1955–56 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team

1955–56 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball
1955–56 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Runner-up; Big Ten Champions
National Championship Game, ; L 71-83 vs. San Francisco
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 4
AP	No. 4
Record	20–6 (13–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Bucky O'Connor;
MVP	Carl Cain
Home arena	Iowa Field House
	Seasons ← 1954–55 1956–57 →

1955–56 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 4 Iowa	13	–	1	.929	20	–	6	.769
No. 10 Illinois	11	–	3	.786	18	–	4	.818
Ohio State	9	–	5	.643	16	–	6	.727
Purdue	9	–	5	.643	16	–	6	.727
Michigan State	7	–	7	.500	13	–	9	.591
Indiana	6	–	8	.429	13	–	9	.591
Minnesota	6	–	8	.429	11	–	11	.500
Michigan	4	–	10	.286	9	–	13	.409
Wisconsin	4	–	10	.286	6	–	16	.273
Northwestern	1	–	13	.071	2	–	20	.091

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1955–56 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represented the University of Iowa in intercollegiate basketball during the 1955–56 season. After opening the season 3–5, the team won 17 consecutive games to finish with a 20–6 record (13–1 in Big Ten), and won their second straight Big Ten title. The Hawkeyes also made their second consecutive trip to the Final Four, defeating Temple before falling to the unbeaten, back-to-back National champion San Francisco Dons in the title game.

Roster

The group of seniors on this team – Sharm Scheuerman, Bill Logan, Carl Cain, Bill Seaberg and Bill Schoof – are known to Hawkeye fans as the "Fabulous Five."^[1]

1955–56 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
F	21	Carl Cain	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	—	Sr	Freeport High School	Freeport, IL
G	22	Bill Seaberg	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	—	Sr	–	Moline, IL
G	24	Augie Martel	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	—	Jr	–	–
C	31	Bill Logan	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	—	Sr	Keokuk High School	Keokuk, IA
F	33	Bill Schoof	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	—	Sr	–	Homewood, IL
F/C	35	Bob George	—	—	Sr	–	–
F	42	Tom Payne	—	—	So	–	–
G	46	Sharm Scheuerman	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	—	Sr	Rock Island High School	Moline, IL

Head coach

Bucky O'Connor

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Schedule/results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
12/4/1955*	No. 4	Nebraska	W 60–51^[2]	1–0	16 – Logan	–	–	Iowa Field House Iowa City, IA
12/9/1955*	No. 4	SMU	W 80–62^[3]	2–0	17 – Seaberg	–	–	Iowa Field House Iowa City, IA
12/12/1955*	No. 4	at Colorado	L 57–60^[4]	2–1	18 – Seaberg	–	–	Balch Fieldhouse Boulder, CO
12/17/1955* 8:00 pm	No. 4	Loyola (Los Angeles)	W 84–61^[5]	3–1	17 – Logan	–	–	Iowa Field House Iowa City, IA
12/27/1955*	No. 6	at Washington	L 71–76^[6]	3–2	–	–	–	Hec Edmundson Pavilion Seattle, WA
12/29/1955*	No. 6	at Stanford	L 52–54^[7]	3–3	–	–	–	Old Pavilion Palo Alto, CA
12/30/1955*	No. 6	at California	L 45–70^[8]	3–4	–	–	–	Harmon Gym Berkeley, CA
1/7/1956		No. 20 Michigan State	L 64–65	3–5 (0–1)	–	–	–	Iowa Field House Iowa City, IA
1/9/1956		No. 10 Ohio State	W 88–73	4–5 (1–1)	–	–	–	Ohio Expo Center Coliseum Columbus, OH
1/14/1956		Minnesota	W 84–62^[9]	5–5 (2–1)	–	–	–	Iowa Field House Iowa City, IA
1/21/1956	No. 20	Michigan	W 78–67	6–5 (3–1)	–	–	–	Yost Field House Ann Arbor, MI
1/23/1956	No. 20	Purdue	W 67–63^[10]	7–5 (4–1)	–	–	–	Lambert Fieldhouse West Lafayette, IN
2/4/1956*	No. 19	Wichita	W 98–86	8–5	–	–	–	Iowa Field House Iowa City, IA
2/6/1956	No. 19	Wisconsin	W 78–74^[11]	9–5 (5–1)	–	–	–	Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI
2/11/1956	No. 17	at Northwestern	W 70–65	10–5 (6–1)	–	–	–	McGaw Hall Evanston, IL
2/13/1956	No. 17	Purdue	W 88–75^[12]	11–5 (7–1)	–	–	–	Iowa Field House Iowa City, IA
2/18/1956 7:30 pm	No. 15	Wisconsin	W 80–66	12–5 (8–1)	–	–	–	Iowa Field House Iowa City, IA
2/20/1956	No. 15	at Indiana	W 87–83^[13]	13–5 (9–1)	–	–	–	The Fieldhouse Bloomington, IN
2/25/1956	No. 13	at Minnesota	W 83–73	14–5 (10–1)	–	–	–	Williams Arena Minneapolis, MN
2/27/1956	No. 13	Northwestern	W 86–68^[14]	15–5 (11–1)	21 – Logan	–	–	Iowa Field House Iowa City, IA
3/3/1956	No. 10	No. 2 Illinois	W 96–72	16–5 (12–1)	–	–	–	Iowa Field House Iowa City, IA
3/5/1956	No. 10	Indiana	W 84–73^[15]	17–5 (13–1)	21 – Seaberg	–	–	Iowa Field House (14,900) Iowa City, IA
NCAA tournament
3/16/1956*	No. 4	vs. Morehead State Midwest Regional semifinal	W 97–83^[16]	18–5	28 – Cain	14 – Cain	–	Iowa Field House Iowa City, IA
3/17/1956*	No. 4	vs. No. 9 Kentucky Midwest Regional Final	W 89–77^[17]	19–5	34 – Cain	13 – Logan	–	Iowa Field House Iowa City, IA
3/22/1956*	No. 4	vs. No. 15 Temple National semifinal	W 83–76	20–5	36 – Logan	18 – Schoof	–	McGaw Hall Evanston, IL
3/23/1956*	No. 4	vs. No. 1 San Francisco National Championship	L 71–83^[18]	20–6	17 – Tied	15 – Logan	–	McGaw Hall Evanston, IL
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest.

