The 1956 Montana State College (now University) football team is being recognized for capturing the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's first-ever national championship, which is defined by a team's affiliation with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) or the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Montana State College Bobcats tied (0-0) Saint Joseph’s College (Ind.) in the inaugural Aluminum Bowl on December 19, 1956, thus sharing the first-ever NAIA football title. The game was played at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark. and was broadcast nationally on CBS television and CBS radio.
During MSC's 1956 season, the Bobcats defeated the following opponents before head coach Tony Storti led MSC to a share of the NAIA crown and a 9-0-1 record:
Sept. 15: South Dakota State (33-14) - Great Falls, Mont.
Sept. 22: North Dakota (33-13) - Grand Forks, N.D.
Sept. 29: Colorado College (30-14) - Colorado Springs, Colo.
Oct. 6: Colorado School of Mines (62-0) - Bozeman, Mont.
Oct. 12: Colorado State College (now University of Northern Colorado) (13-0) - Greely, Colo.
Oct. 20: Idaho State College (26-6) - Bozeman, Mont.
Oct. 27: Western State College (28-13) - Bozeman, Mont.
Nov. 3: Montana State University (33-14) - Missoula, Mont.
Nov. 17: Whitworth College (54-0) - Bozeman, Mont.
The Bobcats had several stars that magical season, including freshman quarterback Dave Alt, freshman center Sonny Holland, junior runningback and punter George Marinkovich, senior fullback Don Edwards and senior right tackle Ron Warzeka.
Alt led the team in passing with 215 yards and three touchdowns on 9-of-18 attempts. However, he proved to be more than a hurler as he rushed for 215 yards (1 TD) and scored 5 total TD's, including a 64-yard touchdown reception. Holland, who is widely considered MSC's greatest player ever, is the only Bobcat to earn First Team All-American honors three times (1957-1959). He later coached the Bobcats to national glory in 1976 as they captured the NCAA Division II national title.
Marinkovich, a multi-faceted football player, played half back and was the team's leading punter. He ran for a team-leading 637 yards on 122 attempts and netted 952 yards punting with an extraordinary 36.6 yard average. His six punts and a lofty 42.0 average in the mud-filled national championship game proved to be crucial in the 0-0 tie. Both statistics remain MSU playoff records. Edwards, the team's fullback ran for 394 yards and scored a team-leading nine touchdowns along with one PAT for 55 total points, more than any other player on the team.
Warzeka, regarded as one of the most dominating linemen in MSU history, earned NAIA First Team All-American honors in 1956. He was drafted later that year by San Francisco, in both the AFL and NFL. Another noteworthy draft pick from the '56 squad was offensive tackle Ed Ritt, who was picked in the NFL's 12th round by Saint Louis.
The Bobcats surrendered only 74 points during the 1956 campaign, holding their opponents to an average of 7.4 points per game enroute to four shutouts that season. On the offensive side of the ball, MSC averaged 31.2 points per contest and 323.1 yards rushing, good for an average of 5.2 yards per carry. MSU's football tradition is rich and unique as the Bobcats are the only school in the country to capture football national championships at three different levels - NAIA, NCAA II and NCAA 1-AA