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Bobby Layne
Bobby Layne on the cover of Time'
Date of birth	December 19, 1926
Place of birth	Santa Anna, Texas
Date of death	December 1, 1986
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	201 lb (91 kg)
Position(s)	Quarterback
College	Texas
NFL Draft	1948 / Round 1 / Pick 3
Career Highlights
Pro Bowls	1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1959
Honors	NFL 1950s All-Decade Team
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1948 1949 1950-1958 1958-1962	Chicago Bears New York Bulldogs Detroit Lions Pittsburgh Steelers
College Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1967

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.

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.

Later 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 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.

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.

• Pro Football Hall of Fame: Bobby Layne
• Detroit Lions: Bobby Layne
• Texas Longhorn Hall of Honor