Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

As a rookie in ’52, Lane set a league record with 14 interceptions for the Rams and is credited with a safety. The next season he dropped to 3, but did score a TD on defense and PFR credits him with playing in 11/12 games, so I’m assuming he didn’t have a serious injury. T.J. Troup notes in this post (http://nflfootballjournal.blogspot.com/ ... -lane.html), teams weren’t throwing at him as much in his second year.

These are the things I’m a little puzzled about:

1. In ’52, the AP named Matson (Cards) and Christiansen (Lions) as All-Pro (defensive) backs with honorable mention to Williams (Redskins), Rich (Rams), Smith (Lions), Wagner (49ers), Lahr (Browns), and Craft (Eagles). The UP named a first and second team: Smith (Lions), Rich (Rams), Lahr (Browns), and Christiansen (Lions). They gave Lane honorable mention. (Hugh McElhenny was named rookie of the year.) In ’53, the AP named Thompson (Browns), and Keane (Colts) to the first team and gave Lane honorable mention. The UP named 2 teams: Christiansen (Lions), Keane (Colts), Lahr (Browns), and Rechichar (Colts) and gave Lane honorable mention.

2. After the ’53 season, the Rams traded him. I don’t understand the deal, but Troupe notes “In 1954 Ram management takes part in a three-team trade that serves two teams well. Don Paul (defensive halfback goes from the Cardinals to Washington), but he refuses to report, and thus he winds up playing excellent football for Cleveland for five years. Los Angeles does not get near in return who they "gave" away.”

3. Finally, of course I don’t take this too seriously, but he didn’t have a football card until ’57

I’d be interested if anyone has any thoughts - did it just take time before he was recognized as a great player or was something else going on? Difficult to coach? Problem in the locker room? Observers of this era were more focused on offense and therefore slower to recognize and vote a young player All-Pro? A defensive halfback wasn't valued as much as today given the defensive schemes of the era? I'm just throwing out guesses. To me this would be like the Broncos trading away Von Miller after the 2012 season and not even getting much in return.

TanksAndSpartans wrote:As a rookie in ’52, Lane set a league record with 14 interceptions for the Rams and is credited with a safety. The next season he dropped to 3, but did score a TD on defense and PFR credits him with playing in 11/12 games, so I’m assuming he didn’t have a serious injury. T.J. Troup notes in this post (http://nflfootballjournal.blogspot.com/ ... -lane.html), teams weren’t throwing at him as much in his second year.

These are the things I’m a little puzzled about:

1. In ’52, the AP named Matson (Cards) and Christiansen (Lions) as All-Pro (defensive) backs with honorable mention to Williams (Redskins), Rich (Rams), Smith (Lions), Wagner (49ers), Lahr (Browns), and Craft (Eagles). The UP named a first and second team: Smith (Lions), Rich (Rams), Lahr (Browns), and Christiansen (Lions). They gave Lane honorable mention. (Hugh McElhenny was named rookie of the year.) In ’53, the AP named Thompson (Browns), and Keane (Colts) to the first team and gave Lane honorable mention. The UP named 2 teams: Christiansen (Lions), Keane (Colts), Lahr (Browns), and Rechichar (Colts) and gave Lane honorable mention.

2. After the ’53 season, the Rams traded him. I don’t understand the deal, but Troupe notes “In 1954 Ram management takes part in a three-team trade that serves two teams well. Don Paul (defensive halfback goes from the Cardinals to Washington), but he refuses to report, and thus he winds up playing excellent football for Cleveland for five years. Los Angeles does not get near in return who they "gave" away.”

3. Finally, of course I don’t take this too seriously, but he didn’t have a football card until ’57

I’d be interested if anyone has any thoughts - did it just take time before he was recognized as a great player or was something else going on? Difficult to coach? Problem in the locker room? Observers of this era were more focused on offense and therefore slower to recognize and vote a young player All-Pro? A defensive halfback wasn't valued as much as today given the defensive schemes of the era? I'm just throwing out guesses. To me this would be like the Broncos trading away Von Miller after the 2012 season and not even getting much in return.

I wonder if it had something to do with his color?

rhickok1109 wrote:I wonder if it had something to do with his color?

Thanks Ralph - I thought of the same thing, but how I stumbled on this was doing some All-Pro analysis of the time period. The DBs seemed a little weak for the first half of the 50s with Lahr and Landry leading the way, so at first I assumed Lane must have been a rookie in the latter half of the 50s and then realized he wasn't. But black players did OK in my analysis - my high scorer was Len Ford (better score than Otto Graham), Joe Perry was top FB, Tunnell top Safety, Dan Towler did well but was split between HB and FB, Younger did fine at LB and FB, Matson was split between DB, HB, and FB, but Lane wasn't even noticeable. Maybe just an example that All-Pro voting doesn't always get it right for a few years, but a little weird too especially when I noticed that after not getting much recognition those first 2 years, he was traded to boot.

