1956 California Golden Bears football team

Last updated

1956 California Golden Bears football
Conference Pacific Coast Conference
Record3–7 (2–5 PCC)
Head coach
Home stadium California Memorial Stadium
Seasons
←  1955
1957  →
1956 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 10 Oregon State $ 6 –1 –17 –3 –1
No. 18 USC 5 –2 –08 –2 –0
UCLA 5 –2 –07 –3 –0
Washington 4 –4 –05 –5 –0
Oregon 3 –3 –24 –4 –2
Stanford 3 –4 –04 –6 –0
Washington State 2 –5 –13 –6 –1
California 2 –5 –03 –7 –0
Idaho 0 –4 –04 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1956 California Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Berkeley in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1956 college football season. In their tenth and final year under head coach Pappy Waldorf, the Golden Bears compiled a 3–7 record (2–5 in PCC, eighth) and were outscored 181 to 135. [1] [2] Home games were played on campus at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California.

At the Big Game in Berkeley on November 24, the 14-point underdog Bears upset Stanford 20–18. Waldorf's players knew that it was his last game; following the win, they carried him off the field on their shoulders. [3] He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966. [1]

California's statistical leaders on offense were sophomore quarterback Joe Kapp with 667 passing yards, Herb Jackson with 462 rushing yards, and Norm Becker with 313 receiving yards. [4] Kapp was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. [5]

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 22 Baylor *
L 6–736,000 [6]
September 29at Illinois *
L 20–3254,833
October 6No. 7 Pittsburgh *
  • California Memorial Stadium
  • Berkeley, CA
W 14–031,000 [7]
October 13at Oregon State
L 13–2114,125
October 20 UCLA
  • California Memorial Stadium
  • Berkeley, CA (rivalry)
L 20–3448,000
October 27at Washington
W 16–730,510
November 3 Oregon
  • California Memorial Stadium
  • Berkeley, CA
L 6–2832,000
November 10at No. 16 USC
L 7–2041,628
November 17 Washington State
  • California Memorial Stadium
  • Berkeley, CA
L 13–1434,000
November 24 Stanford
  • California Memorial Stadium
  • Berkeley, CA (Big Game)
W 20–1881,400
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[8] [9]

References

  1. ↑ "1956 California Golden Bears Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  2. ↑ "California 2015 Football Information Guide" (PDF). CalBears.com. Cal Golden Bears Athletics. p. 164. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  3. ↑ CalBear81 (June 29, 2011). "Cal's Greatest Football Coaches: #2 Pappy Waldorf". California Golden Blogs. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link).
  4. ↑ "1956 California Golden Bears Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Joe Kapp". www.footballfoundation.org. National Football Foundation. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Breaks, Baylor beat Bears, 7–6". Oakland Tribune. September 23, 1956. Retrieved March 21, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Prescott Sullivan (October 7, 1956). "Bears Surprise Eastern Power in 14–0 Victory". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 10, section 11. Retrieved May 9, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "1956-57 California Golden Bears; Schedule/Results". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 28, 2025.
  9. ↑ 2015 Football Information Guide (PDF). Cal Athletics. 2015. p. 164. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2016.
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