In Canadian or American football, an interception occurs when a quarterback's pass is caught by a player on the opposing team. This leads to an immediate change of possession during the play: the defender who caught the ball immediately assumes the role of the offense and attempts to move the ball as far towards the opposing goal as possible. Following the stoppage of play, if the interceptor retained possession of the ball, their team takes over possession at the spot where the defender was downed.

Interceptions are predominantly made by the secondary or the linebackers, who are usually closest to the quarterback's intended targets: the wide receivers. However, it is not uncommon for a defensive lineman to get the occasional interception from a tipped ball, a near sack, or a screen pass.

Notable players

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Lester Hayes of the Oakland Raiders was one of the NFL's leaders at interceptions in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was known for covering his chest, shoulders and forearms with a copious amounts of adhesive ("stickum") to help him hold onto the ball. After the NFL outlawed the use of such foreign substances in 1981, Hayes' success rate at interceptions dropped below average. He continued to use the substance, which he called, "pick juice," by having it applied in smaller amounts to his wrists.

Paul Krause is usually considered to be the best free safety that the NFL ever had. Krause holds the record for most career interceptions, and is tied for third place for most interceptions by an NFL rookie in his first season, with 12. He played his first three years in the NFL from 1964 to 1967 with the Washington Redskins but was quickly traded to the Minnesota Vikings, where he spent most of his career. Krause played until 1979 and appeared in four Super Bowls with the Vikings (though he never won), and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

NFL Interception Leaders

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Career

• Paul Krause - 81
• Emlen Tunnell - 79
• Rod Woodson - 71
• Dick Lane - 68
• Ken Riley - 65
• Ronnie Lott - 63
• Dave Brown - 62
• Dick LeBeau - 62
• Emmitt Thomas - 58
• Mel Blount - 57
• Bobby Boyd - 57
• Johnny Robinson- 57
• Everson Walls - 57
• Eugene Robinson - 57

Single Season

• Dick Lane - 14
• Dan Sandifer - 13
• Orban Sanders - 13
• Lester Hayes - 13

There is a nine-way tie for fifth place with 12 interceptions.

Game

There is an 18-way tie for most interceptions in one game. The record is 4 interceptions.

American football terminology

Interception