Donald LeRoy Doll (August 29, 1926 – September 22, 2010), also known as Don Burnside, was an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
player and coach.
Doll played college football for the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
(1944, 1946–1948) and professional football in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
with the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
(1949–1953),
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
(1954) and
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
(1955). He was selected to play in each of the first four
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
s and was named the Most Valuable Player in the 1952 season Pro Bowl. He played safety on the
1952 Detroit Lions team that won the NFL championship. He tied an NFL record in 1949 with four interceptions in a single game and is the only player in NFL history to have 10 or more interceptions in each of three different seasons (1949, 1950 and 1953). When he retired at the end of the 1954 season, he was the NFL's all-time leader with 41 interceptions.
After retiring as a player, Doll worked as a football coach for 34 years, serving as the head coach at
West Contra Costa Junior College in 1956 and as an assistant coach with the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
(1955), USC (1957–1958),
Notre Dame (1959–1962), Detroit Lions (1963–1964),
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
(1965),
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
(1966–1970),
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
(1971–1973),
Baltimore Colts
The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...
(1974),
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
(1975–1976),
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
(1977) and Detroit Lions (1978–1988). During his NFL career, he was associated with the game's legendary coaches, as a player for
Curly Lambeau
Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau (April 9, 1898 – June 1, 1965) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). Lambeau, along with his friend and fellow Green Bay, Wisconsin native George Whitney Calho ...
and an assistant coach under
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be the greatest coach in football history, and he is recognized a ...
and
Don Shula
Donald Francis Shula (January 4, 1930 – May 4, 2020) was an American football defensive back and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. The head coach of the Miami Dolphins for most of his ca ...
.
Early years
Doll attended
Grant Union High School in
Sacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...
, where he was an all-league quarterback.
Doll was also named Cal-Hi Sports State Player of the Year for football in 1943. He is one of only four Sacramento-area players to earn the honor.
USC and military service
Doll played
halfback (both offensive and defensive) for the
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...
from 1944 to 1948, though he did not play in 1945 while serving in the military. He led USC in rushing three times—in 1944, 1947 and 1948. He also led the team in receptions and scoring in 1948.
[
]
1944 season
In July 1944, he joined the Trojans as a 17-year-old freshman halfback. He played the 1944 season under his birth name, Don Burnside. In the 1944 season opener against UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, Doll had an immediate impact. He played halfback on both offense and defense (the norm in 1944), intercepting a Bob Waterfield
Robert Stanton Waterfield (July 26, 1920 – March 25, 1983) was an American professional football player and coach. He played quarterback for the UCLA Bruins and Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ...
pass and returning it 16 yards to the UCLA 22-yard line. On the next play, the Trojans again gave the ball to Doll who ran 20 yards to the 2-yard line. Two plays later, Doll scored on a 1-yard run to give USC a 13-0 lead at halftime.
After the season opener, USC coach Jeff Cravath
Newell Jefferson Cravath (February 3, 1903 – December 10, 1953) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach the University of Denver from 1929 to 1931, at the University of San Francisco in 1941, and at the U ...
announced that Doll was being switched to the quarterback position for the second game of the season. Despite the experiment, Doll played principally at halfback during the 1944 season. Prior to the final regular season game (a re-match against UCLA), Al Wolf of the ''Los Angeles Times'' called him "S.C.'s 18-year-old freshman whiz."
The 1944 Trojans finished the season undefeated with an 8-0-2 record and defeated Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
25-0 in the 1945 Rose Bowl. Doll played 43 minutes in the Rose Bowl and was the game's leading rusher. ''Los Angeles Times'' sports writer Braven Dyer
''Braven'' is a 2018 action thriller film directed by Lin Oeding and written by Mike Nilon and Thomas Pa'a Sibbett. The film stars Jason Momoa as Joe Braven, with Garret Dillahunt, Stephen Lang, Jill Wagner, and Brendan Fletcher. Principal photogra ...
wrote that Doll "shouldered the ball carrying burden almost single handedly" in the Rose Bowl.
