| 1956 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 32 |
| Finals Site | Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri |
| Champions | McNeese State (1st title, 1st title game, 1st Fab Four) |
| Runner-Up | Texas Southern (1st title game, 1st Fab Four) |
| Semifinalists | Pittsburg State Wheaton (IL) |
| Coach of the Year | John Lance (Pittsburg State) |
| Chuck Taylor MVP | Bill Reigel (McNeese State) |
The 1956 NAIA Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 19th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. [1] 1956 would be the last tournament with unseeded teams.
The championship game featured McNeese State University and Texas Southern University. It was the first and only appearance for the McNeese State made in the NAIA tournament. The Cowboys beat the Tigers, 60–55.
The third place game featured Pittsburg State who defeated the Wheaton Thunder, 77–70. This tournament featured six all-time leading scorers.
Many of the records set by the 1956 tournament have been broken, and many of the awards were established much later:
| First Round | Second Round | Elite Eight | NAIA National Semifinals | NAIA National Championship | |||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois State | 114 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern New Mexico | 87 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois State | 72 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pacific Lutheran | 67 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pacific Lutheran | 79 | ||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota State | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois State | 76 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TOP TIER | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburg State | 83 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Teachers | 81 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Southeastern State (OK) | 78 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Teachers | 72 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburg State | 99 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburg State | 77 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elon | 55 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburg State | 72 | ||||||||||||||||||
| McNeese State | 78 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Eau Claire State | 84 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Portland State | 76 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Eau Claire State | 61 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee A&I State | 62 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee A&I State | 86 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana Central | 63 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee A&I State | 68 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TOP TIER | |||||||||||||||||||
| McNeese State | 76 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Central State (OH) | 67 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Montana State | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Central State (OH) | 74 | ||||||||||||||||||
| McNeese State | 87 | ||||||||||||||||||
| McNeese State | 88 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Georgetown (KY) | 65 | ||||||||||||||||||
| McNeese State | 60 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 55 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wheaton (IL) | 80 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kalamazoo (MI) | 60 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wheaton (IL) | 74 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stephen F. Austin | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stephen F. Austin | 72 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coe | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wheaton (IL) | 90 | ||||||||||||||||||
| BOTTOM TIER | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gustavus Adolphus | 73 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gustavus Adolphus | 80 | ||||||||||||||||||
| East Tennessee State | 60 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gustavus Adolphus | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State | 60 | ||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State | 77 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Alderson-Broaddus | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wheaton (IL) | 73 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 82 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 108 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hastings | 81 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rockhust | 61 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rockhurst | 81 | NAIA Third Place Game | |||||||||||||||||
| Rider | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 85 | Pittsburg State | 77 | ||||||||||||||||
| BOTTOM TIER | |||||||||||||||||||
| Midwestern (TX) | 82 | Wheaton (IL) | 70 | ||||||||||||||||
| Midwestern (TX) | 87 | ||||||||||||||||||
| American International | 70 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Midwestern (TX) | 93 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Geneva | 75 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Geneva | 74 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas Tech | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||
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