The 1956 Iowa Hawkeyes football team, under head coach Forest Evashevski, won the Big Ten championship, compiled a 9–1 record, led the Big Ten in scoring defense (8.4 points allowed per game), was ranked No.
The 1956 Michigan Wolverines football team, under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan, compiled a 7–2 record, handed Iowa its only defeat, and was ranked No.
End Ron Kramer was a consensus first-team All-American and was the first Big Ten player selected, with the fourth overall pick, in the 1957 NFL draft.
The 1956 Michigan State Spartans football team, under head coach Duffy Daugherty, compiled a 7–2 record, was ranked No.
Ohio State guard Jim Parker won the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman in college football.
Key AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1956 season[1] AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1956 season[1] PPG = Average of points scored per game[1] PAG = Average of points allowed per game[1] MVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in bold[2] Between the 1955 and 1956 seasons, three Big Ten teams changed head coaches as follows: In the final AP Poll of the 1955 season, Michigan State had been ranked No.
[1] In the spring of 1956, the Big Ten conducted an investigation into allegations that Ohio State coach Woody Hayes had provided financial assistance to players in violation of conference rule.
The investigation also discovered a "serious irregularity" in Ohio State's off-campus work program.
In April 1956, the conference placed Ohio State on probation for one year and declared the football team ineligible to play in the 1957 Rose Bowl.
[10] In August 1956, Look magazine published an investigative piece alleging that Big Ten schools, including Michigan and Minnesota, were finding ways to evade the conference's rules on aid to football players.
[72] On November 28, 1956, Bernie Crimmins, at age 37, resigned as Indiana's head football coach.
He had compiled a 13–32 record and was unable to produce a winning team in five years in the position.
[76][77] At the end of the 1956 season, Big Ten players secured two of the consensus first-team picks for the 1956 College Football All-America Team.
[78] The Big Ten's consensus All-American was: Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were: Ohio State guard Jim Parker won the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman in college football.
On December 4, 1956, the Heisman Trophy was awarded to Paul Hornung of Notre Dame.
They were: Michigan end Ron Kramer (sixth), Ohio State guard Jim Parker (eighth), and Iowa quarterback Ken Ploen (ninth).