The 1956 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's seventh season in the National Football League (NFL) (eleventh in team history).
San Francisco brought in a new head coach for the second straight season, replacing Red Strader with former 49ers quarterback Frankie Albert, who played with the team from their AAFC days in 1946 until 1952.
The Niners got off to a rough start, winning just one of their first seven games, before going unbeaten down the stretch. The team finished the year with a 5–6–1 record, good for 3rd place in the Western Conference.
Offensively, Y. A. Tittle threw for a team-high 1,641 yards and 7 touchdowns, and had 56.9% of his passes completed. Hugh McElhenny rushed for a team-best 916 yards and 8 touchdowns, while Billy Wilson caught a club-high 60 receptions for 889 yards, along with 5 touchdowns. Bob St. Clair blocked 10 field goal attempts.Jack Cavanaugh (2008). Giants Among Men, p.46. Random House,
Offseason 1956 NFL draft
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue 1 August 19 Cleveland Browns W 28–17 1–0 Kezar Stadium 2 August 26 Washington Redskins W 20–0 2–0 Kezar Stadium 3 September 2 Chicago Cardinals W 14–13 3–0 Kezar Stadium 4 September 9 vs. New York Giants L 14–21 3–1 Multnomah Stadium 5 September 14 at Los Angeles Rams L 24–33 3–2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 6 September 23 vs. Philadelphia Eagles L 14–21 3–3 Charles C. Hughes Stadium
Regular season Schedule Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 September 30 New York Giants L 21–38 0–1 Kezar Stadium 41,751 Recap 2 October 7 Los Angeles Rams W 33–30 1–1 Kezar Stadium 56,489 Recap 3 October 14 Chicago Bears L 7–31 1–2 Wrigley Field 47,526 Recap 4 October 21 Detroit Lions L 17–20 1–3 Briggs Stadium 55,662 Recap 5 October 28 Chicago Bears L 21–38 1–4 Kezar Stadium 52,612 Recap 6 November 4 Detroit Lions L 13–17 1–5 Kezar Stadium 46,708 Recap 7 November 11 Los Angeles Rams L 6–30 1–6 L.A. Memorial Coliseum 69,828 Recap 8 November 18 Green Bay Packers W 17–16 2–6 City Stadium 17,986 Recap 9 November 25 Philadelphia Eagles T 10–10 2–6–1 Connie Mack Stadium 19,326 Recap 10 December 2 Baltimore Colts W 20–17 3–6–1 Memorial Stadium 37,227 Recap 11 Green Bay Packers W 38–20 4–6–1 Kezar Stadium 32,433 Recap 12 December 16 Baltimore Colts W 30–17 5–6–1 Kezar Stadium 43,791 Recap Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.
Standings
Personnel Staff / Coaches
Roster 1956 San Francisco 49ers roster Quarterbacks P
Running backs
Receivers
K Offensive linemen G T T/G C G T G/DT
Defensive linemen DE/G/T DT DE DE/WR DE/MLB DT Linebackers MLB/C OLB OLB
Defensive backs S/CB CB S S CB S/RB CB Reserve lists RB (IR) WR (IR) C (IR)
rookies in italics
References