1972 Australian Touring Car Championship
1972 would be the final time the Improved Production cars would contest the ATCC. From 1973, CAMS introduced a new production based Group C touring car formula. Outright cars like the Ford Mustangs, Chevrolet Camaros, Norm Beechey's Holden Monaro and Ian Geoghegan's Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III would be replaced with production based Ford Falcons and Holden Toranas. Many Improved Production cars would end up racing as Sports Sedans in the following years.


1972 Australian Touring Car Championship
Defending champion Bob Jane won his fourth and final Australian Touring Car Championship in his Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1. Unlike 1971 when Jane's Camaro used the 7.0 litre 427 V8 engine, CAMS rule changes reducing the engine capacity limit to 6000cc him forced to run the 5.7 litre 350 V8. Second in the championship was the Ford Escort Twin Cam Mk.1 of Mike Stillwell whose consistent placings in the under 2.0 litre class saw him finish 11 points behind Jane. Third was Allan Moffat in his Ford Boss 302 Mustang.


1972 Australian Touring Car Championship
Although he was not classified after not scoring a point, the 1972 championship saw Peter Brock make his ATCC debut driving a Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 for Harry Firth's Holden Dealer Team.


1972 Australian Touring Car Championship, Teams and drivers
The following drivers competed in the 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship. Only drivers who scored championship points are listed.


1972 Australian Touring Car Championship, Calendar
The 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship was contested over an eight-round series with one race per round.


1972 Australian Touring Car Championship, Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis for the first six placings in each class at each round. In addition, points were awarded on a 4-3-2-1 basis for the first four outright placings, irrespective of class, at each round. The title was awarded to the driver gaining the highest total of points in any seven of the eight rounds.


1972 Australian federal election
The 1972 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 2 December 1972. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election, as well as a single Senate seat in Queensland. The incumbent Liberal–Country coalition government, led by Prime Minister William McMahon, was defeated by the opposition Labor Party led by Gough Whitlam. Labor's victory ended 23 years of successive Coalition governments that began in 1949 and started the three-year Whitlam Labor Government.


1972 Australian federal election, Issues
The 1972 election campaign dealt with a combination of Vietnam and domestic policy issues, and the role of the federal government in resolving these issues. The Coalition of the Liberal and Country parties had been in government for 23 years. Successive Coalition governments promoted conservative economics, trade, and defence. However, Australian economic prosperity during the post-war period of the 1950s and 1960s led to the emergence of a range of "quality of life" issues regarding urban development, education, and healthcare. By 1972 these "quality of life" issues came to represent a major political problem for the coalition parties.


1972 Australian federal election, Issues
Traditionally all of these areas had been handled by the state governments, and the Coalition had always asserted the importance of states rights, a view backed by Liberal state premiers like Robert Askin and Henry Bolte. Between 1966 and 1972, Labor leader Gough Whitlam developed policies designed to deal with the problems of urban and regional development using the financial powers granted to the federal government under the Australian Constitution. As Whitlam put it, Labor focused on "cities, schools and hospitals", and these issues were electorally appealing especially to the young and growing baby boomer generation living in the outer suburbs of the major cities.


1972 Australian federal election, Issues
By contrast, Coalition policies of conservative economic management, increasing trade, and Australian involvement in the Vietnam War disengaged a significant number of Australian voters. Australian involvement in the Vietnam War was initially popular. However, protests grew as the consequences of the war became apparent and the likelihood of a US-led victory diminished. A major part of the protests were directed at conscripting Australians to fight in the war. Liberal policies on Vietnam focused on the need to contain the spread of communism, but the gradual US and Australian troop withdrawal undermined this position. In 1971, Opposition Leader Gough Whitlam visited China. The Coalition heavily criticised the visit. The criticism soon became an embarrassment when US President Richard Nixon announced he would visit China the following year.


1972 Australian federal election, Issues
Finally, the incumbent Prime Minister William McMahon was no match for Whitlam, a witty and powerful orator. McMahon's position was precarious to begin with, for he had only emerged as Liberal Leader after a prolonged period of turmoil following the Coalition's unexpectedly poor showing at the half-Senate election held in 1970, and various state elections. In early 1971, Country Party leader John McEwen had retired, to be replaced by Doug Anthony. McEwen, who had disliked McMahon, held a virtual veto over the possibility of his becoming Liberal leader, which he had exercised in 1968.


1972 Australian federal election, Issues
Anthony declared that this veto was no longer in operation, clearing the way for a leadership challenge by McMahon against Prime Minister John Gorton. Gorton survived, but only narrowly, and soon called for a vote of confidence in his leadership. The confidence vote resulted in a tie. Gorton could have continued with the result, but stated "Well, that is not a vote of confidence, so the party will have to elect a new leader. ", and McMahon won the ensuing leadership spill. This made the Coalition appear weak and divided, and consumed in internal struggles.


1972 Australian federal election, Issues
McMahon was further weakened by concerns about inflation and negative press coverage. For example, Rupert Murdoch and his newspaper The Australian supported the ALP. The ALP ran a strong campaign under the famous slogan It's Time – a slogan which, coupled with its progressive policy programme, gave it great momentum within the electorate after 23 years of Conservative rule.


1972 Australian federal election, Results, Senate
A special Senate election was held in Queensland to replace Liberal senator Annabelle Rankin, who resigned in 1971. Neville Bonner, who had been appointed to fill the casual vacancy by the Queensland Parliament, won the Senate position – the first Indigenous Australian elected to parliament. The election was held at the time of the House of Representatives elections as per Section 15 of the Constitution.


1972 Australian federal election, Results, Senate
Otherwise, no Senate election was held. As of 2020, this is the last Australian federal election that did not have a concurrent half or full Senate election.


1972 Australian federal election, Significance
The 1972 election ended 23 years of Liberal-Country rule—the longest unbroken run in government in Australian history. It is also unusual as Whitlam only scraped into office with a thin majority of 9 seats. Typically, elections that produce a change of government in Australia take the form of landslides (as in the elections of 1949, 1975, 1983, 1996, 2007 or 2013, for example). The comparatively small size of Whitlam's win is partly explained by his strong performance at the previous election of 1969, where he achieved a 7 percent swing, gaining 18 seats, from a low of 41 of 124 seats and a 43 percent two-party figure at the 1966 election.


1972 Australian federal election, Significance
The new Labor Government of Gough Whitlam was eager to make long-planned reforms, although it struggled against a lack of experience in its cabinet and the onset of the 1973 oil crisis and 1973–75 recession. In addition, the Senate was hostile to Whitlam, with the Coalition and Democratic Labor Parties holding more seats than the ALP, as the term of the Senate at the time was 1971 to 1974. This in particular would make governing difficult and led to the early double dissolution election of 1974.


1972 Austrian Grand Prix
The 1972 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Österreichring on 13 August 1972. It was race 9 of 12 in both the 1972 World Championship of Drivers and the 1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 54-lap race was won by Lotus driver Emerson Fittipaldi after he started from pole position. Denny Hulme finished second for the McLaren team and his teammate Peter Revson came in third.


1972 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy
1972 was the eighth occasion on which the  BBC2 Floodlit Trophy competition had been held. This year was another new name on the  trophyLeigh won the trophy by beating Widnes by the score of 5-0The match was played at Central Park, Wigan, (historically in the county of Lancashire). The attendance was 4,691 and receipts were £1,391This was Leigh's first victory after being runner-up in two of the previous finals


1972 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, Background
This season saw no changes in the  entrants, no new members and no withdrawals, the number remaining at eighteen. The format remained the  same as the  last season with the  preliminary round played on a two-legged home and away basis and the  rest of the tournament being played on a knock-out basis. The preliminary round involved four clubs, to reduce the  numbers to sixteen.


1972 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, Competition and results, Preliminary round – second leg
Involved  2 matches and the same 4 Clubs in reverse fixtures


1972 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, Competition and results, Final, Teams and scorers
Scoring - Try = three (3) points - Goal = two (2) points - Drop goal = two (2) points


1972 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, Notes and comments
1 * Wakefield Trinity, who joined the  competition in season 1967-68, win their first game in the  competition2 * Keighley (who joined the competition in season 1967-68) win their first match in the competition3 * This match was televised4 * This was the second of only two occasions when the  BBC2 Floodlit Trophy final was played on a neutral ground5 * Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1990-1991 and 1991-92  give the  attendance as 4,691, but RUGBYLEAGUEprojects gives it as 4,8416 * The Widnes official archives  give this player, Bob Blackwood as number 3 but Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1990-91 and 1991-92 give the  position as 47 * The Widnes official archives  give this player, Mal Aspey as number 4 but Rothmans Tearbook 1990-91 and 1991-92 give the  position as 38 * The Widnes official archives  give the  stand off (No 6) as Eric Hughes but Rothmans Tearbook 1990-91 and 1991-92 give the player as Ged Lowe9  * Central Park was the home ground of Wigan with a final capacity of 18,000, although the record attendance was  47,747 for Wigan v St Helens 27 March 1959


1972 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, Notes and comments, General information for those unfamiliar
The Rugby League BBC2 Floodlit Trophy was a knock-out competition sponsored by the BBC and between rugby league clubs, entrance to which was conditional upon the club having floodlights. Most matches were played on an evening, and those of which the second half was televised, were played on a Tuesday evening. Despite the competition being named as 'Floodlit', many matches took place during the afternoons and not under floodlights, and several of the entrants, including  Barrow and Bramley did not have adequate lighting.


