Heart of Lion

Layne is still remembered as the Detroit Lions quarterback who partied every night yet led his team to victory more Sundays than not. In a pedestrian biography St. John ( The Landry Legend ; On Down the Road ) concentrates on Layne's pro career, which began with the Chicago Bears, involved a one-year stay with the moribund New York Bulldogs, and then eight and a half years with Detroit and four and a half with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Almost all the experts agree: Layne was not the best passer, not the best runner, not the best scrambler, but no one wanted to win more than he did, and no one better understood the importance of camaraderie to a team's success. Before he died at age 59 in 1986, he danced every dance, as they say in his native Texas. Photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)