 Douglas, circa 1957 | |||||||||||||
| No. 36, 34, 33 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1936-03-15)March 15, 1936 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | March 1, 2025(2025-03-01) (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 | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Merrill George Douglas (March 15, 1936 – March 1, 2025) was an American professionalfootball player who was arunning back in theNational Football League (NFL) for theChicago Bears,Dallas Cowboys, andPhiladelphia Eagles. He playedcollege football for theUtah Utes.
Douglas attendedGranite High School, before transferring toOlympus High School. He received All-state honors atfullback twice. He accepted a football scholarship from theUniversity of Utah.
As a junior for theUtes, he became a starter and had 83 carries for 504 yards (second on the team), with a 6.1-yard average and 7touchdowns. 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 alsolettered inbaseball.
In 1988, he was inducted into theUtah Sports Hall of Fame.[2]
Douglas was selected by theChicago Bears in the sixth round (65th overall) of the1958 NFL draft. He was a backupfullback behindRick Casares. He was released in1961.
On September 7,1961, he was claimed off waivers by theDallas Cowboys and played in six games.[3] On April 22,1962, he was traded to theCleveland Browns in exchange foroffensive tackleEd Nutting.[4]
On September 10,1962, he was waived by theCleveland 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]
On September 18,1962, he was signed as afree agent by thePhiladelphia Eagles.[7] He was the third-string fullback.[8]
On September 3,1963, he was released by theNew York Jets.[9]
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]