1956 George Washington Colonials football team

1956 George Washington Colonials football
1956 George Washington Colonials football
Sun Bowl champion
Sun Bowl, W 13–10 vs. Texas Western
Conference	Southern Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 17
Record	8–1–1 (5–1 SoCon)
Head coach	Bo Sherman (5th season);
Home stadium	Griffith Stadium
	Seasons ← 1955 1957 →

1956 Southern Conference football standings
v t e	Conf.					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
West Virginia $	5	–	0	–	0	6	–	4	–	0
VPI	3	–	0	–	0	7	–	2	–	1
No. 17 George Washington	5	–	1	–	0	8	–	1	–	1
Davidson	2	–	2	–	1	5	–	3	–	1
Furman	2	–	2	–	0	2	–	8	–	0
VMI	2	–	3	–	1	3	–	6	–	1
Richmond	2	–	5	–	0	4	–	5	–	0
The Citadel	1	–	3	–	0	3	–	5	–	1
Washington and Lee	0	–	1	–	0	1	–	7	–	0
William & Mary	0	–	5	–	0	0	–	9	–	1

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1956 George Washington Colonials football team was an American football team that represented George Washington University (GWU) as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1956 college football season. In its fifth season under head coach Bo Sherman, the team compiled an 8–1–1 record (5–1 in conference games), finished third in the SoCon, and outscored opponents by a total of 171 to 81.^[1]

The team's sole loss was to SoCon champion West Virginia. George Washington was ranked No. 17 in the final AP Poll and finished the season with a victory over the 1957 Sun Bowl over Texas Western which is GWU's only football bowl game.

At the end of the regular season, the team voted quarterback Ray Looney and guard Ed Sakach as the team's best players.^[2] Tackle Dave Liddick was the only George Washington player to receive first-team honors on the 1956 All-Southern Conference football team.^[3]

The team's statistical leaders included Looney with 262 passing yards, Pete Spera with 345 rushing yards, and Thompson with 156 receiving yards.^[4]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 22	at Miami (OH)*		Miami Field Oxford, OH	W 7–6	6,546	^[5]
September 29	at Furman		Sirrine Stadium Greenville, SC	W 10–0	6,000	^[6]
October 5	Hardin–Simmons*		Griffith Stadium Washington, DC	W 13–7	10,000	^[7]
October 13	at Boston University*	No. 16	Boston University Field Boston, MA	T 20–20	9,104	^[8]
October 19	VMI		Griffith Stadium Washington, DC	W 40–14	10,000	^[9]
October 26	William & Mary	No. 17	Griffith Stadium Washington, DC	W 16–14	6,000	^[10]
November 3	at West Virginia	No. 14	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	L 0–14	22,000	^[11]
November 9	Richmond		Griffith Stadium Washington, DC	W 32–6	4,000	^[12]
November 17	at The Citadel	No. 18	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	W 20–0	8,500	^[13]
January 1, 1957	at Texas Western*	No. 17	Kidd Field El Paso, TX (Sun Bowl)	W 13–0	15,000	^[14]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

Claude "Bo" Austin, co-captain and fullback, fullback, 195 rushing yards
Bill Berry, end, 200 pounds
Dick Claypool, right halfback, 185 pounds, 170 rushing yards, 109 receiving yards
Ted Colna, right halfback, sophomore, 5'10", 178 pounds, 277 rushing yards
Francis Gleason, end, 195 pounds
Jack Henzes, quarterback, 175 pounds, 112 passing yards
Donald Herman, wide receiver, 50 receiving yards, 12 points scored
Joe Hince, center, senior, 190 pounds
Marion Hoar, guard, 195 pounds
Bob Jewett, tackle, 210 pounds
Jack Kesock, end, 190 pounds
Dave Liddick, tackle, 240 pounds
Ray Looney, quarterback, 185 pounds, 262 passing yards, 256 rushing yards
Bill McHenry, tackle, 200 pounds
Ray Murray, guard, 200 pounds
Ed Rutsch, tackle, 250 pounds
Ed Sakach, guard, 225 pounds
Bob Shuba, fullback, 185 pounds, 179 rushing yards
Mike Sommer, left halfback, 190 pounds, 185 rushing yards
Pete Spera, left halfback, 5'8", 175 pounds, Belleville, NJ, 345 rushing yards
Bob Sutton, guard, 200 pounds
Paul Thompson, co-captain and end, 200 pounds, 157 receiving yards, 12 points scored
Mickey Varley, center, 210 pounds