U.S. Marine Corps
After playing in the Rose Bowl game, Doll was inducted into the United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
. He served aboard the battleship and was an eyewitness to the Japanese surrender
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...
ceremony on the ship's deck on September 2, 1945.[
]
1946 season and name change
Doll was honorably discharged from the military in June 1946 and returned to USC in time for summer practice. In July 1946, Braven Dyer wrote that USC had found "a new backfield star." Dyer continued, "Fresh out of the Marines, the lad's name is Doll, Don Doll, that is." Doll had changed his surname from "Burnside" to "Doll" after being discharged from the military.[ Doll later explained the reasoning behind his decision:
]My stepfather, Adna Doll, raised me and as soon as I was old enough (and, incidentally, had dough for the legal transfer) I changed my name to his because I was grateful for all Dad had done for me. I thought that if any honors came my way in football, I'd like to be known by his name.
However, Doll recalled that "sports writers had a field day" with his new name: "When I weaved downfield I was the 'Dancing Doll.' If I took too long on a play, I was the 'Mechanical Doll.'"[
Doll played at the left halfback position for the 1946 Trojans. In the final game of the season, a 20-14 victory over ]Tulane
Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...
in , Doll had a key interception and return for 34 yards.
1947 season
In 1947, Doll added punting and punt and kickoff return duties to his role as a starting halfback. In October 1947, he was leading the Pacific Coast Conference
The Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pac-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, with eight of the ten PCC members (including a ...
with an average of 45 yards per punt; he was also leading the Conference with an average of 20 yards on punt returns. One of the highlights of the 1947 season for USC was a 32-0 victory in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
, over a highly touted Ohio State team. Doll started the Trojans' scoring against the Buckeyes with a 42-yard touchdown run around the left end in the first quarter. Doll's longest gain of the season was a 95-yard kickoff return in a 21-0 victory over Cal Cal or CAL may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Cal'' (novel), a 1983 novel by Bernard MacLaverty
* "Cal" (short story), a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov
* ''Cal'' (1984 film), an Irish drama starring John Lynch and Helen Mir ...
.
At the end of the 1947 season, Doll was picked as a first-team back on the United Press
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...
All-Coast Conference team.
The 1947 Trojans won the Pacific Coast Conference championship and faced Michigan's famed "Mad Magicians" team in the 1948 Rose Bowl
The 1948 Rose Bowl was the 34th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Thursday, January 1. The second-ranked and undefeated Michigan Wolverines of the Big Nine Conference routed the #8 USC ...
. USC lost the game 49-0, and Doll was one of the few USC players praised for his performance in the game. Sports writer Maxwell Stiles
Maxwell may refer to:
People
* Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist
* Justice Maxwell (disambiguation)
* Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage of ...
wrote, "Don Doll was a power in the secondary until he was forced out with what was reported to be a broken arm."
1948 season
In 1948, Doll played his final season at the left halfback position for USC. He scored the Trojans' only touchdown on a 28-yard run in a 7–0 victory over Rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
. The following week, Doll again scored USC's only touchdown, this time in an 8–7 loss to Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
. He added two touchdowns in a 32–7 win over Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
.
At the end of the 1948 season, Doll was selected as a first-team halfback on the Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
All-Pacific Coast Team. He was also selected as the halfback and punter for the West team in the 1948 East–West Shrine Game
East West (or East and West) may refer to:
*East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture
Arts and entertainment
Books, journals and magazines
*'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...
.
