Dick Lane (American football)

Dick Lane
Position(s): Cornerback	Jersey #(s): 81
Born: May 16 1928(1928-05-16) Austin, Texas
Died: January 29 2002 (aged 73)
Career Information
Year(s): 1952-1965
College: Scottsbluff Junior College
Professional Teams
Los Angeles Rams (1952-1953) Chicago Cardinals (1954-1959) Detroit Lions (1960-1965)
Career Stats
Interceptions	68
INT yards	1,207
Touchdowns	5
Stats at NFL.com
Career Highlights and Awards
Pro Bowl (x7) (1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962) NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team NFL 1950s All-Decade Team All-Pro 1954-1963 NFL Record 14 Interceptions in One Season
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Richard "Dick" Lane (April 16, 1928 – January 29, 2002), nicknamed "Night Train", was an American football player, best known as a defensive back for the Detroit Lions. He is often remembered for his play during his rookie season in 1952. That year, Lane established the record for most interceptions in an NFL season (14).^[1]

Early life

He was born in Austin, Texas, and raised by Ella Lane, a woman who found him as an infant in a dumpster. After graduating high school, he spent just one year in junior college before dropping out and spending the next four years serving in the United States Army.

NFL career

In 1952, the 24-year-old Lane showed up at the Los Angeles Rams training camp looking for a job because he disliked his current occupation at an aircraft factory. While with the Rams, he acquired the nickname "Night Train" from a hit record by Buddy Morrow frequently played by his teammate Tom Fears. He initially didn't like the nickname but it grew on him after it gained national attention. It first appeared in print describing a tackle in a Rams exhibition game: Dick "Night Train" Lane derails Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice. He wore number 81, unusual for a defensive back, because he was initially projected as an end. The ends playing in front of him on the Rams, Tom Fears and Elroy Hirsch, were stars and future Hall of Famers, so Coach Joe Stydahar tried Lane at defensive back, and a legend was born. In his rookie season he set an NFL single season record for interceptions with 14, which stands to this day. He was traded to the Chicago Cardinals in 1954 and to the Detroit Lions in 1960, where he played through the end of his career in 1965. From 1954 to 1963, Lane made the All-pro team 6 times and was selected to 7 pro bowls. He recorded 3 interceptions in all but 4 of his 14 NFL seasons. He was particularly noted as a hard hitter, who liked to tackle by the head and neck (a technique outlawed today). This tackle was sometimes called a Night Train Necktie.

Honors

Lane was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974. In 1969 he was named the best cornerback of the first fifty years of pro football. In his 15 NFL seasons, Lane recorded 68 interceptions, 1,207 interception return yards, 5 touchdowns, 11 fumble recoveries, 57 fumble return yards, 1 touchdown, 8 receptions, 253 receiving yards, 1 touchdown catch, and 4 punt returns for 14 yards. In 1999, he was ranked number 19 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, making him the highest-ranked defensive back, the Cardinals' highest-ranked player and the Lions' second highest-ranked player behind Barry Sanders.

Family

He was married three times, including his best known marriage to jazz singer Dinah Washington. He was the last of her seven husbands when she died on December 14, 1963. Lane is also survived by two sons Richard Andrew Walker of Detroit and Richard Ladimir Lane of St. Louis.

References

External links

• ProFootballHOF.com - Hall of Fame biography page
• Official website
• Obituary
• Detroit Lions page on Lane