- Doug Atkins
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Doug Atkins No. 81 Defensive End Personal information Date of birth: May 8, 1930 Place of birth: Humboldt, Tennessee Height: 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) Weight: 275 lb (125 kg) Career information College: Tennessee NFL Draft: 1953 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11 Debuted in 1953 for the Cleveland Browns Last played in 1969 for the New Orleans Saints Career history Career highlights and awards - 8× Pro Bowl selection (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965)
- Pro Bowl MVP (1958)
- 2x NFL champion (1954, 1963)
- 4× First Team All-Pro selection (1958, 1960, 1961, 1963)
- 6× Second Team All-Pro selection (1957, 1959, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1968)
- NFL 1960s All-Decade Team
- New Orleans Saints #81 retired
- Tennessee Volunteers #91 retired
- Pro Football Hall of Fame (1982)
Career NFL statistics as of 1969 Games Played 205 Interceptions 3 Stats at NFL.com Pro Football Hall of Fame College Football Hall of Fame Douglas Leon Atkins (born May 8, 1930 in Humboldt, Tennessee) is a former American football defensive end who played for the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints in the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Tennessee under legendary head coach Robert Neyland. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Atkins was a fierce defender who was known for using his immense size and agility to his advantage. At 6'8", Atkins would often bat passes down at the line of scrimmage and would use his skills as a high jump champion to leapfrog blockers and get to the quarterback.[1] Atkins was one of the first great exclusively defensive players in professional football and, along with fellow Hall of Famer Gino Marchetti, revolutionized the defensive end position.
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College career
Atkins originally went to Tennessee on a basketball scholarship, but once football coach General Robert R. Neyland saw his combination of size and agility, he was recruited for the grid team. After he earned All-America honors in 1952, the Cleveland Browns selected him with their first choice in the 1953 NFL Draft. Atkins also played on the 1951 Tennessee Volunteers football team that won the national championship. Atkins is one of the few players in Tennessee history to have his number retired. He was considered one of, if not the, most dominant defensive players in SEC history. 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 1950-1975.[1]
Professional career
Atkins began his playing career with the Cleveland Browns, but his peak years of his 17-year career came with the Chicago Bears. Atkins' first two seasons were played with the Browns before he was traded to the Bears in 1955. According to Pat Summerall on an NFL films segment about Browns' founder and head coach Paul Brown, Atkins was released by the Browns after belching in a meeting. In Chicago, Atkins quickly became the leader of a devastating defensive unit. With the Bears, Atkins was a First Team All-Pro selection in 1958, 1960, 1961, and 1963; along with being a starter in the Pro Bowl in eight of his last nine years with Chicago. Before the 1967 season, Atkins requested a trade from Chicago and was traded to the New Orleans Saints, with whom he would end his career in 1969.
Honors
Atkins is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame. His collegiate jersey number, 91, was retired by the University of Tennessee in 2005.
Even though he only played three seasons for New Orleans, the club retired his #81, one of two numbers originally retired by the franchise. The other, #31, belongs to Hall of Fame fullback Jim Taylor, a long-time rival of Atkins during Taylor's days with the Green Bay Packers.
The NFL Network ranked him as the #9 Pass Rusher of All Time in its Top Ten show.
