| Year: | 1972 |
| Team: | Idaho Vandals |
| Conference: | Big Sky Conference |
| Short Conf: | Big Sky |
| Record: | 4–7 |
| Conf Record: | 2–3 |
| Head Coach: | Don Robbins |
| Hc Year: | 3rd |
| Off Coach: | Bobby Thompson |
| Oc Year: | 4th |
| Def Coach: | Ray Fulton [1] [2] |
| Dc Year: | 3rd |
| Def Scheme: | 5–2 |
| Stadium: | new Idaho Stadium |
| Captain: | Rand Marquess (LB) |
| Captain2: | Kent Muhlbeier (C) |
The 1972 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. The Vandals were led by third-year head coach Don Robbins and were members of the Big Sky Conference. They played their home games at new Idaho Stadium, an unlit outdoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.
With quarterbacks Rick Seefried, Dave Comstock, and Ross Goddard running the offense,[3] [4] the Vandals were defending Big Sky champions. They were overall and in the Big Sky in 1972.
In the Battle of the Palouse, Idaho suffered a fifth straight loss to neighbor Washington State of the Pac-8, falling at the new Martin Stadium in Pullman on October 7.[5]
In their second game with new rival Boise State, the Vandals won 22–21 in the rain at Bronco Stadium on November 25 to even up the series;[6] Idaho did not schedule Northern Arizona until 1975 and played only five games in conference.
Through 1977, the Big Sky was a college division (renamed Division II in 1973) conference for football, except for university division (Division I) member Idaho, which moved down to the new Division I-AA in 1978. Idaho maintained its upper division status in the NCAA by playing university division non-conference opponents (and was ineligible for the college division postseason).
After the season in November, the Big Sky denied Idaho's request for additional football scholarships (75 vs. 62) for 1973.[7]
[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
The Vandal co-captains, center Ken Muhlbeier and linebacker Rand Marquess, were selected to the Big Sky all-conference team. Three Idaho players were named to the second team: running back Bernie Rembert, tight end Darrell Burchfeld, and defensive end
One Vandal senior was selected in the 1973 NFL draft, which lasted seventeen rounds (442 selections).
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | Franchise | |
| Ken Muhlbeier | 400 | Denver Broncos |
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | Franchise | |
| 240 | Baltimore Colts | ||||
| Randy Hall | 317 | Baltimore Colts |