The Legendary Exploits of Doug Atkins: Must Reading for young Vol Fans

[P.O.T.S. VOL]

One of the best threads I have ever read. Thanks Rex!

 

[Pump Guy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQGZTLbUjCo

Go to the 4:34 mark. Such good stuff!

 

[Backwards K]

Can't confirm it thru Google but I heard that Atkins 1963 NFL Championship ring was the largest sized ring made for that purpose until Refrigerator Perry's Super Bowl ring in 1985.

 

[Remy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQGZTLbUjCo

Go to the 4:34 mark. Such good stuff!

My father and his friends used to spend at least one week per month in Knoxville back in the early 60s making a living in sales. Atkins was often a routine drinking buddy with that bunch. The off field Atkins antics stories could fill a museum.

 

[Lopedogg03]

"It was not just on the field that Atkins cut a giant swath. He rumbled around training camps--armed and accompanied by his pit bull Rebel--through bars, and over anyone who got in his way.

Atkins would arrive at training camp each summer packing two .44-caliber Magnums, several derringers and a shotgun. Sometimes, when the Saints trained in San Diego, he fired his shotgun at destroyers cruising off the coast, claiming that coach George Allen was spying on the team from the ships.

He once silenced some noisy rookies in the room above him by firing a gun into the overhang outside their window.

"I needed my sleep," Atkins said. "I was old. I came in at curfew and needed to rest up. They wanted to keep that music playing so I just quieted them down."

Atkins was no fan of rock 'n' roll. His first day in the Saints locker room, he turned off a player's radio that was tuned to a top 40 station.

"He said, 'We're going to listen to American music here because we're all Americans,"' Ariail remembered. "Then he put on a Johnny Cash song and everybody listened to country and western the rest of the years. There weren't any complaints."


Rebel was Atkins' constant companion, jogging with him and sleeping in his locker during practice. He even went with Atkins to a little French Quarter bar.

"Doug would sit on one stool and Rebel would sit on another and they would get drunk together," Ariail said.

Even after Atkins decided he was tired of looking at his picture on the wall of the bar and shot it down, he and Rebel were welcome.

"He liked to drink, but I never saw it bother him," said Joe Impastato, who was his regular waiter at a French Quarter restaurant where Atkins dined after Saints games. "I'd ice down a quart of gin for his martinis and about a half-dozen bottles of beer, then he'd have a few Grand Marniers and walk out of there perfectly straight.""

Wildman Remembered : Although Doug Atkins Was Not Exactly a Saint, He's Soon To Be in New Orleans' Hall of Fame - latimes

Wow! Great stories. Pretty cool thread

 

[Give_All_Vol]

BTW, anybody thats ever read Semi-Tough should already know the off the wall character TJ Lambert was a tribute to Doug Atkins. Hilarious
stuff, and a lot of it true. In the book TJ was also a Tennessee guy.

Definitely going to give this a read. Thanks

 

[Giveem6]

Here's a pretty cool story. My grandfather was born in 29 in Savannah, tn and raised on a farm. Some years later in highschool he got to face Doug atkins while he was at guard (5'9 210 was a large man back in this era). If I'm not mistaken Atkins played for Humboldt which is where the met across the line. My granddad swears he whipped him and knowing him he might actually have but he did say that he was a giant of a human even at 16/17. Ive never known the man to lie a single day in his life about so I believe him. It makes sense but a really neat story anyway.

 

[OrangeMagic]

Some of us on the Recruiting Forum have recently found diversion by discussing the legendary exploits of Doug Atkins.

Thanks Volosaurus! I enjoyed reading this very much. Could you do one on George Cafego? I've heard he was a pretty mean SOB too.

 

[HoptownVol]

Best thread of the year, no doubt!

 

[HoptownVol]

Definitely going to give this a read. Thanks

Its the best football book ever written. My son finished it 3 months ago and he's still laughing.

 

[HoptownVol]

Thanks Volosaurus! I enjoyed reading this very much. Could you do one on George Cafego? I've heard he was a pretty mean SOB too.

OMG Coach Cafego was a trip. I was at UT Sports Camp one summer, and Cafego was coaching LBs and
working with us in the weight room, which was a joke by todays standards, anyway Kiner was a counselor
and he got all the football guys together one night to tell us what we could expect. And I remember him saying,
"And for god's sake, dont do anything piss Coach Cafego off." Then he went about terrorizing and beating the
crap out of us all.

