 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1902-09-10)September 10, 1902 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 1986(1986-01-15) (aged 83) Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1922–1924 | Notre Dame |
| 1925 | Waterbury Blues |
| 1925 | Green Bay Packers |
| 1925 | Providence Steam Rollers |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1926–1927 | Georgia (assistant) |
| 1929–1932 | Michigan State |
| 1933–1941 | Fordham |
| 1942 | North Carolina Pre-Flight |
| 1944 | Sampson NTS |
| 1947 | Chicago Rockets |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 88–30–11 (college) 0–10 (AAFC) |
| Bowls | 1–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Awards | |
| |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1966 (profile) | |
James Harold "Sleepy Jim"Crowley (September 10, 1902 – January 15, 1986) was anAmerican football player and coach. He gained fame as one-fourth of theUniversity of Notre Dame's legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield where he playedhalfback from 1922 to 1924.
After a brief career as a professional football player, Crowley turned to coaching. He served as the head football coach atMichigan State College from 1929 to 1932, atFordham University from 1933 to 1941 and at theNorth Carolina Pre-Flight School in 1942, compiling a careercollege football record of 86–23–11. Crowley also coached theChicago Rockets of theAll-America Football Conference in 1947. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1966.
Jim Crowley played football and basketball at East High from 1918 to 1921. His high school coach during the 1919 football season wasCurly Lambeau.[1]
Following his graduation from Notre Dame in 1925, Crowley played in just three professional football games with the National Football League's Green Bay Packers andProvidence Steamrollers. In 1925, theWaterbury Blues signed Crowley, to join ex-Horseman Stuhldreher in the backfield against a team fromAdams, Massachusetts. Crowley's regular job at the time was assistant coach at theUniversity of Georgia. The Blues put on a good show by driving to a 34–0 triumph, with Crowley scoring three touchdowns and Stuhldreher booting two field goals and three extra points. Crowley picked up his check after the game and left the team.[2] Crowley stayed in football as an assistant coach at Georgia and was named head coach atMichigan State University, then known as Michigan State College, in 1929. In four seasons, Crowley'sMichigan State Spartans went 22–8–3.
Football powerFordham University lured Crowley away from Michigan State in 1933. Crowley enjoyed tremendous success at Fordham by building one of the top defensive teams in the country. The Rams' stout defensive line, coached by future Notre Dame head coachFrank Leahy, was dubbed the "Seven Blocks of Granite." The defense was led by two-time All-American linemanAlex Wojciechowicz, who later starred professionally for theDetroit Lions and was named to thePro Football Hall of Fame. Another "Block of Granite",Vince Lombardi, would gain fame as a championship coach for theNew York Giants andGreen Bay Packers.
In 1938, Crowley brings a group of former college players toFrance for a series of performances to be played in various cities. In the Debut at theParc des Princes inParis a crowd of 20,000 attend the victory of"New Yorkers" against the"All Stars" 25–14.[3]
In 1939, Crowley coached Fordham in thefirst-ever televised football game. The Rams defeated theWaynesburg Yellow Jackets by a score of 34–7.[4]
Crowley's last two teams at Fordham each went to bowl games. The Rams lost, 13–12, toTexas A&M in the1941 Cotton Bowl Classic and defeated theMissouri, 2–0, in the 1942Sugar Bowl. Crowley left Fordham after the Sugar Bowl, having compiled a record of 56–13–7 as the Rams' head coach.
DuringWorld War II, Crowley served with theUnited States Navy in theSouth Pacific. In 1942, he served as the head coach for the North Carolina Pre-Flight School team and led theCloudbusters to an overall record of 8–2–1.[5] In late 1944, he agreed to become the first commissioner of a new professional football league, theAll-America Football Conference. The league kicked off in 1946 and quickly became a formidable rival to the National Football League.
Following the 1946 season, Crowley stepped down as commissioner to become part-owner and coach of the AAFC's worst team, theChicago Rockets. Crowley's success as a college coach didn't translate to the pros. The Rockets went just 1–13 in 1947 and Crowley quit his dual role with the team before the 1948 season.
Crowley left football behind following his disastrous stint with Chicago, moving toPennsylvania to become an insurance salesman. In 1953, he moved toScranton, Pennsylvania, to take over as station manager and sports director of independent television station WTVU. Two years later, Crowley was named chairman of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, a position he held until 1963.
Named to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1966 as a player, Crowley cashed in on his football fame in the 1960s and 1970s as a much sought-after speaker at banquets and dinners. The last living member of the "Four Horsemen," Crowley died in Scranton on January 15, 1986.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | AP# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State Spartans(Independent)(1929–1932) | |||||||||
| 1929 | Michigan State | 5–3 | |||||||
| 1930 | Michigan State | 5–1–2 | |||||||
| 1931 | Michigan State | 5–3–1 | |||||||
| 1932 | Michigan State | 7–1 | |||||||
| Michigan State: | 22–8–3 | ||||||||
| Fordham Rams(Independent)(1933–1941) | |||||||||
| 1933 | Fordham | 6–2 | |||||||
| 1934 | Fordham | 5–3 | |||||||
| 1935 | Fordham | 6–1–2 | |||||||
| 1936 | Fordham | 5–1–2 | 15 | ||||||
| 1937 | Fordham | 7–0–1 | 3 | ||||||
| 1938 | Fordham | 6–1–2 | 15 | ||||||
| 1939 | Fordham | 6–2 | 17 | ||||||
| 1940 | Fordham | 7–2 | LCotton | 12 | |||||
| 1941 | Fordham | 8–1 | WSugar | 6 | |||||
| Fordham: | 56–13–7 | ||||||||
| North Carolina Pre-Flight Cloudbusters(Independent)(1942) | |||||||||
| 1942 | North Carolina Pre-Flight | 8–2–1 | |||||||
| North Carolina Pre-Flight: | 8–2–1 | ||||||||
| Sampson Naval Training Station Bluejackets(Independent)(1944) | |||||||||
| 1944 | Sampson NTS | 2–7 | |||||||
| Sampson NTS: | 2–7 | ||||||||
| Total: | 88–30–11 | ||||||||
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