The 1972 College Football All-America team is composed of

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

players who were selected as

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

ns by various organizations and writers that chose

College Football All-America Team The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best college football players in the United States at their respective positions. The original use of the term '' All-America'' seems to have been to the 1889 College Footbal ...

s in 1972. The

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) recognizes six selectors as "official" for the 1972 season. They are: (1) the

American Football Coaches Association The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "mainta ...

(AFCA) which selected its team for Kodak based on a vote of the nation's coaches; (2) the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

(AP) selected based on the votes of sports writers at AP newspapers; (3) the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) selected by the nation's football writers; (4) the

Newspaper Enterprise Association The Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) is an editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1902. The oldest syndicate still in operation, the NEA was originally a secondary news ...

(NEA) selected based on the votes of sports writers at NEA newspapers; (5) the

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...

(UPI) selected based on the votes of sports writers at UPI newspapers; and (6) the

Walter Camp Football Foundation The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...

(WC). Eight players are recognized by the NCAA as unanimous All-America selections. They are: (1) wide receiver and 1972 Heisman Trophy winner

Johnny Rodgers Johnny Steven Rodgers (born July 5, 1951) is an American former football player. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and won the Heisman Trophy in 1972. Rodgers played professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL) ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

; (2) tight end

Charles Young Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

of USC; (3) offensive tackle

Jerry Sisemore Jerald Grant Sisemore (born July 16, 1951) is a former American football offensive lineman who played for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1973 to 1984. He played college football for the Universi ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

; (4) offensive guard John Hannah of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

; (5) running back

Greg Pruitt Gregory Donald Pruitt (born August 18, 1951) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) from 1973 through 1984. He was selected to five Pro Bowls, four as a member of the Cleveland Browns and one as a member o ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

; (6) defensive tackle

Greg Marx Gregory Allen Marx (July 18, 1950 – October 5, 2018) was an American football defensive end who played one season with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Falcons in the second round of the 1973 NFL ...

of Notre Dame; (7) middle guard

Rich Glover Richard Edward Glover (born February 6, 1950) is a former professional football player, a defensive tackle for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska under head c ...

of Nebraska; and (8) defensive back

Brad Van Pelt Brad Alan Van Pelt (April 5, 1951 – February 17, 2009) was an American football linebacker who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). A two-time All-American ( 1971, 1972) and the 1972 Maxwell Award winner as college football ...

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

Consensus All-Americans

The following chart identifies the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans for the year 1972 and displays which first-team designations they received.

Offense

Receivers

, Nebraska * Steve Holden, Arizona State * Barry Smith, Florida State * Jason Caldwell, North Carolina Central * Mike Creaney, Notre Dame

Tight ends

Charle Young Charle Edward Young (born February 5, 1951) is a former American football tight end who played for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles (1973–1976), the Los Angeles Rams (1977–1979), the San Francisc ...

, USC *

Billy Joe DuPree Billy Joe DuPree (born March 7, 1950) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Michigan State University. Early years DuPree was born and raised in Monro ...

, Michigan State * Al Chandler, Oklahoma * Gary Butler, Rice * Steve Sweeney, California * Daryl White, Nebraska

Tackles

, Texas * Paul Seymour, Michigan *

John Hicks Sir John Richards Hicks (8 April 1904 – 20 May 1989) was a British economist. He is considered one of the most important and influential economists of the twentieth century. The most familiar of his many contributions in the field of economi ...

, Ohio State *

Pete Adams Peter Anthony Adams (May 4, 1951 – April 6, 2019) was a former American football guard. Professional career Adams played four seasons in the National Football League with the Cleveland Browns. College career Adams played college football at t ...

, USC * John Dampeer, Notre Dame * Curtis Wester, East Texas State * Bruce Walton, UCLA

Guards

* John Hannah, Alabama * Ron Rusnak, North Carolina * Skip Singletary, Temple *

Joe DeLamielleure Joseph Michael DeLamielleure ( ; born March 16, 1951) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He was an All-American playing college football for the Michigan State Spartans. ...

, Michigan State * Geary Murdock, Iowa State * Ken Jones, Oklahoma * Larry Ulmer, Western Michigan

Centers

Tom Brahaney Thomas Brahaney (born October 23, 1951) is a former American football center who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the St. Louis Cardinals. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he was an All-American. In 1971, he a ...