Anyway, first day on the field we saw this craggy old guy limp out onto the field, he found a spot for
us to drill then hollered "Linebackers over here." He sounded like a grizzly bear. So we assembled in
front of him. Then he barked "Y'all look mighty damn small for linebackers, you sure you're not a bunch
of kickers?" We all acknowledged we weren't ready for D1, then he growled "Alright, I want youz all to
squat down like you're sh*ttin over a log." LOL

I just remember thinking, aw man, this guy is crazy as hell, and he was. What ensued was 3 days of
hilarity, I cant remember ever having a better time in my life, except for the daily beatings of course. I
loved Coach Cafego, its a shame how the university treated him when he retired.

 

[Lopedogg03]

One of the funniest Doug Atkins stories is courtesy of Sgt Nick Fury (http://www.volnation.com/forum/tennessee-vols-football/199646-legend-doug-atkins.html):

"Which brings me to my favorite Doug Atkins story ... one he told me every year we worked together for his annual golf tourney to help Lupus victims. And, forgive me Doug if I get any of this wrong, but it has been 20 years.

The Chicago Bears always held their training camp near a little town in central Indiana on the campus of St. Joseph's College. It was a dry county, the campus surrounded by cornfields, and miles and miles from any city big enough to find trouble. But knowing the situation he was living in for those 8 weeks a year, Doug ALWAYS came prepared ... with plenty of gin and vermouth and a case of olives. Along with his handy 9 mm that went everywhere with him, especially any stadium that might contain pigeons.

This particular training camp had several malcontents, including Mike Ditka, who was quoted as saying "That tight son-of-a-***** throws nickels around like they were man-hole covers. " Of course, referring to George Halas, owner, head coach, GM and contract negotiator. Which prompted Doug to take a more forward and direct approach to re-negotiating his contract. A couple weeks after training camp opened, Doug and a few teammates were putting a serious dent in the gin stash. And Doug was drinking in proportion to his size. The more they drank, the madder they got over their contracts. The madder they got, the more determined Doug was to do something about it. So with all his friends egging him on, Doug storms out of the dormitory, after curfew, jumps into his car, and heads off to Chicago to have a "face-to-face with that SOB". He navigates through the cornfields, winds his way through the suburbs, and faces the traffic of the Big City to find himself on George Halas' doorstep. Still filled with rage, this behemoth man takes his massive fist and starts beating on Hallas' front door, hard enough to nearly knock it off its hinges. In no time at all, the front door opens, and to Doug's surprise, it wasn't George answering, but his wife.

"Well Doug, what brings you out on such a lovely evening?" she asked. Now Doug was raised as a Southern Gentleman, born in Tennessee, played in Tennessee, and never lost touch with those roots. So as politely as possible, Doug said: "'Scuse me Ms Halas, but may I please see that ... I am sorry for the time ma'am ... Is George here?" Seeing he was extremely angry and at some level beyond tipsy, Mrs. Halas invited Doug in, had him sit down, and then asked: "Why Doug, aren't you supposed to be at training camp?" "Yes ma'am." "And isn't it past curfew?" "Yes ma'am." "And wasn't Coach Halas at training camp with you today?" "Yes, ma'am." "Well then Doug, don't you suppose he's still there?" It was not until that exact moment that Doug realized he'd driven all the way to Chicago, while Hallas was sleeping quietly 3 doors down in the dorm. "Well Doug, I'll get you a raise right now. I won't tell George that you broke curfew, saving you a $250.00 fine. You can go tell your teammates you got a raise, and if you hurry, you can be back in bed before they find you're gone."

Lol. That was pretty funny.

 

[BigSteve09]

Great thread.

 

[WesTnVol]

Saw his rookie jersey a few years ago. I'm 6 foot and 200 pounds the thing would have touched the floor if had put it on. That's when knew all the Atkins stories I had heard were probably true.
Another NFL QB Len Dawson said the first time he saw Atkins he nearly quit pro football.

 

[jwptc]

Long time reader of this board, first time poster. Let me apologize in advance for this long (I know you guys hate that) post.

My Dad and Doug met during his Saints playing days. But they first met with Doug being from Humboldt and my Dad from Ripley. They played against each other in high school basketball.

