1956 Iowa State Cyclones football team

1956 Iowa State Cyclones football
Conference	Big Seven Conference
1956 record	2–8 (0–6 Big 7)
Head coach	Vince DiFrancesca (3rd season)
Captain	Chuck Muelhaupt, Oliver Sparks
Home stadium	Clyde Williams Field
Seasons

1956 Big 7 football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#1 Oklahoma	6	–	0	–	0			10	–	0	–	0
#20 Colorado	4	–	1	–	1			8	–	2	–	1
Missouri	3	–	2	–	1			4	–	5	–	1
Nebraska	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Kansas	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	6	–	1
Kansas State	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Iowa State	0	–	6	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1956 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts (later renamed Iowa State University) in the Big Seven Conference during the 1956 NCAA University Division football season. In their third and final year under head coach Vince DiFrancesca, the Cyclones compiled a 2–8 record (0–6 against conference opponents), finished in last place in the conference, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 260 to 92. They played their home games at Clyde Williams Field in Ames, Iowa.

The team's regular starting lineup on offense consisted of left end Brian Dennis, left tackle Oliver Sparks, left guard Ron Bredeson, center Frank Powell, right guard Ralph Losee, right tackle Andris Poncius, right end Gale Gibson, quarterback Charles Martin, left halfback Jack Hansen, right halfback Bob Harden, and fullback Marv Walter. Chuck Muelhaupt and Oliver Sparks were the team captains.

The team's statistical leaders included Bob Harden with 244 rushing yards and 24 points (four touchdowns), Phil Hill with 205 passing yards, and John Scheldrup with 140 receiving yards. No Iowa State players were selected as first-team all-conference players.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 15	at Denver*	DU Stadium Denver, CO	W 13–10
September 29	at Northwestern*	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	L 13–14
October 6	at Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	L 7–9
October 13	Kansas	Clyde Williams Field Ames, IA	L 14–25
October 20	Colorado	Clyde Williams Field Ames, IA	L 0–52
October 27	at Missouri	Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO (rivalry)	L 0–34
November 3	Drake*	Clyde Williams Field Ames, IA	W 39–14
November 10	No. 1 Oklahoma	Clyde Williams Field Ames, IA	L 0–44
November 17	at Kansas State	Memorial Stadium Manhattan, KS (rivalry)	L 6–32
November 24	at Villanova*	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA	L 0–26
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game