1956 Princeton Tigers football team

1956 Princeton Tigers football
Conference	Ivy League
Record	7–2 (5–2 Ivy)
Head coach	Charlie Caldwell (12th season)
Captain	Michael E. Bowman
Home stadium	Palmer Stadium

1956 Ivy League football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Yale $	7	–	0	–	0			8	–	1	–	0
Princeton	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
Dartmouth	4	–	3	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Penn	4	–	3	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Brown	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Columbia	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Harvard	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
Cornell	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The 1956 Princeton Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Princeton University as a member of the Ivy League during the 1956 college football season.

In their 12th and final year under head coach Charlie Caldwell, the Tigers compiled a 7–2 record and outscored opponents 237 to 135. Michael E. Bowman was the team captain.^[1]

After starting the year 7–0, Princeton briefly appeared as No. 20 in the AP Poll, but only remained ranked for one week.

Princeton's 5–2 conference record secured second place in the Ivy League standings.^[2] This was the first season of formal play for the league, although the Tigers' previous independent schedules, dating back to the 19th century, often featured future Ivy opponents. All seven Ivy matchups on Princeton's 1956 schedule had been present on the 1955 slate, as well (as had both non-conference opponents, Colgate and Rutgers).

Princeton played its home games at Palmer Stadium on the university campus in Princeton, New Jersey.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 29	Rutgers*		Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ (rivalry)	W 28–6	26,000	[3]
October 6	Columbia		Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ	W 39–0	16,000	[4]
October 13	at Penn		Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA (rivalry)	W 34–0	28,484	[5]
October 20	Colgate*		Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ	W 28–20	32,000	[6]
October 27	at Cornell		Schoellkopf Field Ithaca, NY (rivalry)	W 32–21	17,000	[7]
November 3	Brown		Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ	W 21–7	15,000	[8]
November 10	Harvard		Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ (rivalry)	W 35–20	34,000	[9]
November 17	at Yale	No. 20	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT (rivalry)	L 20–42	68,000	[10]
November 24	Dartmouth		Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ	L 0–19	32,000	[11]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Results". Princeton Football Record Book. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University. p. 28. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
2. "Year-by-Year History". Ivy League Football Media Guide (PDF). Princeton, N.J.: Ivy League. 2017. p. 22. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
3. Werden, Lincoln A. (September 30, 1956). "Princeton Trims Rutgers, 28 to 6". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
4. Strauss, Michael (October 7, 1956). "Benham of Columbia Hurt as Tigers Rout Lions, 39-0". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
5. Sheehan, Joseph M. (October 14, 1956). "Powerful Tigers Crush Penn, 34-0". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
6. Effrat, Louis (October 21, 1956). "Tigers Turn Back Colgate, 28 to 20". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
7. Werden, Lincoln A. (October 28, 1956). "Unbeaten Tigers Top Cornell, 32-21". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
8. McGowen, Roscoe (November 4, 1956). "Princeton Trims Brown Team, 21-7". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
9. Sheehan, Joseph M. (November 11, 1956). "Princeton Tops Harvard, 35-20; Mottley Is Star". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
10. Sheehan, Joseph M. (November 18, 1956). "Yale Beats Princeton, 42-20; Eli Reaches Peak". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
11. Effrat, Louis (November 25, 1956). "Indians Upset Princeton by 19-0 as Brown Excels". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.