Jim Crowley
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[edit] Biography
James H. Crowley, born on September 10, 1902 in Chicago, Ill., gained his notoriety as one-fourth of the legendary Four Horsemen of Notre Dame. Crowley played left halfback for the Irish from 1922-24 under legendary head coach Knute Rockne.
Raised in Green Bay, Wis., Crowley played high school football for Earl "Curly" Lambeau, the founder of the National Football League's Green Bay Packers. Accepted to Notre Dame in 1921, Crowley joined forces with Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, and Elmer Layden to make up the Four Horsemen, a nickname that wasn't given to them until their defeat of Army on October 18, 1924 in their senior year.
"Sleepy Jim," as he was called by Rockne because of his appearance, was named an All-American in 1924, along with Layden and Stuhldreher as the quartet led the Irish to a 10-0 season and a National Championship.
Following his graduation, Crowley played just three games professionally for the Packers and the Providence Steamrollers before becoming an assistant coach for the University of Georgia. Shortly after, he became the head coach at Michigan State, where he compiled a record of 22-8-3.
In 1933, Fordham University lured Crowley from the Spartans. Crowley compiled a record of 56-13-7 at Fordham. During his tenure, the Rams' defense was one of the best in the country, led by two-time All-American lineman Alex Wojciechowicz, who would finish fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1937. Future NFL coaching legend Vince Lombardi was also a member of the Rams that year.
Crowley led the Rams to consecutive bowl games in 1941 and 1942, losing to Texas A&M, 13-12, in the 1941 Cotton Bowl and defeating Missouri, 2-0, in the 1942 Sugar Bowl.
He left Fordham after the Sugar Bowl to serve in the U.S. Navy in World War II. In 1944, he became commissioner of the All-America Football Conference, the NFL's fledgling competitor that kicked off its first season in 1946.
Crowley stepped down as commissioner following the 1947 year to become part-owner and coach for the AAFC's worst team, the Chicago Rockets. The team went 1-13 in his first and only season, as he left before the 1949 season.
He left football for good after his disastrous stint with the Rockets, but did become chairman of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission in 1955. He was named to the College Hall of Fame in 1966.
The last living member of the Four Horsemen, Crowley died on January 15, 1986.
