1956 San Francisco 49ers season
Encyclopedia
The 1956
San Francisco 49ers
season was the team's seventh season in the NFL
, and were coming off a 4-8-0 record, finishing in 5th place in the Western Conference.
San Francisco would bring in a new head coach for the 2nd straight season, as Red Strader
was replaced with former 49ers quarterback Frankie Albert
, who played with the team from their AAFC
days in 1946 until 1952.
The Niners would get off to a rough start, winning only 1 of their first 7 games to sit in last place in the Western Conference. San Francisco would go unbeaten in their final 5 games, and finish the year with a 5-6-1, and in 3rd place in the Conference.
Offensively, Y.A. Tittle threw for a team high 1641 yards and 7 TD's, and had 56.9% of his passes completed. Hugh McElhenny
rushed for a team best 916 yards and 8 TD's, while Billy Wilson
would catch a club high 60 receptions for 889 yards, along with 5 TD's. Bob St. Clair blocked ten Field Goal attempts.
1956 NFL season
The 1956 NFL season was the 37th regular season of the National Football League. CBS became the first network to televise some regular season games across the nation...
San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
season was the team's seventh season in the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, and were coming off a 4-8-0 record, finishing in 5th place in the Western Conference.
San Francisco would bring in a new head coach for the 2nd straight season, as Red Strader
Red Strader
Norman "Red" Strader was a football player and coach who served in both capacities at the collegiate and professional levels. In the college ranks, he spent two years as head coach at St...
was replaced with former 49ers quarterback Frankie Albert
Frankie Albert
Frank Cullen "Frankie" Albert was an American football player. He played as a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League...
, who played with the team from their AAFC
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
days in 1946 until 1952.
The Niners would get off to a rough start, winning only 1 of their first 7 games to sit in last place in the Western Conference. San Francisco would go unbeaten in their final 5 games, and finish the year with a 5-6-1, and in 3rd place in the Conference.
Offensively, Y.A. Tittle threw for a team high 1641 yards and 7 TD's, and had 56.9% of his passes completed. Hugh McElhenny
Hugh McElhenny
Hugh Edward McElhenny is a former American football running back in the National Football League who played from 1952–1964, for the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, and Detroit Lions. He was noted for his explosive, elusive running style and was frequently called "The...
rushed for a team best 916 yards and 8 TD's, while Billy Wilson
Billy Wilson (American football)
Billy Wilson was an American football wide receiver who played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1951 to 1960...
would catch a club high 60 receptions for 889 yards, along with 5 TD's. Bob St. Clair blocked ten Field Goal attempts.
NFL Draft
| Pick # | |Player | |College | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
Earl Morrall Earl Morrall Earl Edwin Morrall is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Morrall, who also occasionally punted, played 21 seasons in the National Football League as both a starter and reserve. In the latter capacity, he became known as the greatest backup quarterback in NFL... |
Quarterback | Michigan State Michigan State University Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,... |
Schedule
| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | September 30 | New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
38-21 | San Francisco 49ers | 0-1-0 |
| 2 | October 7 | Los Angeles Rams | 33-30 | San Francisco 49ers | 1-1-0 |
| 3 | October 14 | San Francisco 49ers | 31-7 | Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
1-2-0 |
| 4 | October 21 | San Francisco 49ers | 20-17 | Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
1-3-0 |
| 5 | October 28 | Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
38-21 | San Francisco 49ers | 1-4-0 |
| 6 | November 4 | Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
17-13 | San Francisco 49ers | 1-5-0 |
| 7 | November 11 | San Francisco 49ers | 30-6 | Los Angeles Rams | 1-6-0 |
| 8 | November 18 | San Francisco 49ers | 17-16 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
2-6-0 |
| 9 | November 25 | San Francisco 49ers | 10-10 | Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
2-6-1 |
| 10 | December 2 | San Francisco 49ers | 20-17 | Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls.... |
3-6-1 |
| 11 | December 8 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
38-20 | San Francisco 49ers | 4-6-1 |
| 12 | December 16 | Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls.... |
30-17 | San Francisco 49ers | 5-6-1 |
Standings
| Western Conference | G | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | .792 | 363 | 246 |
| Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 300 | 188 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12 | 5 | 6 | 1 | .458 | 233 | 284 |
| Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls.... |
12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | 270 | 322 |
| Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 264 | 342 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 291 | 307 |