1972 Tampa Spartans football team

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1972 Tampa Spartans football
Tangerine Bowl champion
Tangerine Bowl, W 21–18 vs. Kent State
ConferenceIndependent
Record10–2
Head coach
Home stadiumTampa Stadium
Seasons
← 1971
1973 →
1972 NCAA College Division independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 Ashland   –   11 – 0 – 0
Bridgeport   –   11 – 0 – 0
No. 1 Delaware   –   10 – 0 – 0
No. 5 Tennessee State   –   11 – 1 – 0
Colorado College   –   8 – 1 – 0
Tampa   –   10 – 2 – 0
Trinity (TX)
   –   8 – 2 – 0
Western Carolina   –   7 – 2 – 1
Hawaii   –   8 – 3 – 0
Indiana State   –   7 – 3 – 0
Northeastern   –   6 – 2 – 0
Bucknell   –   6 – 3 – 0
Cortland   –   6 – 3 – 0
San Diego   –   6 – 3 – 1
Arkansas–Pine Bluff   –   4 – 2 – 1
Eastern Michigan   –   6 – 4 – 0
Milwaukee   –   6 – 4 – 0
Samford   –   5 – 3 – 2
Lake Forest   –   4 – 3 – 1
Nevada   –   6 – 5 – 0
Central Michigan   –   5 – 5 – 1
Fordham   –   5 – 5 – 0
Rose-Hulman
   –   5 – 5 – 0
Santa Clara   –   4 – 4 – 1
Akron   –   3 – 4 – 2
St. Norbert   –   4 – 5 – 0
Saint Mary's   –   3 – 4 – 0
Kentucky State   –   4 – 6 – 0
Drexel   –   3 – 6 – 0
Northeast Louisiana   –   3 – 7 – 0
Portland State   –   3 – 8 – 0
Wayne State (MI)
   –   2 – 5 – 1
Boston University   –   2 – 8 – 0
Northern Michigan   –   2 – 8 – 0
Saint Peter's   –   2 – 8 – 0
Chattanooga   –   2 – 9 – 0
Southern Illinois   –   1 – 8 – 1
Eastern Illinois   –   1 – 9 – 0
Madison   –   0 – 4 – 1
UNLV   –   1 – 10 – 0
Rankings from AP small college poll

The 1972 Tampa Spartans football team represented the University of Tampa in the 1972 NCAA College Division football season. It was the Spartans' 36th season and they competed as an NCAA College Division independent. The team was led by head coach Earle Bruce, in his first and only year, and played their home games at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. They finished with a record of ten wins and two losses (10–2) and with a victory in the Tangerine Bowl over Kent State, which featured future Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Lambert and future Missouri coach Gary Pinkel (future Alabama coach Nick Saban was injured earlier in the Golden Flashes' season and did not play in the bowl game).

Bruce was hired on February 2, 1972, to serve as the replacement for Bill Fulcher who resigned to become the head coach at Georgia Tech. Bruce departed following the season to become head coach at Iowa State after Johnny Majors was named coach at Pittsburgh.[1]

The Spartans' notable players included

World Wrestling Federation
as "Mr. Wonderful".

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 9Toledo
W 21–0
September 16at Northern Michigan
W 34–21
September 22Eastern Michigan
  • Tampa Stadium
  • Tampa, FL
W 42–0
September 30at Kansas State
L 7–3125,000
October 7Louisville
  • Tampa Stadium
  • Tampa, FL
L 14–17
October 14Southern Illinois
  • Tampa Stadium
  • Tampa, FL
W 44–014,125[2]
October 21No. 9 Drake
  • Tampa Stadium
  • Tampa, FL
W 24–7
November 4Florida A&M
  • Tampa Stadium
  • Tampa, FL
W 28–9
November 11Miami (FL)
  • Tampa Stadium
  • Tampa, FL
W 7–022,525
November 18Bowling Green
  • Tampa Stadium
  • Tampa, FL
W 29–22
November 25Vanderbilt
  • Tampa Stadium
  • Tampa, FL
W 30–711,831[3]
December 29vs. Kent State
W 21–1820,062
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

  1. Palm Beach Post
    . February 3, 1972. p. D1. Retrieved October 5, 2012 – via Google News Archives.
  2. ^ "Final 1972 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  3. Newspapers.com
    .
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