1956 George Washington Colonials football
Sun Bowl champion
Sun Bowl, W 13–10 vs. Texas Western
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Ranking
APNo. 17
Record8–1–1 (5–1 SoCon)
Head coach
Home stadiumGriffith Stadium
Seasons
← 1955
1957 →
1956 Southern Conference football standings
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 as an independent during the 1956 NCAA University Division football season. In its fifth season under head coach Bo Sherman, the team compiled an 8–1–1 record (5–1 against conference records), finished third in the Southern Conference (SoCon), and outscored opponents by a total of 171 to 81.[1]

The team won the 1957 Sun Bowl over Texas Western (now UTEP) which is GW’s only football bowl game.

The team's statistical leaders included Ray Looney with 262 passing yards, Pete Spera with 345 rushing yards, and Paul Thompson with 156 receiving yards.[2]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 22at Miami (OH)*
W 7–66,546[3]
September 29at Furman
W 10–06,000[4]
October 5Hardin–Simmons*
W 13–710,000[5]
October 13at Boston University*No. 16
T 20–209,104[6]
October 19VMI
  • Griffith Stadium
  • Washington, DC
W 40–1410,000[7]
October 26William & MaryNo. 17
  • Griffith Stadium
  • Washington, DC
W 16–146,000[8]
November 3at West VirginiaNo. 14
L 0–1422,000[9]
November 9Richmond
  • Griffith Stadium
  • Washington, DC
W 32–64,000[10]
November 17at The CitadelNo. 18
W 20–08,500[11]
January 1, 1957at Texas Western*No. 17
W 13–015,000[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

  1. ^ "1956 George Washington Colonials Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  2. ^ "1956 George Washington Colonials Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  3. ^ Ben Garlikov (September 23, 1956). "GWU depth, penalties hit Miami". Dayton Daily News. p. 4-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Jim Anderson (September 30, 1956). "Colonials have to battle to top scrappy Furman, 10-0". The Greenville News. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Don Oliver (October 6, 1956). "George Washington Nips Cowboys, 13–7". The Abilene Reporter-News. p. 9A – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Bob Holbrook (October 14, 1956). "B.U. Ties Geo. Washington, 20–20; Fennessey Scores On Run, Pass". The Boston Globe. p. 44 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Steve Guback (October 20, 1956). "GW thumps Keydets, 40-14". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Hank Maloney (October 27, 1956). "GW Gains 16-Point Lead, Fights Off William & Mary For 16–14 Win". Daily Press (Newport News, Virginia). p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Harry Keck (November 4, 1956). "West Virginia cops, 14-0, nears conference title". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. p. 3-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "GW romps by Richmond, 32–6". The Birmingham News. November 10, 1956. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "GW finally overcomes stubborn Citadel, 20-0". The Times and Democrat. Associated Press. November 18, 1956. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Chuck Whitlock (January 2, 1957). "Tough Colonials Upset Miners, 13–0: Vicious Line Play Marks Win". The El Paso Times. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
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