Doug Plank

Doug Plank

Date of birth:	March 4, 1953 (1953-03-04)
Place of birth:	Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Career information
Position(s):	Safety
College:	Ohio State
NFL Draft:	1975 / Round: 12 / Pick: 291
Organizations
As player:
1975-1982 1983	Chicago Bears Chicago Blitz (USFL)
Playing stats at NFL.com

Douglas Walter Plank (born March 4, 1953 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania) is a former American-football safety and coach in the National Football League. Currently, he is the head coach of the Philadelphia Soul in the Arena Football League.

Early life

Plank attended Norwin School District in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He attended Ohio State University, where he earned three varsity letters as a defensive back under coach Woody Hayes. In 1975 Plank was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 12th round.

NFL playing career

He spent his entire eight-year NFL playing career with the Bears. Plank was the first Bear's rookie to lead the team in tackles, after being drafted out of The Ohio State University. He participated in three consecutive Rose Bowls under legendary coach Woody Hayes. 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. 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.

After football

After football, Plank became a franchisee of Burger King Corporation operating multiple restaurants in various states. 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, Sports USA Radio and Westwood One.

Coaching career

In 2001, Plank began his coaching career as a defensive coordinator in the Arena Football League for 3 seasons under former Dallas QB Danny White. In those 3 seasons, the Arizona Rattlers played in 3 consecutive Arenabowls. In 2004, Plank was hired by Arthur Blank to be head coach of the Georgia Force, an Arena Football team he owned in addition to the Atlanta Falcons. Plank was named the AFL's Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2007 as he led Georgia to the playoffs each year and ArenaBowl XIX in his first year at the helm in 2005. In Plank's first four years as an AFL head coach, he won more games in that period than any other coach in the history of the Arena League. In 2008, he was a seasonal assistant on the Atlanta Falcons staff. The Falcons played in the first round of the NFL playoffs. In 2009 he served as the assistant defensive backfield coach for the New York Jets under head coach Rex Ryan, the son of Plank's former defensive coordinator, Buddy Ryan. The 2009 Jets defense led the NFL in fewest total yards allowed, fewest points allowed, and fewest TD passes allowed. The Jets played in the AFC championship game versus the Colts. In 2010, Plank became a football program assistant at Ohio State. The Buckeyes earned a share of the Big 10 title with an 11-1 record and beat Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl.