The 1956 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team represented the Middle Tennessee State College—now known as Middle Tennessee State University—as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 1956 NCAA College Division football season. Led by tenth-year head coach Charles M. Murphy, the Blue Raiders compiled a record an overall record of 7–3 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the OVC title. Middle Tennessee was invited to the Refrigerator Bowl, where they lost to Sam Houston State. The team's captains were T. Sweeney and Ben Hurt.[1]
| 1956 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football | |
|---|---|
OVC champion | |
Refrigerator Bowl, L 13–27 vs. Sam Houston State | |
| Conference | Ohio Valley Conference |
| Record | 7–3 (5–0 OVC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Captain | T. Sweeney, Ben Hurt |
| Home stadium | Horace Jones Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee $ | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Murray State | 4 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Kentucky | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee Tech | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Kentucky | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Morehead State | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule edit
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 15 | at Morris Harvey* | Charleston, WV | L 0–6 | ||
| September 21 | Austin Peay* | W 38–20 | |||
| September 29 | at Western Kentucky | Bowling Green, KY (rivalry) | W 7–6 | ||
| October 6 | Eastern Kentucky |
| W 26–19 | ||
| October 13 | Morehead State |
| W 20–12 | ||
| October 27 | at Vanderbilt* | L 13–23 | [2] | ||
| November 3 | Murray State |
| W 39–7 | ||
| November 10 | at East Tennessee* |
| W 20–6 | ||
| November 22 | at Tennessee Tech |
| W 26–6 | ||
| December 1 | vs. Sam Houston State* |
| L 13–27 | 3,000 | [3] |
| |||||
After the season edit
NFL draft edit
The following Blue Raiders were selected in the National Football League draft following the season.[5]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 84 | Jerry DeLucca | Tackle | Chicago Bears |
| 10 | 116 | Jerry Hurst | End | San Francisco 49ers |
References edit
- ^ "Middle Tennessee Football 2021 Media Guide" (PDF). Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Middle Tennessee State University. 2021. p. 145. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ "Vanderbilt wins, 23–13, over MTSC". Kingsport Times-News. October 28, 1956. Retrieved October 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sam Houston defeats Middle Tenn. 27–13". The Paducah Sun. December 2, 1956. Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
- ^ "1957 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.