1972 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

1972 Illinois Fighting Illini football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record3–8 (3–5 Big Ten)
Head coach
MVPs
Captains
  • Larry McCarren
  • John Wiza
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
1972 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Michigan + 7 – 1 – 0 10 – 1 – 0
No. 9 Ohio State + 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
Purdue 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Michigan State 5 – 2 – 1 5 – 5 – 1
Minnesota 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Indiana 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Illinois 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Iowa 2 – 6 – 1 3 – 7 – 1
Wisconsin 2 – 6 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Northwestern 1 – 8 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1972 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1972 Big Ten season. In their second year under head coach Bob Blackman, the Illini compiled a 3–8 record (3–5 in conference games), finished in a tie for sixth place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 277 to 197.[1]

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Mike Wells with 837 passing yards, running back George Uremovich with 611 rushing yards, and wide receiver Garvin Roberson with 569 receiving yards.[2] Center Larry McCarren and defensive end Larry Allen were selected as the team's most valuable players.[3] Wells and center Larry McCarren received first-team honors on the 1972 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[4][5]

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 16Michigan State
L 0–2455,493[6]
September 23No. 1 USC*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
L 20–5561,227[7]
September 30at No. 14 Washington*
L 11–3161,200[8]
October 7No. 16 Penn State*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
L 17–3560,394[9]
October 14at No. 4 Ohio State
L 7–2686,298[10]
October 21No. 6 Michigan
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
L 7–3164,290[11]
October 28at Purdue
L 14–2061,784[12]
November 4at Northwestern
W 43–1335,235[13]
November 11Indiana
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
W 37–2055,077[14]
November 18Wisconsin
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
W 27–745,703[15]
November 25at Iowa
L 14–1525,000[16]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[17]

Roster

1972 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
OT 54 Larry McCarren Sr
QB 12 Mike Wells Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

References

  1. ^ "1972 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  2. ^ "1972 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  3. ^ "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Illinois. 2015. p. 155. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  4. ^ "Wells named to All-Big Ten team". The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois). November 28, 1972.
  5. ^ "UM, State, Buckeyes Dominate UPI's All Big Ten Team". Ludington Daily News (UPI story). November 28, 1972. p. 5.
  6. ^ "MSU defense shines". The Times Herald. September 17, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Hefty USC punishes Illinois, 55–20". The Des Moines Register. September 24, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Huskies humble Illini". The Sacramento Union. October 1, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Penn State bursts to top Illini 35–17". Jacksonville Journal Courier. October 8, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Winless Illinois falls prey to Ohio State". The Miami Herald. October 15, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Curt Sylvester (October 21, 1972). "U-M Rips Illinois for 6th in Row, 31–7". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E, 4E – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Boilermakers quiet Illi-noise, 20–14". The Indianapolis Star. October 29, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Illini, Wells rip N'western, 43–13". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 5, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Illini's Uremovich leads 37–20 victory over game Hoosiers". The Muncie Star. November 12, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Illini 'trickery' does in Badgers". Southern Illinoisan. November 19, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Iowa outscores Illinois 15–14". Herald and Review. November 26, 1972. Retrieved September 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Schedule/Results (1972 Illinois)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
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