The 1956 Little All-America college football team is composed of college football players from small colleges and universities who were selected by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

(AP) as the best players at each position. For 1956, the AP selected three teams of 11 players each, with no separate defensive platoons. Senior back William Rhodes of Western State (Colorado) rushed for 1,200 yards on 130 carries. His total of 327 yards against Adam State set a single-game college football record. His career average of 8.49 yards per carry was the highest in college football history, and his career total of 4,294 rushing yards ranked second best in college football history. Another senior back, Larry Houdek of Kansas Wesleyan, rushed for 1,432 yards and 19 touchdowns (114 points) on 168 carries. He also passed for two touchdowns. James "Jimmy" Stehlin of

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , ...

, tallied 1,566 yards of total offense on 1,155 passing yards and 411 rushing yards. Running back Nate Clark, an African American from

Benton Harbor, Michigan Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is 46 miles southwest of Kalamazoo and 71 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. According to the 2020 census, its population was 9,103. It is the smaller, by population, o ...

, led Hillsdale College to its second consecutive undefeated season and was named to the first team for the second consecutive year. Others receiving first-team honors for the second consecutive year were end Charles Schultz or Alfred, tackle Vince Vidas of Drexel, and guard

Steve Myhra Steve Myhra (April 2, 1934 – August 4, 1994) was a professional American football player who played as a guard, linebacker and kicker for six seasons for the Baltimore Colts. Football career After playing at the University of North Dakota ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

First team

* Back - James Stehlin (senior, 6'0", 170 pounds), Brandeis * Back - Nate Clark (senior, 5'8", 195 pounds), * Back - Larry Houdek (senior, 5'11", 175 pounds), Kansas Wesleyan * Back - William Rhodes (senior, 6'1", 205 pounds), Western State (Colorado) * End - Charles Schultz (senior, 6'1", 185 pounds), Alfred * End - Milton Robichaux (senior, 6'6", 215 pounds), Trinity (Texas) * Tackle - Don Owens (senior, 6'6", 248 pounds), Mississippi Southern * Tackle - Vincent Vidas (senior, 6'2", 215 pounds), Drexel * Guard -

(senior, 6'2", 230 pounds),

* Guard - Bob Mitchell (senior, 6'0", 233 pounds), Puget Sound * Center - William Earp (senior, 6'0", 178 pounds), Emory & Henry

Second team

* Back - Bill Englehardt, Omaha * Back -

Jim Podoley James Podoley (September 16, 1933 – January 24, 2010) was an American football halfback and end for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). Born in Mount Morris, Michigan, he played college football at Central Michigan ...

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan cor ...

* Back - Al Frazier,

Florida A&M Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the Un ...

* Back - William "Whizzer" White, Westminster (Pennsylvania) * End - Steve Junker, Xavier (Ohio) * End - James Cox, California Poly * Tackle - George Kurker, Tufts * Tackle - Ron Warzeka,

Montana State Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 fiel ...

(NAIA national champion) * Guard - Arden Ray, Lenoir-Rhyne * Guard - Charles Froehle, St. John's (Minnesota) * Center - Hall Whitley, Texas A&I

Third team

* Back - Bobby Grisham, Sam Houston (Refrigerator Bowl champion) * Back -

Dick Jamieson Richard Alexander Jamieson (November 13, 1937 – May 2, 2001) was an American football and baseball player and coach of football. He was the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) in 1997. He also s ...

, Bradley * Back - Terry Sweeney, Middle Tennessee * Back - Larry Thomson, Air Force * End - George Benedict, Springfield (Massachusetts) * End - Albert Hill, Penn Military * Tackle - Lyle Slater, Milliken * Tackle - George Rice, Wofford * Guard - John McMurry, Whittier * Guard - Wixie Robinson,

Pepperdine Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and ...

* Center - Lee Glenn, Sewanee

References

{{Little All-America college football teams

Little All-America college football team The Little All-America team is an honor given annually to the best small college players at their respective positions. The first Little All-America team for college football, selected with assistance from reporters in every region, was announc ...

Little All-America college football teams

First team

Second team

Third team

See also

References