1972 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, Notes and comments, General information for those unfamiliar
And, when in 1973, due to the world oil crisis, the government restricted the use of floodlights in sport, all the matches, including the Trophy final, had to be played in the afternoon rather than at night. The Rugby League season always (until the onset of "Summer Rugby" in 1996) ran from around August-time through to around May-time and this competition always took place early in the season, in the Autumn, with the final taking place in December (The only exception to this was when disruption of the fixture list was caused by inclement weather)


1972 BC Lions season
The 1972 BC Lions finished in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 5–11 record and failed to make the playoffs.


1972 BC Lions season
After Paul Brothers was traded to Ottawa late in the 1971 season and Tom Wilkinson was released, sophomore pivot Don Moorhead became the Lions' starting quarterback. While Moorhead threw for 2606 yards, he also threw 17 interceptions and the offence continued to struggle at only 15.9 points per game.


1972 BC Lions season
The lone bright spot on offence was receiver Jim Young. He led the league with 1362 yards receiving and won his second Schenley as Outstanding Canadian. Young was a CFL all-star along with rookie linebacker Ray Nettles, for whom the Lions outbid the Miami Dolphins of the NFL in the off-season.


1972 BC Lions season
For the first season since the 1950s, the team wore orange jerseys at home. The new jerseys had northwestern stripes on each arm.


1972 BRDC International Trophy
The 24th BRDC International Trophy was a non-championship Formula One race held at Silverstone on 23 April 1972. The race was also run to Formula 5000 regulations.


1972 BRDC International Trophy, Classification
Note: a blue background indicates a car running under Formula 5000 regulations.


1972 BYU Cougars football team
The 1972 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University (BYU) for the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. It was their first year under head coach LaVell Edwards and the Cougars finished over .500 for the first time since 1969.


1972 BYU Cougars football team, Preseason
Defensive coordinator LaVell Edwards was promoted to head coach in January to take over for the departed Tommy Hudspeth, who ended up as the head coach at UTEP by season's end.


1972 BYU Cougars football team, Preseason
BYU was returning 28 players from the previous year but Golden Richards would not be one of them. Richards claimed it was because the Cougars were still a run-oriented offense while BYU and Edwards said it was because Richards had trouble keeping with his academics.


1972 BYU Cougars football team, Awards
All-WAC: Dave Atkinson, Dan Hansen, Paul Howard, Paul Linford, Ron Tree, Pete Van Valkenburg


1972 Bahamian general election
General elections were held in the Bahamas on 19 September 1972. The result was a victory for the Progressive Liberal Party, which won 57.9% of the vote and 29 of the 38 seats.


1972 Bahraini Constituent Assembly election
Constituent Assembly elections were held in Bahrain on 1 December 1972. All candidates ran as independents. A total of 15,385 votes were cast (although not all constituencies were contested), giving a turnout of 88.5%. However, only 12.5% of the population were registered voters at the time.


1972 Bahraini Constituent Assembly election
The constituent assembly was charged with drafting and ratifying a constitution, following Bahrain's independence from Britain in 1971. The law drawn up by the government restricted the electorate to male citizens aged twenty years or over.


1972 Bahraini Constituent Assembly election
The assembly consisted of twenty-two delegates who were elected by the public, along with eight delegates appointed by the Amir, and the twelve members of the royally-appointed Council of Ministers in their ex-officio capacity. Mohammed Hasan Kamaluddin was the youngest member elected at the age of 31.


1972 Bahraini Constituent Assembly election
The constituent assembly and its election were regulated by Legislative Decrees No. 12 and 13 of 1972.


1972 Bahraini Constituent Assembly election
The Constituent Assembly drafted and ratified the 1973 Constitution of Bahrain.


1972 Balkans Cup
The 1972 Balkans Cup was an edition of the Balkans Cup, a football competition for representative clubs from the Balkan states. It was contested by 6 teams and Trakia Plovdiv won the trophy.


1972 Ball State Cardinals football team
The 1972 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University as an independent during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. In its second season under head coach Dave McClain, the team compiled a 5–4–1 record. The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.


1972 Ballon d'Or
The 1972 Ballon d'Or,  given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to the West German defender Franz Beckenbauer on 26 December 1972. There were 25 voters, from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany, England, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Soviet Union, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, West Germany and Yugoslavia.


1972 Ballon d'Or
Beckenbauer became the second West German national and Bayern Munich player to win the trophy after Gerd Müller (1970).


1972 Baltimore Colts season
The 1972 Baltimore Colts season was the 20th season for the team in the National Football League. They finished with 5 wins and 9 losses, third in the AFC East.


1972 Baltimore Colts season
Robert Irsay, who had recently taken over the Los Angeles Rams, traded ownership of the NFL franchises with Colts' owner Carroll Rosenbloom, with players and coaching staffs remaining intact. However, the Colts were getting older and started 1–4 before third-year head coach Don McCafferty was fired by new general manager Joe Thomas. In their final nine games under interim head coach John Sandusky, Baltimore won four to finish at 5–9, their first losing mark in sixteen years. The entire coaching staff was let go after the season concluded.


1972 Baltimore Colts season, Regular season
The season began ominously for the Colts when they were defeated at home on opening day by the St. Louis Cardinals and their journeyman quarterback, Tim Van Galder. In week two, Johnny Unitas threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns, but it was far from enough as Joe Namath threw for 496 yards and six touchdowns to power the New York Jets to a 44–34 victory at Memorial Stadium, the Jets' first victory over the Colts since Super Bowl III.


1972 Baltimore Colts season, Regular season
In October, the Colts' season reached its nadir when it was shut out twice at home in a three-week stretch by the Dallas Cowboys, who undoubtedly wanted revenge for their loss to Baltimore in Super Bowl V, and the Miami Dolphins, who were on their way to a 17–0 season and their first Super Bowl championship under former Colts coach Don Shula.


1972 Baltimore Colts season, Regular season
Unitas, age 39, made his final appearance in Baltimore in the fourth quarter of a 35–7 victory over Buffalo on December 3, and threw a 63-yard completion for his 287th career touchdown pass. Two weeks later, he played his final game as a Colt, with a completion and an interception.


1972 Baltimore Colts season, Regular season
For the third consecutive year, the Colts played their season finale at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Only this time, it was not in the postseason, but a humbling 16–0 shutout to the Dolphins in Week 14 in a game which was nowhere near as close as the final score. Baltimore ended the 1970 season with a win over the Cowboys in Super Bowl V, and ended the 1971 season with a loss to the Dolphins in the AFC Championship Game.


1972 Baltimore International
The 1972 Baltimore International was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Towson State College in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States that was part of the 1972 USLTA Indoor Circuit. It was the inaugural edition of the event and was held from January 7 through January 9, 1972. Second-seeded Ilie Năstase won the singles title and earned $2,550 first-prize money.


1972 Baltimore International, Finals, Doubles
Jimmy Connors /  Haroon Rahim defeated  Pierre Barthès /  Clark Graebner 6–3, 3–6, 6–3


1972 Baltimore Orioles season
The 1972 Baltimore Orioles season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Orioles finishing third in the American League East with a record of 80 wins and 74 losses.


1972 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1972 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1972 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1972 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1972 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1972 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1972 followed the system established one year earlier. The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from recent major league players and elected three: Yogi Berra, Sandy Koufax, and Early Wynn. The Veterans Committee met in closed sessions to consider executives, managers, umpires, and earlier major league players. It also selected three people: Lefty Gomez, Will Harridge, and Ross Youngs. The Negro Leagues Committee met for the second time and selected Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard. A formal induction ceremony was held in Cooperstown, New York, on August 7, 1972, with Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn presiding.


1972 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
The BBWAA was authorized to elect players active in 1952 or later, but not after 1966; the ballot included candidates from the 1971 ballot who received at least 5% of the vote but were not elected, along with selected players, chosen by a screening committee, whose last appearance was in 1966. All 10-year members of the BBWAA were eligible to vote.


1972 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Voters were instructed to cast votes for up to 10 candidates; any candidate receiving votes on at least 75% of the ballots would be honored with induction to the Hall. The ballot consisted of 46 players; a total of 396 ballots were cast, with 297 votes required for election. A total of 3,083 individual votes were cast, an average of 7.79 per ballot.


1972 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Candidates who were eligible for the first time are indicated here with a dagger (†). The three candidates who received at least 75% of the vote and were elected are indicated in bold italics; candidates who have since been elected in subsequent elections are indicated in italics.


1972 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Charlie Keller was on the ballot for the final time.


1972 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Players eligible for the first time who were not included on the ballot were: Joe Adcock, Ed Bailey, Don Blasingame, Frank Bolling, Wes Covington, Roger Craig, Del Crandall, Joe Cunningham, Gene Freese, Bob Friend, Jim Gilliam, Ray Herbert, Billy Hoeft, Joey Jay, Eddie Kasko, Marty Keough, Héctor López, Jerry Lynch, Frank Malzone, Félix Mantilla, Joe Nuxhall, Bob Purkey, Steve Ridzik, Ed Roebuck, Bob Skinner and Frank Thomas.


1972 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, J. G. Taylor Spink Award
Frank Graham (1893–1965) received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award honoring a baseball writer. The award was voted at the December 1971 meeting of the BBWAA, and included in the summer 1972 ceremonies.


