The 1956 Texas Western Miners football team was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

team that represented Texas Western College (now known as

University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...

) as a member of the

Border Conference The Border Conference, officially known as the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association, was an National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA-affiliated college athletic conference founded in 1931 that disbanded following the 1961–62 season. ...

during the

1956 NCAA University Division football season The 1956 NCAA University Division football season saw the University of Oklahoma Sooners finish a third consecutive season unbeaten and untied to again win the national championship. The 1956 season saw the NCAA split member schools into two divi ...

. In its seventh and final season under head coach

Mike Brumbelow Lester Michael Brumbelow (July 13, 1906 – August 11, 1977) was an American football and basketball player and coach. He played football and basketball for Texas Christian University from 1927 to 1929 and was the captain and most valuable player ...

, the team compiled a 9–2 record (5–0 against Border Conference opponents), won the conference championship, and outscored all opponents by a total of 305 to 78. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback

Bob Laraba Robert Edward Laraba (May 30, 1933February 16, 1962) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker and quarterback in the American Football League (AFL). He played professionally for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers (1960 ...

with 568 passing yards and 743 yards of total offense, Jimmy Bevers with 606 rushing yards and 54 points scored, halfback

Don Maynard Donald Rogers Maynard (January 25, 1935 – January 10, 2022) was an American professional American football, football wide receiver known for playing for the New York Jets in the National Football League (NFL). He also played with the New York ...

with 275 receiving yards, and end Bob Forrest with 849 all-purpose yards. Maynard later played 17 years of professional football and was inducted into the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

. Five Texas Western players received first-team honors on the 1956 All-Border Conference team: Laraba; Maynard; Forrest; guard Ken George; and tackle Keith Wharton. Mike Brumbelow was also named Border Conference Coach of the Year.2014 UTEP Media Guide, p. 82.

Schedule

References

Texas Western The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...

UTEP Miners football seasons Border Conference football champion seasons Texas Western Miners football {{collegefootball-1950s-season-stub