1956 Maryland Terrapins football team

Schedule

|{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = l |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = w |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = l |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = l |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = l |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = l |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = l |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = t |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = l |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = w

Before the season

Maryland head coach Jim Tatum resigned on January 8, 1956, to take the same post at his alma mater, North Carolina, and he was replaced by backfield coach Tommy Mont. Mont was a former quarterback for Maryland and the Washington Redskins. Mont came with the personal recommendation of Tatum. Tatum also instructed his former players to stay at Maryland rather than follow him by transferring to North Carolina.

As head coach, Mont was unable to recruit the highly skilled athletes that Tatum had consistently secured during his tenure. Rod Breedlove, who played on freshman team in 1956 and started on the varsity squad thereafter, was an exception as one of the best guard prospects in the nation.

Personnel

The 1956 team consisted of the following letterwinners:

• Gene Alderton
• Ronald Athey
• Al Beardsley
• Bill Burgly
• Fred Cole
• Nick DeCicco
• John Fritsch
• Fred Hamilton
• Jim Hatter
• Don Healy
• Ed Heuring
• Ted Kershner
• Charles Kichman
• George Kolarac
• Bill Kolmo
• Bob Layman
• Dickie Lewis
• Wilbur Main
• Bob Rusevlyan
• Mike Sandusky
• Ben Scotti
• Tom Selep
• Jim Skarda
• Tom Stefl
• Bob Suchy
• Paul Tonetti
• Bill Turner
• Jean Waters
• Al Wharton

The coaching staff consisted of:

• Tommy Mont, head coach
• Ed Fullerton
• William Dovell
• Johnny Idzik, line coach
• Fred Layman
• Roy Lester, ends coach
• Joe Moss
• Jim Peebles
• Bob Ward

Season

Maryland entered 1956 ranked number-six in the Associated Press preseason poll. Before resigning his post as head coach, Jim Tatum had said before the 1956 Orange Bowl, "Our 1956 squad will have the greatest potential of all, despite the loss of ten seniors."

The roster, however, was depleted by injuries and the team beset by bad luck in general. Maryland lost another returner when back Phil Perlo did not re-enroll at the school. Dare would miss the entire season.

In the season opener, Syracuse soundly defeated Maryland, 26–12, which in part, "rudely jolted" the preseason prognostications of many college football experts. After the Terrapins edged Wake Forest, 6–0, The following week at the Orange Bowl, 13th-ranked Miami resorted to the air to beat Maryland, 13–6. After the loss, the Associated Press called the Terrapins squad "one of the year's most disappointing football teams."

Led by former Terrapins' coach Jim Tatum, North Carolina decisively beat Maryland, 34–6, in one of its two wins of the season. Both Carolina victories, however, were later vacated due to use of an ineligible player, although Maryland records still credit the Tar Heels with the win.

A week later, Johnny Majors led third-ranked Tennessee to beat Maryland, 34–7, and completed three touchdown passes while "hitting his receivers with the accuracy of a mountaineer rifleman." After a loss to Kentucky,

Maryland lost at South Carolina, 13–0, and then traveled to Raleigh to face North Carolina State.

After the season, The Baltimore Sun described Mont and quarterback John Fritsch as "two of the biggest fall guys in college football this year" for events beyond their control.