1972 Baylor Bears football team
The 1972 Baylor Bears football team represented the Baylor University in the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. Grant Teaff was hired to resurrect the moribund football team at Baylor. Baylor originally hired Rudy Feldman from New Mexico, but Feldman quit after one day, leaving the job to Teaff. Baylor had been 7–43–1 in the five seasons preceding Teaff's arrival. The Bears offense scored 180 points, while the Bears defense allowed 156 points. In the Battle of the Brazos, the Bears beat Texas A&M by a score of 15–13.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision
The 1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision was a head-on collision involving a double-decker Greyhound bus and a tractor-trailer on U.S. Route 11W in Grainger County, Tennessee, that occurred near the town of Bean Station on the morning of May 13, 1972.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision
The accident is the deadliest and one of the worst traffic collisions in the history of Tennessee. The accident led to outcry from politicians and citizens calling for traffic safety and infrastructure improvements, such as highway widenings, and the completion of Interstate 81 in Tennessee.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Background
Previous to the accident, US 11W was known for having a history of high accident and fatality rates throughout several decades, giving the highway the moniker Bloody 11W. The stretch of US 11W between Knoxville and Bristol has been labeled as one of the most dangerous and deadliest stretches of highway in the state of Tennessee and the nation.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Background
US 11W was considered by commuters and truck drivers as the principal route from Bristol to Knoxville, and experienced extreme congestion that was not suitable for its two-lane and curvy design between Knoxville and Bristol, leading to a high amount of fatal collisions and injuries. In a one-year span previous to the 1972 accident, US 11W had experienced 1,068 collisions and 35 fatalities. The disturbing history of the highway soon spiraled merchandising such as bumper stickers regarding its situation.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Incident
Around 4:45 a.m, the double-decker bus (a PD-4501 Scenicruiser) operated by Greyhound departed from Knoxville en route to Roanoke, Virginia. The bus had traveled eastward along US-11W for 42.4 miles (68.2 km) in 50 minutes, averaging a speed of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). The tractor-trailer had departed at 8:53 a.m. on the previous day from a manufacturing facility in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, en route to Memphis. The tractor-trailer had driven 517 miles (832 km) west in a period of 20.5 hours before reaching the site of the accident.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Incident
The Greyhound bus had approached the site tailing a slow-moving car in the eastbound lane around 5:35 a.m. The bus then attempted to pass the automobile by crossing into the oncoming westbound lane, into the path of the tractor-trailer. The two vehicles then collided head-on, killing the truck driver, bus driver, and 12 of the bus's passengers instantly.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began an investigation on the crash in 1973 and completed a 38-page report on the collision. The report would be issued to the public in February 1974.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Investigation
The NTSB concluded that the probable cause of the collision was the Greyhound bus driver's attempt to pass the automobile with the view of the westbound semi-truck being obstructed. The driver also failed to avoid the truck for unknown reasons.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Investigation
On the night previous to the accident, the bus driver checked into a Knoxville hotel around 4 p.m. A night clerk for the hotel had awakened the bus driver at 1 a.m. the day of the accident, and checked out of the hotel one hour later. Following questioning by the NTSB, the clerk offered that the driver had a drowsy appearance on his departure from the hotel. A partial autopsy on the bus driver reported negativity on drug usage. Officials were unable to perform an autopsy on the truck driver following extensive burn damage beyond recognition.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Investigation
While the investigation suggested that there were no indications that the design of US 11W or the conditions of the truck and bus contributed to the accident, the possibilities were not entirely ruled out.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Investigation
The stretch of US 11W were the collision had occurred was not featured with double yellow lines, which possibly led to the bus driver attempting to pass the slow-moving automobile ahead of it.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Investigation
The lack of restraints for passengers of the bus contributed to several fatalities of those on-board by ejection from the bus.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Investigation
The NTSB concluded the report with recommendations on seat belt legislation for bus passengers, and impact protection advancements on interior paneling surrounding windows on buses.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Aftermath
Led by the widow of one of the passengers aboard the bus, survivors of the crash and other family members of the victims filed a federal lawsuit against Greyhound Lines for $2.5 million. Courts found Greyhound Lines to be at fault for the accident, regarding the failure to take action on the driver of the bus involved in the accident, who had a history of diabetes, heart and liver disease, and several other severe medical conditions following the investigation by the NTSB and Tennessee officials.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Aftermath
In 1973, one year following the accident, Tennessee legislators from the House and Senate chambers formed a special-joint investigation committee into the crisis regarding 11W and its ill-fated past. The committee members billed 11W as one of the 'killer highways' of the United States. The committee held several public forums in cities along the 11W corridor, including Knoxville, Rutledge, Rogersville, and Kingsport. Attendees of the forums had brought up several statements concerning 11W, such as the highway being possibly cursed, first-hand experiences of collisions, and property owners willing to donate land for the widening of the highway in order to prevent further accidents.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Aftermath
Individuals ranging from activists, state and local politicians, engineers, and journalists considered the collision a call to action for the widening of heavily trafficked highways in the state such as U.S. 11W and the completion of then under construction Interstate 81 from Bristol to Dandridge, which paralled the route of 11W.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Aftermath
Because of the heavy truck traffic on that highway (US-11W), it was just a matter of time until something like this happened.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Aftermath
Governor Winfield Dunn called for action to widen 11W from two to four lanes in its entirety from Kingsport to Knoxville, stating:


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Aftermath
The record of Highway 11W is written in tragedy and demands the action of responsible people including the governor, This I intend to do.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Aftermath
Plans and funding for the four-laning of 11W from Kingsport to Knoxville were established in 1973, but several state and local representatives across various districts in Grainger and Hawkins counties refused the financial aid of the state government for the widening of 11W. After the completion of Interstate 81, congestion and accident count on 11W decreased, but many still called for the widening of the highway, citing its hazardous design.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Aftermath
As of 2021, U.S. Route 11W has since been widened to four lanes or five lanes, except for the nearly 30-mile (48 km) stretch between the municipalities of  Blaine and Bean Station in Grainger County, including where the bus-truck collision had occurred. It has been suggested that NIMBYism from property owners in Grainger County has played a significant role in the prevention and postponement of the critical construction plans.


1972 Bean Station bus-truck collision, Aftermath
In 2020, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) had begun the right-of-way acquisition phase of the 11W widening project between Rutledge and Bean Station, expecting to begin construction in 2021–2022.


1972 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1972 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nivelles on 4 June 1972. It was race 5 of 12 in both the 1972 World Championship of Drivers and the 1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 85-lap race was won by Lotus driver Emerson Fittipaldi after he started from pole position. François Cevert finished second for the Tyrrell team and McLaren driver Denny Hulme came in third.


1972 Belgian Grand Prix
Reigning World Champion Jackie Stewart was a notable absence – his gruelling schedule of racing in Formula 1, Can-Am and European touring cars, plus promotional events for Tyrrell sponsors Elf and Ford, as well as a sideline of sports commentating on television in the US led to what was originally diagnosed as an ulcer, but was later confirmed as gastritis. Under doctor's orders, he took about three weeks off from everything, canceled his involvement with the Can-Am series and US TV for the remainder of 1972, and was restricting his schedule of everything else.


1972 Belgian Open Championships
The 1972 Belgian Open Championships was a men's tennis tournament staged at the Leopold Club in Brussels, Belgium that was part of the Grand Prix circuit and categorized as a Group C event. The tournament was played on outdoor clay courts and was held from 8 May until 4 May 1972. It was the sixth edition of the tournament and Manuel Orantes won the singles title.


1972 Belgian Open Championships, Finals, Doubles
Manuel Orantes /  Juan Gisbert Sr. and  Patricio Cornejo /  Jaime Fillol 9–7, 6–3


1972 Benson & Hedges Cup
The 1972 Benson & Hedges Cup was the first competing of cricket's Benson & Hedges Cup. The competition was won by Leicestershire County Cricket Club.


1972 Bermudian general election
General elections were held in Bermuda on 7 June 1972. The ruling United Bermuda Party remained in power, again winning 30 of the 40 seats in the House of Assembly.


1972 Big League World Series
The 1972 Big League World Series took place from August 14–19 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Orlando, Florida defeated Inglewood, California in the championship game.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1972 Big Ten Conference football season was the 77th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1972 NCAA University Division football season.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1972 Michigan Wolverines football team, under coach Bo Schembechler, compiled a 10–1 record, tied for the Big Ten championship, led the conference in scoring defense (5.2 points allowed per game), and was ranked No. 6 in the final AP and Coaches Polls. Michigan won its first ten games with four conference shutouts, and was ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll prior to its 14–11 road loss to Ohio State. Defensive back Randy Logan and offensive tackle Paul Seymour were consensus first-team All-Americans. Schembecher won the first Big Ten Football Coach of the Year award.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1972 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, under head coach Woody Hayes, compiled a 9–2 record, tied with Michigan for the Big Ten championship, led the conference in scoring offense (25.5 points per game), and was ranked No. 9 in the final AP Poll. The Buckeyes received the conference's berth in the 1973 Rose Bowl and lost to national champion USC, 42–17. Linebacker Randy Gradishar was a consensus first-team All-American.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season
Purdue running back Otis Armstrong led the Big Ten with 1,361 rushing yards, received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the conference's most valuable player, and was a consensus first-team All-American.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Results and team statistics
KeyAP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1972 seasonAP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1972 seasonPPG = Average of points scored per game; conference leader's average displayed in boldPAG = Average of points allowed per game; conference leader's average displayed in boldMVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in bold


