1972 BYU Cougars football team

American college football season

1972 BYU Cougars football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Record	7–4 (5–2 WAC)
Head coach	LaVell Edwards (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Dave Kragthorpe (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	West Coast
Defensive coordinator	Dick Felt (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Cougar Stadium
Seasons← 1971 1973 →

1972 Western Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 13 Arizona State $	5	–	1	–	0	10	–	2	–	0
BYU	5	–	2	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Utah	5	–	2	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Arizona	4	–	3	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Wyoming	3	–	4	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
New Mexico	2	–	4	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
Colorado State	1	–	4	–	0	1	–	10	–	0
UTEP	1	–	6	–	0	2	–	8	–	0

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

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.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 16	Kansas State*	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	W 32–9	31,753
September 23	Utah State*	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT (rivalry)	L 19–42	35,239
September 30	at Oregon State*	Parker Stadium Corvallis, OR	L 3–29	20,065
October 7	at Long Beach State*	Anaheim Stadium Anaheim, CA	W 38–27	11,529
October 14	UTEP	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	W 21–14	31,176
October 21	No. 19 Arizona State	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	L 17–49	23,561
October 28	at Colorado State	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO	W 44–8	18,972
November 4	Wyoming	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	W 33–14	22,373
November 11	at Arizona	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	L 7–21	26,500
November 18	Utah	Robert Rice Stadium Salt Lake City, UT (Holy War)	W 16–7	24,917
November 25	at New Mexico	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	W 21–7	9,490
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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.

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.

Game summaries

Kansas State

Pete Van Valkenburg rushed for 164 yards on 16 carries, scored on a 59-yard run in the first quarter and set up Dave Terry for BYU's second touchdown. Keith Brumley's 37-yard field goal was Kansas State's only points through the first three quarters. Henry Childs caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Dennis Morrison three minutes into the final quarter for Kansas State.

Utah State

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At Oregon State

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At Long Beach State

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
BYU	0	10	14	14	38
Long Beach State	14	6	0	7	27

at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, CA

Date: October 7
Game time: 8:00 p.m. PDT
Game attendance: 11,500
Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	BYU	Long Beach State
1					Long Beach State	Drake 1-yard touchdown run, Logue kick good	0	7
1					Long Beach State	Drake 1-yard touchdown run, Logue kick good	0	14
2					BYU	Pete Van Valkenburg 3-yard touchdown run, John Monahan kick good	7	14
2					BYU	31-yard field goal by John Monahan	10	14
3					Long Beach State	Newsome 28-yard interception return, kick blocked	10	20
3					BYU	Pete Van Valkenburg 64-yard touchdown run, John Monahan kick good	17	20
3					BYU	Dave Atkinson 19-yard interception return, John Monahan kick good	24	20
4					Long Beach State	Fitzpatrick 1-yard touchdown run, Logue kick good	24	27
4					BYU	Pete Van Valkenburg 73-yard touchdown run, John Monahan kick good	31	27
4					BYU	Steve Stratton 7-yard touchdown run, John Monahan kick good	38	27
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							38	27

UTEP

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Arizona State

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At Colorado State

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Wyoming

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At Arizona

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At Utah

BYU Cougars (5–4) at Utah Utes (5–4)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
BYU	7	2	0	7	16
Utah	0	0	7	0	7

at Robert Rice Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah

Date: November 18, 1972
Game weather: Overcast, 47 °F (8 °C)
Game attendance: 24,917
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

BYU – Steve Stratton 4-yard run (John Monahan kick). BYU 7–0.

Second quarter

BYU – Safety. BYU 9–0.

Third quarter

UTAH – Ike Spencer 70-yard run (Fleming Jensen kick). BYU 9–7.

Fourth quarter

BYU – George Gourley 24-yard interception return (John Monahan kick). BYU 16–7.

Top passers

BYU – Dave Terry – 7/13, 71 yards
UTAH – Daniel Payne – 3/17, 38 yards, 4 INT

Top rushers

BYU – Pete Van Valkenburg – 37 rushes, 158 yards
UTAH – Ike Spencer – 11 rushes, 101 yards, TD

Top receivers

BYU – John Betham – 3 receptions, 32 yards
UTAH – Stephen Odom – 2 receptions, 20 yards

BYU's first win versus Utah since 1967

At New Mexico

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Personnel

Roster

1972 BYU Cougars football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name
WR	`9`	Dave Affleck
FB	`34`	Charlie Ah You
QB	`7`	Bill August
C	`61`	Joe Bailey
WR	`41`	John Betham
FB	`36`	Wayne Bower
OT	`79`	Dave Brooks
WR	`42`	Dave Clark
FB	`22`	Dean Conway
OT	`64`	Bill Critchfield
OT	`62`	Craig Denny
RB	`36`	Paul Devine
TE	`80`	Dennis Dorman
G	`68`	Harold Farnsworth
RB		Gil Gillenwater
QB	`15`	Brian Gunderson
C	`56`	Paul Gustavson
G	`78`	Paul Howard
WR	`25`	Logan Hunter
RB	`20`	Bryce Johnson
OL	`66`	Doug Maughan
QB	`14`	Terry McEwen
G	`76`	Val Miller
G	`71`	John Monahan
QB	`16`	Mark Montgomery
OT	`70`	Paul Muklewicz
OT	`53`	Ken Peterson
TE	`89`	Mike Pistorius
OT	`65`	Steve Price
WR	`90`	Rick Powell
C	`59`	Sid Smith
FB	`35`	Steve Stratton
RB	`43`	Dan Taylor
QB	`13`	Dave Terry
RB	`28`	Pete Van Valkenburg
WR	`22`	Lynn Zwahlen

