1956 Brown Bears football team

1956 Brown Bears football
Conference	Ivy League
Record	5–4 (3–4 Ivy)
Head coach	Alva Kelley (6th season)
Captain	Dick Bence
Home stadium	Brown Stadium
Seasons ←  1955 1957  →

1956 Ivy League football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 17 Yale $	7	–	0	–	0			8	–	1	–	0
Princeton	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
Dartmouth	4	–	3	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Penn	4	–	3	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Brown	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Columbia	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Harvard	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
Cornell	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from Coaches Poll

The 1956 Brown Bears football team was an American football team that represented Brown University as a member of the Ivy League during the 1956 college football season.

In their sixth season under head coach Alva Kelley, the Bears compiled a 5–4 record and outscored opponents 124 to 94. Richard "Dick" Bence was the team captain. ^[1]

The Bears' 3–4 conference record was good for fifth in the Ivy League. ^[2] This was the first season of formal play for the Ivy League, although the Bears' previous independent schedules, dating back to the 19th century, often featured future Ivy opponents. Six of the seven Ivy matchups on Brown's 1956 schedule had been present on the 1955 slate, as well (as had the two remaining non-Ivy fixtures, Colgate and URI).

Brown played its home games at Brown Stadium in Providence, Rhode Island.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 29	at Columbia	Baker Field New York, NY	W 20–0	12,000	[3]
October 6	at Yale	Yale Bowl New Haven, CT	L 2–20	29,904	[4]
October 13	Dartmouth	Brown Stadium Providence, RI	L 7–14	12,500	[5]
October 20	at Penn	Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA	L 7–14	15,716	[6]
October 27	Rhode Island *	Brown Stadium Providence, RI (rivalry)	W 27–7		[7]
November 3	at Princeton	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ	L 7–21	15,000	[8]
November 10	Cornell	Brown Stadium Providence, RI	W 13–6	10,000	[9]
November 17	at Harvard	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA	W 21–12	13,500	[10]
November 22	Colgate *	Brown Stadium Providence, RI	W 20–0	10,500	[11]
*Non-conference game

References

1. "Game-by-Game Results (1878-2019) (Football)". Providence, R.I.: Brown University . Retrieved July 3, 2020.
2. "Year-by-Year History". Ivy League Football Media Guide (PDF). Princeton, N.J.: Ivy League. 2017. p. 22. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
3. Briordy, William J. (September 30, 1956). "Bruins Register in Ivy Opener, 20-0". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
4. Werden, Lincoln A. (October 7, 1956). "Eli Eleven Beats Brown Team, 20-2". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
5. Werden, Lincoln A. (October 14, 1956). "Indians Set Back Brown Team, 14-7". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
6. Werden, Lincoln A. (October 21, 1956). "Penn Triumphs, 14-7, on Brown's Fumbles". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
7. "Brown Defeats Rhode Island with Second-Half Touchdowns at Providence". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. Associated Press. October 28, 1956. p. S6.
8. McGowen, Roscoe (November 4, 1956). "Princeton Trims Brown Team, 21-7". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
9. Strauss, Michael (November 11, 1956). "Brown Conquers Cornell, 13 to 6". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
10. Briordy, William J. (November 18, 1956). "Brown Sets Back Harvard, 21 to 12". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
11. Strauss, Michael (November 23, 1956). "Brown Pins First Shutout on Colgate Team Since 1951 in Surprise Triumph". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. 41.