1956 Northern Michigan Wildcats football team information
American college football season
1956Northern Michigan Wildcats football
Conference
Independent
Record
7–0–1
Head coach
Lloyd Eaton (1st season)
Home stadium
Memorial Field
Seasons
← 1955
1957 →
1956 NCAA College Division independents football records
v
t
e
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Alfred
–
8
–
0
–
0
Northern Michigan
–
7
–
0
–
1
St. Norbert
–
8
–
1
–
0
Carthage
–
8
–
2
–
0
Tampa
–
7
–
2
–
0
Cal Poly San Dimas
–
6
–
2
–
0
Mississippi Southern
–
7
–
2
–
1
Wabash
–
6
–
2
–
1
Hawaii
–
7
–
3
–
0
Hofstra
–
7
–
3
–
0
Xavier
–
7
–
3
–
0
Franklin & Marshall
–
5
–
2
–
1
Louisville
–
6
–
3
–
0
Pepperdine
–
6
–
3
–
0
Washington University
–
6
–
3
–
0
La Verne
–
6
–
4
–
0
Buffalo
–
5
–
3
–
0
Drexel
–
5
–
3
–
0
Long Beach State
–
5
–
3
–
0
Delaware
–
5
–
3
–
1
Memphis State
–
5
–
4
–
1
Arkansas State
–
5
–
4
–
0
Chattanooga
–
5
–
4
–
0
Baldwin–Wallace
–
4
–
5
–
0
Washington & Jefferson
–
3
–
4
–
1
Rose Poly
–
3
–
4
–
0
Bucknell
–
3
–
5
–
0
Carnegie Tech
–
3
–
5
–
0
Temple
–
3
–
5
–
0
Howard (AL)
–
2
–
5
–
2
Sewanee
–
1
–
6
–
1
UC Riverside
–
1
–
6
–
0
The 1956 Northern Michigan Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented Northern Michigan College (later renamed Northern Michigan University) as an independent during the 1956 college football season. The team compiled a 7–0–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 263 to 72.[1] It remains Northern Michigan's only undefeated season since the 1929 season when the team compiled a 4–0–2 record.[2][3]
Lloyd Eaton, who had been head coach and athletic director at Alma College for seven years, was hired as Northern Michigan's head coach in February 1956.[4] He took over a team that had lost every game in 1955 and led the 1956 squad to an undefeated season. He was touted in the press as the "Miracle Man of the Gridiron".[5][6] He was also named the 1956 coach of the year by the Associated Press and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.[7]
The team's only setback was a 13-13 tie with Bemidji State. The Wildcats trailed Bemidji until freshman quarterback Tom Schwalbach ran seven yards for a touchdown in the final 90 seconds of the game. Schwalbach, recently discharged from service in the Marine Corps, led all collegiate football players in Michigan with 103 points scored (14 touchdowns and 19 extra points) during the 1956 season.[8][9] Schwalbach tallied 1,100 yards of total offense (493 rushing yards and 607 passing yards).[5] Schwalbach and Whitey Wilson were described as the team's "one-two punch".[10]
Schalbach was the only Northern Michigan player selected as a first-team player on the 1956 Associated Press All-Michigan small college football team. Center Jim Wickam and tackle Wayne Thoms received honorable mention.[8]
^"1956 - Northern Michigan". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
^"Northern Michigan Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
^Cite error: The named reference Lake was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"New Head Football Coach Hired At Northern". The Escanaba Daily Press. February 14, 1956. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ab"Belle Native Michigan's Football 'Miracle Man'". Rapid City Daily Journal. December 2, 1956. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
^Marshall Dann (November 14, 1956). "Wins 'Em All With 'Sure Loser': Grid Miracles His Specialty". Detroit Free Press. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Writers Honor Small College Gridders". Battle Creek Enquirer and News. December 14, 1956. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
^ abDave Diles (November 24, 1956). "Honor Spot To Podoley". Lansing State Journal. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Schwalbach Compiles Fabulous Grid Marks At Northern College". The Escanaba Daily Press. November 8, 1956. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
^Marshall Dann (October 30, 1956). "Uninvited Gridder A Welcome Scorer". Detroit Free Press. p. 27.
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