1956 NAIA football season

1956 NAIA football season
Regular season	August–December 1956
Postseason	December 22, 1956
National Championship	War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, Arkansas
Champion	Saint Joseph's (IN), Montana State

The 1956 NAIA football season was the first season of college football sponsored by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

The season was played from August to December 1956, culminating in the inaugural NAIA Football National Championship, played at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. Saint Joseph's (IN) and Montana State played to a 0–0 tie in the championship game known as the 1956 Aluminum Bowl.

Conference standings

1956 Badger-Illini Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Milton $ 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 0 – 0 Lakeland 3 – 2 – 0 3 – 4 – 0 Northwestern (WI) 3 – 2 – 0 ? – ? – ? Wisconsin Tech 3 – 2 – 0 ? – ? – ? Concordia (IL) 1 – 4 – 0 1 – 6 – 0 St. Procopius 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 5 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1956 Central Church College Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Tarkio $ 3 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Westmar 2 – 1 – 0 2 – 4 – 2 Concordia (NE) 1 – 2 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Dana 0 – 3 – 0 0 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1956 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T St. Benedict's $ 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Pittsburg State 3 – 1 – 1 7 – 2 – 1 Southwestern (KS) 3 – 1 – 1 4 – 4 – 2 Washburn 3 – 2 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Emporia State 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 Fort Hays State 0 – 5 – 1 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1956 College Conference of Illinois football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Wheaton (IL) $ 7 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Millikin 6 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Carroll (WI) 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Lake Forest 3 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Illinois Wesleyan 3 – 3 – 1 3 – 5 – 1 North Central (IL) 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Elmhurst 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 6 – 0 Augustana (IL) 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1956 Evergreen Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Puget Sound $ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 0 – 1 Eastern Washington 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 2 – 1 Whitworth 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Pacific Lutheran 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 3 – 1 Central Washington 2 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Western Washington 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 UBC 1 – 5 – 0 ? – ? – ? $ – Conference champion	1956 Frontier Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Arizona State–Flagstaff + 3 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 New Mexico Military + 3 – 0 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 New Mexico Highlands 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 2 – 1 New Mexico Western 1 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Panhandle A&M 0 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 + – Conference co-champions
1956 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Saint Joseph's (IN) $^ 6 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 1 Butler 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Valparaiso 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Evansville 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Ball State 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 DePauw 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 6 – 1 Indiana State 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff (Aluminum Bowl) participant	1956 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Central (IA) $ 7 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Simpson 5 – 2 – 1 5 – 2 – 1 Luther 5 – 2 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 Iowa Wesleyan 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Buena Vista 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 1 Dubuque 3 – 3 – 2 3 – 3 – 2 Parsons 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Upper Iowa 1 – 6 – 1 2 – 6 – 2 Wartburg 0 – 7 – 1 0 – 7 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1956 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Kansas Wesleyan $ 7 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 College of Emporia 6 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 McPherson 5 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Bethel (KS) 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Baker 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Friends 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 1 Bethany (KS) 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Ottawa 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1956 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Hillsdale $ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0 Kalamazoo 5 – 1 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Hope 4 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Albion 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Adrian 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Alma 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Olivet 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1956 Mid-Ohio League football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Bluffton $ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Findlay 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Wilmington (OH) 3 – 2 – 0 3 – 4 – 0 Ashland 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Ohio Northern 0 – 4 – 1 0 – 7 – 1 Defiance 0 – 4 – 1 0 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1956 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Carleton + 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Knox + 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 St. Olaf + 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Ripon 4 – 3 – 1 4 – 3 – 1 Coe 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Lawrence 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Cornell (IA) 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Monmouth (IL) 1 – 6 – 1 1 – 6 – 1 Grinnell 1 – 7 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 + – Conference co-champions
1956 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T St. Thomas (MN) $ 7 – 0 – 0 8 – 0 – 0 Concordia (MN) 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Macalester 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Gustavus Adolphus 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Minnesota–Duluth 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 4 – 0 Saint John's (MN) 2 – 4 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 Augsburg 2 – 4 – 1 2 – 5 – 1 Hamline 0 – 7 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1956 Minnesota State College Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Winona State $ 3 – 1 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 St. Cloud State 2 – 1 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Moorhead State 2 – 1 – 1 3 – 3 – 1 Mankato State 1 – 2 – 1 6 – 2 – 1 Bemidji State 0 – 3 – 1 2 – 4 – 2 $ – Conference champion St. Cloud State forfeited a win over Moorhead State and Moorhead State forfeited a win over Winona State.	