Douglas Leon Atkins was an American professional football player who was a defensive end for the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, and New Orleans Saints in the National Football League.
20 Facts About Doug Atkins
2.
Doug Atkins played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers under head coach Robert Neyland.
3.
Doug Atkins is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
4.
Doug Atkins attended Humboldt High School and played for the school's basketball team, which won the state championship in 1949 with an undefeated record.
5.
Doug Atkins enrolled at the University of Tennessee to play for the Tennessee Volunteers of the Southeastern Conference on a basketball scholarship, but once American football head coach Bob Neyland saw his combination of size and agility, he was recruited for the football team.
6.
Doug Atkins played on the 1951 Tennessee Volunteers football team that won the national championship.
7.
Doug Atkins is one of the few players in Tennessee history to have his number retired.
8.
Doug Atkins was considered one of the, if not the, most dominant defensive players in SEC history.
9.
Doug Atkins was the only unanimous selection to the SEC All Quarter-Century team and was selected as the overall SEC "Player of the Quarter-Century" for the years 1950 to 1975.
10.
At Tennessee, Doug Atkins lettered in three seasons in track and field and one season in basketball.
11.
Doug Atkins played his first two seasons in the NFL with the Browns, winning the NFL Eastern Conference in 1953, and the NFL Championship in 1954.
12.
In Chicago, Doug Atkins quickly became the leader of a devastating defensive unit.
13.
At the 1966 Pro Bowl, Doug Atkins announced his retirement from football.
14.
Doug Atkins changed his mind and signed with the Bears for the 1966 season.
15.
Doug Atkins suffered a fractured knee cap during the 1968 season.
16.
Doug Atkins was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
17.
Doug Atkins has been inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame.
18.
Doug Atkins played a minor acting role as "Jebbo" in the 1975 film, Breakheart Pass, starring Charles Bronson.
19.
Doug Atkins died of natural causes at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, on December 30,2015, at the age of 85.
20.
Doug Atkins was survived by his wife, brother, and three sons.