Who Has the Most Interceptions in NFL History?
Who has the most interceptions in NFL history? That’s a question that many football fans have wondered over the years. And now, thanks to our friends at Pro Football Reference, we finally have an answer.
Introduction
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues, the highest professional level of American football in the world.
In professional football, an interception occurs when a forward pass is caught by a player of the opposing team. This can happen if the passing player’s intended receiver is not looking or is covered by defenders, or if the quarterback throws a bad pass.
interceptions are more common in games where passing is more common than running, such as in most modern NFL games. In general, the more passes that are attempted in a game, the more likely it is that there will be an interception.
The record for most career interceptions is held by Paul Krause, who had 81 interceptions over his 16-year career. Krause played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1968 to 1979 and then for the Washington Redskins from 1980 to 1985.
NFL Interception Leaders
Picking off a pass is one of the most exciting plays in football. It can turn the momentum of a game and often decides the outcome. Throughout NFL history, there have been many great players who have excelled at intercepting the football. But who are the NFL leaders in interceptions?
Paul Krause
With 81 career interceptions, Paul Krause holds the NFL record for the most in a career. He played safety for 16 seasons with the Detroit Lions and the Washington Redskins. He was a 8-time Pro Bowler and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.
Emlen Tunnell
Emlen Tunnell is a former professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons in the 1940s and 1950s. He played college football for the University of Iowa, where he was a two-time All-American. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the 1949 NFL Draft, and he played for the Giants for 11 seasons from 1949 to 1959. He led the NFL in interceptions in his rookie season and again in 1955. He is tied with Ken Riley for the most career interceptions with 79, and he is tied with Lem Barney for the most seasons leading the league in interceptions with two. Tunnell was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967, and he was also elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
Rod Woodson
Rod Woodson is a former professional American football player who was a cornerback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. He played college football for Purdue University, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 1987 NFL Draft. Woodson spent his first 10 NFL seasons with the Steelers franchise, winning Super Bowl XL with them over the Seattle Seahawks, before being released after the 1996 season. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 1997, moving to strong safety. In his second season with the 49ers, he led them to victory in Super Bowl XXXIII over the Denver Broncos. He then played for the Baltimore Ravens from 1999 to 2001, winning another Super Bowl XXXV over the New York Giants during his final season. From 2002 to 2003, he was an assistant coach for defensive backs with the Oakland Raiders, until being promoted to head coach following Bill Callahan’s firing in 2003. In his first year as Raiders head coach, Woodson’s team finished 4-12; he was then fired and replaced by Norv Turner following a poor start to the 2004 season that saw them win just two of their first nine games.
Woodson holds NFL records for interceptions returned for touchdowns in a career (12) and interception return yards in a career (1,483). His 71 career interceptions is tied with Paul Krause and Darren Sharper for sixth on NFL’s all-time leader list. He was an inductee of both the College Football Hall of Fame (in 2009) and Pro Football Hall of Fame (in 2009), and his number 26 jersey was retired by both Purdue University and
the Ravens.
Ken Riley
Ken Riley is a former professional American football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1969 to 1983. He is the Bengals’ all-time leader in interceptions with 65, which is also good for sixth place on the NFL’s all-time interceptions list.
Conclusion
The player with the most interceptions in NFL history is Paul Krause, who played for the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Redskins. He had 81 interceptions during his career, which spanned from 1964 to 1979.
