Bobby Layne

Verified Timeline

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, who eventually adopted him. He attended Highland Park High School, where his best friend and football teammate was Doak Walker. 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 college, Layne was a four-time All-Southwest Conference selection and a consensus All-American in 1947. He also played baseball at Texas, earning All-Southwest Conference honors all four years and posting a 28–0 conference record. After earning his degree, he played one season of minor league baseball for the Lubbock Hubbers before entering the NFL.

In Their Own Story

After a single season with the New York Bulldogs in 1949, where he played well despite the team's 1-11 record, Layne was traded to the Detroit Lions in 1950. The Lions sent wide receiver Bob Mann to the Bulldogs and agreed to make the final three payments of a previous arrangement. This trade brought Layne to Detroit, where he would play from 1950 to 1958, becoming a key figure for the franchise. His path to Detroit was circuitous: drafted by the Steelers, traded to the Bears, then to the Bulldogs, and finally to the Lions.

Reader's Guide

Layne was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the third overall pick of the 1948 NFL draft but did not want to play for them because they used the single-wing formation. His rights were quickly traded to the Chicago Bears. After one season with the Bears in 1948, Layne refused to return and tried to engineer his own trade to the Green Bay Packers. Bears owner George Halas traded Layne to the New York Bulldogs for two draft picks and $50,000 cash, with a clause barring Layne from ever playing for the Chicago Cardinals. Layne played for the Bulldogs in 1949, then for the Detroit Lions from 1950 to 1958, and the Steelers from 1958 to 1962. He 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 Detroit Lions.

Did You Know?

• Layne's best friend and high school football teammate was Doak Walker, who later became his teammate with the Detroit Lions.
• In the 1946 Cotton Bowl Classic, Layne accounted for all 40 points for Texas, completing 11 of 12 passes and scoring four touchdowns, kicking four field goals, and throwing for two other scores.
• Layne threw the first two no-hitters in Texas baseball history in 1946.
• Layne's son, Robert L. Layne Jr., was a kicker for Texas on the 1969 national championship team.