The Texas Longhorns piled up the points on Jan.1, 1946 setting a Cotton Bowl scoring record that stood for 29 years. Bobby Layne played 17 more seasons in college and the pros but was never better than that New Year’s Day in Dallas.
Robert Lawrence Layne graduated from Highland Park high school in 1944 a year ahead of teammate and close friend Doak Walker. While Doak completed his schoolboy career that fall, Bobby called signals for the University of Texas under a wartime waiver of the rule banning freshmen from varsity competition.
After short hitches in the merchant marine, the boyhood buddies went to New Orleans for their discharges. Southern Methodist happened to be in town that night for a game with Tulane, and the reinstated civilians arrived at the stadium in time to watch the visitors lose a nail-biter 21-18.