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, September 16
On September 16, 1972, the Big Ten football teams played four conference games and two non-conference teams. The non-conference games resulted in one win and one loss.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, September 23
On September 23, 1972, the Big Ten football teams played nine non-conference games, resulting in three wins and six losses. Ohio State had a bye week.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, September 30
On September 30, 1972, the Big Ten teams played 10 non-conference games, resulting in four wins and six losses.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 7
On October 7, 1972, the Big Ten teams played two conference games and six non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in three wins and three losses.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 14
On October 14, 1972, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 21
On October 21, 1972, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 28
On October 28, 1972, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 4
On November 4, 1972, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 11
On November 11, 1972, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 18
On November 18, 1972, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 25
On November 25, 1972, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Bowl games
On January 1, 1973, USC defeated Ohio State, 42–17, in the 1973 Rose Bowl. USC running back Sam Cunningham scored four touchdowns and was named the player of the game.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Statistical leaders, Passing yards
1. Mitch Anderson, Northwestern (1,335)2. Rudy Steiner, Wisconsin (1,080)3. Ted McNulty, Indiana (906)4. Mike Wells, Illinois (837)5. Dennis Franklin, Michigan (818)


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Statistical leaders, Rushing yards
1. Otis Armstrong, Purdue (1,361)2. John King, Minnesota (1,164)3. Rufus Ferguson, Wisconsin (1,004)4. Archie Griffin, Ohio State (867)5. Champ Henson, Ohio State (795)


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Statistical leaders, Receiving yards
1. Glenn Scolnik, Indiana (727)2. Jim Lash, Northwestern (667)3. Garvin Roberson, Illinois (569)4. Jeff Mack, Wisconsin (528)5. Billy Joe DuPree, Michigan State (406)


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Statistical leaders, Total yards
1. Otis Armstrong, Purdue (1,361)2. Dennis Franklin, Michigan (1,315)3. Greg Hare, Ohio State (1,180)4. Mitch Anderson, Northwestern (1,176)5. John King, Minnesota (1,164)


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Statistical leaders, Scoring
1. Champ Henson, Ohio State (120)2. John King, Minnesota (72)3. Ed Shuttlesworth, Michigan (66)4. Otis Armstrong, Purdue (54)5. Ken Starling, Indiana (48)


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Awards and honors, All-Big Ten honors
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1972 All-Big Ten Conference football team.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Awards and honors, All-American honors
At the end of the 1972 season, Big Ten players secured six of the consensus first-team picks for the 1972 College Football All-America Team. The Big Ten's consensus All-Americans were:


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Awards and honors, All-American honors
Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, Awards and honors, Other awards
Running back Otis Armstrong of Purdue finished eighth in the voting for the 1972 Heisman Trophy.


1972 Big Ten Conference football season, 1973 NFL Draft
The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 picks in the 1973 NFL Draft:


1972 Bihar Legislative Assembly election
Bihar Legislative Assembly election, 1972 was held in 1972 to elect members to the Bihar Legislative Assembly. This is a list of the results of the 1972 general election to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar, a state in India, including a list of successful candidates.


1972 Bihar Legislative Assembly election
After the elections, the Congress emerged as the largest party, and  Kedar Pandey was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar (19 March 1972- 02 July 1973), after  Abdul Gafoor become the Chief Minister of Bihar from ( 02 July 1973-11 April 1975) and also Jagannath Mishra became the Chief Minister of Bihar from (11 April 1975-30 April 1977 ).


1972 Birthday Honours
The 1972 Queen's Birthday Honours were appointments to orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms to reward and highlight citizens' good works, on the occasion of the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. They were announced in supplements to the London Gazette of 23 May 1972 for the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Mauritius, Fiji, and Barbados. At this time honours for Australians were awarded both in the United Kingdom honours on the advice of the premiers of Australian states, and also in a separate Australia honours list.


1972 Birthday Honours
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour, with classes (Knight, Knight Grand Cross, etc.) and then divisions (Military, Civil, etc.) as appropriate.


1972 Birthday Honours, United Kingdom and Commonwealth, Royal Victorian Order, Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO)
At this time the two lowest classes of the Royal Victorian Order were "Member (fourth class)" and "Member (fifth class)", both with post-nominal letters MVO. "Member (fourth class)" was renamed "Lieutenant" (LVO) from the 1985 New Year Honours onwards.


1972 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)
The 1972 Queen's Birthday Honours in New Zealand, celebrating the official birthday of Elizabeth II, were appointments made by the Queen on the advice of the New Zealand government to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. They were announced on 3 June 1972.


1972 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


1972 Black Hills flood
The Black Hills Flood of 1972, also known as the Rapid City Flood, was the most detrimental flood in South Dakota history, and one of the deadliest floods in U.S. history. The flood took place on June 9–10, 1972 in the Black Hills of Western South Dakota. 15 inches (380 mm) of rain in a small area over the Black Hills caused Rapid Creek and other waterways to overflow.


1972 Black Hills flood
Severe flooding of residential and commercial properties in Rapid City occurred when Canyon Lake Dam became clogged with debris and failed in the late evening hours of June 9 resulting in 238 deaths and 3,057 injuries. Over 1,335 homes and 5,000 automobiles were destroyed. The value of property damage was estimated to be over US$160 million in 1972 dollars ($990 million in 2020 dollars). Flooding also occurred in Battle, Spring, Bear Butte, and Boxelder creeks.


1972 Black Hills flood, Causes
A few days before the Rapid City Flood, "earlier rains had left the soil saturated, increasing the amount of runoff of the flood to come." On the afternoon of June 9, substantial rains fell on the area, caused by "an almost stationary group of thunderstorms."


1972 Black Hills flood, Causes
Additionally, "a strong low-level easterly flow which forced the moist unstable air up-slope on the hills. This sustained orographic effect helped the air to rise, cool, and release its moisture in repeating thunderstorms. Another contributing factor was the unusually light winds at a higher atmospheric levels which did not disperse the moist air nor move the thunderstorms along to prevent an extreme concentration of rainfall."


1972 Black Hills flood, Causes
According to Herbert Thompson the air pattern causing this storm was noticed in big measure over the Great Plains, with a minor scale to the east of the Rockies. There were only what appeared to be light winds, so nothing indicated that there was a huge storm underway. Thompson further indicates that a cold high pressure region was pushed from Canada into the Great Lakes region leading into the western part of South Dakota. A "mesoscale cloud mass" from Colorado also moved towards Rapid City.


1972 Black Hills flood, Causes
One of the cloud masses amplified the "mid-level moisture over Rapid City," while the other mass caused the pressure to stay, as the high pressure pushed downward, thus creating the right conditions to produce rainfall. The rainfall from the upper "cloud mass" above the Black Hills formed into new smaller masses downwind which reprocessed the rain allowing for the constant rainfall. The storm was described by Nair, Hjelmfelt, and Pielke as "convective cells of high precipitation efficiency a characteristic of tropical precipitation systems. Cloud seeding experiments being conducted by the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences on clouds west of Rapid City were speculated to have contributed to the unusual amount of rain. However, there is no evidence that the two phenomena were related.


1972 Black Hills flood, Causes
The immense precipitation was based over the "Rapid, Boxelder, Spring, and Battle Creeks," creating run-off, along these creeks which led to flooding throughout the surrounding areas.


1972 Black Hills flood, Causes
The intense rain began on the afternoon of June 9 and continued until after midnight on June 10. The immense amount of rain the Black Hills received during the thunderstorms ranged from 4 to 15 inches, causing Rapid Creek and surrounding creeks to overflow and creating massive amounts of runoff that resulted in flood waters. The run-off carried rubble to the Canyon Lake Dam creating a barrier in front of its spillway.


1972 Black Hills flood, Causes
This resulted in the "increase in depth of water behind the dam of 11 to 12 feet," which caused the release of more water adding to the already moving floodwaters. The flash flood hit Rapid City the hardest around midnight on June 9; the flood waters also hit the small town of Keystone nearby.


1972 Black Hills flood, Damage
The flood caused a tremendous amount of damage. Flood waters displaced large rocks, trees, trailers, and vehicles, and carried homes away. In Rapid City the flood resulted in the deaths of "238 including 5 missing," 14 of the deaths were trained professionals. The flood resulted in over 3,000 people being injured. A total of 1,335 homes were ruined, and 2,820 homes were damaged. More than 200 businesses were ruined, and around 5,000 cars were demolished. The damage in Rapid City totaled $66 million in 1972 dollar value.


1972 Black Hills flood, Damage
As for Keystone, "eight people were killed and much of the town was washed away." The damage in Keystone totaled around $1.5 million. The total cost of the 1972 Black Hills flood totaled $165 million, including infrastructure and utilities. The total amount of rain the Black Hills received was "800,000 acre feet" equal to "1 billion metric tons of water."


1972 Black Hills flood, Damage
The National Weather Service Office (NWS) in Rapid City in 1972 was taking hourly surface observations, issuing local storm warnings and providing local forecasts to the media. The personnel in Rapid City were not properly trained to make forecasts or use the technologies available to them. They lacked access to vital weather information to warn the area citizens.


1972 Black Hills flood, Then and now
The Rapid City National Weather Service is now a forecast office with a full-time staff of meteorologists who issue both forecasts and warnings for northeastern Wyoming and the western third of South Dakota. In 1972, the National Weather Service office in Rapid City did not have a teletype system to broadcast warnings. They instead used a one-way telephone hotline to the media to broadcast the warnings. Today warnings are sent to a regional site where they are sent to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Wire System satellite. NWS forecasters use the state radio system to notify 9-1-1 dispatchers and emergency personnel. This warning is also passed on to the Emergency Alert System (EAS).


1972 Black Hills flood, Then and now
In the aftermath of the 1972 flood, short-term and long-term programs were put into effect. Many businesses were permitted to stay in the flood plain, but houses and motels were either raised or moved due to the likelihood that a flood would occur while a person may be sleeping. The majority of the flood plain was made into large parks, which have increased in number and have been improved and updated on a continuing basis. Canyon Lake Dam and most bridges were redesigned to prevent debris clogs during flooding.


