The Detroit Lions have a long history of elite defensive backs, including several Hall of Famers and NFL legends. Here are the Top 10 in team history.
The Detroit Lions have had a number of talented players in the defensive backfield over the years, including some of the best defenders in NFL history and five Hall of Famers.
Many of these players spent careers in Detroit that spanned a decade or more, and several were key contributors to NFL Championship teams as well as some of the best defensive teams in franchise and league history.
As always, a big shoutout to pro-football-reference.com, which has a massive database of information and is an outstanding resource.
Next: 10. James Hunter
James Hunter was drafted by the Lions in the first round of the 1976 NFL Draft. He got his opportunity to play after Dick Jauron went down with a broken leg and as a rookie intercepted seven passes, finishing runner-up to future Hall of Famer Mike Haynes for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Known as “Hound Dog,” he would play each of his seven seasons in Detroit, intercepting 27 passes, leading the team in interceptions three times and starting 77 games. He was a popular player with teammates and fans, known for his energetic personality and philanthropy. A neck injury ended his career in 1982.
Next: 9. Dré Bly
Dre’ Bly was drafted in the second round by the St. Louis Rams in 1999. He did not see a lot of starts in St. Louis, although he did get a Super Bowl ring, and signed with the Lions as a free agent in 2003. He immediately stepped in as a starter and went to the Pro Bowl in both 2003 and 2004. He recorded 19 interceptions and forced 12 fumbles in his four seasons in Detroit.
After the 2006 season, the Lions traded Bly to the Denver Broncos for Tatum Bell, George Foster and a fifth-round pick, which was used to draft Johnny Baldwin. Bly spent two seasons in Denver, and one season with the San Francisco 49ers. He attempted a comeback with the Lions in 2010 but was cut before the season started. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
Next: 8. Bennie Blades
Bennie Blades was drafted by the Lions with the third overall pick in the 1988 draft and the team immediately put him into the starting lineup. Known as an intimidating hitter, he accumulated 815 tackles over nine seasons in Detroit, second in franchise history.
In 1991, when the Lions went 12-4 and beat the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, Blades was named to the Pro Bowl. He was a team captain for five seasons in Detroit and was named the team’s defensive MVP in 1992. He left Detroit after the 1996 season and joined his brother Brian Blades with the Seattle Seahawks for one season in 1997 before retiring.
Next: 7. Don Doll
Don Doll only played for the Lions for four seasons, but he left his mark on the franchise record books. After being drafted in the ninth round in 1949, he intercepted 11 passes in his rookie season, which set a team record.
He picked off four passes in one game against the Chicago Cardinals on October 23, which is still a franchise record. He also led the NFL in kick return yards (536), and he gained 301 yards on interception returns as well, which remains a franchise single-season record.
In 1950, he intercepted 12 passes, re-setting the team record (which would later be matched by Jack Christiansen in 1953), and was named to the first Pro Bowl, the first of three straight appearances in the game for Doll. In 1952, Doll and the Lions won the NFL Championship, and Doll won the Pro Bowl MVP award.
In 1953, Doll was traded to Washington, where he caught 10 interceptions that season and was named to a fourth consecutive Pro Bowl. He is still the only player in NFL history to record three double-digit interception seasons. He was traded again in 1954, this time to the Los Angeles Rams, where he played for one season before retiring and becoming a coach.
For the next 34 years, Doll worked as a college and professional coach, including two stints in Detroit. He was the team’s defensive backfield coach from 1963-64, and 1978-88 served as special teams coach, then tight ends coach, after which he retired.
Next: 6. Jim David
Jim David was drafted by Detroit in the 22nd round of the 1952 NFL Draft and recorded seven interceptions in his rookie season. He played his entire eight-season career with the Lions and was named to six consecutive Pro Bowls from 1954-1959. Nicknamed “the Hatchet” for his propensity to deliver big hits, David intercepted 36 passes during his career and helped the Lions to three NFL Championships.
After retiring from playing after the 1959 season, he went into coaching, joining the Los Angeles Rams’ staff from 1960-1963, where he worked as a defensive backs’ coach before becoming a scout. He then joined former Lions teammate Jack Christiansen‘s staff with the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons before returning to Detroit to work under another former teammate, Joe Schmidt, as a defensive coach from 1967-1972. He would eventually present one of his players, Lem Barney, at the Hall of Fame in 1992.
Next: 5. Night Train Lane
Rarely has there been a player whose nickname was such an integral part of his identity. Where Night Train Lane got his nickname is debated, it may have come from the Jimmy Forrest album by the same name or his habit of travelling by train to away games because of a fear of flying, but it eventually came to be associated with what he is most remembered for: hitting the living daylights out of opponents.
Lane was known, and feared, for the “Night Train Necktie.” Lane would clothesline the ballcarrier and yank him to the ground by the neck or the facemask, which at the time was allowed. If he did not “necktie” his opponent to the ground, Lane would simply level the ballcarrier with his forearms, sending him flying.
