Despite a history of hype, Heisman race now mostly determined on
field  For those under the impression that promotion of college
football players is a latter-day thing, we give you a photograph
on the back pages of the Notre Dame media guide.  There, perched
on steeds, wearing leather helmets with footballs in hands, are
the Four Horsemen--Don Miller, Elmer Layden, Jim Crowley and
Harry Stuhldreher.  The photo was orchestrated by a student
publicity aide to the fabled coach Knute Rockne, to capitalize
on a hoary passage penned by the famous sportswriter Grantland
Rice. Rice borrowed from the Biblical references to pestilence,
war, famine and death and wrote that the Irish had their own
irrepressible forces.  This was 1924, you understand.  No doubt,
the Four Horsemen would be amazed by some of the creations of
publicists in the near-century that ensued: toy race cars,
clocks, full-length posters, oats (yes, oats), billboards in
Times Square, notebooks, CDs, videos, etc.  Even as you read
this, some enterprisi