The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame comprised a winning group of football players at the University of Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. They were the legendary backfield of Notre Dame's 1924 football team. The players that made up this group were Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley, and Elmer Layden. United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... The University of Notre Dame IPA: is a leading Roman Catholic institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana, immediately northeast of South Bend, Indiana, United States. ... 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. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 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... 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. ...

In 1924, a dramatic nickname coined by a poetic sportswriter and the quick-thinking actions of a clever student publicity aide transformed the Notre Dame backfield of Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller and Layden into the most fabled quartet in college football history, the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame.

Quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, left halfback Jim Crowley, right halfback Don Miller and fullback Elmer Layden had run rampant through Irish opponents' defenses since coach Knute Rockne devised the lineup in 1922 during their sophomore season.

How they were named

But the foursome needed some help from Grantland Rice, a sportswriter for the former New York Herald-Tribune, to achieve football immortality. After Notre Dame's 13-7 upset victory over a strong Army team, on October 18, 1924, Rice penned a famous passage of sports journalism: Grantland Rice (November 1, 1880–July 13, 1954) was an early 20th century American sportswriter. ...

"Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below."

George Strickler, then Rockne's student publicity aide and later sports editor of the Chicago Tribune, made sure the name stuck. After the team arrived back in South Bend, he posed the four players, dressed in their uniforms, on the backs of four horses from a livery stable in town. The wire services picked up the now-famous photo, and the legendary status of the Four Horsemen was insured. The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois. ...

"At the time, I didn't realize the impact it would have," Crowley said later. "But the thing just mushroomed. After the splurge in the press, the sports fans of the nation got interested in us along with other sportswriters. Our record helped, too. If we'd lost a couple. I don't think we would have been remembered."

After that win over Army, Notre Dame's third straight victory of the young season, the Irish were rarely threatened the rest of the year. A 27-10 win over Stanford in the 1925 Rose Bowl gave Rockne and Notre Dame the national championship and a perfect 10-0 record. Stanford redirects here. ...

As it usually is with legends, the Four Horsemen earned their spot in gridiron history. Although none of the four stood taller than six feet and none of the four weighed more than 162 pounds, the Four Horsemen might comprise the greatest backfield ever. As a unit, Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller and Layden played 30 games and only lost to one team, Nebraska, twice. They played at a time when there were no separate offensive and defensive teams. All players had to play both sides. Once a player left the field, he could not come back into the game.

Backgrounds

Stuhldreher, a 5-7, 151-pounder from Massillon, Ohio, was a self-assured leader who not only could throw accurately but also returned punts and proved a solid blocker. He emerged as the starting signal caller four games into his sophomore season in 1922. He was often labeled cocky, feisty and ambitious, but his field generalship was unmatched. Massillon is a city located in Stark County, Ohio. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ...

Crowley, who came to Notre Dame in 1921 from Green Bay, Wisconsin, stood 5-11 and weighed 162 pounds. Known as "Sleepy Jim" for his drowsy-eyed appearance, Crowley outmaneuvered many a defender with his clever, shifty ballcarrying. Green Bay is the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42°30N to 47°3N  - Longitude 86°49W to 92°54W Population  Ranked...

Miller, a native of Defiance, Ohio, followed his three brothers to Notre Dame. At 5-11, 160 pounds, Miller proved to he the team's breakaway threat. According to Rockne, Miller was the greatest open-field runner he ever coached. Defiance is a city located in northwestern Ohio, in Defiance County, about 55 miles southwest of Toledo. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ...

Layden, the fastest of the quartet, became the Irish defensive star with his timely interceptions and also handled the punting chores. The 6-foot, 162-pounder from Davenport, Iowa, boasted 10-second speed in the 100-yard dash. Davenport is a city in the American state of Iowa that borders the Mississippi River. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

All four players eventually were elected to the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame — Layden in 1951, Stuhldreher in 1958, Crowley in 1966 and Miller in 1970.

Recent History

While it's been over 80 years since the quartet played college football, their legend lives on. There may be no more recognizable nickname in all of sports than the one Rice bestowed upon the four players. That was underscored in 1998 when the United States Postal Service honored the Four Horsemen with their own stamp as part of 15 commemorative postage stamps saluting "The Roaring Twenties." The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent establishment of the executive branch of the United States Government (see ) responsible for providing postal service in the United States. ...

After graduation, the lives of the Four Horsemen took similar paths. All began coaching careers, with three of the four occupying top positions.

Layden coached at his alma mater for seven years and compiled a 47-13-3 record. He also served as athletic director at Notre Dame. After a business career in Chicago, Layden died in 1973 at the age of 70.

Crowley started as an assistant coach at Georgia. He quickly moved to head coaching positions at Michigan State and Fordham University where his famed line, the "7 Blocks of Granite", included Vince Lombardi. His Fordham teams played in the Cotton Bowl and Sugar Bowl. His overall record was 78-21-10. He later entered business in Scranton, Pa. He died in 1986 at the age of 83. Michigan State University (MSU) is a public university in East Lansing, Michigan. ... Fordham University is a private, coeducational research university[2] located in and around New York City. ... Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American football. ... The AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic is a United States college football bowl game played annually since 1937 at the self-named stadium in Dallas, Texas. ... A sugar bowl is a small bowl or designed for holding sugar or sugar cubes to be served with tea or coffee in the Western tradition. ...

Stuhldreher, who died in 1965 at the age of 63, became athletic director and football coach at Wisconsin. He later worked for U.S. Steel. The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public university located in Madison, Wisconsin. ... The United States Steel Corporation NYSE: X is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States and Central Europe. ...

Miller left coaching after four years at Georgia Tech and began practicing law in Cleveland. He was appointed U.S. District Attorney for Northern Ohio by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Miller died in 1979 at the age of 77. The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech, is a public, coeducational university, part of the University System of Georgia, and located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, with satellite campuses in Savannah, Georgia and Metz, France. ... FDR redirects here. ...

Notre Dame had lost only two games combined in the 1922 and 1923 seasons. Both loses came against the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln before packed houses. Seal of the University of Nebraska The University of Nebraska is one of two public university systems in the state of Nebraska, USA. The system has four universities and a technical college: University of Nebraska-Lincoln University of Nebraska at Omaha University of Nebraska at Kearney University of Nebraska Medical... Nickname: Star City Location in Nebraska Coordinates: Country   State     County United States   Nebraska     Lancaster Founded[1]   Renamed   Incorporated 1856   July 29, 1867   April 1, 1869 Mayor Coleen Seng Area    - City 195. ...

The Seven Mules

All good backfields depend on their linemen. After the Horsemen got their name, someone named the line the "Seven Mules." Two members of the line are also in the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame.

• Adam Walsh(football), from Hollywood, California, was the starting center and team captain. In later years, he became a dean at Bowdoin College in Maine. Walsh died in 1985.
• Edgar "Rip" Miller was a tackle from Canton, Ohio. He died in 1991.

That makes 6 members of the 1924 team who were elected to the Hall of Fame. Greetings from Hollywood Hollywood is a district of the city of Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., that extends from Vermont Avenue on the east to just beyond Laurel Canyon Boulevard above Sunset and Crescent Heights Boulevards on the west; the north to south boundary east of La Brea Avenue... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Bowdoin College is a private liberal arts college, founded in 1794, located in the coastal New England town of Brunswick, Maine. ... Official language(s) None (English de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... Website: http://www. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ...

External Link

• http://archives.nd.edu/rockne/rice.html — Full text of Grantland Rice article from University of Notre Dame archives.