The 1956 football team finished as the co-champion of the Midwest Conference. The team had a 6-2 record and rose to the top of the league standings just one year after placing sixth in the conference, ending a string of four losing seasons between 1952 and 1955.
Coached by Al Partin, the team soared above predictions of a last place finish in the conference and overcame the challenges associated with a roster that was small compared to other teams in the league. The squad won all four of its home games by combined scores of 86-14, including a 33-7 victory against Monmouth for the Bronze Turkey and a 27-7 Homecoming win over Coe.
Knox had six All-Midwest Conference selections in 1956, including fullback and linebacker Mondo Lopez ’58. Mondo, a first-team all-conference pick and an honorable mention All-American, was inducted into the Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.
“There were only about 25 players on the team and their talents, skills, and experiences were a great mix from the lowest level to higher levels,” Mondo said. “Because of academic requirements, illness, and injuries, often there weren’t enough players to hold meaningful practice sessions. Many (of the players) played offense and defense, unlike the current practice of being a specialist in a particular position. Because many on the ’56 team played defense and offense and had no chance to rest, they were totally physically and mentally exhausted at the end of each game.”
Despite the need for several players to compete on both offense and defense, the two units were exceptional. The Knox defense recorded two shutouts and held three other opponents to seven points while the offense averaged 240 rushing yards per game and a season total of 1,920 yards on the ground that stood as the most in the program’s history for many years.
Individually, Mondo’s career average of 6.17 rushing yards per carry remains a school record and he’s #1 all-time with the fewest carries to 1,000 rushing yards, 161, which he achieved during the 1955 and 1956 seasons. Mondo ranks #2 in the history of the football program for the most yards per carry in a season with an average of 6.62 in 1956. Defensively, Junior Brown shares the school record for interceptions in a game with three – which he had against Lawrence. Art Carlson is tied for second all-time for interceptions in a season with seven in 1956.
The other players on the ‘56 team named All-Midwest Conference were Clark Hedgcock (first team), co-captain George Olson (second team), Dave Maller (second team), co-captain Frank Stanicek (honorable mention), and Trevor Winebright (honorable mention).
“The team members were a mix, not only physically but also in terms of backgrounds,” Mondo explained. “Up to that date in Knox history, the team was probably the most diverse of any Knox football team. This diversity brought strength and unity to the team; it brought us all together in a spirit that is only reflected in champions. We had an objective of giving Knox a winning team to break its pattern of consecutive losing seasons. As history recorded, the Knox 1956 football team performed as champions.”
