Four Horsemen of Notre Dame
The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame was a nickname given to the backfield (comprised of quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, left halfback Jim Crowley, right halfback Don Miller, and fullback Elmer Layden) after the team's 13-7 victory over Army on October 18, 1924.
[edit] History
The backfield, devised by legendary coach Knute Rockne, was given the nickname by Grantland Rice, a sportswriter for the New York Herald-Tribune. Following that game, Rice wrote of the quartet:
- "Outlined against a blue, gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again.
- "In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below."
After the team arrived back in South Bend, Rockne's student publicity aide, George Strickler, posed the four, dressed in their uniforms, on the top of four horses for the now famous photo.
A 27-10 victory over Stanford in the 1925 (1924 season) Rose Bowl gave the group and the rest of the Notre Dame team an undefeated season and the National Championship.
During the quartet's tenure as the starting backfield (30 games), Notre Dame lost only twice, both to Nebraska.
[edit] The Horsemen
None of the four were what anyone would call intimidating as men; none were taller than six feet, and none weighed more than 162 pounds. Yet they won 28 games in three seasons as a unit.
Stuhldreher was a 5-7, 151-pounder from Massillon, Ohio who became the starting quarterback four games into the 1922 season. Following his career at Notre Dame, he went on to be the athletic director and football coach at the University of Wisconsin.
Crowley, who stood at a modest 5-11, 162 pounds, was a native of Green Bay, Wis. and was nicknamed "Sleepy Jim." He would later coach Vince Lombardi at Fordham.
Layden, aside from his offensive skills, was also a star on defense as well. The fastest of the four was said to have run the 100-yard dash in 10 seconds. He later became head coach at Notre Dame, compiling a 47-13-3 record with the Irish. Both he and Crowley were consulted during the creation of the Heisman Trophy in 1935.
Miller, a 5-11, 160 pounder from Defiance, Ohio, followed his three brothers to Notre Dame. According to Rockne, Miller was the best open-field runner he ever coached. Following his playing career, Miller left coaching after four years at Georgia Tech to practice law in Ohio. He was appointed the District of Attorney of Northern Ohio by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
