1956 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
American college football season
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The 1956 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1956 college football season. In their third year under head coach Terry Brennan, the Fighting Irish compiled a 2–8 record and were outscored by a total of 289 to 130.[1][2] It was Notre Dame's first losing season since 1933 and is tied with the 1960 season as the worst winning percentage in program history.
| 1956 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Independent |
| Record | 2–8 |
| Head coach |
|
| Captain | Jim Morse |
| Home stadium | Notre Dame Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | – | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dayton | – | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drake | – | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notre Dame | – | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marquette | – | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Senior halfback Paul Hornung played on offense, defense, and special teams, leading the team in rushing (420 yards, 4.5-yard average), passing (917 yards, .532 percentage), scoring (56 points, 7 touchdowns, 14 PAT), punting (33 punts, 37.6-yard average), kickoff returns (16 returns for 496 yards), and passes broken up (7).[3] He won the Heisman Trophy and is the only player to receive the trophy while playing on a losing team.[4] Back Jim Morse led the team in receiving (20 catches for 442 yards) and was the team captain.
The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 22 | at SMU | No. 3 | L 13–19 | 61,000 | [5] | |
| October 6 | Indiana | No. 17 | W 20–6 | 58,372 | [6] | |
| October 13 | Purdue | No. 18 |
| L 14–28 | 58,778 | [7] |
| October 20 | No. 2 Michigan State |
| L 14–47 | 59,378 | [8] | |
| October 27 | No. 2 Oklahoma |
| L 0–40 | 60,128 | [9] | |
| November 3 | at Navy | L 7–33 | 57,773 | [10] | ||
| November 10 | at No. 20 Pittsburgh | L 13–26 | 58,697 | [11] | ||
| November 17 | North Carolina |
| W 21–14 | 56,793 | [12] | |
| November 24 | at No. 3 Iowa | L 8–48 | 56,632 | [13] | ||
| December 1 | at No. 17 USC | L 20–28 | 64,538 | [14] | ||
Awards and honors
Paul Hornung, Heisman Trophy[17]
1957 NFL draft
The following Notre Dame players were selected in the 1957 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Hornung | HB | 1 | 1 | Green Bay Packers |
| Ed Sullivan | C | 12 | 135 | Green Bay Packers |
| Jim Morse | HB | 13 | 148 | Green Bay Packers |
| Byron Beams | T | 20 | 232 | Los Angeles Rams |
, ==Personnel==
Players
- Byron Beams, tackle
- Kevin Burke, center
- Larry Cooke, quarterback
- Al Ecuyer, guard
- Bob Gaydos, guard
- Frank Geremia, tackle
- Gene Hedrick, guard
- Paul Hornung, left halfback
- Jim Just, fullbackk
- Aubrey Lewis, halfback
- Chuck Lima, back
- Jim Morse, right halfback
- Angelo Mosca, guard
- Bronko Nagurski Jr., tackle
- Nick Pietrosante
- Dick Royer, end
- Jim Schaaf, guard
- Ed Sullivan, center
- Bob Ward, right halfback
- Bob Wetoska, end
- Bob Williams, quarterback
Coaching staff
- Head coach: Terry Brennan
- Assistant coaches: Jim Finks, Jack Zilly, Bill Fischer, Bernie Witucki
- Freshman coach: John Warren "Jack" Landry
- Athletic director: Edward W. "Moose" Krause
- Head trainer: Gene Paszkiet
- Equipment manager: Jack McAllister