1956 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T William Jewell $ 1 – 0 – 1 6 – 3 – 1 Tarkio 2 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Missouri Valley 0 – 0 – 1 8 – 2 – 1 Culver–Stockton 1 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Central (MO) 0 – 2 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1956 Montana Collegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Carroll (MT) $ 4 – 0 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Eastern Montana 2 – 1 – 1 3 – 2 – 1 Rocky Mountain 2 – 2 – 0 2 – 4 – 1 Western Montana 1 – 3 – 0 ? – ? – ? Montana Mines 0 – 3 – 1 ? – ? – ? $ – Conference champion	1956 Nebraska College Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Kearney State $ 7 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 0 Hastings 5 – 1 – 0 5 – 2 – 0 Peru State 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Chadron State 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 2 – 1 Nebraska Wesleyan 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Doane 2 – 4 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 Midland 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Wayne State (NE) 0 – 7 – 0 1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1956 North Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Jamestown $ 4 – 1 – 1 4 – 2 – 1 Mayville State 4 – 2 – 0 4 – 3 – 0 Dickinson State 4 – 2 – 0 4 – 2 – 0 Wahpeton Science 3 – 2 – 1 4 – 2 – 1 Minot State 3 – 2 – 1 3 – 3 – 1 Bismarck JC 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 3 – 0 Valley City State 1 – 2 – 3 1 – 4 – 3 Ellendale 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 4 – 0 Bottineau 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1956 North State Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Lenoir Rhyne $ 6 – 0 – 0 10 – 0 – 0 Catawba 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 1 Elon 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Appalachian State 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 East Carolina 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 1 Guilford 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Western Carolina 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1956 Northwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Linfield $ 3 – 1 – 1 6 – 1 – 2 Lewis & Clark 3 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Willamette 2 – 1 – 2 2 – 4 – 2 Whitman 2 – 2 – 1 4 – 4 – 1 College of Idaho 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Pacific (OR) 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1956 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Northeastern State + 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Central State (OK) + 4 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 SW Oklahoma State 3 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 East Central 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 SE Oklahoma State 1 – 3 – 1 4 – 3 – 0 NW Oklahoma State 0 – 5 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 + – Conference co-champions
1956 Oregon Collegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Eastern Oregon $ 4 – 0 – 0 5 – 3 – 0 Southern Oregon 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Oregon College 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 4 – 0 Portland State 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 5 – 1 Oregon Tech 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1956 Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T West Chester $ 4 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 East Stroudsburg 6 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Indiana (PA) 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Slippery Rock 2 – 1 – 0 2 – 5 – 0 Shippensburg 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Lock Haven 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Edinboro 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Clarion 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Millersville 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 Kutztown 1 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Bloomsburg 1 – 3 – 0 5 – 2 – 1 California (PA) 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Mansfield 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 5 – 0 Cheyney 0 – 4 – 0 1 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion Conference standings were based on the Saylor system of ratings.	1956 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Montana State $^ 5 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 1 Idaho State 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Colorado State–Greeley 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Western State (CO) 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Colorado Mines 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Colorado College 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant
1956 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Huron $ 7 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Southern State 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0 Northern State 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Black Hills 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Dakota Wesleyan 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Yankton 3 – 3 – 0 3 – 4 – 1 General Beadle 1 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 1 South Dakota Mines 0 – 6 – 1 0 – 7 – 1 Sioux Falls 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion Northern state forfeited wins over Huron and Southern State.	1956 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Texas Southern + 5 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0 Wiley + 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 1 Southern 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Prairie View A&M 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Langston 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Arkansas AM&N 0 – 5 – 1 2 – 6 – 1 Texas College 0 – 5 – 1 2 – 6 – 1 + – Conference co-champions	1956 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T West Liberty State $ 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 2 – 0 Fairmont State 7 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Shepherd 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Potomac State 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Salem 4 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Glenville State 2 – 6 – 0 2 – 6 – 0 West Virginia Tech 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 1 West Virginia Wesleyan 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Davis & Elkins 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Concord 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 Morris Harvey * 1 – 0 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Bethany (WV) * 2 – 0 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 West Virginia State * 1 – 0 – 0 4 – 3 – 0 Bluefield State * 0 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 $ – Conference champion * – Did not qualify for conference standings Conference standings based on power ratings
1956 Wisconsin State College Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Eau Claire State + 7 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 0 Platteville State + 5 – 0 – 0 5 – 1 – 0 River Falls State 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Stevens Point State 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Whitewater State 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 0 Superior State 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 La Crosse State 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Oshkosh State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 4 – 0 Stout State 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Milwaukee 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions

Postseason

1956 Aluminum Bowl

	Championship December 22, 1956 1956 Aluminum Bowl
	Saint Joseph's (IN)		0
	Montana State		0

See also

• 1956 NCAA University Division football season
• 1956 NCAA College Division football season