Hall of Fame
Position: Fullback
Years: 1922-1924
Place of Birth: Davenport, IA
Date of Birth: May 04, 1903
Place of Death: Chicago, IL
Date of Death: Jun 30, 1973
Jersey Number: 5
Height: 6-0
Weight: 162
High School: Davenport, IA (Davenport HS)
It was New Year's Day, 1925, at the Rose Bowl, and the final curtain call for Notre Dame's famed Four Horsemen. The opponent, Stanford, had braced for an Irish offensive punch which had been headlined across the nation. Instead, it was the defensive prowess of Elmer Layden which buried Stanford, 27-10. Layden, the heaviest of the Four Horsemen at 162 pounds yet nicknamed "The Thin Man," scored first on a three-yard run before turning a pair of interceptions into touchdowns of 78 and 60 yards. He had tallied three of four Irish touchdowns to provide a final triumph in a perfect 10-game season which brought Notre Dame its first undisputed national championship. Layden was the leading Irish pass-interceptor that season, but his unique running style at fullback was equally uncanny. "He developed a straight-line dive that made him one of the most unusual fullbacks in football", praised coach Knute Rockne. The Irish posted a combined record of 27-2-1 during Layden's varsity career. When that final curtain fell upon the legendary Four Horsemen, Layden had donned his cloak of immortality. He later became a head coach at Duquesne and then served as Irish coach from 1934 to 1940, compiling a record of 47-13-3 before leaving to become Commissioner of the National Football League for six seasons.
