1956 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

1956 Iowa Hawkeyes football
National champion (CFRA) Big Ten champion Rose Bowl champion
Rose Bowl, W 35–19 vs. Oregon State
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 3
AP	No. 3
Record	9–1 (5–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Forest Evashevski (5th season)
MVP	Ken Ploen
Home stadium	Iowa Stadium
Seasons ←  1955 1957  →

1956 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Iowa $	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
No. 7 Michigan	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
No. 12 Minnesota	4	–	1	–	2			6	–	1	–	2
No. 9 Michigan State	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
No. 15 Ohio State	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Northwestern	3	–	3	–	1			4	–	4	–	1
Purdue	1	–	4	–	2			3	–	4	–	2
Illinois	1	–	4	–	2			2	–	5	–	2
Wisconsin	0	–	4	–	3			1	–	5	–	3
Indiana	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1956 Iowa Hawkeyes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Iowa in the 1956 Big Ten Conference football season. The Hawkeyes were champions of the Big Ten Conference and beat the Oregon State Beavers in the 1957 Rose Bowl, a rematch of a regular season game.

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Ken Ploen with 386 passing yards, Ploen with 487 rushing yards, Ploen with 873 total yards, and Jim Gibbons with 255 receiving yards. ^[1] Tackle Alex Karras was selected as a first-team All-American.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 29	at Indiana		Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN		W 27–0	25,000
October 6	Oregon State *	No. 20	Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA		W 14–13	41,027
October 13	Wisconsin		Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA (rivalry)		W 13–7	53,273
October 20	Hawaii *	No. 12	Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA		W 34–0	40,000
October 27	at Purdue	No. 12	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN		W 21–20	41,415
November 3	No. 17 Michigan	No. 7	Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA		L 14–17	55,896
November 10	at No. 6 Minnesota	No. 15	Memorial Stadium Minneapolis, MN		W 7–0	64,235
November 17	No. 6 Ohio State	No. 7	Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA		W 6–0	57,732
November 24	Notre Dame *	No. 3	Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA		W 48–8	56,632
January 1	vs. No. 10 Oregon State *	No. 3	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl)	NBC	W 35–19	97,126
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1956 Iowa Hawkeyes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class TE 78 Don Ahlgren Sr OL 64 Frank Bloomquist Jr G 63 Don Bowen Jr C 52 Russell Breedlove So OT 72 John Burroughs So OL/DL 50 Bob Commings Jr QB 23 Roy Coppotelli Jr OT 73 Dick Deasy Sr RB 20 Don Dobrino Sr G 66 Hugh Drake So QB 25 Randy Duncan So HB 47 Kevin Furlong So E 88 Jim Gibbons Jr E 37 Frank Gilliam Sr HB 14 Bill Gravel So G 60 Gary Grouwinkel So HB 44 Collins Hagler Jr RB 40 William Happel Jr RB 35 Fred Harris Jr E 89 Toni Hatch Sr E 84 Rob Haussman Sr FB 32 Jon Janda Jr E 81 Jerry Jenkinson Jr OT 77 Alex Karras Jr G 92 Paul Karras So OT 70 Dick Klein So HB 15 Delmar Kloewer Jr HB 41 Melvin Knotts So OT 76 George Kress Sr E 85 Jeff Langston So C 74 Charles Lewis So HB 33 John Nocera So HB 43 Orlando Pellegrino Sr C 54 Charles Pierce Jr QB 11 Ken Ploen Sr OT 75 Frank Rigney Jr OT 71 Bill Scott So FB 37 Bill Stifter Jr C 55 Don Suchy Sr G 62 Dick Theer Jr QB 26 Gene Veit Jr FB 31 Marion Walker Sr OT 94 Jim Willett Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 86 Bob Prescott So	Head coach Forest Evashevski Coordinators/assistant coaches Jerry Burns (assistant) Bump Elliott (assistant) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

^[2] Rose Bowl Media Guide

Rankings

Further information: 1956 NCAA University Division football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Final
AP	—	—	20	—	12	12	7	15	7	3 (6)	3 (12)	3 (15)
Coaches												3 (3)

^[3]