Professional football player
Doll was drafted by the Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
in the 9th round (67th overall pick) of the 1948 NFL Draft
The 1948 National Football League Draft was held on December 19, 1947, at the Fort Pitt Hotel in Pittsburgh. This was the second year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery, with the previous year's winner Chicago Bea ...
and signed a one-year contract with the team in February 1949. He played as a defensive back
In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
for the Lions for four years from 1949 to 1952. He was selected as an All-Pro player in his first three seasons in the NFL (1949–1951). He was also selected four times to play in the Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
(1950–1953).[
At 5 feet, 11 inches, and 185 pounds, Doll was small for a professional football player. In a 1954 profile on Doll, a reporter noted, "Don, who's built like a bank clerk, piano tuner, soda jerk, errand boy or -- egad -- even a sports writer doesn't look any more like a pro gridder than your cousin Joe."][ Doll explained how he handled the disparity in size with the players he was required to tackle:
]I just throw a shoulder into 'em and hit 'em low. If they are over two tons I aim for their shoelaces. If they're medium sized (around boxcar weight) I hit for the thighs. I'll admit I do not drive 'em back but I stop 'em where they are. ... My size is no detriment in football. I rate as the No. 1 asset the 'desire' to tackle. And I've plenty of that desire.
1949 season
During his rookie season, Doll had 11 interceptions which he returned for 301 yards, including a 95-yard return for a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
on October 8, 1949. His 301 return yards off interceptions set an NFL record that stood until 1961. His total still ranks 5th all-time in NFL history. Doll still holds the record for most interception return yards by a rookie, and it is one of the oldest remaining records in the NFL.
Doll also led the NFL in 1949 with 536 kickoff return yards.[ He also tied an NFL record on October 23, 1949 with four interceptions in a 24-7 win over the ]Chicago Cardinals
The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons.
Roots ca ...
.
1950 season
In his second season in the NFL, Doll snagged 12 interceptions in 11 games, one interception short of the NFL record of 13 interceptions set by Dan Sandifer
Daniel Padgett Sandifer (March 1, 1927 – August 15, 1987), was an American football defensive back who played with six National Football League teams from 1948 NFL season, 1948 to 1953 NFL season, 1953. Because of World War II, he was one ...
in 1948.
At the end of the 1950 season, Doll was selected as a first-team All-Pro for the second straight year and was also selected to appear in his first Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
.[
]
1951 and 1952 seasons
During the 1951 and 1952 seasons, Doll was selected to appear in his second and third Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
s and received the George S. Halas Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the 1952 season Pro Bowl. Doll played safety on the 1952 Detroit Lions team that won the NFL championship. Though the 1952 Lions team is remembered mostly for the offensive output of Bobby Layne
Robert Lawrence Layne (December 19, 1926 – December 1, 1986) was an American football quarterback who played for 15 seasons in the National Football League. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1948, the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit ...
, the defense included Doll and Les Bingaman
Lester Alonza "Bingo" Bingaman (February 3, 1926November 20, 1970) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Illinois from 1944 to 1947 and professional football in the National Football League fo ...
and led the NFL in both scoring defense and rush defense.
In 2008, Doll was selected as a member of the Lions' 75th Season All-Time Team, recognizing him as "one of franchise's greatest players."[ He still holds Lions' team records for interceptions in a season (12) and interception return yards in a season (301).][
]
1953 season
At the start of the 1953 NFL season, Doll was traded by the Lions to the Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
, where he played under head coach Curly Lambeau
Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau (April 9, 1898 – June 1, 1965) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). Lambeau, along with his friend and fellow Green Bay, Wisconsin native George Whitney Calho ...
. Doll totaled 10 interceptions for the 1953 season, making him the first player in NFL history to tally at least 10 interceptions in each of three seasons (11 in 1949, 12 in 1950 and 10 in 1953).[ Doll remains the only player in NFL history to accomplish this feat in three seasons.][ He was also selected for his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl.][ The ]Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
began with the 1950 NFL season
The 1950 NFL season was the 31st regular season of the National Football League. The merger with the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) expanded the league to 13 teams. Meanwhile, television brought a new era to the game. The Los Angeles Ra ...
