# 1956 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

The 1956 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were organized by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and served as the national championships in outdoor track and field for the United States.
The men's edition was held at Memorial Stadium in Bakersfield, California, and it took place 22–23 June. The women's meet was held separately at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 17-18 August while the pentathlon was held on 27 October in Pasadena, California.
Both the men's and women's championships were held one week before their corresponding 1956 United States Olympic trials. At the men's meet, two world records were equaled (Bobby Morrow in the 100 m heats and Thane Baker in the 200 m on a curve) and one was set outright, by Jack Davis in the 110 m hurdles. In the women's competitions, four American records were broken despite the meets taking place so far before the 1956 Olympics.

## Results
### Men

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 m | Bobby Morrow | 10.3 | Leamon King | 10.45 | Thane Baker | 10.52 |
| 200 m | Thane Baker | 20.6 | Andrew Stanfield | 20.63 | Theodius Bush | 20.93 |
| 400 m | Thomas Courtney | 45.8 m | Charles Jenkins Sr. | 46.5 | Reggie Pearman | 46.7 |
| 800 m | Arnold Sowell | 1:47.6 | Eugene Maynard | 1:48.14 | Malvin Whitfield | 1:48.18 |
| 1500 m | Jerome Walters | 3:48.4 | Fred Dwyer | 3:48.8 | Joe Villareal | 3:49.2 |
| 5000 m | Richard Hart | 14:47.4 | Mal Robertson | 14:53.4 | Gordon McKenzie | 14:58.4 |
| 10000 m | Max Truex | 30:52.0 | Richard Hart | 31:06.3 | Gordon McKenzie | 31:06.8 |
| Marathon | John J. Kelley | 2:24:52.2 | Dean Thackwray | 2:31:14.0 | Nick Costes | 2:31:52.0 |
| 110 m hurdles | Lee Calhoun | 13.6 | Joel Shankle | 13.80 | Jack Davis | 13.84 |
| 200 m hurdles | Charles Pratt | 22.8 | | | | |
| 400 m hurdles | Glenn Davis | 50.9 | Edward Southern | 51.5 | Willie Atterberry | 51.6 |
| 3000 m steeplechase | Horace Ashenfelter | 9:04.1 | William Ashenfelter | 9:11.7 | Philip Coleman | 9:12.7 |
| 3000 m walk | Henry Laskau | 13:39.0 | | | | |
| High jump | Charles Dumas | 2.08 m | Bernard Allard | 2.04 m | none awarded | none awarded |
| High jump | Charles Dumas | 2.08 m | Donald Stewart | 2.04 m | none awarded | none awarded |
| High jump | Charles Dumas | 2.08 m | Ernest Shelton | 2.04 m | none awarded | none awarded |
| High jump | Charles Dumas | 2.08 m | Vernon Wilson | 2.04 m | none awarded | none awarded |
| Pole vault | Bob Richards | 4.57 m | Donald Bragg | 4.43 m | none awarded | none awarded |
| Pole vault | Bob Richards | 4.57 m | Fred Barnes | 4.43 m | none awarded | none awarded |
| Long jump | Ernest Shelby | 7.95 m | George Brown | 7.75 m | Gregory Bell | 7.71 m |
| Long jump | Ernest Shelby | 7.95 m | George Brown | 7.75 m | Malachi Andrews | 7.71 m |
| Triple jump | Willie Hollie | 15.09 m | Elles West (RSA) | 15.02 m | none awarded | none awarded |
| Triple jump | Willie Hollie | 15.09 m | Jack Smyth (CAN) | 15.02 m | none awarded | none awarded |
| Shot put | Kenneth Bantum | 18.02 m | Parry O'Brien | 17.97 m | Stan Lampert | 17.41 m |
| Discus throw | Ron Drummond | 54.94 m | Fortune Gordien | 54.40 m | Desmond Koch | 53.06 m |
| Hammer throw | Hal Connolly | 62.75 m | Albert Hall | 62.32 m | John Morefield | 59.84 m |
| Javelin throw | Cyrus Young | 75.58 m | Leo Long | 72.02 m | Benny Garcia | 70.80 m |
| Weight throw for distance | Bob Backus | 43 ft 0 in (13.1 m) | | | | |
| Pentathlon | Howard Smith | 3034 pts | | | | |
| All-around decathlon | Charles Stevenson | 7612 pts | | | | |
| Decathlon | Rafer Johnson | 7755 pts | Milt Campbell | 7559 pts | Bob Richards | 7054 pts |

### Women

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 50 m | Isabell Daniels | 6.4 | Barbara Jones | | Lucinda Williams | |
| 100 m | Mae Faggs | 11.7 | Isabell Daniels | | Charlotte Gooden (PAN) | |
| 200 m | Mae Faggs | 24.6 | Wilma Rudolph | | Elaine Ellis | |
| 80 m hurdles | Bertha Diaz (CUB) | 11.2 | Shirley Eckel | | Constance Darnowski | |
| High jump | Mildred McDaniel | 1.62 m | Ann Flynn | | none awarded | none awarded |
| High jump | Mildred McDaniel | 1.62 m | Verneda Thomas | | none awarded | none awarded |
| Long jump | Margaret Matthews | 5.89 m | Willye White | | Phyllis Logan | |
| Shot put | Earlene Brown | 13.71 m | Jackie MacDonald (CAN) | | Lois Ann Testa | |
| Discus throw | Pamela Kurrell | 42.95 m | Jackie MacDonald (CAN) | | Earlene Brown | |
| Javelin throw | Karen Anderson | 48.49 m | Amelia Wershoven | | Marjorie Larney | |
| Baseball throw | Pamela Kurrell | 269 ft 51⁄2 in (82.13 m) | | | | |
| Women's pentathlon | Barbara Mueller | 4154 pts | Stanislawa Walasiewicz (POL) | 3565 pts | Irene Robertson | 3507 pts |