Bobby Layne

Infobox NFLretired


caption=
position=Quarterback
number=22
birthdate=birth date|1926|12|19
Santa Anna, Texas
deathdate=death date and age|1986|12|1|1926|12|19
Lubbock, Texas
debutyear=1948
finalyear=1962
draftyear=1948
draftround=1
draftpick=3
college=Texas
teams=
* Chicago Bears (1948)
* New York Bulldogs (1949)
* Detroit Lions (1950-1958)
* Pittsburgh Steelers (1958-1962)
stat1label=TD-INT
stat1value=196-243
stat2label=Yards
stat2value=26,768
stat3label=QB Rating
stat3value=63.4
nfl=LAY553720
highlights=
* 5x Pro Bowl selection
(1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1959)
* NFL 1950s All-Decade Team
HOF=126
CollegeHOF=40102

Robert Lawrence Layne (December 19 1926 – December 1 1986), was born in Santa Anna, Texas, USA. He attended Highland Park High School in Dallas and played American football on the same team with Doak Walker. He attended the University of Texas at Austin where he was a star baseball pitcher as well as football quarterback. He married a Texas co-ed, Carol Ann Krueger. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1968. The University of Texas Athletic Department has announced plans to retire his college number 22 during the 2008 football season [http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/longhorns/entries/2008/07/18/jerseys_for_you.html Source]

College career

Easily one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play for Texas, Layne was selected to four straight All-Southwest Conference teams from 1944-1947. He was one of the first inductees into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame. In the 1946 Cotton Bowl, where Texas beat Missouri 40-27, Layne accounted for every point, scoring four touchdowns, kicking four extra points and throwing for two other scores. In 1946, Bobby Layne finished 8th in Heisman Trophy balloting to Glenn Davis of Army and in 1947 he finished 6th to John Lujack of Notre Dame, and was voted the Outstanding Back in the 1948 Sugar Bowl victory over #6 Alabama. Layne finished his Texas career with a school record 3,145 passing yards on 210 completions and 400 attempts. Layne also had success in baseball as a pitcher for Texas as well. In his career as a pitcher he threw two no hitters.

NFL career

Drafted into the National Football League by the Chicago Bears, Layne was the 3rd overall selection in the 1948 NFL Draft and was the 2nd overall selection in the 1948 AAFC Draft by the Baltimore Colts. Layne was offered $77,000 to play for the Colts, but George Halas "sweet talked" him into signing with the Bears. He promised a slow rise to fame in the "big leagues" with a no-trade understanding. After one season Halas traded him to the inept Bulldogs to cover his salary. Layne compared one season with the soon-defunct Bulldogs as worth five seasons in the NFL. In 1950 Layne was traded to the Detroit Lions from the New York Bulldogs for defensive end Bob Mann. In 2002 former Green Bay Packers general manager Ron Wolf reflected on this trade as one of the best in NFL history. Wolf continued, saying that "Layne was a Hall of Fame player who turned the Lions’ franchise around.". From 1950-1955, Layne was re-united with his great friend and high school teammate Doak Walker, while helping lead the Lions to three League championships and being voted All-Pro twice. During his career, he played for the Chicago Bears (1948), New York Bulldogs (1949), Detroit Lions (1950-1958) and the Pittsburgh Steelers 1958-1962. After retiring from 15 seasons in the NFL, Layne held the career records for both passes attempted and completed, as well as yards gained passing and passing touchdowns.

After football

Immediately following his retirement, Layne served as the Quarterbacks Coach for the Steelers until the 1965 season.

After retirement, Layne stated the biggest disappointment in his football career was having never won a championship for the Pittsburgh Steelers and especially, Art Rooney.

Bobby Layne was known more for his leadership and determination than for pure athletic ability. According to Doak Walker, "Layne never lost a game...time just ran out on him." Layne was voted into the Texas Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1963 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967. In a special issue in 1995, "Sports Illustrated" called him "The Toughest Quarterback Who Ever Lived." In 1999, he was ranked number 52 on The Sporting News list of Football's 100 Greatest Players. Layne may not have been among the greatest quarterback in stats, but he was one of the greatest quarterbacks in leadership and bravery. He used to play without a facemask and usually drove himself to the edge of physical endurance. [cite web |url=http://archive.sportingnews.com/nfl/100/52.html|title=Sporting News' Football's 100 Greatest Players]

Layne was also famous for his late-night bar-hopping, and his heavy drinking may have led to his death shortly before his 60th birthday. Layne is reported to have stated: "If I'd known I was gonna live this long, I'd have taken a lot better care of myself." That line was later used by baseball legend Mickey Mantle, a Dallas neighbor and friend of Layne's, who also died in part due to alcohol abuse. Layne also suffered from cancer during his last years, but it was not the major factor in his death.

The Curse of Bobby Layne

In 1958, the Lions traded Layne to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Layne responded to the trade by saying that the Lions would "not win for 50 years." Now in 2008, it has been 50 years since the trade, and indeed the Lions have not won a championship in that time. In fact, they've only made the playoffs nine times in the last 50 seasons, and only have one post-season win (38-6 over the Cowboys in 1991), and only three division titles (1983, 1991, and 1993). In addition, they've been plagued by poor draft choices and questionable management.

References

External links

* [http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=126 Pro Football Hall of Fame: Bobby Layne]
* [http://www.detroitlions.com/history/index.cfm?cont_id=23904 Detroit Lions: Bobby Layne]
* [http://www.tshof.org/inductees/index.html?staff_id=174 Texas Sports Hall of Fame] - Bobby Layne Bio
* [http://texassports.com/genrel/layne_robertlawrence00.html Texas Longhorns Men's Hall of Honor] - Bobby Layne Inductee Profile
* [http://www.footballcardgallery.com/player/Bobby+Layne Bobby Layne football card gallery]
* [http://archive.sportingnews.com/nfl/100/52.html/ Sporting News Football's 100 Greatest Players] - Bobby Layne Profile