Tennessee Football Legend Doug Atkins Dies at Age 85

Tennessee football legend Doug Atkins died Wednesday at 85. Atkins had a Hall of Fame career in the NFL and played under Gen. Neyland for the Volunteers.

He was known as one of the greatest defensive linemen ever to play the game, often times referred to as the greatest.

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He enjoyed a 17-year NFL career.

And he was an All-American with the Tennessee Vols, helping them win the 1951 national championship and becoming one of three players with the program to have his jersey retired.

Former Tennessee football star Doug Atkins died on Wednesday in Knoxville at age 85, according to a report from GVX247.

Atkins is considered by all accounts one of the Top 10 Vols to ever play for the program. At 6’8″, he went to Tennessee on a basketball scholarship but became a football star, eventually becoming a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

This deadly defensive end was Julius Peppers before Julius Peppers.

In addition to his standout college football career, Atkins made eight Pro Bowls in the NFL, was an All-Pro player four times, and made the all-decade NFL team of the 1960s.

His NFL career included two years with the Cleveland Browns, 12 years with the Chicago Bears, and three years with the New Orleans Saints.

A Tennessee native, Atkins always represented the University of Tennessee well. His final play resulted in him sacking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dick Shriner in 1969 to preserve a 27-24 victory for the Saints.

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Though he never won a Super Bowl, he did win two NFL Championships, in 1954 with the Browns and in 1963 with the Bears.

Atkins is rated by the NFL’s official website  as one of the Top 10 pass rushers in NFL history along with fellow Vol Reggie White.