Elmer Layden

Elmer Layden
Born	(1903-05-04)May 4, 1903 Davenport, Iowa, U.S.
Died	June 30, 1973(1973-06-30) (aged 70) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Coaching career
Biographical details
Alma mater	University of Notre Dame
Playing career
Football
1922–1924	Notre Dame
1925	Hartford Blues
1926	Brooklyn Horsemen
1926	Rock Island Independents
Basketball
1922–1923	Notre Dame
Position(s)	Fullback (football)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1925–1926	Columbia (IA)
1927–1933	Duquesne
1934–1940	Notre Dame
Basketball
1925–1927	Columbia (IA)
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1927–1933	Duquesne
1934–1940	Notre Dame
Head coaching record
Overall	103–34–11 (football)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
As a coach: 2× Tri-State (1928, 1929) As a player: National (1924)
Awards
Consensus All-American (1924)
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1951[a] (profile)
1st Commissioner of the NFL
In office February 3, 1941 – January 11, 1946
Preceded by	Carl Storck[b]
Succeeded by	Bert Bell

Elmer Francis Layden (May 4, 1903 – June 30, 1973) was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish where he starred at fullback as a member of the legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield. Layden played professionally in the original AFL in 1925 and 1926 with three clubs, the Hartford Blues, the Brooklyn Horsemen, and the Rock Island Independents. He began his coaching career during the same two seasons at Columbia College in Dubuque, Iowa, now known as Loras College. Layden then served as the head coach at Duquesne University from 1927 to 1933 and at his alma mater, Notre Dame, from 1934 to 1940, where he also held the position of athletic director. From 1941 to 1946, Layden was the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1951.
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