Jim Crowley of Notre Dame, 1902-1986

This was sent to us by former Clan Taoiseach, Thomas R. Crowley, a 5th/6th cousin of the famous Jim Crowley

Jim Crowley (1902-1986)

After Notre Dame’s Irish football team beat Army 13-7 in October 1924, the sportswriter Grantland Rice compared Jim Crowley and three of his backfield teammates to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Ever since, the four have been known as the infamous Four Horsemen of Notre Dame.

Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne looked out to the field and sized up his football candidates of 1922, his eyes settling upon the 162-pound body of sophomore fullback Jim Crowley. "Except for a nimble wit, Crowley shows me nothing," Rockne would say to a nearby aide, jokingly nicknaming the Green Bay, Wisconsin youngster, "Sleepy Jim." Even Rockne was fooled by the slow-paced, relaxed motion of this stoop- shouldered campus cut-up.

As was normally the case, Crowley would have the last laugh. He was destined to gain 1841 yards during his three-year career as a member of Notre Dame's famed Four Horsemen backfield, helping the Irish to a 27-2-1 record. It wasn't long before Rockne had changed his opinion, calling Jim "the nerviest back I've ever known." For certain, it seemed Jim Crowley knew no fear as he frequently hurled himself against the churning, crunching bodies of charging defenders.

The ultimate tribute to Crowley's talents came in 1962 when a panel of 400 sports writers and broadcasters made him the only one of the Four Horsemen selected to their all-time Notre Dame team. Following graduation, Crowley went on to head coaching jobs at Michigan State and Fordham, posting a 78-27-6 record. At Fordham, he developed the famed "Seven Blocks of Granite" line.

The following is from the University of Notre Dame’s website, and the full article can be seen here.