University of Minnesota Athletics
Anniversary of 1956 National Title Recognized
5/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | M Club
May 10, 2016
Gopher Athletics welcomed members of the 1956 national championship baseball team back to campus last Saturday for a special recognition ceremony during Minnesota's afternoon home game against Indiana. The event honored the 60th anniversary of the team's title run.
Standing in a stadium that bears the name of their legendary coach, Dick Siebert, six members of the '56 squad were welcomed to the field between the third and fourth innings of Saturday's contest. Amid the applause from the Gopher faithful, all six men were given new Gopher baseball caps and plaques recognizing the anniversary of their achievement.
Throughout the day, the team's national championship trophy was on display at Siebert Field. Prior to the game, the honorees enjoyed a social with family, friends and fans, followed by watching teammate Jerry Thomas throw out the game's first pitch. Thomas was the MVP of the 1956 College World Series.
Siebert's 1956 team won the first of three national titles for Gopher baseball. The team won the Big Ten title that spring before advancing to the Mideast Regional, where it dropped its first game against Notre Dame before rallying to defeat the Irish by a combined score of 25-6 in a doubleheader the following day and then sweeping Ohio University in two games to advance to the College World Series. Once in Omaha, the Gophers won four games before stumbling against Arizona. As it had earlier against Notre Dame, Minnesota rallied the next day to defeat the Wildcats and capture the national crown. Three members of that team were named First Team All-Big Ten that season: Thomas, Jerry Kindall and Jack McCartan. Kindall and Thomas were also All-Americans that year.
The current-day Gophers, who are chasing their own Big Ten title, gave the '56 team a fitting tribute by winning on Saturday, knocking off the Hoosiers, 8-6.
