1956 Ohio State Buckeyes football team


The 1956 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented the Ohio State University in the 1956 Big Ten Conference football season. In their sixth season under head coach Woody Hayes, the Buckeyes compiled a 6-3 record.
The team's statistical leaders included Don Clark with 88 passing yards, Clark with 797 rushing yards, Clark with 885 yards of total offense, and Leo Brown with 151 receiving yards.

Schedule

Roster

In the final AP Poll of the 1955 season, Ohio State was ranked No. 5. In the 1956 pre-season AP Poll, Ohio State remained ranked No. 5.
In the spring of 1956, the Big Ten conducted an investigation into allegations that Ohio State coach Woody Hayes had provided financial assistance to players in violation of conference rule. Hayes admitted that he had loaned money to players but refused to provide an accounting of the loans. The investigation also discovered a "serious irregularity" in Ohio State's off-campus work program. In April 1956, the conference placed Ohio State on probation for one year and declared the football team ineligible to play in the 1957 Rose Bowl.

Game summaries

On September 29, 1956, Ohio State defeated Nebraska, 34–7, before a crowd of 82,153 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The crowd was the largest for an opening game in Ohio State history to that point. The Buckeyes rushed for 416 yards in the game. Ohio halfback Don Clark scored two touchdowns on runs of 35 and 38 yards.
On October 6, Ohio State defeated Stanford, 32–20. The crowd of 82,881 was the largest to that point to see a game at Ohio Stadium. Stanford quarterback John Brodie completed 21 of 35 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Ohio State gained 302 of its 320 yards on the ground. In the fourth quarter, Don Clark ran for a touchdown and threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jim Roseboro to break a 20–20 tie.
On October 13, Ohio State defeated Illinois, 26–6, before a crowd of 58,247 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. Ohio State rushed for 307 yards, aided by the blocking of guard Jim Parker who was selected as the team's most valuable player for the 1956 season. Parker also played on defense and recovered a fumble at the Illinois 10-yard line to set up a touchdown. Quarterback Frank Ellwood rushed for two touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass to Jim Roseboro.
On October 20, Ohio State lost to Penn State, 7–6, before a crowd of 82,584 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Neither team scored through the first three quarters. Penn State's Bruce Gilmore scored on a short run in the fourth quarter, and Milt Plum kicked the extra point. Later in the quarter, Don Clark scored for Ohio State on a short touchdown run, but Frank Kremblas' kick for extra point went wide of the goalpost.
On October 27, Ohio State defeated Wisconsin, 21–0, before a crowd of 82,661 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. The victory was Ohio State's 16th in a row against a Big Ten opponent, tying a conference opponent.
On November 3, Ohio State defeated Northwestern, 6–2, before a homecoming crowd of 42,000 at Dyche Stadium in Evanston. Northwestern guard Al Viola blocked a punt in the first quarter that rolled out of the end zone for a safety. With 16 seconds left in the first half, Ellwood threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Leo Brown.
On November 10, Ohio State defeated Indiana, 35–14, before a crowd of 82,073 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. The victory was Ohio State's 17th in a row against conference opponents, setting a new conference record. The Buckeyes also broke the Big Ten single-game record with 465 rushing yards against the Hoosiers.
On November 17, Iowa defeated Ohio State, 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.
On November 24, in the annual Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry game, Michigan defeated Ohio State, 19–0, before a crowd of 82,223 at Ohio Stadium. The loss deprived Ohio State of a share of its third consecutive Big Ten title and pushed Michigan to second in the conference standing. Terry Barr, playing in his last game for Michigan, scored two touchdowns.

