1972 Kentucky Wildcats football team

The 1972 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. Led by fourth-year head coach John Ray, the Wildcats compiled an overall record of 3–8, with a mark of 2–5 in conference play, and finished tied for seventh in the SEC.^[1]

1972 Kentucky Wildcats football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	3–8 (2–5 SEC)
Head coach	John Ray (4th season)
Home stadium	McLean Stadium
Seasons ← 1971 1973 →

1972 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 7 Alabama $	7	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 5 Auburn	6	–	1	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
No. 11 LSU	4	–	1	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
No. 8 Tennessee	4	–	2	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Georgia	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Florida	3	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Ole Miss	2	–	5	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Kentucky	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Mississippi State	1	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	Villanova*	McLean Stadium Lexington, KY	W 25–7	34,500	[2]
September 23	at No. 7 Alabama	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	L 0–35	71,433	[3]
September 30	Indiana*	McLean Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)	L 34–35	37,500	[4]
October 7	Mississippi State	McLean Stadium Lexington, KY	W 17–13	37,500	[5]
October 14	at North Carolina*	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	L 20–31	42,500	[6]
October 21	at No. 7 LSU	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 0–10	64,601	[7]
October 28	Georgia	McLean Stadium Lexington, KY	L 7–13	37,500	[8]
November 4	at Tulane*	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	L 7–18	18,377	[9]
November 11	Vanderbilt	McLean Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)	W 14–13	30,000	[10]
November 18	at Florida	Florida Field Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	L 0–40	47,639	[11]
November 25	at No. 12 Tennessee	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	L 7–17	64,836	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1972 Kentucky Wildcats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class C 52 Dan Neal Sr QB 14 Jim Reed Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 42 Frank LeMaster Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach John Ray Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "1972 Kentucky Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
2. "Villanova falters, bows to Kentucky". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 17, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Bama gets some charity, bombs a tired Kentucky". The Anniston Star. September 24, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Hoosier 'thrill show' snares 35–34 triumph". The Indianapolis Star. October 1, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Kentucky edges State". The Delta Democrat-Times. October 8, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "North Carolina staves off upset-minded Kentucky, 31–20". Rocky Mount Telegram. October 15, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "LSU keeps up with Jones boy". The Shreveport Times. October 22, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Georgia topples Kentucky". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. October 29, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "'What's new, pussycats?' - Nothing as UK falls again". Lexington Herald-Leader. November 5, 1972. Retrieved January 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Kentucky comeback upends Vanderbilt 14–13". The Paducah Sun-Democrat. November 12, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Explosive Florida 'Moore' than Wildcats can handle". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. November 19, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "A gritty effort by Kentucky, but Tennessee triumphs 17–7". Lexington Herald-Leader. November 26, 1972. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.