, and Doll is one of the few players to have played in each of the first four Pro Bowls.
1954 season
In January 1954, Doll was traded to the Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
in a three-team, multi-player deal that also sent Night Train Lane
Richard Lane (April 16, 1928 – January 29, 2002), commonly known as Dick "Night Train" Lane, was an American professional football player who was a cornerback for 14 years in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Los Angeles R ...
to the Chicago Cardinals
The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons.
Roots ca ...
. At the time of the trade, Doll, who lived at the time in San Gabriel, California
San Gabriel (Spanish for " St. Gabriel") is a city located in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California. At the 2010 census, the population was 39,718.
San Gabriel was founded by the Spanish in 1771, when Mission San Gabriel Arc ...
, told the ''Los Angeles Times'', "This is good news. I've wanted to play for the Rams since I got out of school." Doll concluded his playing career with the Rams and had five interceptions in 1954.[ When he retired at the end of the 1954 season, Doll was the NFL's all-time career leader with 41 interceptions.
]
Coaching career
Doll retired from playing football in 1955 and worked for the next 34 years as a football coach.
In 1955, Doll was hired as an assistant coach at the University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
under head coach John Cherberg
John Andrew Cherberg (October 17, 1910 – April 8, 1992) was an American politician, football coach, teacher and television executive. He served as the 13th Lieutenant Governor of Washington from 1957 to 1989, a longer tenure than any other lie ...
. Doll was put in charge of defensive backs for the Huskies. During his one year at Washington, the Huskies had the 10th best passing defense in the country, allowing only 60 yards per game in passing yards.
In 1956, Doll accepted a head coaching position at West Contra Costa Junior College.[
In February 1957, Doll returned to USC as the Trojans' backfield coach under head coach Don Clark. At the time of his hiring, the ''Los Angeles Times'' called Doll "an all-time SC great" and "one of the top defensive backs in football history."][ Doll served as USC's backfield coach during the 1957 and 1958 seasons. He also served as an assistant on the College All-Star coaching staff in 1957 and 1958.][
In February 1959, Doll was hired by Notre Dame as its backfield coach under head coach ]Joe Kuharich
Joseph Lawrence Kuharich (April 14, 1917 – January 25, 1981) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of San Francisco from 1948 to 1951, and at the University of Notre Dame from 1959 ...
. Prior to the 1959 game between USC and Notre Dame, Braven Dyer warned in the ''Los Angeles Times'' that the man who had "mapped SC's secondary defense" was "now in the camp of the enemy." Notre Dame defeated USC in 1959 by a score of 16-6. Doll was Notre Dame's backfield coach throughout Kuharich's tenure which ended after the 1962 season.
In January 1963, Doll was hired by the Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
as their defensive backfield coach. Doll, who was then 36 years old, replaced Don Shula
Donald Francis Shula (January 4, 1930 – May 4, 2020) was an American football defensive back and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. The head coach of the Miami Dolphins for most of his ca ...
, who left the Lions coaching staff to become the head coach of the Baltimore Colts
The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...
.[ Doll remained the Lions' defensive backfield coach through the 1963 and 1964 NFL seasons. At the end of the 1964 season, Doll was "swept out" of the Lions organization when team owner William Clay Ford "purged the coaching staff."]
In January 1965, Doll was hired by the Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
as their defensive backfield coach under head coach Harland Svare
Harland James Svare (November 25, 1930 – April 4, 2020) was an American professional football player, coach and general manager. Svare was a linebacker who played eight seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants of the National Foot ...
.[ Doll remained with the Rams for only one season.
In 1966, Doll was hired as an assistant coach for the ]Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
under head coach Otto Graham
Otto Everett Graham Jr. (December 6, 1921 – December 17, 2003) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL). Graha ...
