Elmer Layden

Elmer Layden isn't a name that rings many bells with most modern-day football fans, but he had a three-tiered career in the sport that continues to have an impact more than a century after it began.



As a player, Layden was a member of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame, perhaps the most famous backfield in football history. As a coach, he excelled at Columbia (now Loras) College, Duquesne University and Notre Dame, compiling a winning percentage of .733 in 16 years. He then became the first full-time commissioner of the National Football League, guiding the league through the turmoil and uncertainty of World War II.



Along the way, he turned in one of the greatest performances in Rose Bowl annals, devised the first set of signals officials use to inform spectators of what is going on during games, pioneered the concept of playing games at night, created perhaps the first football board game, became the first coach to use music as part of his practice regimen and mandated that the national anthem be played prior to every NFL game. He did all of that before the age of 43 with a quiet, understated style that was admirable but which has been largely forgotten.