Hall of Famer Doug Atkins dies at age 8

defensive end pa sed awayin Knoxville, Tenne see, at the age of 85 on Wednesday, the confirmed.An eight-time selection and member of the All-1960s Team, Atkins teamed with Baltimore legend Gino Marchetti to revolutionize the defensive end position in the era prior to the and NFL merger.At 6-foot-8 and nearly 260 pounds, Atkins was a relentle s goliath on the punishing teams that lived up to the "" moniker ofthe 1950s and '60s. chairman George H. McCaskey released a statement on Atkins' pa sing:"Doug Atkins is an all-time great who will be remembered as one of the pillars of the 1963 Championship . He had a freakish combination of size and athletic ability and was as tough as anyone who ever stepped Mitchell Trubisky Jersey on a football field. Doug wasn't afraid to offer his opinion off the field as well and had a unique communication style when it came to interacting with Coach Halas. He embodied the spirit and commitment of what it means to be a Bear. Our prayers are with Doug's wife, Sylvia, and their family."After helping the Tenne see Volunteers to a national championship in college, Atkins was the ringleader on the ' 1963 Championship team -- the organization's last NFL title prior to the 1985 Shuffle squad.Atkins led the ' punishing defense for 12 years, specializing in leap-frogging blockers to terrorize quarterbacks. Exceptionally strong and agile for his size, he wreaked havoc at the line of scrimmage in much the same way that does today. coach George Allen credited Atkins as ".""Doug was a big, tough man whose extraordinary greatne s dominated the field of play during a legendary 17-year career that earned him a bronzed bust in Canton," President David Baker said in a statement. "He also po se sed a tender heart and always epitomized with grace the many values he learned from the game such as dedication, teamwork, commitment, and respect. The entire family mourns Doug's pa sing and will keep his wife Sylvia and family in our thoughts and prayers and forever guard his legacy in Canton."For modern fans of NFL Films, Atkins is perhaps best remembered as the inspiration for an especially creative Steve Sabol-John Facenda collaboration."Doug Atkins was like a storm blowing over a Kansas farm house," Facenda famously intoned in 1983. "He came from all directions. All you could do was to tie down what you could and hope he didn't take the roof."Former quarterback Fran Tarkenton, who spent much of his career running from Atkins, raved about the pa s rusher as a "physical marvel of our era." Former and center Bill Curry echoed that sentiment, conjuring up words such as "Olympus" as "Zeus" to describe the most menacing defensive lineman of the pre- era.By the time he retired with the expansion in 1969, Atkins had played a then-record 17 seasons and 205 games. He hip-to sed an offensive lineman and sacked the quarterback on the very last play of his storied career. Tom Waddle Jersey