. Doll remained with Redskins as the defensive backfield coach for five years and through three head coaches. In 1969, Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be the greatest coach in football history, and he is recognized a ...
was hired as the Redskins' head coach. Doll served as an assistant coach under Lombardi during the 1969 NFL season
The 1969 NFL season was the 50th regular season of the National Football League, and its last before the AFL–NFL merger. To honor the NFL's fiftieth season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys ...
, which was Lombardi's last as a coach. Doll also served under Redskins' head coach Bill Austin in 1970.
In February 1971, Doll was hired as defensive backfield coach for the Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
under head coach Dan Devine
Daniel John Devine (December 23, 1924 – May 9, 2002) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957, the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the Univers ...
. Doll remained with the Packers for three years from 1971 to 1973. He helped mold the Packers' backfield into what ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' called "one of the National Football League's stingiest pass defenses." In 1972, the Packers had the best pass defense in the NFL. In 1973, the defense lost All-Pro cornerback Willie Buchanon
Willie James Buchanon (born November 4, 1950) is an American former football player who was a cornerback for the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He was defensive rookie of the year in 1972 and ...
to a broken leg in the sixth game of the season, but still finished as the fifth best pass defense in the NFL. In January 1974, the Packers announced that Doll had resigned "because of personal problems", but it was later revealed that he was fired by Devine due to a personality conflict and disagreements over defensive strategy.[ On learning of Doll's departure, Willie Buchanon said, "It hurts to get news like this. Not only was he a very good coach, but he was someone who we could relate to and get along with. There aren't many people like that."][
In February 1974, after undergoing hip surgery, Doll was hired by the ]Baltimore Colts
The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...
as defensive coordinator and secondary coach. He served in Baltimore under head coaches Howard Schnellenberger
Howard Leslie Schnellenberger (March 16, 1934 – March 27, 2021) was an American football coach with long service at both the professional and college levels. He held head coaching positions with the National Football League's Baltimore Colts a ...
(who was head coach for three games) and Joe Thomas. During the 1974 season, the Colts finished 2-12 and allowed 23.5 points per game (2nd worst in the NFL).
In February 1975, Doll resigned from his position with the Colts to accept a position as linebackers coach with Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
under head coach Don Shula
Donald Francis Shula (January 4, 1930 – May 4, 2020) was an American football defensive back and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. The head coach of the Miami Dolphins for most of his ca ...
, who Doll had replaced in Detroit in 1963. Doll served as the Dolphins' linebackers coach during the 1975 and 1976 NFL seasons. The Dolphins finished 10-4 in 1975 and allowed 15.8 points per game (4th best in the NFL). In 1976, the Dolphins dropped to 6-8, allowing 18.8 points per game (ranking 15th out of 28 teams). In January 1977, the Dolphins announced that they were restructuring the defensive coaching staff and would not renew Doll's contract.
In February 1977, Doll was hired as a special assignments coach with the San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
.
In February 1978, Doll returned to the Detroit Lions as special teams coach and film coordinator. In his second stint as an assistant coach for the Lions, Doll served 11 years from 1978 through 1988.[ Starting in 1986, he coached the team's tight ends. In 1988, after 10 years in one city, Doll noted, "It's kind of nice, staying in one place for a while."]
Later years, family and death
Doll was married in the early 1950s to Diana Davies, a graduate of UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
. After their wedding, she became Diana Davies Doll, and Doll joked with a reporter in 1954 that he called her his "Triple-D Dynamo."[ Doll and his wife had five children, Steven, Wendy, Kevan, Heidi and Michael. In his later years, Doll lived with his wife in ]San Juan Capistrano, California
San Juan Capistrano (Spanish for "St. John of Capistrano") is a city in Orange County, California, located along the Orange Coast. The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census.
San Juan Capistrano was founded by the Spanish in 1776, when St. ...
.
Doll died at his home in San Juan Capistrano in September 2010 at age 84. He was survived by his wife Diana, five children, six grandchildren and one great grandchild.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doll, Don
1926 births
2010 deaths
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