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	Not released	5	4	10	6	—	—	20	13	19	17	15	13	10	5	4
Coaches	5	5	4	6	5	16	—	—	13	12	16	13	12	9	4	Not released

^[19]^[20]

Awards and honors

Carl Cain – Honorable Mention AP All-American
Bill Logan – Honorable Mention AP All-American

References

^ "Iowa basketball: A look back at the Fabulous Five". Hawk Central. August 31, 2010. Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Hawks Need To Play Much Better: O'Connor" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. December 6, 1955. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Hawks Dump SMU, 80-62" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. December 10, 1955. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Colorado Edges Iowa in Closing Seconds" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. December 13, 1955. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Hawks Point for West Coast Trip" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. December 20, 1955. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Hawks Drop 76-71 Tilt". Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune. December 28, 1955. p. 5. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Stanford Hands Hawkeyes Third Defeat, 54-52". Ames Tribune. December 30, 1955. p. 10. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Iowa Absorbs 70-45 Beating by California". Chicago Tribune. December 31, 1955. p. 3. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "New Record Set in Iowa Victory" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. January 17, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Down 9 Points, Iowa Storms Back To Win" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. January 21, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Logan Leads Iowa In Thriller, 78-74" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. February 7, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Iowa Defeats Purdue, 88-75, for 7th Win" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. February 14, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Hawks Win Thriller In Last-Minute Effort" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. February 21, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Hawks Down Cats, 86-68, for 12th Straight" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. February 28, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Hawks Take Title, 84-73" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. March 6, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Referees 'Lost Control', Coaches Claim" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. March 17, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "Cain's rampage sends Iowa to the NCAA semifinals". The Des Moines Register. March 18, 1956. Archived from the original on August 24, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ "San Francisco Wins 55th Straight, Second NCAA Championship, 83-71". The Southern Illinoisan. March 25, 1956. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 643–644. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
^ "1955-56 College Basketball Polls". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 20, 2020.

[1] "Iowa basketball: A look back at the Fabulous Five". Hawk Central. August 31, 2010. Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[2] "Hawks Need To Play Much Better: O'Connor" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. December 6, 1955. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[3] "Hawks Dump SMU, 80-62" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. December 10, 1955. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[4] "Colorado Edges Iowa in Closing Seconds" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. December 13, 1955. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[5] "Hawks Point for West Coast Trip" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. December 20, 1955. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[6] "Hawks Drop 76-71 Tilt". Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune. December 28, 1955. p. 5. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[7] "Stanford Hands Hawkeyes Third Defeat, 54-52". Ames Tribune. December 30, 1955. p. 10. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[8] "Iowa Absorbs 70-45 Beating by California". Chicago Tribune. December 31, 1955. p. 3. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[9] "New Record Set in Iowa Victory" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. January 17, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[10] "Down 9 Points, Iowa Storms Back To Win" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. January 21, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[11] "Logan Leads Iowa In Thriller, 78-74" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. February 7, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[12] "Iowa Defeats Purdue, 88-75, for 7th Win" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. February 14, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[13] "Hawks Win Thriller In Last-Minute Effort" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. February 21, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[14] "Hawks Down Cats, 86-68, for 12th Straight" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. February 28, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[15] "Hawks Take Title, 84-73" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. March 6, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[16] "Referees 'Lost Control', Coaches Claim" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. March 17, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[17] "Cain's rampage sends Iowa to the NCAA semifinals". The Des Moines Register. March 18, 1956. Archived from the original on August 24, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[18] "San Francisco Wins 55th Straight, Second NCAA Championship, 83-71". The Southern Illinoisan. March 25, 1956. Retrieved January 15, 2016.

[ESPN-19] *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 643–644. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.

[20] "1955-56 College Basketball Polls". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 20, 2020.

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v t e Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball
Venues	Close Hall (1901–1904) First Iowa Armory (1905–1922) Second Iowa Armory (1922–1926) Iowa Field House (1927–1983) Carver–Hawkeye Arena (1983–present)
Rivalries	Iowa "Big Four" Iowa State (Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series) Illinois
Culture & lore	"Iowa Fight Song" Herky the Hawk Gambling scandal First 5-on-5 college basketball game
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1892–93 1893–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–1901 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearances in italics