Lane’s origin story is just as astounding as any other part of his career. His mother found him abandoned as an infant, took him in and raised him as a single mother. He dropped out of college and joined the Army for four years before taking a job in an airplane factory. Unsatisfied with his job, he went to the Los Angeles Rams training camp to try out. He not only made the team, he set an NFL record which still stands with 14 interceptions in his rookie season in 1952, baiting quarterbacks into interceptions by playing off his receiver then closing down as the ball was released.
He was traded to the Chicago Cardinals in 1954, where he led the NFL in interceptions again that season. He was traded again to Detroit in 1960, where he spent the final six seasons of his career, intercepting 21 passes and making the Pro Bowl three times, from 1960-1962.
Lane was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974, and is a member of the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team and the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team.
Next: 4. Dick LeBeau
Drafted and cut by the Cleveland Browns in 1959, Dick LeBeau was signed soon after by Detroit, where he stayed for the next 14 seasons. LeBeau intercepted 62 passes during his career, which is still a franchise record, started 171 consecutive games and was named to the Pro Bowl three times, from 1964-1966.
LeBeau was part of one of the best defenses in history while in Detroit, teaming up at different times with Lions legends such as the Fearsome Foursome, Yale Lary, Joe Schmidt, Night Train Lane, Wayne Walker and Lem Barney.
LeBeau is just as well-known for his success as a coach as a player. For over four decades, he has coached some of the league’s top defenses and has been credited with some of the game’s most important defensive innovations, the zone blitz in particular. His defense was the cornerstone of the Pittsburgh Steelers teams that won Super Bowls XL and XLIII. He is currently the defensive coordinator of the Tennesee Titans. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.
Next: 3. Yale Lary
Yale Lary was drafted by the Lions in the second round of the 1952 NFL Draft. After making the Pro Bowl in 1953 he missed the 1954 and 1955 seasons due to military service. He returned to the Lions in 1956 and picked up where he left off, being named to seven straight Pro Bowls.
Lary played each of his 11 seasons as a Lion and was named to the Pro Bowl during nine of them. He was a critical member of the Lions defense during three NFL Championship runs and accumulated 50 interceptions over the course of his career, which ranks third in franchise history.
Lary was also an excellent punter for the Lions, leading the NFL in punting average three times. His career average of 44.3 yards per punt is second only to current punter Sam Martin in franchise history. He also returned punts and kickoffs early in his career, returning three punts for touchdowns.
Lary did a lot more than just play football during his playing days. From 1959-1963, he was a member of the Texas state legislature. He made the Pro Bowl each of those years on the football field and was sworn-in for his second term four days after playing in the 1961 Playoff Bowl. He also played some minor league baseball during the offseasons early in his career.
He is a member of the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
Next: 2. Jack Christiansen
Jack Christiansen was drafted in the sixth round of the 1951 NFL Draft by the Lions. His first impact was not in the defensive backfield, but rather as a returner, as he led the NFL in both punt return touchdowns and punt return average in both 1951 and 1952. He returned eight punts for touchdowns during his career and was the first player in NFL history to return two punts for touchdowns in one game, a feat he accomplished twice.
From 1953 onward, Christensen was primarily known as an elite defensive back. He led the NFL in interceptions in 1953 with 12, which is still tied for the franchise record, and was named to his first of five straight Pro Bowls.
Christiansen was the leader of the Lions’ defensive backfield during the 50s, known as “Chris’ Crew,” which included Jim David, Yale Lary and Terry Barr and helped the Lions win three NFL Championships. He led the league in interceptions again with 10 in 1957. He intercepted 46 passes in his eight-year career in Detroit, which ranks fourth in franchise history.
Christiansen retired after the 1958 season to take a job as an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers which started a 25-year coaching career, including head coaching stints with the 49ers (1963-67) and Stanford University (1972-76). Christiansen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970 and is a member of the NFL’s 1950s All-Decade Team.
Next: The Top Defensive Back In Lions History
Lem Barney was drafted by the Lions in the second round in 1967 and immediately made his presence known, returning an interception off of Bart Starr for a touchdown in the first quarter of his first NFL game.
He intercepted ten passes in his rookie season, including three in the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings, and returned three of them for touchdowns, earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and his first Pro Bowl appearance.
Barney would go on to play in seven Pro Bowls in his 11-year career as a Lion. He intercepted 56 passes during his career, which ranks second in franchise history, and returned seven of those interceptions for touchdowns. He recovered 17 fumbles, including a league-leading five in 1968. He was also an accomplished returner, scoring an additional four touchdowns on special teams.
Next: Most Underrated Detroit Lions in Team History
Barney was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992. In 2004 the Detroit Lions retired the number 20 to honor him, Barry Sanders and Billy Sims. He is also a member of the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team.