Don Doll - Coaching Career

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 under head coach John Cherberg. 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. 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 as their defensive backfield coach. Doll, who was then 36 years old, replaced Don Shula, who left the Lions coaching staff to become the head coach of the Baltimore Colts. 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 as their defensive backfield coach under head coach Harland Svare. Doll remained with the Rams for only one season.

In 1966, Doll was hired as an assistant coach for the Washington Redskins under head coach Otto Graham. Doll remained with Redskins as the defensive backfield coach for five years and through three head coaches. In 1969, Vince Lombardi was hired as the Redskins' head coach. Doll served as an assistant coach under Lombardi during the 1969 NFL season, 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 under head coach Dan Devine. Doll remained with the Packers for three years from 1971 to 1973. He helped mold the Packers' backfield into what The New York Times 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 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 as defensive coordinator and secondary coach. He served in Baltimore under head coaches Howard Schnellenberger (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 under head coach Don Shula, 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 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.

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. In 1988, after 10 years in one city, Doll noted, "It's kind of nice, staying in one place for a while."