Dick "Night Train" Lane was an undrafted rookie for the Los Angeles Rams when he intercepted Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and future Vikings General Manager Jim Finks three times in a 28-14 win at the L.A. Coliseum on Dec. 14, 1952.
It was Lane's 12th, 13th and NFL record-breaking 14th interceptions in the finale of what was then an 11-game regular season.
Seventy seasons later, that record still stands. Untouched even as the NFL has grown exponentially into a pass-happy league while expanding its seasons to 12 games in 1947, 14 games in 1961, 16 games in 1978 and 17 games this season.
But something interesting is brewing in Big D. A streak of picks that hasn't been seen in almost 30 years.
Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs, the younger brother of former Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs, has seven interceptions in six games heading into Sunday night's game against the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. The last player to do that was Hall of Famer Rod Woodson in 1993, the year he won NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
"I haven't studied the Diggs kid closely," said Vikings Hall of Fame safety Paul Krause, "but I can tell he's got that sixth sense you need to get a lot of interceptions."
He should know. In 16 years with Washington and the Vikings, Krause posted 81 interceptions, a career record that may never be broken. The current active leader in interceptions is 33-year-old Richard Sherman, who has 36.
Interceptions didn't become an official NFL statistic until 1940. The record changed hands four times in nine seasons. Washington's Dan Sandifer set the mark at 13 in 1948 and held it until Lane, a Hall of Famer, broke it four years later.
That mark has been unchallenged ever since. The last player to have more than 10 interceptions in a season was Dallas cornerback Everson Walls, who had 11 in 1981. Since then, only nine players have notched 10 interceptions in 39 seasons.
"They keep writing the rules against [the defense]," Vikings safety Harrison Smith said. "I mean, that's just the reality of it."
The NFL's steady march toward the wide-open game we see today began in 1978 with major rules changes to end the so-called "Dead-Ball Era." Among other changes, defenders were prohibited from making contact 5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
"You can't get away with much on defense anymore," Smith said. "So it's hard to always play the ball if you can't touch anybody."
Quarterbacks also have gotten more accurate as offenses have become more efficient.
"Quarterbacks are so good in this league," Vikings co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson said. "They know where to go with the ball and how to keep the ball out of harm's way. I think that's the biggest reason why" the interception record hasn't been broken.
Krause, a kid from Flint, Mich., grew up watching Lane, his "idol," when Night Train was with the Lions. The closest Krause came to the single-season record was 12 as a rookie with Washington in 1964.
"That's 12 in 12 games," Krause said. "I'd like to play 17 games. I think I could get an awful lot of interceptions in 17 games.
"I like my career record. If someone can break it, that's OK because they will have earned it. It's a God-given ability to get a lot of interceptions. I could tell in a split second where the ball was going. But, honestly, you just don't see guys anymore who can consistently come up with six, seven, eight interceptions a year."
Diggs has 10 in 18 NFL games, including at least one in every game this season.
"What I've been impressed with him is when the ball is in the air, he goes and gets it," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. "He's got great hands, but he accelerates to the ball very well."
Asked if Diggs is a "gambler" when it comes to forcing interceptions, Zimmer said, "He'll sit on some routes, yeah."
That's what happened in a win at New England two weeks ago. On consecutive plays, Diggs had a 42-yard pick-six and then gave up a 75-yard touchdown pass when he got beat on a double move by Kendrick Bourne.
Diggs said this week he feels now like he's in a zone every time he steps on the field. He talked about staying aggressive in making a play for the ball rather than sitting back and batting it down.
That's music to Krause's ears.
"The thing I'd tell Diggs is, 'Just keep playing like you are,'" Krause said. "Don't change your game for anybody. Do that and there's no telling how many interceptions this kid will have."
