Doug Atkins
| Doug Atkins | |
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Position (s): Defensive End |
Jersey numbers: 83, 81 |
| born on May 8, 1930 in Humboldt , Tennessee | |
| died on December 30, 2015 in Knoxville , Tennessee | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1953 - 1969 | |
| NFL Draft : 1953 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11 | |
| College : Tennessee | |
| Teams | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Games | 205 |
| Safety | 1 |
| Interceptions | 3 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Douglas Leon "Doug" Atkins (* 8. May 1930 in Humboldt , Tennessee ; † the thirtieth December 2015 in Knoxville , Tennessee), nicknamed "Big Doug" was a US American football player . He played as a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns , the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints .
youth
Doug Atkins was born in Tennessee and moved to California with his parents when he was born . After returning to his hometown, he played basketball in high school . In the game round 1949/1950 he led his team to 44 consecutive wins and was elected to the state selection. Atkins didn't play American football in high school.
Player career
College career
In 1950 Atkins received a basketball scholarship from the University of Tennessee . Since the coaches at his college quickly realized that his athletic ability, he was six feet tall, would make him a good football player too, they tried hard to persuade him to play football too. Atkins accepted the offer. The football team of his college, the "Tennessee Volunteers" initially used him as a defensive tackle in the team's defense . His team moved into the Cotton Bowl in 1950 and won the game against the University of Texas at Austin 20:14. The American press selected the volunteers as national college champions that year. From the game year 1951 Atkins ran on as a defensive end . This year the team was able to defend the national title, although they lost in the Sugar Bowl against the University of Maryland with 28:13. In 1952 Atkins was elected All-American . Atkins was also a successful track and field athlete . He won the Conference Championship in the high jump .
Professional career
Doug Atkins was drafted 11th in the first round in 1953 by the Cleveland Browns . The head coach of the Browns Paul Brown put him in the defense of the team. Atkins played there with Len Ford as the defensive end . His annual salary was in his rookie year's 6,800 US dollars . The Browns were one of the top teams in the NFL in 1953. However, they were defeated by the Detroit Lions in the NFL final 17:16. After the season, Atkins received an offer from the Baltimore Bullets , a team from the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Bullets offered him an annual salary of $ 7,500. Atkins declined this offer.
1954 moved Atkins with his team again in the NFL final. This time they won against the Lions trained by Buddy Parker with 56:10.
After the 1955 season, Atkins moved to the Chicago Bears trained by George Halas . 1956 Paddy Driscoll took over the coaching office with the Bears and led the team in the same year in the NFL final against the New York Giants . The Giants went away as winners with 47: 7. In 1958 Halas returned to the coaching office of the Bears, but he could not move into a final with his team until 1963. By the 14:10 victory of the Bears over the Giants Atkins won his second championship title.
In 1967 Atkins joined the newly formed New Orleans Saints . He stayed with the Tom Fears team until the end of his career in 1969. He turned down an offer from the Washington Redskins to continue his career there with a salary of $ 100,000 .
After the playing career
Douglas Atkins worked in a coffin joinery after his playing career . He was married twice and had a son. Atkins found his final resting place in the city of his birth at Rose Hill Cemetery .
Honors
Atkins played eight times in the Pro Bowl , the final game of the best players of the season. After the 1958 Pro Bowl, he was voted Most Valuable Player of the Game. Atkins has been voted All-Pro ten times . He is a member of the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team , the Pro Football Hall of Fame , the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame . His shirt number 81 was banned from the Saints, his shirt number 91 is no longer used at the University of Tennessee.
literature
- Lew Freedman: Game of My Life. Chicago Bears: Memorable Stories of Bears Football. Sports pub. LLC, Champaign IL 2006, ISBN 1-59670-100-5 .
Web links
- Doug Atkins with the Bears
- Doug Atkins in college
- Homepage of Doug Atkins
- Short biography (PDF; 28 kB)
- obituary
- Doug Atkins in the Find a Grave database
Individual evidence
- ^ Tennessee legend Doug Atkins passes away
- ^ Annual statistics of the Browns 1953
- ↑ Statistics NFL final 1953
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Browns 1954
- ↑ Statistics NFL final 1954
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Bears 1955
- ^ Statistics NFL final 1955
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Bears 1963
- ↑ Statistics NFL final 1963
- ↑ Tribute to Doug Atkins
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Atkins, Doug |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Atkins, Douglas Leon (full name); Big Doug (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 8, 1930 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Humboldt , Tennessee , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 30, 2015 |
| Place of death | Knoxville , Tennessee , United States |