In 1952, in his first season as a professional football player, Hall of Fame defensive back Dick "Night Train" Lane burst onto the scene as one of the most ferocious tacklers in NFL history while also setting a still-standing record for single-season interceptions with 14. Lane's record is made even more impressive by the fact that he caught those 14 picks in just a 12-game season, averaging 1.17 interceptions per contest in a year that saw him become one of only four men ever (or since 1940, as far back as pro-football-reference.com 's yearly defensive leaderboards are available) to win the league interception crown while averaging over one pick per game (with Lane's '52 per game rate the highest among all seasonal interception leaders since 1940). Since those early days of the NFL, the aerial game has steadily increased its presence in professional football. In that 1952 season, Night Train's Los Angeles Rams defense faced 360 pass attempts from opposi
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