Bob Lane (American football)


Bob Lane is a former gridiron football quarterback who played in the United States Football League. He played college football at Northeast Louisiana.

College career

Lane started his collegiate career at Louisiana State. He suffered a knee injury and broke his foot as a freshman and redshirted his sophomore season. He returned as a redshirt sophomore and played mostly defensive back and was the third string quarterback as a redshirt junior before transferring to Northeast Louisiana for his fourth season of NCAA eligibility. In his only season with the Indians, Lane started one game but was mostly used as a "relief pitcher" during games, completing 93 of 198 pass attempts for 11 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.

Professional career

Lane was selected in the ninth round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After being released by the Buccaneers during the preseason he was signed by the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League. Lane platooned with starter Reggie Collier and eventually took over starting quarterback duties after Collier suffered a season ending hip injury. He finished the 1983 season with 2,264 yards on 175-of-346 passing with 14 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions and also rushed for three touchdowns. After the season Lane was signed by the Atlanta Falcons, but was cut during training camp. Lane was re-signed by the Stallions and was the primary backup quarterback for the team for two seasons until the league folded.

Post-football

After retiring from football, Lane joined Northeast Louisiana's coaching staff, serving as the team's quarterback's coach from 1987 to 1989. Lane's son, Robert, played quarterback and tight end at Ole Miss.