1956 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
National champion (Berryman, Sagarin)
Gator Bowl champion
Gator Bowl, W 21–14 vs. Pittsburgh
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 4
APNo. 4
Record10–1 (7–1 SEC)
Head coach
CaptainWade Mitchell
George Volkert
Home stadiumGrant Field
Seasons
← 1955
1957 →
1956 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Tennessee $ 6 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0
No. 4 Georgia Tech 7 – 1 – 0 10 – 1 – 0
Florida 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 1
Ole Miss 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Auburn 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Kentucky 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Tulane 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Vanderbilt 2 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Alabama 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 1
Mississippi State 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
LSU 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Georgia 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 6 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1956 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team was an American football team that represented Georgia Tech as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1956 NCAA University Division football season. In their 12th year under head coach Bobby Dodd, the team compiled an overall record of 10–1, with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, and finished second in the SEC.[1]

Georgia Tech was the preseason favorite to win the Southeastern Conference, but their hopes of reaching the Sugar Bowl were crushed when the Johnny Majors-led Tennessee Volunteers beat the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta, 0–6.[2] Georgia Tech cruised through the rest of their schedule and finished the regular season with the Tennessee game as their only blemish, finishing second in the SEC and ranked number 4 in the country in the final AP Poll. They accepted an invitation to the 1956 Gator Bowl, where they beat Pittsburgh, in a rematch of the 1956 Sugar Bowl, 21–14. This was the sixth straight season for Georgia Tech that ended with a bowl victory. The team was selected national champion by both Berryman and Sagarin (ELO-Chess).[3]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 22at KentuckyNo. 4
NBCW 14–630,000[4]
September 29at No. 5 SMU*No. 2
W 9–746,500[5]
October 13LSUNo. 3
W 39–739,500[6]
October 20AuburnNo. 3
W 28–740,000[7]
October 27No. 15 TulanedaggerNo. 3
  • Grant Field
  • Atlanta, GA
W 40–040,000[8]
November 3at Duke*No. 2
W 7–038,000[9]
November 10No. 3 TennesseeNo. 2
L 0–640,000[10]
November 17AlabamaNo. 4
W 27–038,500[11]
November 24vs. No. 13 FloridaNo. 5
W 28–037,000[12]
December 1at GeorgiaNo. 4
W 35–050,000[13]
December 29vs. No. 13 Pittsburgh*No. 4
CBSW 21–1437,683[14]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[15]

References

  1. ^ "1956 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Vols Post Upset: Bronson Goes Over for Tennessee--Passing of Majors Excels". New York Times. November 11, 1956. p. 225.
  3. ^ 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). The National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 113. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  4. ^ "Ga. Tech rambles over Wildcats, 14–6". The Charlotte Observer. September 23, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Georgia Tech squeezes past S. Methodist 9–7". The Park City Daily News. September 30, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Tech wallops LSU as offense clicks". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 14, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Georgia Tech scatback wrecks Auburn, 28–7". Evening Star. October 21, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Georgia Tech snaps Tulane Upset string, 40–0". Fort Lauderdale News. October 28, 1956. Retrieved September 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Georgia Tech gets by Duke, 7 to 0". Kingsport Times-News. November 4, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Tennessee trips Tech, seeks No. 1". Fort Lauderdale News. November 11, 1956. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Tech 'midget' busts loose in 27 to 0 rout of 'Bama". The Miami Herald. November 18, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Tech downs Gators, 28–0". The Greenville News. November 25, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Gator-bound Tech lays it on Georgia, 35 to 0". The Birmingham News. December 2, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Georgia Tech outlasts Pitt, 21 to 14, in Gator Bowl". The Huntsville Times. December 30, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ 2011 Georgia Tech Media Guide Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. p. 170.


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