Nebraska

StatisticOhio StateNebraska
Pass Atts.611
Pass Comps.25
Pass Yards6268
Yds./Pass31.013.8
Rush Atts.6651
Rush Yards416185
Yds./Rush6.33.6
Total Yards478253
Fumbles Lost02
Interceptions03
Total Turnovers05

Stanford

StatisticOhio StateStanford
Pass Atts.232
Pass Comps.122
Pass Yards18269
Yds./Pass18.012.2
Rush Atts.5640
Rush Yards302145
Yds./Rush5.43.6
Total Yards320414
Fumbles Lost01
Interceptions03
Total Turnovers04

Illinois

StatisticIllinoisOhio State
Pass Atts.143
Pass Comps.82
Pass Yards9929
Yds./Pass12.414.5
Rush Atts.5254
Rush Yards190282
Yds./Rush3.75.2
Total Yards289311
Fumbles Lost20
Interceptions20
Total Turnovers40

Penn State

StatisticOhio StatePenn State
Pass Atts.1017
Pass Comps.39
Pass Yards89115
Yds./Pass29.712.8
Rush Atts.4858
Rush Yards188173
Yds./Rush3.93.0
Total Yards277288
Fumbles Lost02
Interceptions22
Total Turnovers24

Wisconsin

StatisticOhio StateWisconsin
Pass Atts.510
Pass Comps.14
Pass Yards2844
Yds./Pass28.011.0
Rush Atts.6756
Rush Yards293202
Yds./Rush4.43.6
Total Yards321246
Fumbles Lost04
Interceptions11
Total Turnovers15

Northwestern

StatisticNorthwesternOhio State
Pass Atts.165
Pass Comps.92
Pass Yards7919
Yds./Pass8.89.5
Rush Atts.4454
Rush Yards152193
Yds./Rush3.53.6
Total Yards231212
Fumbles Lost10
Interceptions10
Total Turnovers20

Indiana

StatisticOhio StateIndiana
Pass Atts.317
Pass Comps.18
Pass Yards5147
Yds./Pass5.018.4
Rush Atts.7532
Rush Yards465142
Yds./Rush6.24.4
Total Yards470289
Fumbles Lost22
Interceptions03
Total Turnovers25

Iowa

StatisticIowaOhio State
Pass Atts.1211
Pass Comps.52
Pass Yards6318
Yds./Pass12.69.0
Rush Atts.5150
Rush Yards176147
Yds./Rush3.52.9
Total Yards239165
Fumbles Lost21
Interceptions00
Total Turnovers21

Michigan

StatisticOhio StateMichigan
Pass Atts.521
Pass Comps.110
Pass Yards10156
Yds./Pass10.015.6
Rush Atts.5447
Rush Yards182127
Yds./Rush3.42.7
Total Yards192283
Fumbles Lost40
Interceptions22
Total Turnovers62

Rankings and awards

On December 3, 1956, both the Associated Press and United Press released their final college football polls. Both organizations ranked undefeated Oklahoma at the No. 1 spot. The AP ranked Ohio State at No. 15, while the UP did not rank Ohio State in its top 20.
Only one Ohio State player, guard Jim Parker, was picked by the Associated Press and/or the United Press as a first-team player on the 1956 All-Big Ten Conference football team. Parker received first-team honors from both the AP and UP. Parker was also a consensus first-team pick for the 1956 College Football All-America Team. He also ranked ninth in the 1956 Heisman Trophy voting. Parker was also awarded the Outland Trophy.

1957 NFL Draft

The following Ohio State players were selected in the 1957 NFL Draft:
PlayerRoundPickPositionNFL Club
Jim Parker18TackleBaltimore Colts
Bill Michael216GuardPittsburgh Steelers
Jim Roseboro11124BackGreen Bay Packers
Bill Cummings11125TackleCleveland Browns
Hubert Bobo13146LinebackerPhiladelphia Eagles
Joe Cannavino16185Defensive backBaltimore Colts
Dick Guy18212GuardSan Francisco 49ers
Aurelius Thomas22257GuardPittsburgh Steelers
Andy Okulovich27319BackCleveland Browns
Don Vicic27320BackSan Francisco 49ers
Lee Williams30351BackLos Angeles Rams