Pro Football Historian (PFH) is a blog page written by Flint Given. Pro Football Historian or PFH is a page to inform people on prior NFL events that people might not know about. Learning about teams from the 1920s or even the first few NFL World Championships in the 1930s fascinates me. It's these kinds of events that I want to discuss in this blog. Hopefully you are interested and will continue to check up on my blogs.
The Story And Significance Of Chris Doleman - Retired With The Fourth Most Sacks In NFL History
Christopher John Doleman was an American professional football defensive end who played in the National Football League. He spent the majority of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, and also played for the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers. Doleman was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and a twice first-team All-Pro, recording 150.5 career sacks. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2012.
Doleman was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round (4th overall) of the 1985 NFL draft. He began his NFL career as an outside linebacker (OLB) in the Vikings' 3–4 defense, but for the 1987 season (Doleman's third season) the team decided to switch to a 4–3 defense, which resulted in him being moved from his spot at OLB up to the defensive line to play as a defensive end. The move paid off for Doleman, who recorded 21 sacks in the 1989 season, the highest total recorded that season and the fourth-highest total ever. The 21 sacks in a single season was a Vikings record until Jared Allen recorded 22 sacks in 2011. Doleman later played for the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers before returning to the Vikings in 1999 for his final season.
He retired as the fourth-ranked sack leader of all-time with 150.5 sacks and was tied for third in the NFL Record Book with eight seasons in which he recorded 10 or more sacks. Aside from leading the Vikings in sacks six times, Doleman was also the Falcons' leading sacker in 1995 and led the 49ers with 15 sacks in 1998. He also intercepted eight passes, two of which he returned for touchdowns; recorded two safeties; and scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery during his career.
Doleman was extremely durable as evidenced by him missing a mere two games due to injury during his 15-season, 232-game NFL career. In all, he was named to eight Pro Bowls, six with the Vikings and once each as a member of the Falcons and the 49ers. He was named first-team All-Pro in 1987, 1989, and 1992 and first-team All-NFC four times. Doleman is a member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s.
In 2012, Doleman was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
On January 25, 2018, Doleman had brain surgery for a condition which was later diagnosed as glioblastoma.[14] On January 28, 2020, Doleman died from the disease at the age of 58. He was honored prior to kickoff at Super Bowl LIV five days later.
Seifert, Kevin (February 4, 2012). "Chris Doleman makes the Hall of Fame". ESPN. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
"Enshrinement » The Drafting of the 2012 Class – Chris Doleman". Profootballhof.com. July 17, 2012. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
Snedden, Jeff. "City of Pittsburgh well-represented in Canton this summer". Steel World Order. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
"1985 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
"National Football League: NFL Draft History". NFL.com. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
"Chris Doleman 1999 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. October 16, 1961. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
"Chris Doleman NFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. October 16, 1961. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
"Class of 2012". Profootballhof.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
"Chris Doleman Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
"Vikings Legend Chris Doleman Working Way Back After Surgery For Brain Cancer". twincities.com. March 26, 2018.
"Hall of Fame DE Chris Doleman dies at age of 58". NFL.com. National Football League. January 29, 2020.
DeArdo, Bryan (February 2, 2020). "Super Bowl 2020: NFL honors Chris Doleman, Kobe Bryant and others with moment of silence". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
No comments:
Post a Comment