1956 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

Teams

Finals Site

Municipal Auditorium
Kansas City, Missouri

Champions

McNeese State (La.)
(1st title, 1st title game,
1st Final Four)

Runner-Up

Texas Southern
(1st title game,
1st Final Four)

Semifinalists

Pittsburg State (Ks.)
(2nd Final Four)
Wheaton (Ill.)
(1st Final Four)

Coach of the Year

John Lance
(Pittsburg State (Kan.))

Chuck Taylor MVP

Bill Reigel
(McNeese State (La.))

NAIA Men's Division I Tournaments
← 1955	1957 →

The 1956 NAIA Men's Division I 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 year for unseeded teams going into the tournament. The championship game featured McNeese State University (La.) 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 to 55. The third place game featured Pittsburg State University (Ks.) Gorillas who defeated the Wheaton College (Ill.) Thunder 77 to 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:

Leading scorer est. 1963
Leading rebounder est. 1963
Charles Stevenson Hustle Award est. 1958
Player of the Year est. 1994
Most tournament appearances: Georgetown (Ky.), 3rd of 28, appearances to the NAIA Tournament
Top single-game performances: Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma vs State Georgia Southern. Spivey scored 17 field goals 9 free throws, totaling 43 points.
Most free throws made; career: 120 free throws made by Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma State (1954,55,56,57).
All-time leading scorers; first appearance: Dick Barnett, 3rd, Tennessee State (1956,57,58,59) 18 games, 186 field goals, 79 free throws, 451 total points 25.1 average per game, Charles Curtis, 8th, Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) (1956,57,58,59) 14 games 101 field goals, 85 free throws, 287 total points, 20.5 average per game, Roger Iverson, 20th, Pacific Lutheran (1956,57,58,59) 14 games, 109 field goals, 23 free throws, 241 total points, 17.2 average per game, and John Barnhill, 21st, Tennessee State (1956,57,58,59) 17 games, 104 field goals, 27 free throws, 235 total points, 13.8 average per game.
All-time leading scorer; second appearance: Bennie Swain, 6th Texas Southern (1955,56,57,58) 15 games, 119 field goals, 64 free throws, 302 total points, 20.1 average per game.
All-time leading scorer; third appearance: James Spivey, 4th, Southeastern Oklahoma (1954,55,56,57) 13 games, 133 field goals, 120 free throws, 386 total points, 29.7 average per game.^[2]

1956 NAIA bracket

First Round			Second Round			Elite Eight			NAIA National Semifinals			NAIA National Championship


-	Western Illinois State	114

-	Eastern New Mexico	87
			-	Western Illinois State	72

			-	Pacific Lutheran	67
-	Pacific Lutheran (Wash.)	79

-	South Dakota State	64
						-	Western Illinois State	76
TOP TIER
						-	Pittsburg State	83
-	Georgia Teachers	81

-	Southeastern Oklahoma State	78
			-	Georgia Teachers	72

			-	Pittsburg State	99
-	Pittsburg State (Kan.)	77

-	Elon (N.C.)	55
									-	Pittsburg State	72

									-	McNeese State	78
-	Eau Claire State (Wis.)	84

-	Portland State (Ore.)	76
			-	Eau Claire State	61

			-	Tennessee A&I State	62
-	Tennessee A&I State	86

-	Indiana Central	63
						-	Tennessee A&I State	68
TOP TIER
						-	McNeese State	76
-	Central State (Ohio)	67

-	Montana State	66
			-	Central State (Ohio)	74

			-	McNeese State	87
-	McNeese State (La.)	88

-	Georgetown (Ky.)	65
												-	McNeese State	60

												-	Texas Southern	55
-	Wheaton (Ill.)	80

-	Kalamazoo (Mich.)	60
			-	Wheaton	74

			-	Stephen F. Austin	66
-	Stephen F. Austin (Texas)	72

	Coe (Iowa)	64
						-	Wheaton	90
BOTTOM TIER
						-	Gustavus Adolphus	73
-	Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.)	80

-	East Tennessee State	60
			-	Gustavus Adolphus	69

			-	San Diego State	60
-	San Diego State	77

-	Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.)	64
									-	Wheaton	73

									-	Texas Southern	82
-	Texas Southern	108

-	Hastings (Neb.)	81
			-	Texas Southern	64

			-	Rockhust	61
-	Rockhurst (Mo.)	81

-	Rider (N.J.)	59
						-	Texas Southern	85
BOTTOM TIER
						-	Midwestern	82
-	Midwestern (Texas)	87

-	American International (Mass.)	70
			-	Midwestern	93

			-	Geneva	75
-	Geneva (Pa.)	74

-	Arkansas Tech	69

3rd place game

The third place game featured the losing teams from the national semifinalist to determine 3rd and 4th places in the tournament. This game was played until 1988.

NAIA Third Place Game


-	Pittsburg State	77

-	Wheaton	70

References

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Championships

NAIA Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Players

1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

The 1944 NAIA Tournament was not held due to World War II.

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