Conference Big Ten Conference MVP Al Viola | 1956 record 4-4-1 (3-3-1 Big 10) | |
Head coach Ara Parseghian (1st year) Home stadium Dyche Stadium (Capacity: 55,000) | ||
The 1956 Northwestern Wildcats team was an American football team that represented Northwestern University during the 1956 Big Ten Conference football season. In their first year under head coach Ara Parseghian, the Wildcats compiled a 4-4-1 record (3-3-1 against Big Ten Conference opponents), finished in sixth place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 112 to 107.
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Preseason
On December 9, 1955, Purdue head coach Stu Holcomb resigned his position and signed a five-year contract as the athletic director at Northwestern. Three days later, Holcomb fired Northwestern head coach Lou Saban and his entire staff of assistant coaches. On December 16, Holcomb announced that he had signed Miami (OH) head coach Ara Parseghian to a three-year contract as the Wildcats' new head coach. Parseghian had led the 1955 Miami Redskins football team to a perfect 9–0 record.
Awards
Two Northwestern players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press (UP) as first-team players on the 1956 All-Big Ten Conference football team. They were: