The 1956 Linfield football team posted a winning record, going 6-1-2 with a team full of players who had come up together and developed into a strong core group of players. They had no way of knowing at the time that, through at least 2023, Linfield would post more wins than losses in every successive season, setting a streak of winning seasons unseen at any level in the history of college football.

The interviews in this collection are with people involved in the 1956 team, looking back at starting “The Streak” and watching the success of Linfield football grow from there. Memories of tough games, harrowing travel, and wild celebrations are recounted, as are other recollections of campus life. For these alumni, the pride of having been part of the beginning of Linfield’s consistent football success is matched by the pride of watching the program become a national power and win multiple national championships.

As The Streak was heading into its 65th year, the Linfield Archives, Alumni Relations, and Journalism & Mass Communication team gathered these stories to preserve the stories of the beginning of an unprecedented run of football success.