The 1954 three-team deal delivered Richard "Night Train"…
The 1954 three-team deal delivered Richard "Night Train" Lane, Len Teeuws and Bob Morgan to the Cardinals. The Rams received Don Doll from Washington plus Volney Peters, while Washington received Don Paul from the Cardinals. Lane immediately remained one of football's premier defensive backs, making his move to the Cardinals the defining value swing in a complicated three-club exchange.
Arizona Cardinals Received
- player Richard 'Night Train' Lane
- player Len Teeuws
- player Bob Morgan
Los Angeles Rams Received
- player Don Doll , received from Washington in the three-team exchange
- player Volney Peters
Trade Analysis
What the Trade Actually Did
The January 30, 1954 deal involved the Cardinals, Rams and Washington. The Cardinals received Richard "Night Train" Lane, Len Teeuws and Bob Morgan from Los Angeles. The Rams received Volney Peters from the Cardinals and Don Doll from Washington. Washington received Don Paul from the Cardinals. This record compares the Cardinals and Rams while preserving the three-team path that supplied each club's return.
Why Lane Was the Centerpiece
Lane had already announced himself as an extraordinary ballhawk with the Rams. Moving him therefore meant surrendering a player whose ceiling was obvious, not an unknown prospect. The Cardinals acquired him at age 25 and immediately received elite production. He intercepted 10 passes in his first season with the club and continued building the career that would eventually place him among the game's legendary defensive backs.
What Los Angeles Received
Doll was an established defensive back and Peters was a useful lineman, so the Rams did not walk away empty-handed. The problem is one of scale. Neither return piece matched the sustained impact, recognition or historical standing Lane produced after the trade.
What the Cardinals Added Beyond Lane
Teeuws and Morgan made the package deeper than a one-star transaction. Lane alone would have carried the historical verdict, but Arizona's franchise lineage also received additional players while sending Don Paul and Peters into the wider three-team movement.
Why Washington Matters
Washington supplied Doll to Los Angeles and received Don Paul. That third path explains why a simple Cardinals-Rams asset list can look incomplete if the transaction is viewed only as a direct swap. The full structure was a three-club exchange.
Final Verdict
The Cardinals win decisively. Lane remained an elite interceptor and became a Hall of Fame icon, giving the franchise the best player and the most enduring value in the deal. Los Angeles received credible veterans, but nothing approaching Lane's long-term impact.