Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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6 OCT. 4, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY ERIC HANSEN E lmer Layden's humility kept him from sharing some of the greatest stories from a very full football life with his grand- children, including Ed and Mike Jones. To them, the 160-pound, two- time All-American fullback in Notre Dame's Four Horsemen backfield, later the Irish head football coach who brought Irish football back from its post-Knute Rockne era cratering under Hunk Anderson, and at age 37 the NFL's first commissioner, was simply the best grandpa they could ever imagine. He still is that, in their hearts, 52 years after leaving this world at age 70, an age group Ed and Mike will soon be sneaking up on themselves. The best gift he gave t h e m , t h ey say, is the integrity of the man he was beyond the football résumé. The gift they're so persis- tently hoping to give back to him — even in spirit — is to right what they see as a protracted oversight or injustice. They're just not sure how to open the door to make it happen. "He belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame," Ed told the WSBT Gameday crew of Blue & Gold Illustrated's Tyler Horka and Eric Hansen, and WSBT's Jim Irizarry on the Notre Dame foot- ball flagship station's pregame show recently. "I've been to the Hall of Fame [in Canton, Ohio]," Ed continued. "I've talked to a couple people, and they don't have answers. He's got a display there, being a commissioner, but he's never been inducted. "I can't get replies from anybody. And I've tried to contact famous people, but they just ignore e-mails and let- ters and things like that. It's a shame. It is a shame, because the guy basically kept the league running through World War II. He saved the league and laid the foundation for its modern success." A n d eve r y c o m m i s s i o n e r s i n c e Layden — save the current one since 2006, Roger Goodell — is in the Hall. That's Bert Bell, Pete Rozelle and Paul Tagliabue. Layden had a much shorter run than any of them, walking away when his contract wasn't renewed after five years in 1946. But he packed a lot of landmark achievements and lasting legacies into his run. The Jones brothers and their sisters, JoAn Canning and Patricia Mul- lin, have mapped them all out. Here's an abbreviated version, ex- cluding some of the interesting back- stories that went with them: • Brought order and stability to a league plagued for 20 years by disharmony and disorganization. • Standardized the schedule, ensuring uniformity and balance across teams. • Repaired relations with col- lege football, instituting the rule that players could not sign pro contracts until their college eligi- bility was complete. • Introduced the tradition of playing the National Anthem be- fore every game — now a corner- stone of American sports. • Allowed players to wear face- masks, prioritizing safety. • Established the league's first pension fund for players. • Permitted coaches to stand on the sidelines during games. • Implemented the 10-yard chain as the official measurement tool on the field. • Launched an offseason training a n d te s t i n g p ro - gram for officials, and outfitted them in striped shirts for the first time. • Ensured neutral officiating by as- signing league-appointed referees in- stead of relying on home teams. • Expanded the league's policing of gambling to protect the sport's integ- rity. • Taught franchises how to bet- ter market themselves through league seminars. And Layden did all that when the war depleted rosters and caused attendance to sag. How did he end up as commissioner in the first place? The Layden grandkids had to do the research. "I know it's my grandfather," Mike Jones said, "but if you ever read any- thing about him, honesty and integ- rity were two of his biggest traits. So, I think that and the fact he was from Notre Dame and had the reputation. He UNDER THE DOME Elmer Layden, a two-time All-American fullback in Notre Dame's Four Horsemen backfield, is in the College Football Hall of Fame as a player. He went on to become the first commissioner of the NFL, but is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS FOR LOVE OF GRANDPA — AND THE GAME The Layden family's Hall of Fame mission