1956 NAIA basketball tournament explained

Type:NAIA men's basketball tournament
Year:1956
Teams:32
Fabfourarena:Municipal Auditorium
Fabfourcity:Kansas City, Missouri
Champions:McNeese State
Titlecount:1st
Champgamecount:1st
Champffcount:1st
Runnerffcount:1st
Runnerup:Texas Southern
Gamecount:1st
Semifinal1:Pittsburg State
Finalfourcount1:2nd
Semifinal2:Wheaton (IL)
Finalfourcount2:1st
Coty:John Lance
Cotyschool:Pittsburg State
Mvp:Bill Reigel
Mvpteam:McNeese State
Attendance:unknown

The 1956 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 19th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.[1] 1956 would be the last tournament with unseeded teams.

The championship game featured McNeese State University and Texas Southern University. It was the first and only appearance for the McNeese State made in the NAIA tournament. The Cowboys beat the Tigers, 60–55.

The third-place game featured Pittsburg State who defeated the Wheaton Thunder, 77–70. This tournament featured six all-time leading scorers.

Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1956 tournament have been broken, and many of the awards were established much later:

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: NAIA.org . 2020-05-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090501033134/http://naia.cstv.com/ . 2009-05-01 . dead .
  2. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/naia/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/MBBDIChampionshipHistory1223.pdf NAIA Championship History