No. 32, 40 | |
Born: | Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. | November 12, 1954
---|---|
Died: | December 25, 2009 Reno, Nevada, U.S. | (aged 55)
Career information | |
Position(s) | Running back |
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
Weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
College |
University of Oregon San Jose State |
NFL draft | 1977, Round: 3, Pick: 69 |
Career history | |
As player | |
1977–1983 | Detroit Lions |
1984 | Washington Redskins |
1985 | Detroit Lions |
Career stats | |
|
Richard James Kane (November 12, 1954 – December 25, 2009) was an American football running back in the National Football League for the Detroit Lions in 1977-1983 and 1985–1986. [1] [2] [3] Kane rushed for 1,486 yards during his NFL career. [2]
Kane 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]
Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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] |
Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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] |