| 1956 Sugar Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | January 2, 1956 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1955 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Tulane Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | John Coles (EAIFO); split crew: EAIFO, SEC) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 76,535[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Ray Scott, Bill Stern | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 1956 Sugar Bowl featured the 7th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the 11th ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. The game was played on January 2, since New Year's Day was a Sunday. Much controversy preceded the 1956 Sugar Bowl. Segregationists and Georgia governor Marvin Griffin used all his political power in an attempt to keep Pitt fullback/linebacker Bobby Grier from playing because he was black. But ultimately, Bobby Grier played making this the first integrated Sugar Bowl and is the first integrated bowl game in the Deep South.[2]
- ^ "22nd Annual Sugar Bowl January 2, 1956". Allstate Sugar Bowl. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ Thamel, Pete (January 1, 2006). "Grier Integrated a Game and Earned the World's Respect". New York Times. Retrieved April 15, 2009.