1972 Idaho Vandals football
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Record	4–7 (2–3 Big Sky)
Head coach	Don Robbins (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Bobby Thompson (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	Ray Fulton [1][2] (3rd season)
Base defense	5–2[1]
Captains	Rand Marquess (LB) Kent Muhlbeier (C)
Home stadium	new Idaho Stadium

The 1972 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. The Vandals were led by third-year head coach Don Robbins and were members of the Big Sky Conference. They played their home games at new Idaho Stadium, an unlit outdoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.

Season

With quarterbacks Rick Seefried, Dave Comstock, and Ross Goddard running the offense,^[3][4] the Vandals were defending Big Sky champions. They were 4–7 overall and 2–3 in the Big Sky in 1972.

In the Battle of the Palouse, Idaho suffered a fifth straight loss to neighbor Washington State of the Pac-8, falling 35–14 at the new Martin Stadium in Pullman on October 7.^[5]

In their second game with new rival Boise State, the Vandals won 22–21 in the rain at Bronco Stadium on November 25 to even up the series;^[6] Idaho did not schedule Northern Arizona until 1975 and played only five games in conference.

University division

Through 1977, the Big Sky was a college division (renamed Division II in 1973) conference for football, except for university division (Division I) member Idaho, which moved down to the new Division I-AA in 1978. Idaho maintained its upper division status in the NCAA by playing university division non-conference opponents (and was ineligible for the college division postseason).

After the season in November, the Big Sky denied Idaho's request for additional football scholarships (75 vs. 62) for 1973.^[7]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	1:30 pm	Ohio*	Idaho Stadium Moscow, Idaho	W 17–14	15,000	[8]
September 23	6:30 pm	at Weber State	Wildcat Stadium Ogden, Utah	L 10–26	16,164	[9][10]
September 30	12:30 pm	at Montana State	Van Winkle Stadium Bozeman, Montana	L 3–17	6,000	[11]
October 7	1:30 pm	at Washington State*	Martin Stadium Pullman, Washington (Battle of the Palouse)	L 14–35	18,500	[5]
October 14	1:30 pm	Northern Illinois*	Idaho Stadium Moscow, Idaho	W 31–13	7,000	[12]
October 21	1:00 pm	at Idaho State	ISU Minidome Pocatello, Idaho	L 7–35	12,000
October 28	1:30 pm	Pacific*	Idaho Stadium Moscow, Idaho	L 7–22	11,500	[13]
November 4	12:30 pm	at Utah State*	Romney Stadium Logan, Utah	L 7–51	8,575	[14]
November 11	12:30 pm	Montana	Idaho Stadium Moscow, Idaho (Little Brown Stein)	W 31–17	6,800	[15]
November 18	10:30 am	at Western Michigan*	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, Michigan	L 16–27	16,100	[16]
November 25	12:30 pm	at Boise State	Bronco Stadium Boise, Idaho (Rivalry)	W 22–21	14,516	[6]
*Non-conference game Homecoming All times are in Pacific time

Roster

Source:^{[17][18][19][20][21][22][23]}

All-conference

The Vandal co-captains, center Ken Muhlbeier and linebacker Rand Marquess, were selected to the Big Sky all-conference team. Three Idaho players were named to the second team: running back Bernie Rembert, tight end Darrell Burchfeld, and defensive end Alofa Tauvage.^[24][25]

NFL Draft

One Vandal senior was selected in the 1973 NFL Draft, which lasted seventeen rounds (442 selections).

Two juniors were selected in the following year's draft in 1974, which lasted seventeen rounds (442 selections).

References

External links

• Gem of the Mountains: 1973 University of Idaho yearbook – 1972 football season
• Go Mighty Vandals – 1972 – Idaho and the PCAA
• Idaho Argonaut – student newspaper – 1972 editions