External links
- Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
- Doug Atkins football card gallery
References
Tennessee Volunteers Football 1951 Consensus National Champions Doug Atkins | Ken Donahue | James Haslam | Hank Lauricella | Bert Rechichar
Head Coach Robert Neyland
Coaches Harvey RobinsonCleveland Browns first-round draft picks Carpenter • Konz • Rechichar • Agganis • Atkins • Garrett • Bauer • Burris • Carpenter • Brown • Shofner • Kreitling • Houston • Crespino • Collins • L. Jackson • Hutchinson • Warfield • Morin • Matheson • Upshaw • Johnson • Phipps • McKay • Scott • Darden • Holden • Adams • Mitchell • Pruitt • R. Jackson • Newsome • Matthews • Adams • White • Dixon • Banks • Rogers • Junkin • Charlton • Metcalf • Turner • Vardell • Everitt • Langham • Alexander • Powell • Couch • Brown • Warren • Green • Faine • Winslow • Edwards • Wimbley • Thomas • Quinn • Mack • Haden • TaylorAFC East: BUF · MIA · NE · NYJ • North: BAL · CIN · CLE · PIT • South: HOU · IND · JAC · TEN • West: DEN · KC · OAK · SD
NFC East: DAL · NYG · PHI · WAS • North: CHI · DET · GB · MIN • South: ATL · CAR · NO · TB • West: ARI · STL · SF · SEACleveland Browns 1954 NFL Champions Tony Adamle | Quincy Armstrong | Doug Atkins | Mo Bassett | Harold Bradley | Pete Brewster | Tom Catlin | Don Colo | Len Ford | Herschel Forester | Bob Gain | Frank Gatski | Abe Gibron | Horace Gillom | Ken Gorgal | Otto Graham | Lou Groza | Chet Hanulak | Tommy James | Dub Jones | Don King | John Kissell | Kenny Konz | Warren Lahr | Dante Lavelli | Carlton Massey | Mike McCormack | Walt Michaels | Curley Morrison | Chuck Noll | Don Paul | George Ratterman | Ray Renfro | Billy Reynolds | John Sandusky
Head Coach Paul Brown
Assistant Coaches: Paul Bixler | Howard Brinker | Fritz Heisler | Ed UlinskiChicago Bears 1963 NFL Champions 9 Bill Wade | 10 Rudy Bukich | 17 Richie Petitbon | 22 Billy Martin | 23 Dave Whitsell | 24 Rosey Taylor | 25 J. C. Caroline | 26 Bennie McRae | 28 Willie Galimore | 29 Ronnie Bull | 31 Joe Fortunato | 33 Larry Morris | 34 Joe Marconi | 35 Rick Casares | 43 Larry Glueck | 46 Angelo Coia | 47 Johnny Morris | 49 Charlie Bivins | 50 Mike Pyle | 60 Roger Davis | 61 Bill George | 63 Bob Wetoska | 65 Tom Bettis | 67 Ted Karras | 70 Herman Lee | 71 Earl Leggett | 72 Jim Cadile | 73 Steve Barnett | 74 Bob Kilcullen | 75 Fred Williams | 76 John Johnson | 78 Stan Jones | 80 Bob Jencks | 81 Doug Atkins | 83 Roger LeClerc | 84 Bo Farrington | 87 Ed O'Bradovich | 88 Bobby Joe Green | 89 Mike Ditka
Head Coach: George Halas
Coaches: George Allen | Jim Dooley | Phil Handler | Luke Johnsos | Sid Luckman | Chuck Mather | Joe StydaharNational Football League | NFL's 1960s All-Decade Team Sonny Jurgensen | Bart Starr | Johnny Unitas | John David Crow | Paul Hornung | Leroy Kelly | Gale Sayers | Jim Brown | Jim Taylor | John Mackey | Del Shofner | Charley Taylor | Gary Collins | Boyd Dowler | Bob Brown | Forrest Gregg | Ralph Neely | Gene Hickerson | Jerry Kramer | Howard Mudd | Jim Ringo | Doug Atkins | Willie Davis | Deacon Jones | Alex Karras | Bob Lilly | Merlin Olsen | Dick Butkus | Larry Morris | Ray Nitschke | Tommy Nobis | Dave Robinson | Herb Adderley | Lem Barney | Bobby Boyd | Ed Meador | Larry Wilson | Willie Wood | Jim Bakken | Don Chandler
New Orleans Saints Retired Numbers Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1982 50th Anniversary All-Time SEC Team Offense: QB Archie Manning, Ole Miss | RB Charley Trippi Georgia | RB Billy Cannon, LSU | RB Herschel Walker, Georgia | WR Don Hutson, Alabama| WR Terry Beasley, Auburn | TE Ozzie Newsome, Alabama
Coach Bear Bryant, Alabama, Kentucky
OL John Hannah, Alabama | OL Bruiser Kinard, Ole Miss | OL Bob Suffridge, Tennessee | G Billy Neighbors, Alabama | C Dwight Stephenson, Alabama
Defense: DE Jack Youngblood, Florida | DE Doug Atkins, Tennessee | DT Bill Stanfill, Georgia | DT Lou Michaels, Kentucky | DL Gaynell Tinsley, LSU | LB Jack Reynolds, Tennessee | LB D. D. Lewis, Miss. State | MLB Lee Roy Jordan, Alabama | DB Tucker Frederickson, Auburn| DB Jake Scott, Georgia | DB Tommy Casanova, LSU | DB Don McNeal, Alabama | DB Jimmy Patton, Ole Miss
Special Teams PK Fuad Reveiz, Tennessee | P Craig Colquitt, TennesseeCategories:- 1930 births
- Living people
- People from Tennessee
- American football defensive ends
- Tennessee Volunteers football players
- Tennessee Volunteers basketball players
- Cleveland Browns players
- Chicago Bears players
- New Orleans Saints players
- Western Conference Pro Bowl players
- Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Minneapolis Lakers draft picks
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