References

References

1. (September 23, 1956). "Syracuse stuns Terps, 26–12". Tampa Sunday Tribune.
2. (September 30, 1956). "Terps extended before edging Wake Forest 6–0". The Roanoke Times.
3. (October 7, 1956). "Bears roll on clip Terps, 14–0". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
4. (October 14, 1956). "Miami takes to air for 13–6 win over Terps". St. Lucie News Tribune.
5. (October 21, 1956). "Reed leads North Carolina to 34–6 victory over Terps". The State.
6. (October 28, 1956). "Volunteers rap Maryland, 34–7". Richmond Times Dispatch.
7. (November 4, 1956). "Kentucky trips Terps". The Baltimore Sun.
8. (November 11, 1956). "Terps battle Clemson to 6–6 deadlock". Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel.
9. (November 18, 1956). "Gamecocks whip Maryland, 13–0". The State.
10. (November 23, 1956). "Maryland rallier to whip N.C. State eleven, 25–14". The Baltimore Sun.
11. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yNUzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=S-sFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5914,779982&dq=jim+tatum&hl=en Mont Picked To Succeed Tatum], ''The Miami News'', January 18, 1956.
12. [http://www.depauw.edu/news/index.asp?id=18240 Maryland's Tommy Mont Named Head Grid Coach at DePauw], DePauw University, April 29, 1959, retrieved January 28, 2009.
13. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MontTo20.htm Tommy Mont Statistics], Pro Football Reference, retrieved June 9, 2009.
14. [https://www.nytimes.com/1956/01/18/archives/mont-former-backfield-aide-to-tatum-named-marylands-head-football.html Mont, Former Backfield Aide to Tatum, Named Maryland's Head Football Coach], ''The New York Times'', January 18, 1956.
15. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121103153134/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/428997341.html?dids=428997341:428997341&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+12,+1956&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Tatum+Tells+Maryland+Gridders+to+Stay+Put&pqatl=google Tatum Tells Maryland Gridders to Stay Put], ''The Los Angeles Times'', January 12, 1956.
16. 0-8108-4839-2.
17. Due to the pressures associated with coaching a major college program, Mont eventually resigned as head coach after the 1958 season in order to take the same position at [[DePauw University]].John Underwood, [https://archive.today/20120722233834/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1087757/index.htm Bell Of The Ball Game], ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'', September 10, 1973.
18. [http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/md/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/07guide-11.pdf Year-By-Year Results] {{Webarchive. link. (2018-10-26 (PDF), ''2007 Terrapin Football Record Book'', p. 17–22, University of Maryland, 2007.)
19. [http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/md/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/07guide-11.pdf Assistant Coaches] {{Webarchive. link. (2018-10-26 (PDF), ''2007 Terrapin Football Record Book'', p. 4, University of Maryland, 2007.)
20. The previous year, the freshman Terrapins finished with an undefeated record, and ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' had called it the "best freshman team in the entire South."[https://archive.today/20130102064533/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1131179/index.htm Shape Of Things To Come], ''Sports Illustrated'', January 23, 1956.
21. Allison Danzig, [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0A15F7345B157B93C4AB1782D85F428585F9 Injuries Curb Maryland's Power; The Terrapin Eleven Will Buckle Down for Wake Forest; Lewis McVicker and Dare Among Those on the Sidelines; High Opinion Shared; Tamburello to Be Inducted; Sandusky at Tackle], ''The New York Times'', September 26, 1956.
22. In another twist of fate, the entire team had to be inoculated against [[jaundice]] after starting halfback Howie Dare and a reserve [[center (American football)
23. [https://www.nytimes.com/1956/10/17/archives/squad-is-inoculated-maryland-acts-after-jaundice-strikes-football.html SQUAD IS INOCULATED; Maryland Acts After Jaundice Strikes Football Player], ''The New York Times'', October 17, 1956.
24. [https://archive.today/20130131133924/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1686253722.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+24,+1956&author=&pub=The+Sun+(1837-1985)&desc=INJURIES+TELL+TERPS'+STORY&pqatl=google INJURIES TELL TERPS' STORY; Final-Game Win Brightens Picture For Next Year], ''The Baltimore Sun'', November 24, 1956.
25. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5eYxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=g-MFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5731,2368092&dq=maryland+football&hl=en Experts Suffer Rude Jolt in U.S. College Football], ''Ottawa Citizen'', September 24, 1956.
26. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RIQRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aeIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4786,2056695&dq=maryland+football&hl=en Miami Edges Terps, 13–6, for 3rd Win], ''Eugene Register-Guard'', October 13, 1956.
27. [https://vault.si.com/vault/1957/09/23/atlantic-coast-conference/ Atlantic Coast Conference], ''Sports Illustrated'', September 23, 1957.
28. [http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/md/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/07guide-11.pdf Year-By-Year Results] {{Webarchive. link. (2018-10-26 (PDF), ''2007 Maryland Football Record Book'', University of Maryland, 2007, retrieved January 16, 2009.)
29. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2iYTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0QQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5390,337533&dq=maryland+football&hl=en Majors Paces Vols to Easy 34–7 Victory], ''Ocala Star-Banner'', October 28, 1956.