In 1949, he enrolled at Michigan State University and played baseball for the Spartans while earning a bachelor's degree in communications.
[2] Outside of Michigan, Lane's other works include a stint with the Cincinnati Reds as well as Big Ten football and basketball.
Lane is a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, was named Michigan Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association in 1969 and 1980, inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, and is a past president and lifetime member of the Detroit Sports Media Association,[3] which presented him with the Ty Tyson Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting in 2003 and the Ernie Harwell Lifetime Contribution Award in 2014.
More recently, Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm declared October 3, 2009 as Ray Lane Day throughout the state.
[4] Lane has been a member of the Corporate Leadership Board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Detroit since 1972.