1972 NAIA Division I football season

American college football season

1972 NAIA Division I football season
Regular season	August–November 1972
Postseason	November 25–December 9, 1972
National Championship	Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX
Champions	East Texas State
← 1971 NAIA Division I football season 1973 →

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

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

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

Conference realignment

Conference changes

This was the first season of play for the Great Plains Athletic Conference, which consisted of seven former members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference from Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska.

Membership changes

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

Conference standings

1972 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 6 Harding +	5	–	1	–	0	10	–	1	–	0
Southern Arkansas +	5	–	1	–	0	8	–	2	–	0
Arkansas Tech	4	–	2	–	0	5	–	4	–	1
Ouachita Baptist	3	–	2	–	1	6	–	3	–	1
Henderson State	2	–	4	–	0	4	–	6	–	0
Arkansas–Monticello	1	–	5	–	0	2	–	8	–	0
State College of Arkansas	0	–	5	–	1	2	–	7	–	1

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1972 Carolinas Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 20 Presbyterian +	4	–	0	–	1	7	–	2	–	1
Elon +	4	–	0	–	1	7	–	3	–	1
Newberry	3	–	2	–	0	6	–	4	–	1
Catawba	2	–	3	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Lenoir Rhyne	1	–	4	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Guilford	0	–	5	–	0	0	–	9	–	0

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1972 Evergreen Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 8 Central Washington $	6	–	0	–	0	9	–	1	–	0
Oregon College	5	–	1	–	0	6	–	4	–	0
Southern Oregon	3	–	3	–	0	4	–	5	–	0
Eastern Washington	2	–	4	–	0	3	–	7	–	0
Eastern Oregon	2	–	4	–	0	3	–	6	–	0
Western Washington	2	–	4	–	0	2	–	7	–	0
Oregon Tech	1	–	5	–	0	1	–	9	–	0

$ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1972 Great Plains Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
Emporia State $	5	–	1	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
No. 11 Nebraska–Omaha	4	–	2	–	0	8	–	2	–	0
Northern Colorado	4	–	2	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
Southern Colorado	3	–	3	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Pittsburg State	3	–	3	–	0	3	–	7	–	0
Washburn	1	–	5	–	0	3	–	7	–	0
Fort Hays State	1	–	5	–	0	1	–	8	–	1

$ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1972 Gulf South Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 5 Northwestern State $	6	–	0	–	0	8	–	2	–	0
No. 3 Livingston ^	5	–	1	–	0	8	–	1	–	2
No. 19 Jacksonville State	4	–	1	–	1	7	–	2	–	1
Delta State	5	–	2	–	0	7	–	3	–	1
Troy State	2	–	3	–	1	4	–	5	–	1
Southeastern Louisiana	2	–	4	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Nicholls State	1	–	5	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
Florence State	1	–	5	–	0	2	–	9	–	0
Tennessee–Martin	1	–	5	–	0	1	–	9	–	0
Mississippi College	0	–	0	–	0	4	–	5	–	1

$ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1972 Lone Star Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 1 East Texas State $^	7	–	1	–	0	10	–	2	–	0
No. 12 Angelo State	6	–	2	–	0	8	–	3	–	0
Southwest Texas State	6	–	2	–	0	7	–	3	–	0
Howard Payne	4	–	4	–	0	5	–	4	–	0
Texas A&I	4	–	4	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Sam Houston State	4	–	4	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Sul Ross	3	–	5	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Stephen F. Austin	2	–	6	–	0	2	–	7	–	0
Tarleton State	0	–	8	–	0	1	–	9	–	0
McMurry *	0	–	0	–	0	3	–	6	–	0
Abilene Christian *	0	–	0	–	0	3	–	8	–	0

$ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant * – did not complete for conference title Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1972 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 10 North Carolina Central $	5	–	1	–	0	9	–	2	–	0
No. 13 North Carolina A&T	4	–	2	–	0	8	–	2	–	0
Morgan State	4	–	2	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Maryland Eastern Shore	4	–	2	–	0	4	–	5	–	0
Howard	2	–	4	–	0	6	–	4	–	0
Delaware State	2	–	4	–	0	5	–	4	–	0
South Carolina State	0	–	6	–	0	1	–	9	–	0

$ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1972 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
Gustavus Adolphus $	6	–	1	–	0	6	–	4	–	0
No. 14 Saint John's (MN)	5	–	2	–	0	7	–	2	–	0
Concordia–Moorhead	4	–	3	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
Minnesota–Duluth	4	–	3	–	0	5	–	4	–	0
St. Thomas (MN)	3	–	4	–	0	6	–	4	–	0
Augsburg	3	–	4	–	0	5	–	4	–	0
Hamline	3	–	4	–	0	5	–	4	–	0
Macalester	0	–	7	–	0	0	–	9	–	0

$ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1972 Nebraska College Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
Kearney State $	3	–	0	–	0	8	–	2	–	0
Chadron State	2	–	1	–	0	8	–	2	–	0
Wayne State (NE)	1	–	2	–	0	3	–	7	–	0
Peru State	0	–	3	–	0	3	–	7	–	0

