The 46 defense that was named after Plank's number
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. [1] 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.
If not for football, Doug Plank wouldn't have titanium joints in both shoulders and one knee. He wouldn't have been operated on 10 times, including once to repair his nasal passages after his nose had been crushed. He wouldn't have spinal stenosis.
If not for football, Plank would not be who he is. The 62-year-old former Bears safety is convinced football gave him the attitude that allowed him to believe he could succeed when others said he would fail. His parents didn't have enough money to send him to college, but he went to Ohio State on a football scholarship. Football opened doors for him to become an owner of 13 Burger King franchises, and a successful businessman in other ventures. Football led him to jobs in coaching and broadcasting. The game gave him his identity.
"I can't believe it, but every week I still get 10-20 items to sign," Plank said. "Guys write letters to me saying, 'I watched you play, I always wanted to wear No. 46.' They touch my heart. You don't realize how much influence you have on someone's life."
Plank is known as one of the most ferocious hitters in NFL history. He said he was taught to use his helmet as a weapon, and he did that convincingly.
"I treated football like it was demolition derby," he said.
He frustrated coaches by ignoring interception opportunities to go for the kill shot. Former quarterback Danny White told Plank he thinks about him every night when he rolls over and feels a pain in his ribs that Plank is responsible for.
Of course, Plank paid a price too. He estimates he sustained about three concussions per year, starting as a freshman in college and going through eight seasons in the NFL and one in the USFL. So, something like 39 concussions. Plank carried smelling salts in his waistband in case he needed reviving between plays. He didn't always remember how he got to the huddle, the sideline or even the locker room. But he still can remember the headaches and the flashes of color.
So Plank understands Borland's decision.
JOHN BAZEMORE/Associated Press
"It caught my attention over the last few days that players now are thinking that they like football, but there are other things they want to do with their lives," Plank said. "If they play 12 years, there are going to be injuries that come back later to remind you of what you did."
Back in the 1970s, Plank and fellow Bears safety Gary Fencik used to talk about how the smart thing to do would be to play three or four years and then get out before incurring extensive physical damage. That way they wouldn't be starting a new career in their mid-30s, with hardly any translatable skills. They thought a player who lasted a couple of years could have enjoyed the fruits of being a former player the same as a player who lasted a dozen.
But Plank and Fencik couldn't free themselves from football's grasp. They each played until they no longer could.
"We all reach a point in our careers when we say 'No mas,' like Roberto Duran," Plank said. "Sometimes it's later. Now we've got players not wanting to do something over and over again in a damaging way."
Plank exercises his brain by reading, doing crossword puzzles and playing memory games on his phone. And so far, only his joints have betrayed him. He said he has no cognitive issues.
He says that for him, squeezing every last drop out of the game was the right thing. "Football has been such a complement to my life," he said. "I'm there to support it 100 percent and promote it as the great game that it is."
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