[8] As a youth in Austin, Lane grew up poor, busing tables at local hotels and shining shoes on Congress Avenue.

The 1945 team was runner-up in the Prairie View Interscholastic League, an association of black schools in Texas.

[4][8][10] After graduating from high school, Lane lived for a time in Council Bluffs, Iowa, with his birth mother, Etta Mae King.

While in Council Bluffs, a baseball scout signed Lane, and he played for a time with the Negro league Omaha Rockets, a farm team for the Kansas City Monarchs.

[8] He was the only African American player on the team, and a clipping from the college newspaper noted, "He is outstanding for his vicious tackles, hard running and pass snatching.

"[11][dead link‍] The Scottsbluff football team compiled a 5–3–1 record with Lane in the lineup in 1947 and finished in third place in the Nebraska Junior College Conference.

[13] After his discharge from the Army, Lane worked in an aircraft plant in Los Angeles, lifting heavy sheets of metal out of a bin and placing them into a press.

[15] Lane initially tried out as a receiver, the position he had played at Fort Ord, but was switched to a defensive back by the Rams.

[15] After the scrimmage, Rams head coach Joe Stydahar said, "Lane came out here to make the ball club.

[15][14] According to an account published by the Los Angeles Times in August 1952, "Whenever Fears plays it Lane can be found in the hall outside Tom's room dancing to the music.

[4] As a rookie in 1952, Lane appeared in all 12 regular season games and broke the NFL single-season record with 14 interceptions.

[19] However, he sprained an ankle after making his third interception against the Steelers and was lost to the Rams for their playoff game against the Detroit Lions.

[21] After Lane blocked two field-goal attempts during a July 1953 scrimmage, Rams coach Hamp Pool said, "Night Train has the reflexes of a cat.

[24] Not long after, in January 1954, the Rams traded Lane to the Chicago Cardinals in a three-team deal that also involved Don Doll.

[2] On August 22, 1960, the Cardinals traded Lane to the Detroit Lions in exchange for lineman Gerry Perry.

"[12] At the time of the trade, Lions head coach George Wilson noted: "He has a reputation as a gambler.

"[28] In the Lions' first win of the 1960 season, a 30–17 victory over the Baltimore Colts, Lane intercepted a Johnny Unitas pass and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown, quickly becoming a fan favorite in Detroit.

[31][32] In early July 1963, Lane married jazz singer Dinah Washington and began serving as her business manager, leading to reports that he might not continue his football career.

[34][35] Lane ultimately appeared in seven games for the 1964 Lions, managing only one interception, the lowest total of his career up to that point.

Lane's practice of tackling opponents about the head and neck, which was then a legal technique, was sometimes called a "Night Train Necktie".

[41] He later explained the rationale for his practice of necktie tackling:My object is to stop the guy before he gains another inch.

His honors include the following: After retiring from professional football, Lane worked for the Detroit Lions in various administrative positions.

[58][59] In January 1974, he resigned his position at Central State to accept a job in Los Angeles as a bodyguard and personal assistant for television star, Redd Foxx.

[65][13] In July 1963, Lane married jazz singer Dinah Washington at a ceremony in Las Vegas.

[66] On December 14, 1963, Lane discovered Washington dead at their home at 4002 Buena Vista Street in Detroit with a bottle of prescription pills on the night stand beside her.

[67] In 1964, Lane married school teacher Mary Cowser,[68] who in 1955 became the first African-American woman to appear in Coca-Cola advertisements.

[8] Due to reduced mobility from diabetes and knee injuries, he spent the last two years of his life at the Five Star Assisted Living facility in North Austin.

[71] He died there from a heart attack in January 2002 at age 73,[72] after playing dominoes and while listening to jazz in his room.

[71] His family believed that he also suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) brought on by football-related brain injuries.