1956 Sugar Bowl
| 1956 Sugar Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| 22nd Sugar Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, hosted the Sugar Bowl. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 2, 1956 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1955 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Tulane Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | John Coles (EAIFO); split crew: EAIFO, SEC) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 76,535–80,175 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 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. Georgia Tech president Blake R. Van Leer resisted the governor’s pressure, insisting the Institute honor its commitment to the game. Ultimately, Bobby Grier played, making it the first integrated Sugar Bowl as well as becoming the first integrated bowl game in the Deep South.