, Oklahoma * Jim Krapf, Alabama *

Doug Dumler Douglas Marvin Dumler is a former professional American football player who played offensive lineman for five seasons for the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based ...

, Nebraska * Orderia Mitchell, Air Force * Gerald Schultze, West Virginia

Quarterbacks

Bert Jones Bertram Hays Jones (born September 7, 1951) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams. At Ruston High School in Ruston, Louisiana, he was given t ...

, LSU *

John Hufnagel John Coleman Hufnagel (born September 13, 1951) is the president and general manager of the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He was previously the Stampeders' head coach and played quarterback for fifteen professional seasons ...

, Penn State *

Gary Huff Gary Earl Huff (born April 27, 1951 in Natchez, Mississippi) is a former professional football player. He graduated from Leto Senior High School in Tampa, Florida and played college football and baseball at Florida State University before beco ...

, Florida State *

Tony Adams Tony Alexander Adams (born 10 October 1966) is an English former football manager and player. Adams played for Arsenal and England, captaining both teams. He spent his entire playing career of 19 years as a centre back at Arsenal, making 672 t ...

, Utah State *

Don Strock Donald Joseph Strock (born November 27, 1950) is a former American football player and coach. He played professionally as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) with the Miami Dolphins (1973–1987), Cleveland Browns (1988), and Ind ...

, Virginia Tech

Running backs

, Oklahoma *

Otis Armstrong Otis D. Armstrong (November 15, 1950 – October 13, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the first round with the ninth overall pick in the 1973 NFL ...

, Purdue * Woody Green, Arizona State *

Dick Jauron Richard Manuel Jauron (born October 7, 1950) is a former American football player and coach. He played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL), five with the Detroit Lions and three with the Cincinnati Bengals. Jauron served as the he ...

, Yale *

Sam Cunningham Samuel Lewis Cunningham Jr (August 15, 1950 – September 7, 2021), nicknamed "Bam", was an American football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football at ...

, USC *

George Amundson George Arthur Amundson (born March 31, 1951) is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft. He played college football at Iowa State, bo ...

, Iowa State * Howard Stevens, Louisville *

Roosevelt Leaks Roosevelt Leaks Jr. (born January 31, 1953) is a former All-American running back and 2005 inductee to the College Football Hall of Fame. He was the first black All-American player in University of Texas history and went on to play in the Nat ...

, Texas * Charlie Davis, Colorado * Anthony Davis, USC *

Bob Hitchens Bob Hitchens (January 30, 1952 – July 7, 2020) was an American college football player who was a running back at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, from 1971–1973. College career Hitchens rushed for a career 3,118 yards with 34 touchd ...

, Miami (OH) * Steve Jones, Duke *

Pete Van Valkenburg Pete Van Valkenburg (sometimes referred to as Pete Van Valkenburg) is a former running back in the National Football League. Van Valkenburg was drafted in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints and would play that season ...

, BYU

Defense

Defensive ends

* Willie Harper, Nebraska * Bruce Bannon, Penn State *

Wally Chambers Wallace Hashim Chambers (May 15, 1951September 22, 2019) was an American football defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears and defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1970s. He was selected with the eighth overall pick by the Bears in th ...

, Eastern Kentucky *

John Matuszak John Daniel Matuszak (October 25, 1950 – June 17, 1989) was an American football defensive end in the National Football League who later became an actor. Matuszak was the first overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft and played most of his career ...

, Tampa * Ernie Price, Texas A&I * Tab Bennett, Illinois * Danny Sanspree, Auburn * Steve Bogosian, Army * Merv Krakau, Iowa State

Defensive tackles

, Notre Dame *

Dave Butz David Roy Butz (June 23, 1950 – November 4, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Redskins in a 16-year career from 1 ...

, Purdue * Roger Goree, Baylor * John Grant, Southern California *

Derland Moore Derland Paul Moore (October 7, 1951 – September 24, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets. An All-American, he p ...

, Oklahoma * John LeHeup, South Carolina * Bud Magram, Colorado * George Hasenohrl, Ohio State * Bob Leyen, Yale * Charlie Davis, Texas Christian

Middle guards

, Nebraska * Don Rives, Texas Tech *

Lucious Selmon Lucious Selmon (born March 15, 1951) is a collegiate and professional American football nose guard, and football coach. He began his coaching career in 1976 at his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma, and has also coached on professional teams ...

