Bobby Layne
Hall of Fame quarterback who led the Detroit Lions and Texas Longhorns with legendary grit and skill.
Robert Lawrence Layne (December 19, 1926 – December 1, 1986) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns before being selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the third overall pick of the 1948 NFL draft and traded to the Chicago Bears. Layne played one season with the Bears, and then with the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit Lions from 1950 to 1958, and the Steelers from 1958 to 1962. Layne was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1968. His number 22 is retired by the Texas Longhorns and the Lions.
- Position
- Quarterback / Running Back
- Primary Team
- Detroit Lions
- College
- Texas A&M
- Hall of Fame Induction
- 1963
- Playing Era
- Late 1940s – Mid 1950s
- Jersey Number
- 17
Lore & Background
Born in Santa Anna, Texas, Layne grew up on a farm in Coleman County. His father died of a heart attack when Layne was eight, and his mother could not keep the family together. Layne was sent to live with his aunt and uncle in Highland Park, Texas, and was eventually adopted. He attended Highland Park High School, where his best friend and football teammate was Doak Walker, a future Hall of Famer and pro teammate with the Lions. In his senior year, Layne was named to the all-state football team, played in the Oil Bowl All-Star game, and led Highland Park to the state semifinals.
In Their Own Story
The January wind off the Detroit River cut through the breath of the crowd at Briggs Stadium. The scoreboard was close, the Lions trailing by a single score, and the clock was bleeding seconds. In the huddle, Bobby Layne's voice was calm, almost conversational, as he called the play. The linemen set. The snap came clean. Layne dropped back, read the zone, and for a heartbeat the entire stadium held its breath. Then his arm snapped forward, the ball spiraling out over the frozen gridiron, and the roar that followed shook the press box. It didn't matter in the end whether that one drive changed the final score. What mattered to the Lions faithful was that, for those few seconds, their team was the most dangerous force in professional football, and it was all because of the number 17 in the huddle.
Reader's Guide
Layne was one of the most successful quarterbacks ever to play for Texas, selected to four straight All-Southwest Conference teams from 1944 to 1947 and a consensus All-American in his senior year. He spent eight months in the Merchant Marine during his sophomore year. In the 1946 Cotton Bowl Classic, he set several NCAA and Cotton Bowl records, completing 11 of 12 passes and accounting for every one of Texas's 40 points. He finished his Texas career with a school-record 3,145 passing yards and 28 wins. Layne also played college baseball, going 28–0 in conference play and throwing two no-hitters in 1946. After earning his degree in physical education, he played minor league baseball for the Lubbock Hubbers before choosing the NFL.
Did You Know?
- Layne was the third overall pick in the 1948 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers but was traded to the Chicago Bears before playing a game for Pittsburgh.
- He played for the New York Bulldogs in 1949 before joining the Detroit Lions in 1950.
- Layne's number 22 is retired by both the Texas Longhorns and the Detroit Lions.
- He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1968.