'Detective Thomas' from the original false alarm 10-13 call was never identified. Many of the officers of the NYPD, including Detective Randy Jurgensen who was the Cardillo case's lead detective, believed the fake call to be either a diversion or a trap, possibly set by elements of the Black Liberation Army, which the NYPD blamed for numerous murders of police officers. Others have suggested that the fake call was a pretext call from an FBI informant, intended to spark dissent under the COINTELPRO program.


1972 Harlem mosque incident, The incident
According to Cardillo's family, police investigators failed to follow procedure in investigating the shooting. Due to political pressure, officers in the basement directed by Chief Seedman released a dozen suspects in the shooting without identifying them. The release of the suspects severely hampered the investigation. Farrakhan later stated that the officers "charged into our temple like criminals and were treated like criminals."


1972 Harlem mosque incident, Trial
Two years after the shooting, prosecutors brought charges against the mosque school's dean, Louis 17X Dupree, after an informant who witnessed the incident testified against him. Subsequent to the first trial culminating in a hung jury, Dupree was acquitted at the second, largely because ballistic evidence could not be recovered and Dupree's attorneys made the argument that either Cardillo shot himself or that he was shot by another police officer.


1972 Harlem mosque incident, Aftermath
In 2012, local police officers proposed to the Manhattan Community Board 10 that part of the street in front of the mosque be renamed after Officer Cardillo.


1972 Harlem mosque incident, Aftermath
Albert Seedman said he decided to retire that day, as he was walking back to his car and dodging bricks being thrown at him. He claimed at the time that his retirement had nothing to do with the incident. In 2012, however, a year before his death, he admitted that his disgust with Codd's refusal to provide the extra officers was his real reason, and he did not want to say so at the time because "I loved the police department so much that I couldn't drag it through the dirt by saying what those bastards did."


1972 Harvard Crimson football team
The 1972 Harvard Crimson football team was an American football team that represented Harvard University during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. Harvard finished fifth in the Ivy League.


1972 Harvard Crimson football team
In their second year under head coach Joe Restic, the Crimson compiled a 4–4–1 record and outscored opponents 198 to 186. Theodore DeMars was the team captain.


1972 Harvard Crimson football team
Harvard's 3–3–1  conference record placed fifth in the Ivy League standings. The Crimson outscored Ivy opponents 146 to 144.


1972 Harvard Crimson football team
Harvard played its home games at Harvard Stadium in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.


1972 Haryana Legislative Assembly election
Legislative Assembly elections were held in Haryana on 11 March 1972 to elect all 81 members of the Haryana Legislative Assembly.


1972 Hawaii Rainbows football team
The 1972 Hawaii Rainbows football team represented the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa as an independent during the 1972 NCAA College Division football season. In their fifth season under head coach Dave Holmes, the Rainbows compiled a 8–3 record.


1972 Hawthorn Football Club season
The 1972 season was the Hawthorn Football Club's 48th season in the Victorian Football League and 71st overall. Hawthorn entered the season as the defending VFL Premiers.


1972 Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election
Legislative Assembly elections were held in Himachal Pradesh in 1972.


1972 Holy Cross Crusaders football team
The 1972 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. Ed Doherty returned for his second year as head coach. The team compiled a record of 5–4–1.


1972 Holy Cross Crusaders football team
Holy Cross competed as an independent despite having joined the Yankee Conference in 1971. Because their previous scheduling commitments for the 1972 season would not have allowed them to play the full Yankee round-robin, the Crusaders were excluded from the Yankee Conference football championship. Nonetheless, Holy Cross coaches participated in the conference's preseason media night, expressing their enthusiasm about full participation in league play in the coming years.


1972 Holy Cross Crusaders football team
Three months later, college officials had a different view of the future. Having made the decision to admit women to what had formerly been an all-male college, administrators worried that soon there would not be enough men on campus to stay competitive in the full range of Yankee Conference sports. On November 14, with the football season still in progress, they made the announcement that Holy Cross would withdraw from the Yankee Conference, effective immediately.


1972 Holy Cross Crusaders football team
As in 1971, Holy Cross played two longstanding Yankee Conference opponents in 1972, beating Massachusetts days before the withdrawal announcement, and Connecticut a couple weeks after. Neither game was considered a conference matchup.


1972 Holy Cross Crusaders football team
All home games were played at Fitton Field on the Holy Cross campus in Worcester, Massachusetts.


1972 Honduran Cup
The 1972 Honduran Cup was the second edition of the Honduran Cup, the tournament was renamed Copa Jefe de Estado due to political reasons; España won the trophy and Marathón was runner-up.


1972 Honduran Cup, Group stage
The ten participant clubs were divided into two groups of three (3) and one group of four (4). Due to the uneven number of teams on each group, the top two from group C (which contained 4 teams) advanced directly to the final round. Meanwhile, groups A and B (containing only 3 teams) had the winners advancing directly and the runners-up facing in a one leg play-off match.


1972 Honduran Cup, Group stage, Group A
After a 3-way tie in points between all group contenders, a full rematch was scheduled between all three clubs. The games were all re-played on 19 November at Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino with a duration of 30 minutes each. The re-match results were as follows:


1972 Hong Kong landslides
A series of major landslides occurred in Hong Kong in June 1972. Several apartment complexes and houses were wiped out, and at least 156 people lost their lives. The landslides had been caused by waterlogged soils in the area, a result of Typhoon Rose bringing unusually heavy rainfall in August 1971 as well as heavy rainstorms hitting Hong Kong on the days preceding the landslides.


1972 Hong Kong landslides, Background
Po Shan Road in the Mid-Levels was the site of the largest major landslide to occur in June 1972. The area in general had long been susceptible to landslips and rockfall since it was developed; several other major landslides had occurred at or near Po Shan Road before 1972. These included a large landslip in 1925, which caused many deaths, as well as large but relatively undamaging landslides in 1941, 1950 and 1966. Most of these had been caused by heavy rainstorms, in a similar manner to the 1972 landslides. Shiu Fai Terrace, another site of landslips, had been leased in 1920 and the number and height of buildings that could be built on it had been restricted, probably decreasing the death toll of the 1972 disasters.


1972 Hong Kong landslides, Background
On 18 June, to cope with the disasters, all British Forces in the colony were mobilised, all police and fire services leave was cancelled, and the Civil Aid Service and Auxiliary Medical Services were called to assist in rescue operations.