2012 Princeton Tigers football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 2012
| team = Princeton Tigers
| sport = football
| image = Princeton Tigers logo.svg
| image_size = 100
| conference = Ivy League
| short_conf= Ivy
| record = 5–5
| conf_record = 4–3
| head_coach = Bob Surace
| hc_year = 3rd
| off_coach = James Perry
| oc_year = 3rd
| off_scheme =
| def_coach = Jared Backus
| dc_year = 4th
| def_scheme =
| captain =
| stadium = Powers Field at Princeton Stadium
}}
{{2012 Ivy League football standings}}
The 2012 Princeton Tigers football team represented Princeton University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Bob Surace and played their home games at Powers Field at Princeton Stadium. They are a member of the Ivy League. They finished the season 5–5 overall and 4–3 in Ivy League play to places in a three-way tie for third. Princeton averaged 7,984 fans per game. Captain Mike Catapano was Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year.{{cite web|url=http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/sports/fball/2012-13/weeklyreleases/2012_Ivy_Football_Final_Release.pdf|title=2012 Ivy League Football: Final|access-date=May 8, 2013|publisher=IvyLeagueSports.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302165452/http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/sports/fball/2012-13/weeklyreleases/2012_Ivy_Football_Final_Release.pdf|archive-date=March 2, 2014|url-status=dead}} He was drafted in the 2013 NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs with the first pick of the seventh round (207th overall) becoming Princeton's first draftee since Dennis Norman in the 2001 NFL draft.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.nfl.com/2013/03/27/mike-catapano-of-princeton-might-be-first-ivy-leaguer-drafted/|title=Mike Catapano of Princeton might be first Ivy Leaguer drafted|access-date=May 4, 2013|date=March 27, 2013|publisher=NFL.com|author=Brandt, Gil}}
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| rankyear = 2012
| rankdivision = NCAA Division I FCS
| poll = The Sports Network
| timezone = Eastern
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 15
| time = 12:30 p.m.
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| away = y
| opponent = Lehigh
| opprank = 16
| site_stadium = Goodman Stadium
| site_cityst = Bethlehem, PA
| tv = 2 Sports
| score = 14–17
| attend = 7,346
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 21
| time = 7:00 p.m.
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| opponent = Georgetown
| site_stadium = Powers Field at Princeton Stadium
| site_cityst = Princeton, NJ
| tv = ESPNU
| score = 20–21
| attend = 6,792
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 29
| time = 12:30 p.m.
| w/l = w
| away = y
| opponent = Columbia
| site_stadium = Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium
| site_cityst = New York, NY
| tv =
| score = 33–6
| attend = 4,469
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 6
| time = 6:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| nonconf = y
| away = y
| opponent = Lafayette
| site_stadium = Fisher Stadium
| site_cityst = Easton, PA
| tv =
| score = 35–14
| attend = 6,821
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 13
| time = 12:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| opponent = Brown
| site_stadium = Powers Field at Princeton Stadium
| site_cityst = Princeton, NJ
| tv = NBCSN
| score = 19–0
| attend = 6,482
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 20
| time = 1:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| opponent = Harvard
| opprank = 22
| site_stadium = Powers Field at Princeton Stadium
| site_cityst = Princeton, NJ
| gamename = rivalry
| tv = ESPN3
| score = 39–34
| attend = 10,823
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 27
| time = 12:30 p.m.
| w/l = l
| away = y
| opponent = Cornell
| site_stadium = Schoellkopf Field
| site_cityst = Ithaca, NY
| tv =
| score = 35–37
| attend = 4,420
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 3
| time = 1:00 p.m.
| w/l = l
| opponent = Penn
| site_stadium = Powers Field at Princeton Stadium
| site_cityst = Princeton, NJ
| gamename = rivalry
| tv = ESPN3
| score = 21–28
| attend = 7,494
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 10
| time = 12:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| away = y
| opponent = Yale
| site_stadium = Yale Bowl
| site_cityst = New Haven, CT
| tv = YES
| gamename = rivalry
| score = 29–7
| attend = 21,824
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 17
| time = 1:00 p.m.
| w/l = l
| opponent = Dartmouth
| site_stadium = Powers Field at Princeton Stadium
| site_cityst = Princeton, NJ
| tv =
| score = 21–35
| attend = 8,327
}}
}}