Game summaries

Indiana

Iowa at Indiana

1 2 3 4 Total •Hawkeyes 13 0 7 7 27 Hoosiers 0 0 0 0 0 Date: September 29 Location: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana Game attendance: 25,000

See also: 1956 Indiana Hoosiers football team

On September 29, 1956, Iowa defeated Indiana, 27–0, before a crowd of 25,000 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. Iowa scored two touchdowns in the first quarter off an Indiana fumble and an interception. Iowa rushed for 242 yards to 76 yards for Indiana. ^[4]

Oregon State

Oregon State at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Beavers 6 0 7 0 13 •Hawkeyes 0 0 0 14 14 Date: October 6 Location: Iowa Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa Game attendance: 41,027

See also: 1956 Oregon State Beavers football team

On October 6, Iowa (ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll) defeated Oregon State, 14–13, before a crowd of 41,027 at Iowa Stadium in Iowa City. The game matched the same teams that met again in the 1957 Rose Bowl. Oregon State scored on its second play from scrimmage on a 30-yard pass, but the extra point attempt was blocked. Oregon State scored again in the third quarter on a 49-yard run by Paul Lowe and led, 13–0, at the start of the fourth quarter. Iowa threw two touchdown passes in a span of six minutes in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. ^[5]

Wisconsin

Wisconsin at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Badgers 0 0 0 7 7 •Hawkeyes 0 6 7 0 13 Date: October 13 Location: Iowa Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa Game attendance: 53,273

See also: 1956 Wisconsin Badgers football team and Iowa–Wisconsin football rivalry

On October 13, Iowa defeated Wisconsin, 13–7, before a crowd of 53,273 at Iowa Stadium. With only a minute remaining in the first half, Iowa drove 84 yards, running eight plays in 59 seconds and scoring on a pitchout from Ken Ploen to Mike Hagler. Iowa scored again on the first drive of the second half on a short run by Ploen, taking a 13–0 lead. ^[6]

Hawaii

Hawaii at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Rainbows 0 0 0 0 0 •Hawkeyes 0 14 14 6 34 Date: October 20 Location: Iowa Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa Game attendance: 40,000

On October 20, Iowa defeated Hawaii, 34–0, at Iowa Stadium in Iowa City. Iowa led, 14–0, at halftime and played second, third and fourth-string players in the second half, with a total of 42 Hawkeyes seeing game action. Iowa rushed for 266 yards and held Hawaii to 67 rushing yards. ^[7]

Purdue

Iowa at Purdue

1 2 3 4 Total •Hawkeyes 7 14 0 0 21 Boilermakers 7 7 0 6 20 Date: October 27 Location: Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana Game attendance: 41,415

See also: 1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team

On October 27, Iowa (ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll) defeated Purdue, 21–20, before a crowd of 41,415 at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette. Purdue quarterback Len Dawson threw two touchdown passes, and Mel Dillard ran for a third. Iowa also scored three touchdowns, with the difference being a missed extra point. Purdue drove into Iowa territory late in the game, but Purdue fumbled at the 25-yard line with a minute and a half remaining in the game. ^[8]

No. 17 Michigan

No. 17 Michigan at No. 7 Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total •No. 17 Wolverines 3 0 7 7 17 No. 7 Hawkeyes 0 14 0 0 14 Date: November 3 Location: Iowa Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa Game attendance: 55,896

See also: 1956 Michigan Wolverines football team

On November 3, Michigan (ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll) defeated Iowa (ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll) by a 17–14 score before a crowd of 58,137 at Iowa Stadium in Iowa City. The loss was the only one of the year for Iowa. Iowa had not beaten Michigan since 1924. Michigan took a 3–0 lead in the first quarter on a field goal by Ron Kramer. Iowa then scored two touchdowns and led, 14–3, at halftime. One of the Iowa touchdowns was set up when Michigan's quarterback was sacked and fumbled with Alex Karras recovering the ball for Iowa. Michigan's third-string halfback, Mike Shatusky, scored two touchdowns in the second half, a three-yard run in the third quarter and a two-yard plunge with one minute and six seconds remaining in the game. ^[9]

at No. 6 Minnesota

No. 15 Iowa at No. 6 Minnesota

1 2 3 4 Total •No. 15 Hawkeyes 7 0 0 0 7 No. 6 Golden Gophers 0 0 0 0 0 Date: November 10 Location: Memorial Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota Game attendance: 64,235

