interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

, also known as a pick/INT is a gridiron football concept involving a pass being caught by an opposition player, who usually gains possession for his team. Record-keeping for interception counts in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) began in 1940. The record for most interceptions in a single season is held by

Night Train Lane Richard Lane (April 16, 1928 – January 29, 2002), commonly known as Dick "Night Train" Lane, was an American professional football player who was a cornerback for 14 years in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Los Angeles R ...

, who logged 14 interceptions in 1952, while playing for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

. Previously

Dan Sandifer Daniel Padgett Sandifer (March 1, 1927 – August 15, 1987), was an American football defensive back who played with six National Football League teams from 1948 NFL season, 1948 to 1953 NFL season, 1953. Because of World War II, he was one ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, Spec Sanders and Lester Hayes jointly held the record, earning 13 interceptions, in 1948 and 1950, respectively. The record for most league-leading seasons in interceptions is 3. This was first achieved by

Everson Walls Everson Collins Walls (born December 28, 1959) is a former American football defensive back who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Cleveland Browns. During his 14 se ...

, who led the league in interceptions in 1981, 1982, and again in 1985.

Ed Reed Edward Earl Reed Jr. (born September 11, 1978) is an American former football safety in the National Football League (NFL), spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, wher ...

was later able to match Walls, by leading the league in 2004, 2008, and 2010.

Bill Bradley William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. He served three terms as a Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey (1979–1997). He ran for the Democratic Party's nomination f ...

became the first player to lead the league in interceptions in consecutive seasons (1971 and 1972). The aforementioned Walls matched Bradley with his 1981 and 1982 efforts. The most recent player to lead the league in interceptions was

Trevon Diggs Trevon De'Sean Diggs (born September 20, 1998) is an American football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama and was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round of the 202 ...

, who finished with 11 on the season for the 2021 Dallas Cowboys. Additionally,

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

players have led the league in interceptions in more seasons (7) than any other team, but it has not happened since 1968.

Interception leaders

Other leagues

All-America Football Conference (AAFC): American Football League (AFL):

References

{{NFL records Interceptions leaders, annual National Football League lists

Interception leaders

Other leagues

See also

References