Lane was a rough-hewn, hard-living dude who as a newborn was left in a garbage can by his parents. As the song goes, he grew up quick and he grew up mean. It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn he was not easy to deal with for coaches used to the yes-sir, no-sir type of player.

Citizen wrote:Lane was a rough-hewn, hard-living dude who as a newborn was left in a garbage can by his parents. As the song goes, he grew up quick and he grew up mean. It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn he was not easy to deal with for coaches used to the yes-sir, no-sir type of player.

Makes sense to me - I picked up a couple books on the 50s - I'm curious to see if anything gets mentioned. Another thing I thought of, my sample size is small, but the articles on post season honors/pro bowl I read made no mention of the 14 picks - I'll dig into it some more.

rhickok1109 wrote:I wonder if it had something to do with his color?

I've also wondered about Duke Slater in that regard. Despite being a top player of the 20s and 30s, he was only named a 1st team all pro three times, none unanimously.

bachslunch wrote:

rhickok1109 wrote:I wonder if it had something to do with his color?

I've also wondered about Duke Slater in that regard. Despite being a top player of the 20s and 30s, he was only named a 1st team all pro three times, none unanimously.

The example I've seen mentioned along these lines is Kenny Washington's last year of college football - apparently he was voted 2nd team All-American which many felt was questionable.

I looked at the 5 year period '50 through '54 and it was just Lane that jumped out at me, but since you guys both mentioned the racial angle, I went back and looked and I did notice Les Bingaman slightly outscored Bill Willis in my analysis at middle guard, but they were basically dead even. But with middle guard, both the AP and UP allowed two slots (there were also just two linebacker slots and one safety slot), so Bill Willis not getting one of the first team slots does seem odd and in both '52 and '53 he got a first from one organization and 2nd from the other. I didn't notice anything with Ford, Perry, Tunnell or Towler though. And the Willis case is nothing like Lane who I first assumed was hurt or not in the league yet in a season he actually had 14 picks.

TanksAndSpartans wrote:

bachslunch wrote:

rhickok1109 wrote:I wonder if it had something to do with his color?

I've also wondered about Duke Slater in that regard. Despite being a top player of the 20s and 30s, he was only named a 1st team all pro three times, none unanimously.

The example I've seen mentioned along these lines is Kenny Washington's last year of college football - apparently he was voted 2nd team All-American which many felt was questionable.

I looked at the 5 year period '50 through '54 and it was just Lane that jumped out at me, but since you guys both mentioned the racial angle, I went back and looked and I did notice Les Bingaman slightly outscored Bill Willis in my analysis at middle guard, but they were basically dead even. But with middle guard, both the AP and UP allowed two slots (there were also just two linebacker slots and one safety slot), so Bill Willis not getting one of the first team slots does seem odd and in both '52 and '53 he got a first from one organization and 2nd from the other. I didn't notice anything with Ford, Perry, Tunnell or Towler though. And the Willis case is nothing like Lane who I first assumed was hurt or not in the league yet in a season he actually had 14 picks.

Watching film Bingaman and Willis is no contest, it's the difference between Casey Hampton and a taxi squad guy - in the 50's that is. Cannot speak to Bingaman in the 40's, though Willis was younger and better then too, this is no comparison. Willis was special, Bingamen was a fat guy.

NWebster wrote: Watching film Bingaman and Willis is no contest, it's the difference between Casey Hampton and a taxi squad guy - in the 50's that is. Cannot speak to Bingaman in the 40's, though Willis was younger and better then too, this is no comparison. Willis was special, Bingamen was a fat guy.

Thanks, I suspected this as well - I caught him in a Tel Ra highlight and he looked big and slow to me.

TanksAndSpartans wrote:

NWebster wrote: Watching film Bingaman and Willis is no contest, it's the difference between Casey Hampton and a taxi squad guy - in the 50's that is. Cannot speak to Bingaman in the 40's, though Willis was younger and better then too, this is no comparison. Willis was special, Bingamen was a fat guy.

Thanks, I suspected this as well - I caught him in a Tel Ra highlight and he looked big and slow to me.

I saw Bingaman play against the Packers several times and he wasn't that slow. He was hard to move, of course, but he was also very quick off the ball.

I only saw Willis play once, at the end of his career, and I don't pretend to remember much about him. But, by all accounts, he really was special and certainly a cut or two above Bingaman.