Merrill Douglas
 Douglas, circa 1957 | |||||||||||||
| No. 36, 34, 33 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | March 15, 1936 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | March 1, 2025 (aged 88) | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 204 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Olympus (Holladay, Utah) | ||||||||||||
| College | Utah | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1958: 6th round, 65th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Merrill George Douglas (March 15, 1936 – March 1, 2025) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football for the Utah Utes.
Early years
[edit]Douglas attended Granite High School, before transferring to Olympus High School. He received All-state honors at fullback twice. He accepted a football scholarship from the University of Utah.
As a junior for the Utes, he became a starter and had 83 carries for 504 yards (second on the team), with a 6.1-yard average and 7 touchdowns. As a senior, he posted 97 carries for 646 yards (second in the league), with a 6.7-yard average and 10 touchdowns, while also leading the conference in scoring.[1] He also lettered in baseball.
In 1988, he was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame.[2]
Professional career
[edit]Chicago Bears
[edit]Douglas was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round (65th overall) of the 1958 NFL draft. He was a backup fullback behind Rick Casares. He was released in 1961.
Dallas Cowboys
[edit]On September 7, 1961, he was claimed off waivers by the Dallas Cowboys and played in six games.[3] On April 22, 1962, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for offensive tackle Ed Nutting.[4]
Cleveland Browns
[edit]On September 10, 1962, he was waived by the Cleveland Browns.[5] He was one of the team's final two cuts as it trimmed its roster to 36, the regular season limit at the time.[6]
Philadelphia Eagles
[edit]On September 18, 1962, he was signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles.[7] He was the third-string fullback.[8]
New York Jets
[edit]On September 3, 1963, he was released by the New York Jets.[9]
Personal life and death
[edit]Douglas was a side judge in the NFL for eleven seasons from 1981 through 1991, wearing uniform number 102.[10] He worked for the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department for 25 years.
Douglas died on March 1, 2025, at the age of 88.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "Publicists Pick Five Utes On Skyline Team". Deseret News. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
- ^ "Utah Sports Hall Of Fame To Add Five Members". Deseret News. November 13, 1988. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
- ^ "Merrill Douglas Goes To Dallas". Deseret News. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
- ^ "Browns Swap Nutting to Dallas for Douglas". Park City Daily News. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
- ^ "Browns Ask Waivers On Back Field Men". The Gazette. Associated Press. September 11, 1962. Retrieved February 3, 2018 – via Google News.
- ^ "Esxtra Point". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
- ^ "Eagles Drop Two But Sign Pair". Star-News. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
- ^ "Hornung Faces Desperate Bears". Sarasota Journal. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
- ^ "Those Let Loose". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
- ^ "Douglas Went To Pros As A Player, Then Official". Deseret News. November 13, 1988. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
- ^ Merrill George Douglas