1972 Holy Cross Crusaders football
ConferenceIndependent
Record5–4–1
Head coach
Captains
  • Joe MarcAurele
  • Joe Wilson
Home stadiumFitton Field
1972 NCAA University Division independents football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 10 Penn State   –  10 –2 –0
No. 14 Notre Dame   –  8 –3 –0
Utah State   –  8 –3 –0
West Virginia   –  8 –4 –0
Florida State   –  7 –4 –0
Northern Illinois   –  7 –4 –0
Rutgers   –  7 –4 –0
No. 20 Georgia Tech   –  7 –4 –1
Air Force   –  6 –4 –0
Army   –  6 –4 –0
Virginia Tech   –  6 –4 –1
Houston   –  6 –4 –1
Tulane   –  6 –5 –0
Temple   –  5 –4 –0
Colgate   –  5 –4 –1
Holy Cross   –  5 –4 –1
Syracuse   –  5 –6 –0
Miami (FL)   –  5 –6 –0
Dayton   –  4 –6 –1
Boston College   –  4 –7 –0
Navy   –  4 –7 –0
South Carolina   –  4 –7 –0
Southern Miss   –  3 –7 –1
Xavier   –  3 –8 –0
Marshall   –  2 –8 –0
Cincinnati   –  2 –9 –0
Villanova   –  2 –9 –0
Pittsburgh   –  1 –10 –0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1972 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. Ed Doherty returned for his second year as head coach. The team compiled a record of 5–4–1.[1]

Holy Cross competed as an independent despite having joined the Yankee Conference in 1971. Because their previous scheduling commitments for the 1972 season would not have allowed them to play the full Yankee round-robin, the Crusaders were excluded from the Yankee Conference football championship.[2] Nonetheless, Holy Cross coaches participated in the conference's preseason media night, expressing their enthusiasm about full participation in league play in the coming years.[3]

Three months later, college officials had a different view of the future. Having made the decision to admit women to what had formerly been an all-male college, administrators worried that soon there would not be enough men on campus to stay competitive in the full range of Yankee Conference sports. On November 14, with the football season still in progress, they made the announcement that Holy Cross would withdraw from the Yankee Conference, effective immediately.[4]

As in 1971, Holy Cross played two longstanding Yankee Conference opponents in 1972, beating Massachusetts days before the withdrawal announcement, and Connecticut a couple weeks after. Neither game was considered a conference matchup.

All home games were played at Fitton Field on the Holy Cross campus in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 16 Rutgers
  • Fitton Field
  • Worcester, MA
W 24–14 15,520 [5]
September 23 at Brown
W 30–24 12,500 [6]
September 30 at Temple
L 7–15 9,810 [7]
October 7 Dartmouthdagger
  • Fitton Field
  • Worcester, MA
L 7–17 8,000 [8]
October 14 at Colgate
T 21–21 7,500 [9]
October 28 Villanova^
  • Fitton Field
  • Worcester, MA
W 26–9 12,117 [10]
November 11 UMass
  • Fitton Field
  • Worcester, MA
W 28–16 16,321–16,700 [11][12]
November 18 at Army
L 13–15 39,441 [13]
November 25 Connecticut
  • Fitton Field
  • Worcester, MA
W 20–10 14,011 [14]
December 2 at Boston College
L 11–41 30,187 [15]
  • daggerHomecoming
  • ^ Family Weekend

Statistical leaders

Statistical leaders for the 1972 Crusaders included:[16]

  • Rushing: Joe Wilson, 885 yards and 7 touchdowns on 183 attempts
  • Passing: Peter Vaas, 637 yards, 47 completions and 5 touchdowns on 111 attempts
  • Receiving: Joe Neary, 251 yards and 1 touchdown on 20 receptions
  • Scoring: Joe Wilson, 48 points from 8 touchdowns
  • Total offense: Joe Wilson, 885 yards (all rushing)
  • All-purpose yards: Joe Wilson, 975 yards (885 rushing, 90 receiving)
  • Interceptions: John Provost, 9 interceptions for 175 yards

References

  1. ↑ "2019 Holy Cross Football Fact Book" (PDF). Worcester, Mass.: College of the Holy Cross. p. 123. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Boston U., Holy Cross Join Yankee Conference". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. United Press International. May 26, 1971. p. 35 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Smith, George (August 18, 1972). "Optimism, Eagerness Key Yankee Conference Night". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Holy Cross Quits Yankee Conference". Bangor Daily News. Bangor, Maine. United Press International. November 15, 1972. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Concannon, Joe (September 17, 1972). "Wilson Powers HC". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 81 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Crowley, P.J. (September 24, 1972). "HC – Minus Wilson – Rallies to Top Stubborn Brown, 30-24". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 88 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Lewis, Allen (October 1, 1972). "Temple Defeats Holy Cross on Mike-Mayer Field Goals". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Nason, Jerry (October 8, 1972). "Dartmouth Undaunted by Deluge, Storms Past HC, 17-7". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 66 – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Dartmouth Beats Holy Cross, 17 to 7". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. Associated Press. October 8, 1972. p. S4.
  9. ↑ Crowley, P.J. (October 15, 1972). "Colgate Rally Catches HC in Battle of Blunders, 21-21". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 84 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Holy Cross Rips Erring Villanova". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. October 29, 1972. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Nason, Jerry (November 12, 1972). "Vaas, Wilson Spark 25-16 HC Upset of UMass". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 93 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Final 1972 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  13. ↑ Ward, Gene (November 19, 1972). "Army Nips Holy Cross, 15-13". Sunday News. New York, N.Y. p. 144 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Smith, George (November 26, 1972). "Crusaders Top Huskies, 20-10". The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Chass, Murray (December 3, 1972). "Holy Cross Routed by Boston College". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  16. ↑ "2019 Holy Cross Football Fact Book" (PDF). Worcester, Mass.: College of the Holy Cross. pp. 68–73. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
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