Doug Atkins was an American football defensive end and NFL hall of famer. He was born on May 8, 1930 in Humboldt, Tennessee. Atkins was 6ft 8in tall and weighed 276 pounds in his prime. He was enrolled at the University of Tennessee on a basketball scholarship but his size and agility made him a prime candidate for the American football team. He played on the Tennessee football team and earned All-America honors in 1952. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 1953 National Football League Draft. Atkins played two seasons in Cleveland before he was traded to the Chicago Bears in 1955. There he developed his skills and became one of the best defensive players in the league. He played three successful seasons with the New Orleans Saints from 1967-1969. He retired at the end of the 1969 season. Atkins became a ‘Pro Football Hall of Famer’ in 1982 and a ‘College Football Hall of Famer’ in 1985. He married Joyce Gay Floyd in 1954. Doug Atkins died on December 30, 2015 at the age of 85. He died of natural causes.
Photo By Bowman [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
