Just 46 days remain until the Chicago Bears play host to the Green Bay Packers during the first week of the 2023 NFL season, and to celebrate football's return inching closer and closer, today's edition of Chicago Bears Countdown to Kickoff brings us to the life and career of the best player in franchise history to don the number 46, legendary safety Doug Plank.
Doug Plank's path from Pennsylvania to the Chicago Bears
Long before his numbered-46 Bears jersey would represent one of the best defensive units ever, Doug Plank was a multi-sport star at Norwin High School near his hometown of Greensburg, PA. As a Norwin Knight, Plank excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. While Plank's batting average record of .526 lasted for over thirty years, it became apparent that football was his premier sport.
After being awarded his conference's MVP as a senior football player, Plank was anxious to find a collegiate program that he could play for after receiving little attention as a recruit. Plank, who at the time wished to play for the in-state Penn State football team, decided to write then-head coach Joe Paterno weekly letters asking for him to be recruited by the school.
Weeks later, Paterno visited the school to inform Plank that he was perhaps better suited for a smaller program. Shortly following Paterno's visit, Ohio State had heard that the coach visited to offer Plank, so the Buckeyes offered Plank a scholarship to keep him away from the Nittany Lions, who remained uninterested in the player.
Nonetheless, Plank elected to attend Ohio State, and despite the odd circumstances that led him to the program, both the team and players had great success with one another. With Plank on the roster, the team was able to win the Big 10 for three consecutive seasons, all leading to Rose Bowl births, and even won the famous Big 10 - Pac 12 bout in 1974 against UCLA. In terms of Ohio State safeties, Plank is considered one of, if not the, most productive player at the position, rivaled perhaps only by fellow NFL legend Jack Tatum.
After a dominant career as a player and team at Ohio State, Plank promptly entered the 1975 NFL Draft, where he was selected with the 291st pick during the 12th round by the Chicago Bears. Plank was the 12th player the team drafted after selecting Walter Payton and Mike Hartenstine in the first two rounds, but Plank would soon prove that his draft position made him one of the biggest steals in Chicago Bears' history.
Doug Plank becomes iconic figure in Chicago Bears defensive history
As a rookie, Plank became an immediate starter for the defense at the strong safety position where he logged two interceptions and a sack through 14 games. He also ended his first season as the team's leading tackler, a feat that has only been replicated as a rookie by Brian Urlacher.
Over the next two seasons, Plank's production remained steady, and despite missing three games as a third-year player, he finished with eight interceptions and a sack between 1976 and 1977. After a strong first three years to start his NFL career, Plank's status would change dramatically between the '77 and '78 seasons, when the team hired famed defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan and brought in star defensive tackle Doug Atkins.
With Ryan, Plank became both a better player and an iconic figure in Chicago Bears' history. After a storied history as an NFL assistant, Ryan designed the 46-defense in his first season with the Bears. This famed scheme was in its most basic form a basic 4-3 defense that saw the safety creep up into the defensive box, effectively creating a 4-4 defensive front. Because the defense played with two boundary corners, 10 players were lined up at or near the line of scrimmage, and with Plank serving as the safety that was brought up to the linebackers level, the defense was named after his jersey number 46.
In his first season in Ryan's defense, Plank's interception total dropped to just one on the year, but he became known around the league as an aggressive, hard-hitting, and lightning-quick defensive back, even coining the nickname "The Hit Men" with fellow safety Gary Fencik. The following year, Plank recorded three interceptions in the NFL's first 16-game season and followed up his performance with one interception season in 1980.
Unfortunately, a downside of being such a ferocious defensive back is the risk of injury, and the next season, Plank was forced to miss a handful of games due to injury. He still finished the year with an impressive four fumble recoveries and three interceptions, but this would prove to be his final (mostly) healthy season as a Bear. The very next season, Plank suffered a season-ending injury during the team's first game, and unfortunately had to retire from the NFL following the 1982 season.
Plank left the NFL after an eight-year career that was spent solely with the Chicago Bears. In 101 available games, the safety logged 96 starts where he recorded 15 interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries, five sacks, and a safety. His interception total is tied for best for 33rd in franchise history, but numbers and accolades (or a unique lack thereof) do not define his tenure with the Bears, but rather his implementation of Ryan's schemes and his leadership on the vaunted Bears' defense.
Unfortunately retiring before the Super Bowl-winning 1985 season, Plank's influence remained on the defense and his former teammates who won a ring like Dan Hampton, Mike Singletary, and of course, Fencik himself, who referred to his former safety mate in the team's sensational Super Bowl Shuffle.
Doug Plank's coaching career post Chicago Bears
Despite retiring from the NFL, Plank made a return to football after a year away, signing with the Chicago Blitz of the USFL in 1984. After one year in this new league, Plank ended his playing career for good and began to pursue other ventures, mainly including becoming a successful Burger King franchisee.
After almost a decade away from the game of football, Plank made his triumphant return as an analyst in 1995, where he worked with several programs, including Fox Sports, the Arizona Cardinals, the Arizona State Sun Devils, the University of Arizona Wildcats, and the Arizona Rattlers, per his website. Plank also served as a color commentator for both Westwood One and Sports USA Media.
In 2001, Plank stepped away from the commentary game and decided to pursue a coaching career, where he started with the Arena Football League's Georgia Force. After three seasons as the team's head coach, Plank joined the Indoor Football League's Arizona Rattlers' defensive coordinator. Then, Plank made the jump to the NFL, serving as assistant head coach for the Atlanta Falcons and later as a defensive backs coach for the New York Jets. After time in the NFL, Plank spent a season with Ohio State where he served as an assistant. Plank finished his coaching career with one-year stints with the Philadelphia Soul and Orlando Predators, both of which were in the AFL.
In every year as a coach at any level, Plank's team qualified for postseason play, including a Sugar Bowl victory at Ohio State. Plank's teams were generally known for great defense, highlighted by his stint with the Jets, where he was able to work with Buddy Ryan's son, Rex, the team's head coach. That season, the Jets made the AFC Championship game on the backs of a defense that finished the season with the league's best unit in both points and yardage.
Since stepping away from the game as a coach, Plank has returned to life as an analyst, working with both the NFL and NCAA, and also spending time serving as a motivational speaker, working with sports teams and businesses.