Four Horsemen (American Football) - Later Lives

Later Lives

After graduation, the lives of the Four Horsemen took similar paths. All began coaching careers, with three of the four occupying top positions. As players, the four reunited for one game for the Hartford Blues in 1925 (Stuldreher was already playing for the team that year); the Blues, however, lost 13-6 to the Cleveland Bulldogs. Two of the four, Layden and Stuhldreher, were the namesakes of the professional Brooklyn Horsemen team for whom they played in 1926.

Layden coached at his alma mater for seven years and compiled a 47–13–3 record. He also served as athletic director at Notre Dame, and later as commissioner of the National Football League. After a business career in Chicago, Layden died in 1973 at the age of 70.

Crowley started as an assistant coach at the University of Georgia. He quickly moved to head coaching positions at Michigan State University and Fordham University where his famed line, the "Seven Blocks of Granite," included Vince Lombardi. His Fordham teams played in the Cotton Bowl Classic and Sugar Bowl. His overall record was 78–21–10. Crowley also served as commissioner of the All-America Football Conference. He later entered business in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The last surviving Horseman, Crowley died in 1986 at the age of 83.

Stuhldreher, who died in 1965 at the age of 63, was the head football coach for 11 years at Villanova University, then became athletic director and football coach at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He later worked for U.S. Steel.

Miller left coaching after four years at Georgia Tech and began practicing law in Cleveland. He was appointed U.S. District Attorney for Northern Ohio by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Miller died in 1979 at the age of 77.

All four players were elected to the College Football Hall of Fame — Layden in 1951, Stuhldreher in 1958, Crowley in 1966, and Miller in 1970. In 1998, the United States Postal Service honored the Four Horsemen with their own stamp as part of 15 commemorative postage stamps saluting "The Roaring Twenties."

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