Hall of Fame
Position: Quarterback
Years: 1944-1947
Place of Birth: Santa Ana, TX
Date of Birth: Dec 19, 1926
Place of Death: Lubbock, TX
Date of Death: Dec 01, 1986
Jersey Number: 22
Height: 6-0
Weight: 191
High School: Dallas, TX (Highland Park HS)
Far from a classic passer and hardly a clever runner, Bobby Layne could still find many ways to win a football game. The first great T-formation quarterback in the Southwest, Layne led Texas teams on a gridiron scourge during the 1940s. The "Gadabout Gladiator" made the Longhorn varsity as a freshman in 1944 and led Texas to within a point of the Southwest championship. He spent part of the 1945 season in the Merchant Marine, returning to UT in time to help Texas win the SWC crown and an invitation to the Cotton Bowl. Then, on New Year's Day, he completed 11 of 12 passes and figured in all six Texas touchdowns as his team routed Missouri, 40-27. As a junior in 1946, Bobby led the SWC in passing and drove the club to a 8-2-0 mark. After three years of single-wing football, UT coach Dana X. Bible switched to the "T" and Layne never missed a stride, carrying the Longhorns to a 10-1-0 record which included a 27-0 Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama. When he had finished, All America Layne had established no less than 11 school records. After his days in Austin, Layne went to the National Football League and continued a record- setting career with Detroit and Pittsburgh. He was also inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was born December 19, 1926, and died December 1, 1986.