See also: 1956 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team and Floyd of Rosedale

On November 10, Iowa (ranked No. 15 in the AP Poll) defeated Minnesota (ranked No. 6), 7–0, before a crowd of 64,235 at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis. Iowa coach implemented a 6-3-2 defense to contain Minnesota's speedy Bobby Cox. After the game, Cox noted: "I couldn't go outside. They forced me to go inside and then some linebacker would nail me." ^[10] The outcome put Iowa into the lead in the race for the conference's Rose Bowl bid. After the game, Iowa's players carried coach Evashevski off the field on their shoulders. ^[11]

No. 6 Ohio State

No. 6 Ohio State at No. 7 Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total No. 6 Buckeyes 0 0 0 0 0 •No. 7 Hawkeyes 0 0 6 0 6 Date: November 17 Location: Iowa Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa Game attendance: 57,732 Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C), Clear, 5-8 mph wind from SW

Scoring summary 3 IOWA Gilmore 1 yard rush (Prescott kick failed) IOWA 6–0

See also: 1956 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

On November 17, Iowa (ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll) defeated Ohio State (ranked No. 6), 6–0, before a crowd of 57,732 at Iowa Stadium. Ohio State went into the game with the second best rushing attack in the country but were held to 147 rushing yards, their lowest rushing yardage total in two years. The result broke Ohio State's winning streak of 17 games against conference opponents and clinched for Iowa the conference championship and a berth in the Rose Bowl. After time expired, Iowa fans hauled down the goal posts and paraded through Iowa City. ^[12]

Notre Dame

Notre Dame at No. 3 Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Fighting Irish 0 0 8 0 8 •No. 3 Hawkeyes 14 14 7 13 48 Date: November 24 Location: Iowa Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa Game attendance: 56,632

See also: 1956 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

On November 24, Iowa (ranked No. 3) defeated Notre Dame, 48–8, before a crowd of 56,632 at Iowa Stadium. The victory, combined with Ohio State's loss, gave Iowa its first undisputed Big Ten championship since 1922. Iowa's 48 points was the fourth highest total allowed by a Notre Dame football team to that point in the program's history. Paul Hornung sprained a thumb 10 minutes into the game and did not return. Iowa rushed for 409 yards and scored on runs of 10 and 41 yards by Ken Ploen, 23 and 61 yards by Fred Harris, and 54 yards by Mike Hagler. ^[13]

vs. No. 10 Oregon State (Rose Bowl)

No. 10 Oregon State vs. No. 3 Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total No. 10 Beavers 0 6 6 7 19 •No. 3 Hawkeyes 14 7 7 7 35 Date: January 1 Location: Rose Bowl (stadium) Pasadena, CA Game attendance: 100,000 TV announcers (NBC): Mel Allen and Lee Giroux

Scoring summary 1 Iowa Ken Ploen 49-yard run (Prescott kick) Iowa 7-0 Iowa Collins Hagler 9-yard run (Prescott kick) Iowa 14-0 2 OSU Tom Berry 3-yard run (kick failed) Iowa 14-6 Iowa Bill Happel 5-yard run (Prescott kick) Iowa 21-6 3 Iowa Collins Hagler 66-yard run (Prescott kick) Iowa 28-6 OSU Nub Beamer 1-yard run (kick failed) Iowa 28-12 4 Iowa Jim Gibbons 16-yard pass from Ken Ploen (Prescott kick) Iowa 35-12 OSU Sterling Hammack 35-yard pass from Joe Francis (Beamer run) Iowa 35-19

See also: 1957 Rose Bowl

On January 1, 1957, Iowa defeated Oregon State, 35–19, in the 1957 Rose Bowl. Iowa scored five touchdowns, including a 49-yard touchdown run by Ken Ploen and a 66-yard touchdown run by Collins Hagler. ^[14]

Postseason awards

See also: 1956 College Football All-America Team and 1956 All-Big Ten Conference football team

Three Iowa players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press (UP) as first-team players on the 1956 All-Big Ten Conference football team. ^{[15] [16]} They were:

Position	Name	Team	Selectors
Quarterback	Ken Ploen	Iowa	AP, UP
End	Frank Gilliam	Iowa	AP, UP
Tackle	Alex Karras	Iowa	AP, UP
Center	Don Suchy	Iowa	UP

Karras also received first-team honors on the 1956 College Football All-America Team from the Associated Press, the Football Writers Association of America, and the Central Press.

