Doug Atkins, a Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman who was a member of the first three New Orleans Saints teams, has died. He was 85.
Atkins, 6 feet 8 and 257 pounds during his NFL career, played for the Black and Gold from 1967-69. He was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 1995.
Robert Shelton, a co-owner of Shelton-Hunt Funeral Home in Humboldt, Tenn., said that Atkins died Wednesday morning of natural causes at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville.
Atkins played professionally from 1953-69 with the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears and the Saints.