Bobby Layne

About 6 pages (1,658 words)

Bobby Layne
Bobby Layne on the cover of Time
Position(s): Quarterback	Jersey #(s): 22
Born: December 19 1926(1926-12-19) Santa Anna, Texas
Died: December 1 1986 (aged 59) Lubbock, Texas
Career Information
Year(s): 1948-1962
NFL Draft: 1948 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3
College: Texas
Professional Teams
Chicago Bears (1948) New York Bulldogs (1949) Detroit Lions (1950-1958) Pittsburgh Steelers (1958-1962)
Career Stats
TD-INT	196-243
Yards	26,768
QB Rating	63.4
Stats at NFL.com
Career Highlights and Awards
5x Pro Bowl selection (1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1959) NFL 1950s All-Decade Team
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Hall of Fame

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.

1 College career
2 NFL career
3 After football
4 The Curse of Bobby Layne
5 External links

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.

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. 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 the 100 Greatest Football Players. He may not have been the greatest quarterback in stats, but he was the greatest quarterback in leadership and bravery. 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 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". Since Layne left Detroit, the Lions have not won a championship and have suffered through many setbacks on and off the field.

External links

Pittsburgh Steelers/Pirates

This box: • • edit

Rivalries
Franchise • History • Seasons • Players • Statistics • Division
Stadiums – Forbes Field • Pitt Stadium • Three Rivers Stadium • Heinz Field Super Bowl Appearances – IX • X • XIII • XIV • XXX • XL Culture – Terrible Towel • Immaculate Reception • Steel Curtain • Blitzburgh • Art Rooney • Dan Rooney • Myron Cope • Steely McBeam
Baltimore Ravens • Cincinnati Bengals • Cleveland Browns
Head Coaches
Douds • DiMelio • Bach • McNally • Kiesling • Donelli • Bell • Kiesling • Leonard • Sutherland • Michelosen • Bach • Kiesing • Parker • Nixon • Austin • Noll • Cowher • Tomlin
Hall of Famers
Players - Blount • Bradshaw • Dudley • Greene • Ham • Harris • Johnson • Lambert • Layne • McNally • Stallworth • Stautner • Swann • Webster Coaches and Administration - Bell • Kiesling • Noll • A. Rooney • D. Rooney
Super Bowl Championships (5)
1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2005
Seasons
1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 • 1940 • 1941 • 1942 • 1943 • 1944 • 1945 • 1946 • 1947 • 1948 • 1949 • 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008