Doug Plank
| Position: |
Safety Head Coach |
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| Personal information | |||||||
| Date of birth: | March 4, 1953 | ||||||
| Place of birth: | Greensburg, Pennsylvania | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Norwin (PA) | ||||||
| College: | Ohio State | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1975 / Round: 12 / Pick: 291 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| As coach: | |||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||
| Regular season: | 65–35 (.650) | ||||||
| Postseason: | 6–6 (.500) | ||||||
| Career: | 71–41 (.634) | ||||||
| Interceptions: | 15 |
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| INT Yards: | 166 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Douglas Walter Plank (born March 4, 1953) is a former American-football safety and coach in the National Football League.
Plank attended Norwin School District in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He participated in baseball, basketball, and football. His high school baseball batting average of .526 stood for over 30 years. In his senior football season, he was voted MVP of the Foothills Conference in western Pennsylvania. He attended Ohio State University, winning 3 Big Ten titles and participating in 3 consecutive Rose Bowls under legendary coach Woody Hayes.
In 1975, Plank was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 12th round.
He spent his entire eight-year NFL playing career with the Bears. Plank was the first Bears rookie to lead the team in tackles. The only rookie to accomplish that task since Plank was Brian Urlacher. Plank was a favorite of Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan for his hard hitting and aggressive style, so that he named his defense the "46 defense" after Plank's jersey number and his central position in the defense. Plank was considered one of the hardest hitting safeties in the game. That effort took a physical toll and he retired before the Bears reached their peak in 1985. Plank and Gary Fencik were dubbed "The Hit Men", a fact referenced by Fencik in 1985's The Super Bowl Shuffle. In 1984, Plank played one season in the USFL for the Chicago Blitz. The Blitz head coach was future Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy. The Blitz general manager was future Pro Football Hall of Fame GM Bill Polian.
After football, Plank became a franchisee of Burger King Corporation. Plank operated a total of 20 individual restaurants in 3 different states over a 20-year period. In 1995 Plank began working as a football analyst and has done work for Fox Sports, Arizona Cardinals, Arizona State Sun Devils, University of Arizona Wildcats, Arizona Rattlers. In 1996, a Bears fan "Bearman" became the unofficial mascot of the Bears, and he wore Plank's 46 jersey. Since 2001, Plank has worked as a football color analyst for NFL and NCAA football on national radio broadcasts for Sports USA Media and Westwood One. Website is Sportsusamedia.com. Plank was a voter in the weekly Harris Interactive College Football Poll ranking the top 25 college football teams before the current ranking system became effective in 2014. Plank is currently involved as an owner and active member in senior care services. Plank is a licensed realtor in Arizona and real estate investor in Arizona. He is a consultant for McRae Group located in Scottsdale, Arizona which invests in vacant land which is ultimately improved thru the entitlement process for future development.
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