1972 Black Hills flood, Victims
Victims lost precious memories as stated in the Rapid City newspaper. An excerpt from the newspaper reads, "Operation Family Treasure' may provide hope for people.' For those who have given up all hope about finding a priceless photo album or sheet of important personal papers there may be a happy ending with "Operation Family Treasure," a clearing house for irreplaceable items run by the Rapid City Jaycees in conjunction with the Office of Civil defense. Flood disaster victims advised on tax breaks."


1972 Black Hills flood, Victims
2012 saw the 40 year anniversary of the fateful flood. Survivors remarked on the horrific events. Rita, who was 20 at the time, described the scene, "There was so many [people] in trees and screaming and crying and the sparks were flying from electric wires, houses were on fire, it was just — it was hell," she says. Rita was seven months pregnant at the time of the tragedy. She describes her fears as, "I wouldn't wish that upon nobody," she says.


1972 Black Hills flood, Victims
"That's a nightmare and a half to think that you're going to die in water and your mom is gonna go with you and you're trying to do your best to keep your mom alive." Rita and her mother were swept against a building and thankfully rescued. There were others with the same nightmares while others were worse. Good Samaritans, like Alex were left to clean up the mess and search for the less fortunate. He describes a gruesome scene, "I found a boy about 5 years old," Alex says. "He was dead, laying on some debris. I didn't touch him or nothing, I just went back and told the authorities where he was at. Then I quit."


1972 Black Hills flood, Victims, Reactions
One unidentified resident of Rapid City, which was flooded, spoke to a reporter after the flood. "...the only thing above water is the hilltops. I guess it just ... I guess we gotta couple troubles."


1972 Black Hills flood, Victims, Reactions
Another survivor said:"My house is no more. You can see it over there, there's the, well, there just isn't anything."


1972 Black Hills flood, Victims, Reactions
And another unidentified survivor added:"A man knocked at our door and said, 'Get out as fast as you can.' We grabbed the children and my dad's crippled and we picked him up and put him in the car, and just as we drove out the driveway, a big trailer started floating right across the pathway, and we just made it up the hill and that was all it was. Everything was gone."


1972 Black Hills flood, Victims, Reactions
One source, Sean Potter, Certified Consulting Meteorologist and Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, wrote, "I called my best advisor, Mr. Leonard Swanson, the City Public Works Director, and we met at City Hall. Heavy rains were falling, and Mr. Swanson and I drove to Canyon Lake Park where a city worker and his family lived in the park caretaker's home, immediately below the dam. Swanny ordered the caretaker, a Parks Department employee, to immediately take his family, leave their evening meal on the table and get out of the park. The entire family survived the flood. Not a trace of the home (it was city property) or the contents was ever found.


1972 Blue Swords
Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles and pair skating.


1972 Boise State Broncos football team
The 1972 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State College during the 1972 NCAA College Division football season, the fifth season of Bronco football (at the four-year level) and the third as members of the Big Sky Conference and NCAA. In the College Division, they played their home games on campus at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho.


1972 Boise State Broncos football team
Led by fifth-year head coach Tony Knap, the Broncos were 7–4 in the regular season and 3–3 in conference. The conference losses were the last until 1976.


1972 Boise State Broncos football team, NFL Draft
One Bronco was selected in the 1973 NFL Draft, which lasted seventeen rounds (442 selections).


1972 Bophuthatswana legislative election
Parliamentary elections were held in Bophuthatswana on 4 October 1972. The Bophuthatswana National Party led by Lucas Mangope won 20 of the 24 elected seats in the Legislative Assembly.


1972 Bophuthatswana legislative election, Electoral system
Voters registered themselves by having their reference book stamped, at which time they also chose which polling station they wanted to vote at, as well as which constituency that they wanted to vote in. However, as the reference books were used by the Apartheid authorities in South Africa, the Chief Electoral Officer issued a statement that Tswana living illegally in Soweto would not be transferred to Bophuthatswana if they registered.


1972 Bophuthatswana legislative election, Electoral system
The 24 elected seats in the Assembly were elected in 12 two-member constituencies, whilst a further 48 members were appointed.


1972 Bophuthatswana legislative election, Campaign
Two parties were formed prior to the elections; Tidimane Pilane established the Seoposengwe Party in July 1972, whilst Mangope founded the Bophuthatswana National Party (BNP) in August. The Seoposengwe Party's manifesto accepted the concept of separate development, although "only for the implied promises of handing us both our homeland Forefathers' land and particularly for the promise of granting Bophuthatswana its ultimate Sovereign Independence." It opposed the Tswana University proposed by Mangope and called for a focus on adult literacy and free and compulsory education. The party also called for control over mining in the territory, as well as a wholly elected Assembly.


1972 Bophuthatswana legislative election, Campaign
The BNP manifesto proposed only allowing citizens to qualify for trading rights in the territory and that the government should receive all taxes paid by mining companies. It also called for chiefs to be involved in the territory's politics (according to the constitution, only chiefs could become government ministers), noting "We have been severely criticized for the large number of designated members [in the assembly], but we believe we must lead our people from what they know to what they do not know—for the concept of a general election is unknown in our traditional administration."


1972 Bophuthatswana legislative election, Campaign
Only eight of the 12 constituencies were contested. A total of 39 candidates ran for the 16 contested seats, of whom 17 lost their deposits.


1972 Bophuthatswana legislative election, Results
Urban areas saw a low turnout (just 15% in Pretoria compared to 45% in rural areas) a factor which favoured the Bophuthatswana National Party.


1972 Boston College Eagles football team
The 1972 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. The Eagles were led by fifth-year head coach Joe Yukica and played their home games at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Boston College finished with a record of 4–7.


1972 Boston Red Sox season
The 1972 Boston Red Sox season was the 72nd season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 85 wins and 70 losses, one-half game behind the Detroit Tigers. Due to the cancellation of games missed during the 1972 Major League Baseball strike, Detroit played (and won) one more game than Boston, allowing them to finish with a record of 86–70, winning the division by a half-game.


1972 Boston Red Sox season, Offseason, A bad trade
After the 1971 season, the Red Sox management decided on drastic changes. First there was a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. George Scott, who had fallen out of favor with the Red Sox management, was packaged with Billy Conigliaro (younger brother of former Red Sox star Tony Conigliaro), outfielders Joe Lahoud and Don Pavletich, pitchers Ken Brett (George Brett's older brother) and Jim Lonborg and exchanged for pitchers Marty Pattin and Lew Krausse Jr. and outfielders Tommy Harper and Pat Skrable. It was a big deal and, as it turned out, a bad one for Boston.


1972 Boston Red Sox season, Offseason, A bad trade
Lonborg won 14 games for Milwaukee in 1972, with a 2.83 ERA, and later was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he won 13, 17, 18, 8 and 11 games during five seasons. Scott batted .263, .266, .306, .281 and .285 in his five seasons with the Brewers, driving in 88, 107, 82, 109, and 77 runs during those same years and clouting an average of 23 homers a season, with 36 in 1975 alone. Meanwhile, although Pattin was 17–13 for Boston in 1972 a 15–15 in 1973, he was then traded away.


1972 Boston Red Sox season, Offseason, A bad trade
Harper batted .254 and .281 in his two years with the Sox before being traded. Skrable, a Triple-A player, did not play professionally after the 1971 season. He refused to report to Boston, and the Red Sox received infielder Bobby Pfeil as compensation; Pfeil finished his career with Boston's Triple-A affiliate in 1972.


1972 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season
Following the 1972 Major League Baseball strike, Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn ruled that no games cancelled due to the April strike would be made up. The Red Sox played a total of 155 games of their original 162-game schedule, and finished with a record of 85–70. Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers played 156 games, and finished with a record of 86–70. Thus, the Tigers were winners of the AL East, by a half-game over the Red Sox.


1972 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season
Boston and Detroit finished their regular-season schedules with a three-game series against each other, played at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Entering the series, Boston held a half-game lead over Detroit, but Detroit won two of the three games, and the AL East title.


1972 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season
The first game of the series included a notable play. In the top of the third inning, Boston trailed, 1–0, and had one out with Tommy Harper at third base and Luis Aparicio at first base. Carl Yastrzemski hit a ball that looked to be a triple; Harper scored, but Aparicio fell as he rounded third base. Aparicio got up and retreated to third, but Yastrzemski was already there, causing Yastrzemski to try to return to second, resulting in Yastrzemski being tagged out.


1972 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season
Thus, instead of having a 2–1 lead with one out and a runner at third, Boston had only tied the game and had two outs (albeit still with a runner at third). The next batter, Reggie Smith, struck out to end the inning. Boston was unable to score again, and Detroit went on to win the game, 4–1. Aparicio falling as he rounded third base is looked back upon as a key play that could have made a difference.


1972 Boston University Terriers football team
The 1972 Boston University Terriers football team was an American football team that represented Boston University as an independent during the 1972 NCAA College Division football season. In their fourth season under head coach Larry Naviaux, the Terriers compiled a 2–8 record and were outscored by a total of 281 to 117.


1972 Bowling Green Falcons football team
The 1972 Bowling Green Falcons football team was an American football team that represented Bowling Green University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. In their fifth season under head coach Don Nehlen, the Falcons compiled a 6–3–1 record (3–1–1 against MAC opponents) and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 184 to 127.


1972 Bowling Green Falcons football team
The team's statistical leaders included Reid Lamport and Joe Babics, each with 430 passing yards, Paul Miles with 1,024 rushing yards, and Roger Wallace with 242 receiving yards.


1972 Brantford municipal election
The 1972 Brantford municipal election was held on December 4, 1972, to elect a mayor, councillors, school trustees, and public utility commissioners in the city of Brantford, Ontario, Canada.