, Oklahoma *

Tony Cristiani Tony Cristiani is a former American football defensive lineman who played college football for the University of Miami. He was a two-time All-American and a consensus All-American in 1973. Cristiani was also a member of the Chicago Fire, Detr ...

, Miami (FL)

Linebackers

Randy Gradishar Randy Charles Gradishar (born March 3, 1952) is an American former professional football player who was a middle linebacker in the 1970s and 1980s for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Ohio, Gradishar was a tw ...

, Ohio State *

John Skorupan John Paul Skorupan (born May 17, 1951) is a former American football linebacker. He played eight years in the National Football League (NFL) from 1973 to 1980. Skorupan was born in Beaver, Pennsylvania, in 1951. He played college football for the ...

, Penn State * Steve Brown, Oregon State * Jamie Rotella, Tennessee * Rich Wood, USC *

Jim Youngblood Jimmy Lee Youngblood (born February 23, 1950) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins. He played college football at Tennessee Tech and was drafted in the s ...

, Tennessee Tech * Tom Jackson, Louisville * Warren Capone, LSU * John Mitchell, Alabama *

Jackie Wallace Jackie Wallace (born March 13, 1951) is a former American college and professional football cornerback. He played college football at the University of Arizona from 1970 through 1972 and in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota V ...

, Arizona * Conrad Graham, Tennessee *

Matt Blair Albert Matthew Blair (September 20, 1950 – October 22, 2020) was an American professional football player who was an outside linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) for all 12 seasons of his career from 1974 ...

, Iowa State * Glen Gaspard, Texas * Jim Merlo, Stanford * Eddie Sheats, Kansas

Defensive backs

, Michigan State *

Cullen Bryant William Cullen Bryant (May 20, 1951 – October 13, 2009) was a professional American football player who spent thirteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as a running back and return specialist for the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Sea ...

, Colorado *

Randy Logan Randolph "Randy" Logan (born May 1, 1951) is a former American football player. He played 11 seasons as a free safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1973 to 1983. He was a second-team All-NFL player in 1980, ...

, Michigan *

Robert Popelka Robert E. Popelka (born November 20, 1949) is a former American football player. Popelka was raised in Temple, Texas, and played college football as a defensive back for Southern Methodist University. Popelka played tailback in high school but ...

, Southern Methodist *

Burgess Owens Clarence Burgess Owens (born August 2, 1951) is an American politician, nonprofit executive and former professional football player serving as the U.S. representative for Utah's 4th congressional district since 2021. He played safety for 10 se ...

, Miami *

, Arizona * Conrad Graham, Tennessee * Randy Rhino, Georgia Tech * Calvin Jones, Washington * Drane Scrivener, Tulsa *

Ray Guy William Ray Guy (December 22, 1949 – November 3, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a punter for the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Guy was a first-team All-American selecti ...

, Southern Miss *

Frank Dowsing Frank D. Dowsing (September 3, 1951 - July 11, 1994) was the first African-American to play football for both Tupelo High School and Mississippi State University. History In the fall of 1967, Tupelo instituted a "choice" system, whereby students a ...

, Mississippi State *

Joe Blahak Joseph Philip Blahak (August 29, 1950 – April 25, 2016) was a professional American football, football player, a defensive back for several National Football League (NFL) teams in the mid-1970s. He played college football at the Nebraska Cornh ...

, Nebraska * Jim Thomas, Florida State * John Provost, Holy Cross

Special teams

Kickers

* Ricky Townsend, Tennessee * Chris Gartner, Indiana

Punters

, Southern Miss

Key

* Bold – Consensus All-American * -1 – First-team selection * -2 – Second-team selection * -3 – Third-team selection

Official selectors

* AFCA –

for Kodak * AP –

* FWAA – Football Writers Association of America * NEA –

* UPI –

* WC =

Other selectors

* FN – ''Football News'' * PFW – ''Pro Football Weekly'' * Time – ''Time'' magazine * TSN – ''The Sporting News''

References

{{College Football All-America Teams

All-America Team The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

College Football All-America Teams