1956 Navy Midshipmen football team

1956 Navy Midshipmen football
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 19
AP	No. 16
Record	6–1–2
Head coach	Eddie Erdelatz (7th season)
Captain	Earle Smith
Home stadium	Thompson Stadium
Seasons ←  1955 1957  →

1956 NCAA University Division independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Miami (FL)			–					8	–	1	–	1
No. 16 Navy			–					6	–	1	–	2
No. 8 Syracuse			–					7	–	2	–	0
Air Force			–					6	–	2	–	1
Penn State			–					6	–	2	–	1
No. 13 Pittsburgh			–					7	–	3	–	1
Pacific (CA)			–					6	–	3	–	1
Army			–					5	–	3	–	1
Holy Cross			–					5	–	3	–	1
Villanova			–					5	–	4	–	0
Boston College			–					5	–	4	–	0
Florida State			–					5	–	4	–	1
Cincinnati			–					4	–	5	–	0
Colgate			–					4	–	5	–	0
Dayton			–					4	–	6	–	0
Drake			–					3	–	6	–	0
San Jose State			–					2	–	7	–	1
Texas Tech			–					2	–	7	–	1
Notre Dame			–					2	–	8	–	0
Boston University			–					1	–	5	–	2
Marquette			–					0	–	9	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1956 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1956 college football season. The team was led by seventh-year head coach Eddie Erdelatz. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 29		William & Mary		Thompson Stadium Annapolis, MD		W 39–14	14,051	[2]
October 6		at Cornell		Schoellkopf Field Ithaca, NY		W 14–0	20,000	[3]
October 13		at Tulane	No. 14	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA		L 6–21	45,000	[4]
October 20		Cincinnati		Thompson Stadium Annapolis, MD		W 13–7	14,000	[5]
October 27		at Penn		Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA		W 54–6	24,721	[6]
November 3		vs. Notre Dame		Memorial Stadium Baltimore, MD (rivalry)		W 33–7	57,773
November 10		at Duke	No. 12	Duke Stadium Durham, NC		T 7–7	25,000	[7]
November 17		vs. Virginia	No. 15	Memorial Stadium Baltimore, MD		W 34–7	12,000	[8]
December 1	1:15 p.m.	vs. Army	No. 13	Philadelphia Municipal Stadium Philadelphia, PA (Army–Navy Game)	NBC	T 7–7	102,000	[9] [10]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[11]

References

1. "Football History" (PDF). United States Naval Academy. p. 192. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
2. "Navy rallies to beat W&M, 39–14". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 20, 1956. Retrieved January 5, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. Danzig, Allison (October 7, 1956). "Middies Top Cornell, 14-0, on Third-Period Offensive". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
4. "Tulane eleven spills Navy from unbeaten ranks, 21–6". The Baltimore Sun. October 14, 1956. Retrieved September 19, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
5. Forbes, Dick (October 21, 1956). "Navy Edges Fighting Bearcats, 13-7". The Cincinnati Enquirer . Cincinnati, Ohio. p. 65. Retrieved January 13, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
6. McGowen, Roscoe (October 28, 1956). "8 Navy Touchdowns Rout Penn, 54 to 6". The New York Times . New York, N.Y. p. S1.
7. "Duke ties Navy, 7–7, on penalty". Daily Press. November 11, 1956. Retrieved January 6, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Virginia loses 34–7 decision to Middies". The State. November 18, 1956. Retrieved January 6, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. Hyde, Frederic G. (December 2, 1956). "Game Brings Thrills, Chills, To 102,000". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 1. Retrieved January 13, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
10. Hyde, Frederic G. (December 2, 1956). "Throng of 102,000 at Army-Navy Football Classic Is Thrill and Chilled (continued)". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 4. Retrieved January 13, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
11. "Schedule/Results (1956 Navy)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 13, 2025.