1972 Brantford municipal election
Charles Bowen was elected to his first term as mayor.


1972 Brantford municipal election, Results
Note: Vincent Bucci's city council page indicates that he won the final seat following a recount.


1972 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 1972 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One non-championship race held at Interlagos on 30 March 1972. It was the inaugural Brazilian Grand Prix.


1972 Brazilian Grand Prix
This race was held because at that time the FIA regulations required a demonstration race to be held as a quality check, before a Grand Prix was admitted as a championship race.


1972 Bristol Open
The 1972 Bristol Open, also known by its sponsored name W.D. & H.O. Wills Open Tournament, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. The event was part of the 1972 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix circuit and classified as C category. It was played in Bristol, Great Britain and was held from 12 to 17 June 1972. Bob Hewitt won the singles title and earned $7,800 first-prize money.


1972 Bristol Open, Finals, Doubles
Bob Hewitt /  Frew McMillan defeated  Clark Graebner /  Lew Hoad


1972 Bristol Open – Doubles
Bob Hewitt and Frew McMillan won the title, defeating Clark Graebner and Lew Hoad 6–3, 6–2 in the final.


1972 Bristol Open – Singles
Bob Hewitt won the title, defeating Alejandro Olmedo 6–4, 6–3 in the final.


1972 British Columbia general election
The 1972 British Columbia general election for the Canadian province of British Columbia was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on July 24, 1972, and held on August 30, 1972. The new legislature met for the first time on October 17, 1972. David Barrett led the social democratic New Democratic Party to victory, winning a majority government.


1972 British Columbia general election
The Social Credit Party, led by Premier W.A.C. Bennett, was defeated after governing British Columbia since the 1952 election. Social Credit's share of the popular vote fell by over 15 percentage points, and the party lost 28 of the seats it had won in the previous election.


1972 British Columbia general election
The Liberal Party held onto its five seats, while the Progressive Conservative Party, under the leadership of Derrill Warren, returned to the legislature for the first time since the 1953 election by winning two seats.


1972 British Columbia general election
In four ridings and part of a fifth, a referendum was held concurrently with the election.


1972 British Columbia general election
Social Credit ran a lackluster campaign beset by gaffes. A week before the general election, cabinet minister Phil Gaglardi remarked to a newspaper that Bennett would resign after the election, calling him "an old man who doesn't understand what is happening with the young people of this province". The remark proved damaging, bringing the issue of whether Bennett and his party were worn out after 20 years in office to the forefront of the campaign.


1972 British Columbia general election
A pre-campaign visit by Bennett and his cabinet to New Westminster turned violent after they were confronted by demonstrators, who injured eight ministers, a melee for which Bennett tried to blame Barrett. Shortly after the Social Credit campaign started, Bennett was tricked into shaking hands with current Progressive Conservative leader Derril Warren in front of a photographer from The Province. After the photograph, depicting a smiling Warren and scowling Bennett, was published on The Province's front page, Bennett spent the rest of the campaign antagonising the media, refusing to tell reporters where he was appearing.


1972 British Columbia general election
Barrett benefited from his youth, allowing the media to contrast him with the aged Bennett, and ran a campaign focused on "people issues" such as urban transit, public auto insurance, and increased royalties from the province's timber and minerals industries. Late in the campaign, Bennett declared at a Social Credit rally, "The socialist hordes are at the gates of British Columbia!"


1972 British Columbia general election
Although Bennett's campaign had been lacklustre, no commentators anticipated the party's loss. The resulting NDP majority came as a surprise. Historian David J. Mitchell wrote, "The surprise was not just [the Social Credit] defeat, but its magnitude." In his victory speech, Barrett told supporters that ten thousand people had worked for 40 years to get the NDP and its predecessor, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, elected into office, and vowed, "I will not let their hopes or aspirations down."


1972 British Columbia time plebiscite
The British Columbia time referendum, 1972 was a referendum held in British Columbia on August 30, 1972, simultaneously with a general election. The actual referendum only took place in four electoral districts and part of a fifth, all located in the northeast or southeast parts of the province. The purpose of the vote was to determine which areas favoured following Mountain Time rather than Pacific Time and whether to follow daylight saving time or not. All areas chose to follow Mountain Time.


1972 British Columbia time plebiscite, Lead-up
The referendum was the result of events in Alberta where, in 1971, Albertans voted to enact daylight saving time. Areas in the Peace River Country and Southeast were economically tied to Alberta, and hence were also on Mountain Time.


1972 British Columbia time plebiscite, Lead-up
Are you in favour of Pacific Standard time, including Pacific Daylight Saving time, as it is applicable now throughout the province?


1972 British Columbia time plebiscite, Results
Only four ridings and part of a fifth took part in the referendum. The two ridings in the northeastern part of the province were North Peace River and South Peace River. The two ridings in the southeastern part were Columbia River and Kootenay. Residents of Nelson-Creston east of an imaginary line running through Kootenay Lake and the Kootenay River that bisected that riding also took part.


1972 British Columbia time plebiscite, Aftermath
The result of the referendum was Mountain Time being used instead of Pacific Time in places that rejected Pacific Time (which had been province-wide). Hence, the boundary between time zones in British Columbia ended up being different from the provincial boundary.


1972 British Columbia time plebiscite, Aftermath
The northeast is on Mountain Standard Time year-round, without daylight saving time. In practice, this means that time there is identical with Alberta's in the winter and the rest of BC's in summer. The southeast is similar, with most of the applicable area on Mountain Time and following DST. The Creston area is exceptional, ignoring DST. This puts that town in a situation similar to the northeast.


1972 British Columbia time plebiscite, Aftermath
Since the time referendum the issue has flared up in Creston politics at least twice. At least two referendums have been held, neither of which succeeded in changing the status quo.


1972 British Columbia time plebiscite, Aftermath
In 2014 residents of Fort Nelson voted in favour of switching from Pacific Time with DST to year-round Mountain Standard Time.


1972 British Grand Prix
The 1972 British Grand Prix (formally the John Player Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on 15 July 1972. It was race 7 of 12 in both the 1972 World Championship of Drivers and the 1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race was won by Brazilian driver Emerson Fittipaldi driving a Lotus 72D.


1972 British Grand Prix
Ronnie Peterson suffered an engine failure with less than two laps to go, and crashed into the parked cars of Graham Hill and François Cevert.


1972 British Hard Court Championships
The 1972 British Hard Court Championships, also known by its sponsored name Rothmans British Hard Court Championships, was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at The West Hants Club in Bournemouth, England. The event was part of the Grand Prix circuit and categorized as B class. The tournament was held from 8 to 13 May 1972. Bob Hewitt and Evonne Goolagong won the singles titles.


1972 British Hard Court Championships, Finals, Men's doubles
Bob Hewitt /  Frew McMillan defeated  Ilie Năstase /  Ion Ţiriac 8–6, 6–2, 3–6, 4–6, 6–4


1972 British Hard Court Championships, Finals, Women's doubles
Evonne Goolagong /  Helen Gourlay defeated  Brenda Kirk /  Betty Stöve 7–5, 6–1


1972 British League Division Two season
The 1972 British League Division Two season was the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.


1972 British League Division Two season, Summary
The league still consisted of 17 teams with two teams leaving the league and two teams entering. The Rochdale Hornets had disbanded for good at the end of the previous season, whilst Ipswich Witches moved up to the British League. Two newly created teams Ellesmere Port Gunners and Scunthorpe Saints joined the league.


1972 British League Division Two season, Summary
The Romford Bombers promotion and team moved to the West Ham Stadium replacing the defunct West Ham Hammers at the stadium but halfway through the season, they moved again to become Barrow Happy Faces as their sponsor at the time was Duckhams Oil - its happy face logo was prominently displayed on the team's race jackets.


1972 British League Division Two season, Summary
Crewe Kings won their first title and completed the league and cup double. Crewe were led by their Australian Phil Crump who finished top of the league averages and won the Riders' Championship. John Jackson also finished with an impressive average, as did their new signing Australian international Garry Flood. Flood would only ride the one season in speedway and would go on to win eight Australian Motocross Championships.


1972 British League Division Two season, British League Division Two Knockout Cup
The 1972 British League Division Two Knockout Cup (sponsored by the Speedway Express) was the fifth edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Crewe Kings were the winners of the competition.


1972 British League Division Two season, British League Division Two Knockout Cup, Final
Crewe were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 89–67.


1972 British League season
The 1972 British League season was the 38th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the eighth season known as the British League.


1972 British League season, Summary
Ipswich Witches moved up from Division Two but London lost two clubs, when the Wembley Lions and West Ham Hammers closed, reducing the league to eighteen teams.


1972 British League season, Summary
Belle Vue Aces won their third consecutive title. Their team was littered with great riders including Ivan Mauger, Sören Sjösten and the young Peter Collins; they were backed up by the consistency of Chris Pusey, Eric Broadbelt, Alan Wilkinson and Ken Eyre, which led to a comfortable title win by a clear 12 points.


1972 British League season, Summary
Oxford Cheetahs had a bizarre season when they were rebranded as Oxford Rebels following a takeover by a new consortium, which included former riders Bob Dugard and Danny Dunton, Dave Lanning and the famous musician Acker Bilk. The team under performed badly finishing 17th from 18 teams despite the new image. To make matters worse they signed a new Norwegian rider Svein Kasa, who was quickly transferred to Glasgow following poor results. He died riding for Glasgow towards the end of the season (on 29 September) at Hampden Park. Kasa clipped Martin Ashby's bike in a race and hit the wooden fence receiving fatal injuries.


