There were rumors swirling that the NBC was looking to expand by 2 teams to have an equal number of teams the ABC, which were confirmed early in the season. However, locations and any sort of timetable were not revealed--just that expansion was indeed in the works.
There were many teams that were in the playoff hunt in 1972. Only one team, the New Jersey Stallions, truly ran away with their division, winning the NBC East by a lot. The San Francisco Tigers won the NBC West, and the Detroit Red Barons won the NBC Central. Over in the ABC, the Baltimore Blackbirds won the East, the Indiana Fireflies narrowly won the ABC Central, and the Oakland Panthers won the ABC West. Both World Series participants from 1971--the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Cardinals--failed to make the playoffs or even finish with a winning record in 1972.
Going into the final day of the season, neither wild card was decided. In the NBC, the Charlotte Roadrunners held a one-game lead over the St. Louis Bears. The Roadrunners played their final game on the road against the Stallions, while the Bears finished up at home against the Red Barons.
The ABC was far more complicated: there were four teams that were still in the running for the wild card. Three teams--the Houston Rockets, Cincinnati Silverbacks and Nashville Stars--sat with identical 86-75 records. In addition, the Miami Gators had an 85-76 record: if they won their final game against the Panthers in Oakland, they could create a 4-way tie for the wild card if the other three teams all lost. The Silverbacks' final game was at home against the Blackbirds, the Stars finished on the road in Kansas City, and the Rockets finished at home against the Patriots.
The Gators won their final game, but they were still eliminated because Cincinnati, Houston and Nashville all won too and there was a 3-way tie for the wild card. The NBC had a tie as well, as the Roadrunners lost their final game while the Bears won.
The NBC was pretty straightforward: the Bears hosted the Roadrunners for a one-game playoff to decide the wild card spot. The ABC was a little more complicated. That same day, the Rockets hosted the Stars, and the winner would go on to play the Silverbacks the next day.
The Roadrunners defeated the Bears by a score of 9-6 to win the NBC Wild Card, while the Stars defeated the Rockets 3-2. Houston headed on home, as Nashville headed home to host the Silverbacks. The Stars won, capturing the ABC Wild Card and making the playoffs for the first time since 1940, when they were still the Cleveland Blue Sox.
In the ABC Division Series, the Stars played the Blackbirds while the Fireflies faced the Panthers. In the NBC, the Roadrunners faced the Tigers while the Red Barons faced the Stallions. The Stars went on and defeated the Blackbirds in 4 games, while the Panthers took four games to knock off the Fireflies. The Stallions' playoff woes continued as the Red Barons knocked them off in four games. The other NBC Division Series went a full five games, with the Tigers emerging victorious over the Roadrunners.
The Oakland Panthers won the ABC Championship Series and finally won their first ever pennant, the last of the original teams to do so. They took down the Stars in five games, while the Tigers defeated the Red Barons in six games to capture the NBC pennant. In the World Series, the Tigers defeated the Panthers in six games to win the 1972 World Series.
1972 All Star Team
Attachment 937917
Home Run Derby winner: John Milner, Pittsburgh Penguins