Having West Tennessee and the Vols in common they quickly became close as we lived in the same apartment complex that Doug, Dave Parks (tight end on the team)and at least one other player I can't remember the name did.

Armchair at 8:47 asked about his sons. He had 3 boys Kent, Neil and I cant remember his other son. I was best friends with Neil. We played all sorts of ball with and against each other and had some great football games in full gear on the playground of that apartment complex. Neil was a really good football player and athlete but the other two not so much, I don't think he ever did much with it beyond little league though.

His drinking was legendary (as others have said). He knocked on our door one night late after drinking. My Dad answered the door and asked him "what the hell are you doing" and goofing around reached out and grabbed him by the shirt. Doug called him a little son of a ***** and reached out and literally pressed him against the ceiling with one hand! I swear, just one hand! It was incredible to be able to do that. My Dad said, "put me down you big son of a ***** before I kill you!" and Doug laughing so hard he could hardly stand put him down.

He was literally a mountain of a man and the OP is correct not many young Vol fans even know of him much less give him the credit he deserves!

 

[volomon]

Definitely going to give this a read. Thanks

I dont have any inside info but I do remember him almost killing my idol John Unitas. I remember the picture of Unitas after the game published in sports illustrated. He was bloody every where, swollen, and black and blue already. My Dad told me to ease up on Doug Atkins, he's from Tennessee, I forgave him' and started a long appreciation of Mr. Atkins

 

[Volosaurus rex]

The following is an excerpt from an interview and paper coauthored by Andy Kozar and Peyton, which was cited by SgtNickFury and pertains to the relationship between Neyland and Atkins at Tennessee:

Manning: How would you describe your relationship with General Neyland?

Atkins: Well, you couldn’t talk directly to Neyland, because he did all the talking. He would talk tough and later in private, I think, he sat back and laughed at his handling of each situation He used that old Army stuff. He figured out and did what he had to do to get his players to play their best. Overall, I got along with him pretty good, even though at one time during my stay at Tennessee I was kicked out of school by Neyland to knock me into line.

Manning: Do you feel that playing at Tennessee helped you become a better player in professional football?

Atkins: Oh, yeah. I don’t think I could have learned to play football if it hadn’t been for General Neyland. He stressed and taught football fundamentals. As a result, when I got to the pros, the fundamentals of football became automatic. The only thing I had (to) learn was pass (rushing). In the 1950s in the Southeastern Conference we didn’t get to rush the passer that much, and that was the tough part of the game for me to learn in the pros. I guess Vanderbilt and Kentucky were the only passing teams we played.”

Given his reputation as a pass rusher, it is the height of irony that Doug found that to be the one skill he had yet to master as a defensive lineman. Incidentally, keep in mind that Doug played against the best Kentucky teams of all-time, which were nationally ranked, coached by Bear Bryant and had Babe Parilli at quarterback.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

I'm not sure what the source of this story is, but, again, courtesy of SgtNickFury, it epitomizes the free-spirited Doug Atkins:

"Atkins also was a fun loving guy and had little tolerance for any type of administrative restrictiveness. he played the game with abandon, but did not wish to be subjected to many rules off the field. For that reason, he often proved irksome to Bears leader George Halas who preferred everyone to conform. In one famous story, Halas attempted to administer punishment to Atkins for an infraction, yelling, "Take a lap-and wear your helmet!" Except for wearing his helmet as instructed, Atkins appeared for his run in the nude."

 

[Volosaurus rex]

The following story, also provided courtesy of SgtNickFury, was originally published in the January 6, 1985 edition of the Los Angeles Times:

"Williams played in the Pro Bowl four times, but he is best remembered as the man Coach George Halas assigned to make sure 6-foot 7-inch, 290-pound defensive end Doug Atkins stayed out of harm's way when he was off the field. The problem, Halas recalled later, was that Atkins could drink 12 martinis without feeling the effects. Williams usually was out after two drinks as if he had been hit in the head by Big Daddy Lipscomb's forearm shiver. If Atkins got into trouble, Williams didn't know about it until the next day, Halas said.