1972 British League season, Final table
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points


1972 British League season, British League Knockout Cup
The 1972 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 34th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Belle Vue were the winners.


1972 British League season, British League Knockout Cup, Final, Second leg
Belle Vue Aces were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 82-73.


1972 British Motor Cars Invitational
The 1972 British Motor Cars Invitational, also known as the BMC Invitational, was a women's tennis tournament that took place on indoor carpet courts at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco in the United States. It was the second edition of the event and was held from January 12 through January 15, 1972. First-seeded Billie Jean King won the singles title, her second consecutive at the event, and earned $3,400 first-prize money.


1972 British Motor Cars Invitational, Finals, Doubles
Rosie Casals /  Virginia Wade defeated  Françoise Dürr /  Judy Dalton 6–3, 5–7, 6–2


1972 British National Track Championships
The 1972 British National Track Championships were a series of track cycling competitions held during the summer of 1972.


1972 British Rowing Championships
The 1972 National Rowing Championships was the first edition of the National Championships, held from 22–23 July 1972 at the National Water Sports Centre in Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham. These inaugural Championships were held at the newly opened National Watersports Centre in Nottingham.


1972 British Rowing Championships
The Wallingford pair of Tony Norris and Doug Richardson won the junior pair and finished second behind Mike Hart and David Maxwell in the senior pair. Hart & Maxwell would compete at the Olympics shortly afterwards.


1972 British Saloon Car Championship
The 1972 British Saloon Car Championship was the 15th season of the championship. Bill McGovern became the first driver to win three BTCC titles, making it three back-to-back titles with his Sunbeam Imp.


1972 British Saloon Car Championship, Calendar and winners
All races were held in the United Kingdom. Overall winners in bold.


1972 Brown Bears football team
The 1972 Brown Bears football team was an American football team that represented Brown University during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. Brown finished last in the Ivy League.


1972 Brown Bears football team
In their sixth and final season under head coach Len Jardine, the Bears compiled a 1–8 record and were outscored 301 to 172. Ken Cleplik and Bob Pangia were the team captains.


1972 Brown Bears football team
The Bears' 1–6 conference record was the worst in the Ivy League standings. They were outscored by Ivy opponents 250 to 131.


1972 Brown Bears football team
Brown played its home games at Brown Stadium in Providence, Rhode Island.


1972 Brownlow Medal
The 1972 Brownlow Medal was the 45th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Victorian Football League (VFL) home and away season. Len Thompson of the Collingwood Football Club won the medal by polling twenty-five votes during the 1972 VFL season.


1972 Buckeye Tennis Championships
The 1972 Buckeye Tennis Championships, als known as the Buckeye Classic, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Buckeye Boys Ranch in Grove City, Columbus, Ohio in the United States that was part of Group D of the 1972 Grand Prix circuit. It was the third edition of the tournament and was held  from July 17 through July 23, 1972. First-seeded Jimmy Connors won the singles title and earned $5,000 first-prize money.


1972 Buckeye Tennis Championships, Finals, Doubles
Jimmy Connors /  Pancho Gonzales defeated  Robert McKinley /  Dick Stockton 6–3, 7–5


1972 Bucknell Bison football team
The 1972 Bucknell Bison football team was an American football team that represented Bucknell University as an independent during the 1972 NCAA College Division football season.


1972 Bucknell Bison football team
In their fourth year under head coach Fred Prender, the Bison compiled a 6–3 record. Steve Eck and Gerry Solomon were the team captains.


1972 Bucknell Bison football team
Bucknell played its home games at Memorial Stadium on the university campus in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.


1972 Buffalo Bills season
The 1972 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 3rd season in the National Football League, and the 13th overall. It was also their last season at War Memorial Stadium which had been their home field since the franchise started in 1960.


1972 Buffalo Bills season, Season summary
The 1972 season also marked the return of former Bills coach Lou Saban, who had previously led the team to two AFL Championships.


1972 Buffalo Bills season, Season summary
Saban had a new offensive philosophy for Buffalo in 1972: in his first three seasons, former number one overall pick O. J. Simpson had only carried the ball an average of 161 times per season. Saban rushed Simpson 292 times in 1972, the second-most in the league.


1972 Buffalo Bills season, Season summary
Despite losing two starting offensive lineman – center Bruce Jarvis and guard Jim Reilly—in the season opener, O. J. Simpson still led the league in rushing with 1,251 yards.


1972 Buffalo Bills season, Season summary
Although the Bills had a potent, yard-gaining rushing attack, they could not put enough points on the scoreboard, scoring only 257 points (18.3 per game) all season, 19th in the league. Furthermore, Buffalo's defense gave up 377 points (23.5 per game), the third-most in the NFL in 1972.


1972 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season
In his fourth NFL season, running back O. J. Simpson gained over 1,000 yards rushing for the first time. The 24-23 loss on October 22 to the Miami Dolphins, who would finish with a perfect season, was the closest margin of victory for the Dolphins.


1972 Bulgarian Cup Final
The 1972 Bulgarian Cup Final was the 32nd final of the Bulgarian Cup (in this period the tournament was named Cup of the Soviet Army), and was contested between CSKA Sofia and Slavia Sofia on 12 July 1972 at Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia. CSKA won the final 3–0.


1972 CARIFTA Games
The 1st CARIFTA Games was held in Bridgetown, Barbados on April 1–4, 1972. An appraisal of the results has been given on the occasion of 40th anniversary of the games.


1972 CARIFTA Games, Participation (unofficial)
Detailed result lists can be found on the "World Junior Athletics History" website. There is almost no information on athletes competing in the relay teams. An unofficial count (without relay teams) yields the number of about 67 athletes from about 11 countries: Barbados (12), Bermuda (5), Grenada (6), Guadeloupe (1), Guyana (8), Jamaica (20), Lesser Antilles (1 relay team), Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla (3 relay teams), Saint Lucia (3 relay teams), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1 + 3 relay teams), Trinidad and Tobago (14).


1972 CARIFTA Games, Medal summary
Medal winners are published by category: Boys under 20 (Junior), and Girls under 20 (Junior). Complete results can be found on the "World Junior Athletics History" website.


1972 CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
The 1972 CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the first CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. It was played between March 3 and March 4, 1972, at St. Louis Arena in St. Louis, Missouri. Ohio State won the inaugural tournament, defeating Saint Louis 3–0 in the championship game.


1972 CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Conference standings
Note: GP = Games Played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; PTS = Points; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against


1972 CFL Draft
The 1972 CFL Draft composed of nine rounds where 70 Canadian football players that were chosen exclusively from eligible Canadian universities. The Montreal Alouettes, who had the worst record in the Eastern Conference in the previous season, had the first overall selection.


1972 CFL season
The 1972 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 19th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 15th Canadian Football League season.


1972 CFL season, CFL news in 1972
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame was officially opened on November 28, 1972, in Hamilton. The Grey Cup game was played on AstroTurf at nearby Ivor Wynne Stadium.


1972 CFL season, CFL news in 1972
The Western Conference Finals were now played under a single-elimination game. The Eastern Conference continued to play a two-game total-point series affair in their Conference Final round until the following season, when it adopted the West's single-game elimination in the Conference Final round as well.


1972 CFL season, Regular season standings, Final regular season standings
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points


1972 CFL season, Grey Cup playoffs, Conference Finals
This game was especially notable for its final play. The game was tied and Saskatchewan attempted a last-second field goal to win, or at least score a single. The kick missed wide, and was recovered by Winnipeg in the end zone. As they were unable to run it out, they punted. The Saskatchewan player who fielded the punt attempted to score a single (winning the game) by punting it through the end zone again, but was unsuccessful, and the punt was fielded by Winnipeg, who punted it out again. The Saskatchewan returner was tackled, ending the play and presumably the game, but a Winnipeg penalty negated the play and gave Saskatchewan another chance. The second Saskatchewan field goal attempt, with no time on the clock, was successful.


1972 CFL season, Playoff bracket, Grey Cup Championship
60th Annual Grey Cup Game: Ivor Wynne Stadium – Hamilton, Ontario


1972 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
The 1972 CONCACAF Champions' Cup was the 8th edition of the annual international club football competition held in the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America and the Caribbean), the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. It determined that year's club champion of association football in the CONCACAF region and was played from 29 October 1971 till 31 January 1972 under the home/away match system.


1972 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
The tournament was split into 2 zones (North, Central American and Caribbean), each one qualifying the winner to the final tournament. CD Olimpia from Honduras won the final, and became for the first time in its history CONCACAF champion.


1972 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, North/Central American Zone
Unknown if clubs from: Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala United Statesentered the tournament.


1972 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament
The 1972 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament was the third edition of the CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament, the quadrennial, international football tournament organised by the CONCACAF to determine which national teams from the North, Central America and Caribbean region qualify for the Olympic football tournament.


1972 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament
Mexico, won their second title, and qualified for the 1972 Summer Olympics together with runners-up United States as CONCACAF representatives.


1972 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament, Qualified teams for Summer Olympics
The following two teams from CONCACAF qualified for the 1972 Summer Olympics, including Mexico which qualified as hosts.


1972 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament qualification
The qualifying competition for the 1972 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament determined the four teams for the final tournament.


1972 Cal Poly Mustangs football team
The 1972 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University during the 1972 NCAA College Division football season.


1972 Cal Poly Mustangs football team
Cal Poly competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The team was led by fifth-year head coach Joe Harper and played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California. They finished the regular season undefeated, and as a CCAA co-champion. This was their fourth of five consecutive CCAA championships for the Mustangs. At the end of the season, the Mustangs were invited to take part in the College Division western region playoff game, the Camellia Bowl held in Sacramento, California. They played North Dakota on December 10, losing 38–21. That gave the Mustangs a final record of eight wins, one loss and one tie (8–1–1, 3–0 CCAA). UPI ranked the Mustangs Number 3 in the final Small College poll for 1972.


