Acquired by Detroit in a trade with the Chicago Cardinals prior to the 1960 season, Dick "Night Train" Lane arrived in Motown at age 32 with his legendary reputation already carved into pro football lore. As an undrafted rookie with the Los Angeles Rams in 1952, he set an NFL single-season record with 14 interceptions in a 12-game schedule—a historic mark that still stands untouched today. Though he was entering the final chapter of his career when he put on the Honolulu Blue, Lane proved he remained the most feared perimeter corner in the game.

Lane brought an uncompromising, terrifying physicality to Detroit's secondary. Famous for his notorious "Night Train Necktie"—a violent clothesline tackle around ball carriers' necks that was eventually outlawed by the NFL—he intimidated receivers long before the ball reached their hands. Slotted at left cornerback alongside Dick LeBeau and Yale Lary, Lane anchored a secondary that made the Lions' defense one of the most punishing units of the 1960s.

His Motown stint yielded immediate elite honors. Lane earned three consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 1960 to 1962 and captured back-to-back First-Team All-Pro nods in 1961 and 1962, snaring 21 interceptions during his six seasons in Detroit. By the time he hung up his cleats following the 1965 campaign, his 68 career interceptions ranked second in NFL history behind only Emlen Tunnell. Named to the NFL's 50th, 75th, and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams, Lane stands as arguably the greatest cornerback to ever play the game.

In his six seasons in Detroit, Lane played in 66 games for Detroit, compiling 21 interceptions for 272 return yards and one pick-six. A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro in Detroit (seven-time First-Team All-Pro overall), Lane was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974 and inducted as a charter member of the Pride of the Lions in 2009.