1956 United States men's Olympic basketball team
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The 1956 United States men's Olympic basketball team competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, from November 22 to December 1, 1956. The team was led by 22-year-old Bill Russell, who averaged 14.1 points per game.[1] Team USA won the Olympic Gold medal, beating their opponents by an average of 53.5 points, an unsurpassed average margin of victory in Olympic basketball.[2]
| Head coach | Gerry Tucker |
|---|---|
| 1956 Summer Olympics |  |
| Scoring leader |  Bill Russell (14.1) |
Roster
| Position | Height | Weight | Age | Hometown | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dick Boushka | Forward | 6'5" | 195 | 22 | Springfield, Illinois | Wichita Vickers (Saint Louis) |
| Carl Cain | Forward | 6'3" | 190 | 22 | Freeport, Illinois | University of Iowa Hawkeyes |
| Charles Darling | Center | 6'8" | 225 | 26 | Denver, Colorado | Phillips 66ers (Iowa) |
| William Evans | Guard | 6'1" | 185 | 24 | Berea, Kentucky | U.S. Armed Forces (Kentucky) |
| Gilbert Ford | Guard | 6'4" | 200 | 25 | Amarillo, Texas | U.S. Armed Forces (Texas) |
| Burdette Haldorson | Forward | 6'7" | 207 | 22 | Austin, Minnesota | Phillips 66ers (Colorado) |
| Bill Hougland | Forward | 6'5" | 190 | 26 | Beloit, Kansas | Phillips 66ers (Kansas) |
| Robert Jeangerard | Forward | 6'3" | 190 | 23 | Winnetka, Illinois | Phillips 66ers (Colorado) |
| K. C. Jones | Guard | 6'1" | 201 | 24 | San Francisco, California | University of San Francisco |
| Bill Russell | Center | 6'10" | 220 | 22 | Oakland, California | University of San Francisco |
| Ron Tomsic | Guard | 5'11" | 185 | 23 | Oakland, California | U.S. Armed Forces (Stanford) |
| Jim Walsh | Guard | 6'4" | 190 | 26 | San Francisco, California | Phillips 66ers (Stanford) |
1956 USA results
United States beat 
Japan, 98–40- United States beat
Thailand, 101–29 - United States beat
Philippines, 121–53 - United States beat
Bulgaria, 85–44 - United States beat
Brazil, 113–51 - United States beat
Soviet Union, 85–55 - United States beat
Uruguay, 101–38 - United States beat Soviet Union, 89–55
- USA record was 8–0
Stats
| Games | FGM-FGA | Pct (field goals) | FTM-FTA | Pct (free throws) | Pts/Avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dick Boushka | 8 | 27–68 | .397 | 10–10 | 1.000 | 64/8.0 |
| Carl Cain | 2 | 1–5 | .200 | 1–2 | .500 | 3/1.5 |
| Charles Darling | 8 | 22–44 | .500 | 12–15 | .800 | 56/9.3 |
| William Evans | 8 | 21–55 | .382 | 12–18 | .667 | 54/6.8 |
| Gilbert Ford | 8 | 17–44 | .386 | 5–7 | .714 | 39/4.9 |
| Burdette Haldorson | 8 | 28–58 | .483 | 13–15 | .867 | 69/8.6 |
| Bill Hougland | 8 | 20–51 | .392 | 6–6 | 1.000 | 46/5.8 |
| Robert Jeangerard | 8 | 45–74 | .608 | 10–11 | .909 | 100/12.5 |
| K. C. Jones | 8 | 32–75 | .427 | 23–27 | .852 | 87/10.9 |
| Bill Russell | 8 | 46–96 | .479 | 21–27 | .778 | 113/14.1 |
| Ron Tomsic | 8 | 34–92 | .370 | 21–25 | .840 | 89/11.1 |
| Jim Walsh | 9 | 27–61 | .443 | 19–21 | .905 | 73/9.1[3] |
1956 Olympic Games final standings
- 1. United States (8–0)
- 2. Soviet Union (5–3)
- 3. Uruguay (6–2)
- 4.
France (5–3) - 5. Bulgaria (5–3)
- 6. Brazil (3–4)
- 7. Philippines (4–4)
- 8.
Chile (2–5) - 9.
Canada (5–2) - 10. Japan (3–4)
- 11.
Formosa (5–3) - 12.
Australia (2–5) - 13.
Singapore (2–5) - 14.
South Korea (1–6) - 15. Thailand (0–7)
