Editing Doug Atkins (section)

==Early life and college==
Atkins was born May 8, 1930, in Humboldt, Tennessee.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schudel |first=Matt |date=December 30, 2015 |title=Doug Atkins, intimidating Hall of Fame defensive end, dies at 85 |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/doug-atkins-intimidating-hall-of-fame-defensive-end-dies-at-85/2015/12/30/b19ed750-af32-11e5-b711-1998289ffcea_story.html |access-date=January 5, 2016 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> He attended [[Humboldt High School (Tennessee)|Humboldt High School]] and played for the school's [[basketball]] team, which won the state championship in 1949 with an undefeated record.<ref name=jackson/><ref>{{Cite web |title=1949 State Boys' Basketball Tournament Central |url=https://tssaasports.com/event/detail.cfm?id=19480201 |access-date=March 17, 2024 |website=TSSAA |language=en}}</ref> He enrolled at the [[University of Tennessee]] to play for the [[Tennessee Volunteers]] of the [[Southeastern Conference]] (SEC) on a basketball [[scholarship]], but once [[American football]] [[head coach]] [[Robert Neyland]] saw his combination of size and agility, he was [[Recruiting (college athletics)|recruited]] for the football team.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 30, 2015 |title=Doug Atkins, intimidating Hall of Fame pass rusher, dies at 85 |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/doug-atkins-intimidating-hall-of-fame-pass-rusher-dies-at-85 |access-date=March 17, 2024 |website=NBC Sports |language=en-US}}</ref> Atkins played on the [[1951 Tennessee Volunteers football team]] that won the national championship.<ref name="jackson">{{Cite web |last=Shields |first=Andrew |date=December 30, 2015 |title=UT, Humboldt football legend Doug Atkins dies |url=http://www.jacksonsun.com/story/news/local/2015/12/30/ut-humboldt-football-legend-doug-atkins-dies/78108080/ |access-date=December 31, 2015 |website=The Jackson Sun}}</ref> He earned [[All-America]] honors in 1952. Atkins is one of the few players in Tennessee history to have his number retired. He was considered one of the, if not the, most dominant defensive players in SEC history. Atkins was the only unanimous selection to the SEC All Quarter-Century team and was selected as the overall SEC "Player of the Quarter-Century" for the years 1950 to 1975.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 30, 2015 |title=Vol legend Doug Atkins dies at 85 |url=https://www.wbir.com/article/sports/college/vols/vol-legend-doug-atkins-dies-at-85/51-9561418 |access-date=March 17, 2024 |website=WBIR |language=en-US}}</ref> At Tennessee, Atkins also lettered in three seasons in track and field<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 9, 2012 |title=2012 Tennessee Track & Field Media Guide |url=https://issuu.com/utad/docs/2012_t_f_media_guide_pdf_for_web |website=ISSUU.com}}</ref> and one season in basketball.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sidearm Sports Learfield, opens a new window |url=http://utsports.com/documents/2017/10/30//18_Volmanac_203_258.pdf?id=7809 |access-date=August 12, 2022 |website=Tennessee Volunteers Athletics}}</ref> He finished runner-up in the [[high jump]] at the 1952 [[Southeastern Conference]] championships with a mark of {{convert|6|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} which placed him 25th in the world that year.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=June 1952 |title=Southeastern Conference |magazine=[[Track & Field News]] |issn=0041-0284}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=West |first=Marvin |date=May 28, 2018 |title=Flowers and No. 7 |url=https://www.knoxtntoday.com/12224-2/ |access-date=March 17, 2024 |website=Knox TN Today |language=en-US}}</ref>