Richard James Kane (November 12, 1954 – December 25, 2009) was an American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions from 1977 to 1983 and 1985 to 1986.[1][2][3] Kane rushed for 1,486 yards during his NFL career.[2]
No. 32, 40 | |||||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. | November 12, 1954||||||||
Died: | December 25, 2009 Reno, Nevada, U.S. | (aged 55)||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Amador Valley (CA) | ||||||||
College: | Oregon San Jose St. | ||||||||
NFL draft: | 1977 / round: 3 / pick: 69 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Biography
editKane was born on November 12, 1954, in Lincoln, Nebraska to Gerald James Kane and Orletha Ann (Fiala) Kane.[1][2][4] He had one sister, Diane.[4] The family moved to Pleasanton, California when Kane was 12, and he played football at and graduated from Amador Valley High School.[2][1] He attended University of Oregon for two years and was awarded the Len Casanova Award for Rookie of the year in 1973.[1][2] He transferred to San Jose State University where he became the first player in school history to rush 1,000 yards.[5][2][1]
Kane was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round (69th overall) of the 1977 NFL draft, where he remained for the majority of his career.[2][1][5] He played 12 games with the Washington Redskins during the 1984 season after being placed on waivers by the Lions.[3][6][7][8] The following May, he was again placed on waivers but re-signed with the Lions on a one-year contract.[3][9] He was released in February 1986.[10]
After retiring from football, Kane worked as a car salesman in Reno, Nevada.[1] In 2005, a teenage girl using her cell phone crashed into his motorcycle, resulting in the loss of his leg.[1][5] He and his wife Dianne had three sons and one daughter.[1] He died December 25, 2009, in Reno, Nevada due to complications from pneumonia.[2][1] His funeral was held at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Reno.[1]
College statistics
editYear | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||
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G | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
1975 | SJ | 11 | 210 | 1,144 | 5.4 | 7 | 7 | 61 | 8.7 | 0 |
1976 | SJ | 11 | 161 | 923 | 5.1 | 6 | 17 | 254 | 14.9 | 3 |
Career | 22 | 371 | 1,967 | 5.3 | 13 | 24 | 315 | 13.3 | 3[2] |
Professional career statistics
editYear | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
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G | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
1977 | DET | 14 | 6 | 124 | 421 | 8.9 | 35 | 4 | 18 | 186 | 13.3 | 20 | 0 |
1978 | DET | 15 | 0 | 44 | 153 | 2.9 | 19 | 2 | 16 | 161 | 10.1 | 26 | 0 |
1979 | DET | 16 | 6 | 94 | 332 | 5.9 | 26 | 4 | 9 | 104 | 11.6 | 36 | 1 |
1980 | DET | 16 | 0 | 31 | 125 | 1.9 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 26 | 5.2 | 9 | 0 |
1981 | DET | 16 | 2 | 77 | 332 | 4.8 | 20 | 2 | 17 | 181 | 10.6 | 40 | 1 |
1982 | DET | 6 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 2.4 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 12 | 0 |
1983 | DET | 14 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 4.8 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 9 | 0 |
1984 | WAS | 12 | 0 | 17 | 43 | 2.5 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
1985 | DET | 16 | 1 | 11 | 44 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 56 | 11.2 | 18 | 0 |
Career | 125 | 15 | 409 | 1,486 | 3.6 | 35 | 12 | 76 | 761 | 10 | 40 | 2[2] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Pelletier, Janet (December 30, 2009). "Remembering Rick Kane". Pleasanton Weekly. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Rick Kane". Pro Football Reference. n.d. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Lions sign Rick Kane". The Windsor Star. Windsor, ON. May 30, 1985. Retrieved April 12, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Richard James Kane". Legacy. December 29, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ^ a b c "College football: Former SJSU star Rick Kane dies". The Mercury News. December 29, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ^ Sylvester, Curt (November 11, 1984). "Laster, Kane relishing chance to show up former teams". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, MI. Retrieved April 12, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lions acquire Meade waive vet Rick Kane". The Windsor Star. Windsor, ON. August 29, 1984. Retrieved April 12, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "'Skins return to top". The La Crosse Tribune. La Crosse, WI. October 12, 1984. Retrieved April 12, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sports in brief". Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, IO. May 17, 1985. Retrieved April 12, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lions let Fantetti, Kane go". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, MI. February 8, 1986. Retrieved April 12, 2022 – via newspapers.com.