American football player (1954–2009)
American football player
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]
Biography
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]
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[ 2]
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[ 2]
References
^ 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.