1956 Syracuse Orangemen football team
American college football season
The 1956 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University in the 1956 college football season . The Orangemen were led by eighth-year head coach Ben Schwartzwalder and played their home games at Archbold Stadium in Syracuse, New York . Syracuse finished the regular season with a record of 7–1, and were ranked 8th in both final polls. They were awarded the Lambert Trophy , which signified them as champions of the East. Syracuse was invited to the 1957 Cotton Bowl , where they were defeated by TCU .
The team was led by unanimous All-American halfback Jim Brown . Brown set school records in average yards-per-carry (6.2), single-season rushing yards (986), single-game rushing touchdowns (6, vs. Colgate), and most points scored in a game (43, vs. Colgate).[ 2] He was drafted sixth overall in the 1957 NFL draft and went on to become one of the most celebrated professional athletes of all time.
Schedule
Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source September 22 at No. 6 Maryland W 26–1227,000 [ 3]
September 29 at No. 10 Pittsburgh No. 7 L 7–1449,287
October 13 No. 20 West Virginia Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY (rivalry ) W 27–2025,000 [ 4]
October 20 Army No. 13 Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY W 7–040,053
October 27 at Boston University No. 14 W 21–712,182
November 3 No. 12 Penn State No. 17 Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY (rivalry ) W 13–935,475
November 10 Holy Cross No. 9 Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY W 41–2017,000 [ 5]
November 17 Colgate No. 9 Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY (rivalry ) W 61–739,701 [ 6]
No. 14 TCU No. 8 L 27–2868,000
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
[ 7] [ 1]
Roster
HB Jim Brown, Sr.
HB Tom Sardinia, Sr.
Team players in the NFL
Player
Round
Pick
Position
Club
Jim Brown
1
6
Running back
Cleveland Browns
Jimmy Ridlon
4
39
Defensive back
49ers
Bill E. Brown
9
108
Linebacker
Chicago Bears
Jerry Cashman
14
158
Tackle
Eagle
[ 8]
Awards and honors
Jim Brown , unanimous first team All-American (AFCA, AP, UP, INS, CP, NEA, WCF, FWAA)
Jim Brown, Cotton Bowl Classic co-Most Valuable Player
References
^ a b "2017 Syracuse football media guide" (PDF) . . pg. 148.
^ "2017 Syracuse football media guide" (PDF) . . pg. 120.
^ "Syracuse stuns Terps, 26–12" . Tampa Sunday Tribune . September 23, 1956. Retrieved January 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Syracuse strikes twice in last stanza to defeat West Virginia squad, 27–20" . The Montgomery Advertiser . October 14, 1956. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Keane, Clif (November 11, 1956). "Mistakes Hurt Holy Cross; Syracuse Wins, 41 to 20" . The Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. p. 46 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Werden, Lincoln A. (November 18, 1956). "Brown Scores 43 Points In Last Game for Orange". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
^ "1956 Syracuse Orange Schedule and Results" . Sports Reference LLC . Retrieved January 26, 2018 .
^ "Reference at www.pro-football-reference.com" . Pro-Football-Reference.com . Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2018 .
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