Williams . . . said Atkins once challenged him to a martini-drinking contest. Even though they tied at 21, Williams claims he should have been declared the winner because he had to drive Atkins home. But even Williams admits there should be an asterisk by his name because of what happened afterward. Upon arriving home, he took a bath. Then, he couldn't get out of the bathtub. Williams' wife didn't think it was enough of an emergency to summon the police or the fire department. Still, she needed help to get her husband out of the bathtub. She called Atkins. Ever since, Atkins has claimed he was the winner of the martini-drinking contest.

Then there was the time Atkins assaulted a man with a $20 bill. He and Williams were in a bar one Sunday night when another customer began complaining because the Bears hadn't beaten the point spread in the game that afternoon. The man said he had lost a $20 bet. Atkins listened for a while, then pulled a $20 bill out of his pocket and rubbed it in the man's face until his nose began bleeding.

Halas once complained to Atkins about his poor practice habits. "You don't pay me enough to play and practice," said Atkins, the only player on the team Halas allowed to talk back to him. That, Halas once explained, was because Atkins was the only player who knew almost as many curse words as he did.

While the other players sweated through two-a-day drills during training camp, Atkins often could be found on the sidelines, playing with his dog, a Rottweiler named Rebel. Of course, Atkins' idea of playing with his 100-pound dog . . . was to twirl him around at the end of a rope. If you can picture the hammer throw, you've got the idea.

Rebel took orders well. So did Atkins' teammates. After workouts at the Bears' training camp in Rensselaer, Ind., Atkins invited other players, usually rookies, to his room to drink and listen to him tell stories. The word invited is used loosely. No one can remember anyone being man enough to turn him down. Only when Atkins gave his approval could the players leave these sessions, some of which lasted until dawn. Just to make sure no one sneaked out, Atkins stationed Rebel at the door."

 

[TN_Transplant]

playing with his dog, a Rottweiler named Rebel.

Only correction to this is Rebel was a pit bull. Doug was known for keeping pits, even later in life.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

Fast-forward to the 4:34 mark of this video clip (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQGZTLbUjCo). There are only about 4:00 of coverage pertaining to Doug but they are truly vintage stuff. Perhaps the most impressive of which are the following quotes:

Pierson: “One time I was at the [Pro Football] Hall of Fame, and I got to have lunch with a bunch of Hall of Famers. There were about eight guys at the table. They talked about one person for 45 minutes – Doug Atkins. It was amazing to me that the legends were talking about one particular legend. So he clearly was a legend among legends, which was fascinating to me.”

That qualifies as the penultimate compliment to the greatness of Doug Atkins.

Bill Curry: “My first recollection of Doug Atkins was when we played the Bears in an exhibition game in 1965. And Skoronski was offensive captain. I really looked up to him. And so when he came to me before the game, he said, “Look, here’s some things I want you to remember. Number 81 is Doug Atkins. He’s 6’9.” He weighs 265 pounds. He said, “Don’t cut [block] him. And if he falls down, you help him up and say, “Nice play, Mr. Atkins.” Well, I started to laugh. Skoronski said, “Kid, this is not a joke, and I’m not kidding with you now. Because if you cut him on his knees, the first thing he’s gonna do is kill you. And then he’s gonna kill me.”

 

[Volosaurus rex]

Thanks Volosaurus! I enjoyed reading this very much. Could you do one on George Cafego? I've heard he was a pretty mean SOB too.

There are probably more readily available, truly pithy stories about Doug Atkins than George Cafego, so a similarly detailed thread about Cafego would be more time-consuming. However, since you asked, I will share one Cafego story that explains why he had such extreme disdain for Vahn-duh-bilt. This conversation occurred "among Cafego, Peyton Manning and Andy Kozar [on] Nov. 12, 1997," and was the final extensive interview of Cafego before his death:

Manning: You have a reputation for disliking or as it's put, "hating" Vanderbilt's football teams. Is it so and is it as serious a feeling as you've been quoted as saying?