1972 Cal Poly Mustangs football team, Team players in the NFL
No Cal Poly Mustang players were selected in the 1973 NFL Draft.


1972 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos football team
The 1972 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos football team represented California State Polytechnic University, Pomona during the 1972 NCAA College Division football season.


1972 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos football team
Cal Poly Pomona competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal Poly Pomona was led by fourth-year head coach Roy Anderson. They played home games at Kellogg Field in Pomona, California. The Broncos finished the season with a record of four wins and six losses (4–6, 0–4 CCAA). Overall, the team was outscored by its opponents 222–230 for the season.


1972 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos football team, Team players in the NFL
No Cal Poly Pomona players were selected in the 1973 NFL Draft.


1972 Cal State Fullerton Titans football team
The 1972 Cal State Fullerton Titans football team represented California State University, Fullerton during the 1972 NCAA College Division football season.


1972 Cal State Fullerton Titans football team
Cal State Fullerton competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The team was led by first-year head coach Pete Yoder, and played home games at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana, California. They finished the season with a record of seven wins and four losses (7–4, 2–2 CCAA).


1972 Cal State Fullerton Titans football team, Team players in the NFL
No Cal State Fullerton Titans were selected in the 1973 NFL Draft.


1972 Cal State Hayward Pioneers football team
The 1972 Cal State Hayward Pioneers football team represented California State University, Hayward in the 1972 NCAA College Division football season. Cal State Hayward competed in the Far Western Conference (FWC).


1972 Cal State Hayward Pioneers football team
The Pioneers were led by second-year head coach Bob Rodrigo. They played home games at Pioneer Stadium in Hayward, California. The Pioneers finished the season with a record of two wins and eight losses (2–8, 2–3 FWC). They were outscored by their opponents 168–348 for the 1972 season.


1972 Cal State Hayward Pioneers football team, Team players in the NFL
No Cal State Hayward Pioneers players were selected in the 1973 NFL Draft.


1972 Cal State Los Angeles Diablos football team
The 1972 Cal State Los Angeles Diablos football team represented California State University, Los Angeles during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season.


1972 Cal State Los Angeles Diablos football team
The Diablos were members of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association in 1972, but they had downgraded their football program to the point where they no longer qualified as a University Division team. The two games they played against PCAA teams (losses to Fresno State and Pacific) did not count in the conference standings.


1972 Cal State Los Angeles Diablos football team
The Diablos were led by Foster Andersen in his second year as head coach. The team played home games at the Campus Stadium. They finished the season with a record of three wins and seven losses (3–7). The Diablos were outscored 155–257 for the season.


1972 Cal State Los Angeles Diablos football team, Team players in the NFL
No Cal State Los Angeles players were selected in the 1973 NFL Draft.


1972 Cal State Northridge Matadors football team
The 1972 Cal State Northridge Matadors football team represented Cal State Northridge during the 1972 NCAA College Division football season.


1972 Cal State Northridge Matadors football team
Cal State Northridge competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The 1972 Matadors were led by second-year head coach Rod Humenuik. They played home games at North Campus Stadium in Northridge, California. Cal State Northridge finished the season with a record of six wins and five losses (6–5, 1–3 CCAA). The Matadors outscored their opponents 375–192 for the season, including holding their opponents under 10 points four times.


1972 Cal State Northridge Matadors football team, Team players in the NFL
The following Cal State Northridge players were selected in the 1973 NFL Draft.


1972 Calder Cup playoffs
The 1972 Calder Cup playoffs of the American Hockey League began on April 4, 1972. The eight teams that qualified played best-of-seven series for Division Semifinals and Finals. The division champions played a best-of-seven series for the Calder Cup. The Calder Cup Final ended on May 15, 1972, with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, in their inaugural season in Nova Scotia, defeating the Baltimore Clippers four games to two to win the Calder Cup for the first time in team history. The Voyageurs also became the first Canadian team to win the Calder Cup.


1972 Calder Cup playoffs
Baltimore and Cincinnati set an AHL playoff record for most goals scored by both teams in one game with 18, when Baltimore beat Cincinnati 10-8 in game 5 of the Southern division final. Baltimore's Howie Menard set an AHL record for most points in one playoff game with 7 against Cleveland in game 5 of their Southern division semifinal. Two players have tied this record since then. Nova Scotia's Michel Plasse set an AHL record for lowest goals against average in one playoff, posting a 1.25 GAA.


1972 Calder Cup playoffs, Playoff seeds
After the 1971–72 AHL regular season, the top three teams from each division qualified for the playoffs. The Boston Braves finished the regular season with the best overall record, winning the head-to-head tiebreaker with Nova Scotia.


1972 Calder Cup playoffs, Bracket
In each round, the higher seed receives home ice advantage, meaning they receive the "extra" game on home-ice if the series reaches the maximum number of games. There is no set series format due to arena scheduling conflicts and travel considerations.


1972 Calgary Stampeders season
The 1972 Calgary Stampeders finished in 4th place in the Western Conference with a 6–10 record and failed to make the playoffs.


1972 California Angels season
The 1972 California Angels season involved the Angels finishing 5th in the American League West with a record of 75 wins and 80 losses.


1972 California Angels season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1972 California Angels season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1972 California Angels season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1972 California Angels season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1972 California Angels season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1972 California Golden Bears football team
The 1972 California Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Berkeley in the Pacific-8 Conference (Pac-8) during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. In their first year under head coach Mike White, the Golden Bears compiled a 3–8 record (3–4 against Pac-8 opponents), finished in fifth place in the Pac-8, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 314 to 228.


1972 California Golden Bears football team
The team's statistical leaders included Steve Bartkowski with 944 passing yards, Steve Kemnitzer with 434 rushing yards, and Steve Sweeney with 785 receiving yards.


1972 California Proposition 11
Proposition 11, sometimes known as the "Privacy Initiative" or the "Right to Privacy Initiative", was a ballot initiative to amend the constitution of the state of California to include privacy as an inalienable right to citizens in "Article 1: Declaration of Rights" of the constitution.


1972 California Proposition 11
The Proposition was co-authored by California State Assemblyman Kenneth Cory (D-Garden Grove) and California State Senator George Moscone (D-San Francisco) as a protective measure against government agencies collecting personal information from citizens. Assemblyman Cory also expressed specific concern for privacy due to the potential threat that new technology had on compromising privacy. Opponents of the measure argued that such an initiative was unnecessary since the courts and State Legislature already had the power to address issues of privacy.


1972 California Proposition 11
On November 7, 1972, the proposition overwhelmingly passed and consequently resulted in explicit references to privacy in the California State Constitution.


1972 California Proposition 17
Proposition 17 of 1972 was a measure enacted by California voters to reintroduce the death penalty in that state. The California Supreme Court had ruled on February 17, 1972, that capital punishment was contrary to the state constitution. Proposition 17 amended the Constitution of California in order to overturn that decision. It was submitted to a referendum by means of the initiative process, and approved by voters on November 7 with 67.5% of the vote.


1972 California Proposition 17, Background, People v. Anderson
The court ruled in People v. Anderson that capital punishment was contrary to Article 1, Section 6 of the state constitution, which forbade "cruel or unusual punishment", and was held to be more strict than the similarly worded provision of the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that says "cruel and unusual punishment". Proposition 17 amended the state constitution by adding Article 1, Section 27, which reads:


1972 California Proposition 17, Background, People v. Anderson
All statutes of this state in effect on February 17, 1972, requiring, authorizing, imposing, or relating to the death penalty are in full force and effect, subject to legislative amendment or repeal by statute, initiative, or referendum. The death penalty provided for under those statutes shall not be deemed to be, or to constitute, the infliction of cruel or unusual punishments within the meaning of Article I, Section 6 nor shall such punishment for such offenses be deemed to contravene any other provision of this constitution.


1972 California Proposition 17, Background, People v. Frierson
In 1979, it was argued before the California Supreme Court (in People v. Frierson) that Proposition 17 was unconstitutional, as it amounted to a "revision" rather than an "amendment" of the state constitution, and a revision may not be enacted by an initiative. The court rejected this argument. Justice Stanley Mosk filed a concurring opinion in which he reluctantly agreed with the judgment of the court, but also expressed his dismay at the response of the electorate to Anderson:


1972 California Proposition 17, Background, People v. Frierson
The people of California responded quickly and emphatically, both directly and through their elected representatives, to callously declare that whatever the trends elsewhere in the nation and the world, society in our state does not deem the retributive extinction of a human life to be either cruel or unusual.


1972 California Proposition 17, Aftermath
Despite Proposition 17, no executions were carried out in California until 1992. This was due to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the same year in Furman v. Georgia (which temporarily halted capital punishment in the United States) and to extensive litigation that occurred thereafter.


1972 California Proposition 19
Proposition 19, also known as the California Marijuana Initiative (CMI), was a ballot initiative on the November 7, 1972 California statewide ballot. This was the first attempt to legalize marijuana by ballot measure in the history of the United States. If it had passed, the measure would have removed penalties in the State of California for persons 18 years of age or older for using, possessing, growing, processing, or transporting marijuana for personal use. The California Marijuana Initiative's organizers coordinated a huge grassroots organizing drive to place the measure on the ballot. The initiative qualified for the November statewide ballot in June 1972. The initiative was defeated by the voters with 66.5% No votes to 33.5% Yes votes.