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DE	`85`	Joel Adams
LB	`45`	Doug Adams
CB		Dave Atkinson
DT	`72`	Wayne Baker
LB	`69`	Jerry Burke
CB	`18`	Stan Call
LB	`67`	Larry Carr
DE	`58`	Conrad Cole
S	`44`	Craig Crompton
LB	`54`	Steve Draeger
LB	`84`	Greg Dunn
S	`17`	Fred EchoHawk
S	`24`	Tom EchoHawk
DB	`12`	Mike Epperson
DE	`56`	Lloyd Fairbanks
CB	`31`	Reed Gempler
S	`33`	George Gourley
S	`11`	Dan Hansen
LB	`52`	Kahlili Hunt
LB	`34`	Phil Jensen	Fr
CB	`26`	Paul Karaica
DE	`87`	Bob Larsen
DT	`74`	Paul Linford
DT	`60`	Wally Molifua
LB	`57`	Larry Nelson
DL	`83`	Orrin Olsen
LB	`50`	Mike Preston
DE	`46`	Roy Robbins
LB	`37`	Karl Rogoff
DE	`88`	Ed Rozeski
DT	`63`	Julian Smilowitz
DB	`5`	Bennie Smith
LB	`51`	Scott Stapley
LB	`32`	Ron Tree
DE	`73`	Stan Varner
DT	`77`	Grant Wells

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P	`14`	Doug Coon
K	`19`	Dennis Olsen

Head coach

LaVell Edwards

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Jim Criner
Dick Felt (DC/DB)
J.D. Helm (RB)
Dave Kragthorpe (OC/OL)
Mel Olson (JV)
Dewey Warren (QB/WR)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Starters

Offense

POS	Name	Name
QB	Dave Terry
TB	Pete Van Valkenburg
FB	Steve Stratton	Wayne Bower
WR	Logan Hunter
WR	John Betham
TE	Dennis Doman	Mike Pistorius
T	Craig Denny
G	Paul Howard
C	Joe Bailey
G	John Monahan
T	Steve Price	Dave Brooks

Defense

POS	Name	Name
DL	Ed Rozeski
DL	Paul Linford
DL	Grant Wells	Wayne Baker
DL	Orrin Olsen	Bob Larsen
LB	Ron Tree
LB	Larry Carr	Kahili Hunt
LB	Phil Jensen	Mike Preston
DB	George Gourley	Bennie Smith
DB	Dave Atkinson
DB	Craig Compton
DB	Dan Hansen

Statistics

Passing

Player	Comp	Att	Yards	TD	INT
Bill August	69	144	891	5	5
Dave Terry	62	122	742	2	10
Pete Van Valkenburg	2	5	32	1
John Betham	0	1

Rushing

Player	Att	Yards	TD
Pete Van Valkenburg	232	1,386	12
Steve Stratton	78	328	3
Wayne Bower	43	271	1
Dan Taylor	46	161	1
Dave Terry	61	120	2
Gil Gillenwater	3	56
Bill August	50	22
Bryce Johnson	1	0
John Betham	4	-15

Receiving

Player	Rec	Yards	TD
Logan Hunter	49	555	2
John Betham	19	345	2
Mike Pistorius	16	314	2
Pete Van Valkenburg	10	98	1
Lynn Zwahlen	5	95	1
Jay Miller	6	30
Dennis Doman	7	59
Steve Stratton	8	55
Dan Taylor	4	45
Wayne Bower	4	36
Dave Affleck	3	15
Dave Terry	1	10
Bryce Johnson	1	8

Awards

All-WAC: Dave Atkinson, Dan Hansen, Paul Howard, Paul Linford, Ron Tree, Pete Van Valkenburg

WAC Coach of the Year: LaVell Edwards

References

"BYU flattens K-State". The Tulsa World. September 17, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Tony Adams lifts Utah State to 42–19 victory over BYU". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. September 24, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Ore. State contains BYU 29–3". The Times-News. October 1, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"BYU rallies to edge 49ers, 38–27". The Los Angeles Times. October 8, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Three first half touchdowns give Brigham Young margin". The Herald-Journal. October 15, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Slow-starting Devils drub BYU, 49–17". The Arizona Republic. October 15, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Twitty, Mike (October 29, 1972). "Strong BYU effort stifles Ram upset plan". Fort Collins Coloradoan. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
"Pokes tumble to BYU". Rapid City Journal. November 5, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Wildcats top Bringham Young, 21–7". The Arizona Republic. November 12, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Cougars snuff Ute's bowl hopes, 16–7". The Daily Herald. November 19, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"BYU posts easy win". Tri-City Herald. November 26, 1972. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"1972 NCAA Football Statistics (BYU)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
^ "2010 BYU football media guide". Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
Sports Illustrated, 11 Sept 1972
"BYU in romp." Eugene Register-Guard. p. 4B. 1972 Sep 17. Retrieved 2022-Dec-08.
Broyles, Bob and Paul Guido. 50 Years of College Football: A Modern History of America's Most Colorful Sport.
The Deseret News. 20 November 2010

v t e BYU Cougars football
Venues	LaVell Edwards Stadium (1964–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Utah: Holy War (Beehive Boot) Utah State (Beehive Boot, The Old Wagon Wheel)
Culture & lore	Cosmo the Cougar "The Cougar Song" BYU Cougar Marching Band Mormons vs. Mullets
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold

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