Elmer Francis Layden (May 4, 1903 – June 30, 1973) served as Commissioner of the National Football League and as head football coach at Notre Dame. May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Davenport is a city located in the U.S. state of Iowa. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time. ... The head coach in sports coaching is the coach who is in charge of the other coaches. ... Commissioner is a designation that may be used for a variety of official positions, especially referring to a high-ranking public (administrative or police) official, or an analogous official in the private sector (e. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... This is a list of athletic conferences of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). ... The University of Notre Dame IPA: is a Roman Catholic institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana, immediately northeast of South Bend, Indiana, United States. ... Brooklyn Horsemen was a team that competed in the American Football League during the 1926 season. ... Rock Island Independents, based in Rock Island, Illinois, played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925 and in American Football League 1926 Categories: Stub | Defunct American football teams | Illinois sports ... Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... Head Coach Charlie Weis 2nd Year, 19-6 Home Stadium Notre Dame Stadium Capacity 80,795 - Grass Conference Independent First Year 1887 Athletic Director Dr. Kevin White Website UND.com Team Records All-time Record 821-269-42 (.744) Postseason Bowl Record 13-15 Awards Wire National Titles 8 Heisman... For other uses of National Football League, see National Football League (disambiguation). ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... For other uses of National Football League, see National Football League (disambiguation). ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of an athletic team or of individual athletes. ... The University of Notre Dame IPA: is a Roman Catholic institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana, immediately northeast of South Bend, Indiana, United States. ...

College

Layden was born in Davenport, Iowa. At Notre Dame, he played fullback alongside quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, left halfback Jim Crowley, and right halfback Don Miller; the four collectively earned the nickname of "The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame" from legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice, and are still considered one of the best backfields in college football history. Named an All-American during his senior year, Layden culminated his collegiate career in the 1925 Rose Bowl against Stanford, returning two interceptions for touchdowns in Notre Dame's 27-10 victory. Davenport is a city in the American state of Iowa that borders the Mississippi River. ... Navy quarterback Aaron Polanco sets up to throw. ... Harry Augustus Stuhldreher (October 14, 1901—January 26, 1965) was a three-time All-America quarterback and member of the legendary Four Horsemen of Notre Dame football backfield of the 1920s. ... James H. Jim Crowley, American Football player and coach born on September 10, 1902, in Chicago, Illinois, who gained fame as one-fourth of the University of Notre Dames legendary Four Horsemen backfield [1]. // College playing career Raised in Wisconsin, Crowley played high school football at East Green Bay... // A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or things real name (for example, Bob, Rob, Robby, Robbie, Robi, Robin, Bobby, Rab, Rabbie, Bert, Bertie, Butch, Bobbers, Bobert, Beto, Bobadito, and Robban (in Sweden), are all nicknames for Robert). ... The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame comprised a winning group of football players at the University of Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. ... Grantland Rice (November 1, 1880–July 13, 1954) was an early 20th century American sportswriter. ... A college football game between Colorado State University and the Air Force Academy. ...

Coaching career

After his playing days, Layden served as head football coach at Columbia College (Dubuque, Iowa) in 1925-26, where he compiled an 8-5-2 record. From 1927 to 1933 he was head coach at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, going 48-16-6 and winning the 1933 season's Festival of Palms Bowl on New Year's Day, 1934. Also in 1934, he became head coach and athletic director at Notre Dame, a few years after his legendary mentor Knute Rockne was killed in a plane crash. Layden would lead the Irish for seven years and post an overall 47-13-3 docket. His 1935 squad posted one of the greatest wins in school history by rallying to defeat Ohio State, 18-13 while his 1938 team finished 8-1, losing only to USC in the season finale which cost them a possible national championship. Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... 1927 Time cover featuring Rockne Knute (pronounced kah-noot) (noot is the anglicized nickname) Kenneth Rockne (March 4, 1888–March 31, 1931) was an American football player and is regarded by many as the most famous college football coach in history. ... An Air France Boeing 777, a modern passenger jet. ...

Like Rockne before him, Layden was a goodwill ambassador for Notre Dame. He was able to schedule a home-and-home series with Michigan after meeting with Fritz Crisler, healing a rift between the two schools. The two teams had not met since 1909, when after eight straight losses to the Wolverines, the Irish posted their first win. They were scheduled to meet again in 1910, but Michigan canceled the game while the Notre Dame team was en route to Ann Arbor and refused to play the Irish again. By the time they met again in 1942-43, Layden had left Notre Dame and Frank Leahy had taken his place. Unlike the easygoing Layden, Leahy was intense, and after the Irish had thrashed Michigan, 35-12 in 1943, Crisler never scheduled the Irish again. Frank Leahy Francis William Leahy (1907–1973) was an American collegiate football coach, who earned the nickname The Master. He was born in ONeill, Nebraska. ...

Commissioner

Layden left Notre Dame in February of 1941 to become Commissioner of the NFL, a post that had been renamed upon him taking the job. (Prior heads of the league had been referred to as "presidents".) In five years as Commissioner, Layden saw the NFL through the World War II years, in which teams had to use many men of inferior abilities as replacements while most of the regulars were fighting in the war, as did Major League Baseball. During this period a few teams temporarily merged due to lack of manpower, most notably the Pittsburgh Steelers with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cleveland Rams ceased operations for a year, while the Brooklyn Dodgers were forced to fold. Shortly after the war ended, Layden resigned as NFL commissioner and was succeeded by Bert Bell. For other uses of National Football League, see National Football League (disambiguation). ... Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States (1861-1865) The majority of this article is about heads of states. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000,000 Total dead: 50,000,000 Military dead: 8,000,000 Civilian dead: 4,000,000 Total dead 12,000,000 World War II (abbreviated WWII), or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... City Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Team colors Black and Gold Head Coach Mike Tomlin Owner Dan Rooney General manager Kevin Colbert League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1933–present) Eastern Division (1933–1943; 1945–1949) Western Division (1944) American Conference (1950–1952) Eastern Conference (1953–1969) Century Division (1967–1969) American Football... City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Team colors Midnight Green, Black, White, and Silver Head Coach Andy Reid Owner Jeffrey Lurie General manager Tom Heckert Fight song Fly, Eagles Fly Mascot Swoop League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1933–present) Eastern Division (1933-1949) American Conference (1950-1952) Eastern Conference (1953-1969) Capitol... City St. ... The Brooklyn Dodgers was an American football team that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943, and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers. ...

Retirement

After stepping down as NFL Commissioner in 1946, Layden had a successful business career in Chicago until his death at the age of 70. He was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1951 as a charter member. Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Wall Street, Manhattan is the location of the New York Stock Exchange and is often used as a symbol for the world of business. ...

Personal life

Layden was married to the former Edith Davis on October 25, 1926.

External links

• Elmer Layden Profile at Rosebowl Legends