On December 3, 1956, both the Associated Press (AP) and United Press (UP) released their final college football polls. Both organizations ranked undefeated Oklahoma at the No. 1 spot with Iowa at No. 3. ^{[17] [18]}

On December 4, 1956, the Heisman Trophy was awarded to Paul Hornung of Notre Dame. Iowa quarterback Ken Ploen placed ninth in the voting. ^{[19] [20]}

On December 16, 1957, Iowa quarterback Ken Ploen received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the most valuable player in the Big Ten. ^[21]

1957 NFL Draft

Main article: 1957 NFL Draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Frank Gilliam	End	7	76	Green Bay Packers
Dan Dobrino	Back	10	117	Washington Redskins
John Nocera	Back	16	182	Philadelphia Eagles
Ken Ploen	Quarterback	19	222	Cleveland Browns

^[22]

References

1. "1956 Iowa Hawkeyes Stats". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
2. "1957 Oregon State Rose Bowl Media Guide" (PDF).
3. "Iowa 1956 AP Football Rankings". collegepollarchive.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
4. Bert McGrane (September 30, 1956). "Hawkeyes Smash Indiana, 27–0". The Des Moines Register. pp. 1S, 10S – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Late Passes Save Hawks, 14–13: Duncan Fires 33-Yard Toss For Clincher". The Des Moines Register. October 7, 1956. pp. 1S, 3S – via Newspapers.com.
6. Bert McGrane (October 14, 1956). "Iowa Wins Again in 13–7 Thriller". The Des Moines Register. p. 1S – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Iowa Batters Hawaii, 34–0, For 4th Win". Council Bluffs (IA) Nonpareil. October 21, 1956. p. 1B – via Newspapers.com.
8. Bill Bryson (October 28, 1956). "It's No. 5: Iowa 21, Purdue 20!". The Des Moines Register. p. 1S – via Newspapers.com.
9. Tommy Devine. "U-M Pulls One Out of the Fire, 17–14". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1D, 3D – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Evy's Defensive Gamble Pays Off to Bottle Up Cox". The Des Moines Register. November 11, 1956. p. 2S – via Newspapers.com.
11. Bert McGrane (November 11, 1956). "Iowa Deflates Gophers, 7–0". The Des Moines Register. p. 1S – via Newspapers.com.
12. Bert McGrane (November 18, 1956). "Iowa to Rose Bowl, 6–0: Hawks Hobble Ohio, Earn at Least Tie for Big Ten Title". The Des Moines Register. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Bill Bryson (November 25, 1956). "Iowa's Champs 48, Irish 8!". The Des Moines Register. p. 1S – via Newspapers.com.
14. Braven Dyer (January 2, 1957). "Potent Iowa Speeds to 35–19 Win Over Oregon State in Rose Bowl: Beavers Stunned by Hawks' Speed". Los Angeles Times. pp. IV–1, IV–4 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Hawk Trio On All Big Ten". The Spencer Daily Reporter. November 30, 1956. p. 4.
16. "Mel Dillard on All-Big Ten Team; Iowa Puts Men in Four Positions". Alexandria (IN) Times-Tribune. November 30, 1956. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "Sooners Win: Tennessee Second in 1956 Poll". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. p. 10A – via Newspapers.com.
18. "Standings". Deadwood Pioneer Times. December 4, 1956. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "Hornung Surprised At Heisman Honor". Green Bay Press-Gazette. December 5, 1956. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
20. "1956 Heisman Trophy Voting". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
21. "Big 10 Most Valuable to Ploen". Chicago Tribune. December 16, 1956. p. 2-2 – via Newspapers.com.
22. "Reference at www.pro-football-reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2018.