1972 Minnesota Vikings season

1972 Minnesota Vikings season
General manager	Jim Finks
Head coach	Bud Grant
Home field	Metropolitan Stadium
Results
Record	7–7
Division place	3rd NFC Central
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	WR John Gilliam S Paul Krause DT Alan Page T Ron Yary
AP All-Pros	T Ron Yary (1st team) DE Carl Eller (2nd team) S Paul Krause (2nd team) DT Alan Page (2nd team)
Uniform
← 1971 Vikings seasons 1973 →

The 1972 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 12th in the National Football League. It marked the return of Fran Tarkenton to the Vikings after he had been traded to the New York Giants in 1967. In return, Minnesota sent three players to the Giants (Norm Snead, Bob Grim and Vince Clements), plus first- and second-round draft picks.^[1] Tarkenton's return also resulted in Gary Cuozzo, who had been with the team since 1968, being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in a deal that sent wide receiver John Gilliam to the Vikings along with second- and fourth-round draft picks in 1973.^[2] Cardinals coach Bob Hollway was familiar with Cuozzo, having served as Minnesota's defensive coordinator under Bud Grant prior to leaving for St. Louis in 1971.

The Vikings finished with a record of seven wins and seven losses, 4 games worse than their 11–3 record from 1971. This would be one of only two times during the 1970s in which the Vikings failed to reach the playoffs, as they would win the NFC Central six consecutive seasons (1973–1978) before posting a 7–9 record in 1979. The Vikings started the season with just one win in their first four games, including a surprising 19-17 loss to the lightly-regarded Cardinals in week four, when Gary Cuozzo bested his former team as Vikings kicker Fred Cox hit the upright on a potential game-winning field goal. The team recovered from their slow start, winning five of their next six to sit at 6–4. However, the Vikings would lose three of their final four games to finish the season at an even 7–7.