$ – Conference champion

1972 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
Michigan Tech $	6	–	0	–	0	8	–	1	–	0
Minnesota Morris	5	–	1	–	0	8	–	2	–	0
Moorhead State	4	–	2	–	0	7	–	3	–	0
St. Cloud State	3	–	3	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Southwest State (MN)	2	–	4	–	0	3	–	7	–	0
Bemidji State	1	–	5	–	0	2	–	7	–	0
Winona State	0	–	6	–	0	2	–	7	–	0

$ – Conference champion

1972 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 7 Central State (OK) $^	7	–	1	–	0	9	–	2	–	0
No. T–16 Northeastern State	6	–	2	–	0	8	–	2	–	0
No. 15 SW Oklahoma State	5	–	3	–	0	8	–	3	–	0
SE Oklahoma State	5	–	3	–	0	6	–	4	–	0
Langston	5	–	3	–	0	7	–	5	–	0
East Central	4	–	4	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Cameron	2	–	6	–	0	4	–	6	–	0
NW Oklahoma State	2	–	6	–	0	3	–	6	–	1
Panhandle	0	–	8	–	0	0	–	11	–	0

$ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1972 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
East Division
West Chester xy	5	–	0	–	0	7	–	3	–	0
Millersville	4	–	2	–	0	5	–	3	–	1
Bloomsburg	4	–	2	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Kutztown	3	–	3	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
Cheyney	2	–	3	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
East Stroudsburg	1	–	5	–	0	4	–	5	–	0
Mansfield	1	–	5	–	0	2	–	7	–	0
West Division
No. 18 Slippery Rock xy$	4	–	0	–	1	8	–	2	–	1
Clarion	4	–	1	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
Edinboro	2	–	2	–	1	3	–	5	–	1
Lock Haven	2	–	3	–	0	4	–	5	–	0
Shippensburg	1	–	4	–	0	3	–	6	–	1
California (PA)	1	–	4	–	0	2	–	6	–	0
No. 9 Indiana (PA) *	0	–	0	–	0	8	–	1	–	0
Championship: Slippery Rock 29, West Chester 27
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant * – Ineligible for conference title Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1972 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
Adams State $	5	–	1	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
Western State (CO)	4	–	2	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
Southern Utah	4	–	2	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
Colorado Mines	3	–	3	–	0	4	–	5	–	0
Western New Mexico	3	–	3	–	0	3	–	5	–	0
Westminster (UT)	1	–	5	–	0	3	–	6	–	0
Fort Lewis	1	–	5	–	0	2	–	6	–	0

$ – Conference champion

1972 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 4 / T–8 Grambling +	5	–	1	–	0	11	–	2	–	0
Jackson State +	5	–	1	–	0	8	–	3	–	0
Alcorn A&M	4	–	1	–	1	5	–	3	–	1
Texas Southern	3	–	2	–	1	5	–	4	–	1
Mississippi Valley State	1	–	5	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Prairie View A&M	1	–	5	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Southern	1	–	5	–	0	2	–	7	–	1

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA Division I poll and AP small college poll

1972 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
Shepherd $	5	–	0	–	0	7	–	3	–	0
Bluefield State	5	–	1	–	0	7	–	2	–	0
West Liberty State	5	–	2	–	0	7	–	2	–	0
Salem	6	–	3	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
Glenville State	5	–	3	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
West Virginia State	4	–	3	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Concord	2	–	6	–	0	3	–	6	–	0
Fairmont State	1	–	5	–	0	2	–	7	–	0
West Virginia Tech	1	–	6	–	0	1	–	8	–	0
West Virginia Wesleyan	1	–	6	–	0	2	–	7	–	0

$ – Conference champion Conference standings based on power ratings

1972 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
Wisconsin–Oshkosh $	8	–	0	–	0	8	–	2	–	0
No. T–16 Wisconsin–La Crosse	7	–	1	–	0	8	–	2	–	0
Wisconsin–Whitewater	6	–	2	–	0	7	–	3	–	0
Wisconsin–Platteville	4	–	4	–	0	6	–	4	–	0
Wisconsin–River Falls	4	–	4	–	0	4	–	6	–	0
Wisconsin–Eau Claire	2	–	6	–	0	3	–	7	–	0
Wisconsin–Stevens Point	2	–	6	–	0	2	–	8	–	0
Wisconsin–Stout	2	–	6	–	0	2	–	8	–	0
Wisconsin–Superior	1	–	7	–	0	1	–	9	–	0

$ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1972 NAIA Division I independents football records
v t e	Conf			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 2 Carson–Newman ^		–		10	–	2	–	0
Hillsdale		–		6	–	2	–	0
Wofford		–		6	–	4	–	0
Kentucky State		–		4	–	6	–	0
Eastern New Mexico		–		2	–	8	–	0
New Mexico Highlands		–		2	–	7	–	0

^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

Postseason

Semifinals November 25, 1972		1972 Champion Bowl December 9, 1972 Commerce, TX

Livingston	7

Carson–Newman*	7†
		Carson–Newman	18

		East Texas State*	21
Central State (OK)	0

East Texas State*	54

† The game ended in a tie, but Carson–Newman advanced based on having more total penetrations within the 20 yard line.

References

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

NAIA football

Seasons

1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970–1996 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
Division I	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
Division II	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
Women's flag	2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

Championships

1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970–1996 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
Division I	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
Division II	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

Records & statistics

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