Cafego: Well, two or three things. First thing, as football players, Neyland taught us to develop a dislike for the Alabama football team. Once we found out that Alabama's teams were just good football teams we realized we would have to do more than just play football against Alabama. You've got to get emotionally upset about them - dislike or "hate" them. And, the same came to be applied to Vanderbilt. But then with Vanderbilt players, something happened when some of our players worked on the TVA projects. Neyland would get UT players jobs on the river, and Vanderbilt players were also working on the same projects. University officials allowed that kind of work during the summers, to help kids make money. Bowden Wyatt [then a Vol end] worked there with other Vols. I don't remember who all. They got into a fight with Vanderbilt [players]. They just didn't like each other. Then later, I saw Vanderbilt teams come to play at UT, while I was coaching at UT, and the captains met at the center of the field at the UT logo. One of Vanderbilt's captains, in disrespect, spit several times on the UT Logo and rubbed it in with his shoe. That made me so angry. And, as a result, I wanted to "whip" our team for not busting the spitter in the nose, then and there. God, I couldn't stand that. This only made me dislike Vandy more. Then another time Vandy came to play at UT, one of their players ran through the" T" while our team was running through the "T," to mock our tradition. At the same game, a Vanderbilt player carelessly ran into a UT cheerleader shouting through a megaphone and injured her. It was these and other incidents that added to my dislike for the Vanderbilt players" (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...nYGICA&usg=AFQjCNGg8RaJ_JJFg1vXlT4c19zNJ5kZ5g).

 

[StoVol]

lol, great thread everybody!

 

[Volosaurus rex]

Well, let’s make that two Cafego stories. Here’s one, courtesy of Don McLeary, a member of the 1967 SEC championship team, and it pertains to preparations for the Alabama game that year:

“His nickname, when he played halfback at The University of Tennessee in the late thirties, was “Bad News” because when he got his hands on the ball it was bad news for the opponent. He was a two-time All American halfback, played under Coach Robert Neyland and was a runnerup for the Heisman Trophy. He was the number one overall pick in 1940 by the Chicago Cardinals professional football team and a 1969 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame.

His name was George Cafego, and he was my scout team coach when I was a sophomore at Tennessee. He was a big help in my development. One of his coaching tenets was, “If you don’t know what to do, work your feet.” He worked with players who were redshirted after their freshman year. Our job was to be tackling dummies and run the opposing teams plays during practice. It was a hard job and Coach Cafego was always there, with his knee pads on kneeling in the middle of the huddle and encouraging us.

One of my most vivid memories happened during a practice on the third Wednesday in October my sophomore year. The varsity was preparing for Alabama and in the huddle Coach Cafego was firing up the redshirts telling us to give the defense a good look at The Tide’s favorite play. It was an I formation and the play was 42 iso. Benny Dalton was the fullback and I was the tailback. Benny did a great job blocking the linebacker and I scored. That’s when Coach P.W. Underwood, the linebacker coach said, “Run it again!’ as he proceeded to chew out his two All Americans, Steve Kiner and Jack Reynolds. We ran it again and got the same results. Benny pancaked Kiner and I scored. Now Coach Underwood, an ex-Marine, was really mad. His bald head was shinning and he was snorting like a Brahma bull. Turning his cap backwards, he yelled at Steve, “Get out and let me show you how it’s done.” He also instructed Benny not to let up. Looking at Benny I said, “You better buckle up. P. W is going to kill us.”

We ran the play again and Benny hit Coach Underwood under his chin, breaking his glasses and knocking him down and out as I scored for the third time. From the corner of my eye I saw a grinning Coach Cafego run onto the field to make sure Coach Underwood was still alive. P. W. staggered to his feet, turned to Kiner and yelled, “Steve, you’ve messed this position up so bad nobody can play it.”

Tennessee beat Alabama that Saturday and I like to think it was because we were all working our feet the Wednesday before the game.” George Cafego - Making Something Happen

 

[TCbodybuilder]

Posted this story in a previous Doug Atkins story, but I always like sharing it.

He worked with my Dad for quite a few years and was a good family friend. They lost touch over the years but I remember being about 7 or 8 years old and going to visit him one time.

My favorite story he told me, keep in mind my age, was how he was at Bears training camp and the rookies were staying in the room above him. He said they were partying, carrying on, and making all kinds of noise. He described how mad he got and then told me how he grabbed a shotgun, said for them to shut up, and proceeded to shoot at his ceiling (their floor). I kid you not lol. I remember sitting there in amazement. He told me this around 1990/1991.

No one was injured, but he said the rookies above him never made another sound all camp. I remember asking my Dad if it was true as a kid. He told me knowing how crazy and wild Doug was that he believed it to be true.

Never forgot that lol, but he was always super nice and friendly to me.