Richard James Kane (November 12, 1954 – December 25, 2009) was an American professional football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions from 1977 to 1983, and 1985 to 1986. Kane rushed for 1,486 yards during his NFL career.
Biography Kane was born on November 12, 1954, in Lincoln, Nebraska to Gerald James Kane and Orletha Ann (Fiala) Kane. He had one sister, Diane. The family moved to Pleasanton, California when Kane was 12, and he played football at and graduated from Amador Valley High School. He attended University of Oregon for two years and was awarded the Len Casanova Award for Rookie of the year in 1973. He transferred to San Jose State University where he became the first player in school history to rush 1,000 yards.
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. He played 12 games with the Washington Redskins during the 1984 season after being placed on waivers by the Lions. The following May, he was again placed on waivers but re-signed with the Lions on a one-year contract. He was released in February 1986.
After retiring from football, Kane worked as a car salesman in Reno, Nevada. In 2005, a teenage girl using her cell phone crashed into his motorcycle, resulting in the loss of his leg. He and his wife Dianne had three sons and one daughter. He died December 25, 2009, in Reno, Nevada due to complications from pneumonia. His funeral was held at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Reno.
College statistics 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
Professional career statistics 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
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