Selected in the third round (73rd overall) of the 1967 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Oregon State, Rockne "Rocky" Freitas spent his initial rookie offseason on the move before securing a permanent football home in Motown. Joining the Detroit Lions in 1968, the Kailua, Hawaii native quickly transformed into a bedrock anchor along the right side of the offensive line, leveraging his towering 6-foot-6 frame to overwhelm edge rushers and open massive holes for the ground game.

Taking over as the full-time starter at right tackle during his second campaign, Freitas gave the offense rare technical stability and raw physical power. His pass protection and run-blocking mechanics helped power Detroit to a 10–4 record in 1970, helping the franchise secure its first postseason berth since the merger.

His standard-setting performance came in 1972. Starting all 14 games at right tackle, Freitas anchored an offensive front that routinely dictated terms at the line of scrimmage. His dominant play earned him his first career Pro Bowl invite and Second-Team AP All-Pro honors, while posting a team-high 14 Approximate Value—an impressive mark for an offensive lineman that highlighted his standing as a force in the trenches.

Freitas remained a quiet, dependable cornerstone for Detroit throughout the mid-1970s, making 115 starts across 121 regular-season games in Honolulu blue. His durability and veteran poise steadied the Lions through multiple coaching shifts until his decade-long tenure in Michigan wrapped up after the 1977 campaign. He spent one final active season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1978 before hanging up his pads to build a distinguished second career in higher education and public leadership back home in Hawaii.

As the first Native Hawaiian player to earn NFL All-Pro honors, Freitas forged a groundbreaking legacy that extended far beyond the box score.

Another career Detroit Lion, John Gordy was allegedly the inspiration for George Plimpton’s second book on football, “Mad Ducks and Bears”.  Gordy was far more than a literary muse as he was a three time Pro Bowler and a star lineman for Detroit for a decade.

The NFL Rookie of the Year in 1959, Nick Pietrosante came out of Notre Dame a star and continued that pattern in Detroit.  The Fullback would be a Pro Bowl Selection in both 1960 and 1961 and rushed for 3,933 Yards as a Lion, an excellent number for that position in that era.

A star at USC, Charlie Weaver may not have had the fame he did in Southern California, but he was a solid Linebacker for the Detroit Lions for a decade (1971-81).  Weaver would accumulate 15 Interceptions in his professional career.