Don Doll Donald LeRoy Doll ( August 29 , 1926 – September 22 , 2010 ) , formerly Don Burnside , was an American football player and coach . Doll played college football for the USC Trojans ( 1944 , 1946 – 1948 ) and professional football in the National Football League with the Detroit Lions ( 1949 – 1953 ) , Washington Redskins ( 1954 ) and Los Angeles Rams ( 1955 ) . He was selected to play in each of the first four Pro Bowl s and was named the Most Valuable Player in the 1952 season Pro Bowl . He played safety on the 1952 Detroit Lions team that won the NFL championship . He tied an NFL record in 1949 with four interceptions in a single game and is the only player in NFL history to have 10 or more interceptions in each of three different seasons ( 1949 , 1950 and 1953 ) . When he retired at the end of the 1954 season , he was the NFL ' s all - time leader with 41 interceptions . After retiring as a player , Doll worked as a football coach for 34 years , serving as the head coach at West Contra Costa Junior College in 1956 and as an assistant coach with the University of Washington ( 1955 ) , USC ( 1957 – 1958 ) , Notre Dame ( 1959 – 1962 ) , Detroit Lions ( 1963 – 1964 ) , Los Angeles Rams ( 1965 ) , Washington Redskins ( 1966 – 1970 ) , Green Bay Packers ( 1971 – 1973 ) , Baltimore Colts ( 1974 ) , Miami Dolphins ( 1975 – 1976 ) , San Francisco 49ers ( 1977 ) and Detroit Lions ( 1978 – 1988 ) . During his NFL career , he was associated with the game ' s legendary coaches , as a player for Curly Lambeau and an assistant coach under Vince Lombardi and Don Shula . Early years . Doll attended Grant Union High School in Sacramento , California , where he was an all - league quarterback . Doll was also named Cal - Hi Sports State Player of the Year for football in 1943 . He is one of only four Sacramento - area players to earn the honor . USC and military service . Doll played halfback ( both offensive and defensive ) for the USC Trojans from 1944 to 1948 , though he did not play in 1945 while serving in the military . He led USC in rushing three times — in 1944 , 1947 and 1948 . He also led the team in receptions and scoring in 1948 . 1944 season . In July 1944 , he joined the Trojans as a 17 - year old freshman halfback . He played the 1944 season under his birth name , Don Burnside . In the 1944 season opener against UCLA , Doll had an immediate impact . He played halfback on both offense and defense ( the norm in 1944 ) , intercepting a Bob Waterfield pass and returning it 16 yards to the UCLA 22 - yard line . On the next play , the Trojans again gave the ball to Doll who ran 20 yards to the 2 - yard line . Two plays later , Doll scored on a 1 - yard run to give USC a 13 - 0 lead at halftime . After the season opener , USC coach Jeff Cravath announced that Doll was being switched to the quarterback position for the second game of the season . Despite the experiment , Doll played principally at halfback during the 1944 season . Prior to the final regular season game ( a re - match against UCLA ) , Al Wolf of the " Los Angeles Times " called him " S . C . ' s 18 - year - old freshman whiz . " The 1944 Trojans finished the season undefeated with an 8 - 0 - 2 record and defeated Tennessee 25 - 0 in the 1945 Rose Bowl . Doll played 43 minutes in the Rose Bowl and was the game ' s leading rusher . " Los Angeles Times " sports writer Braven Dyer wrote that Doll " shouldered the ball carrying burden almost single handedly " in the Rose Bowl . U . S . Marine Corps . After playing in the Rose Bowl game , Doll was inducted into the United States Marine Corps . He served aboard the battleship USS Missouri and was an eyewitness to the Japanese surrender ceremony on the ship ' s deck on September 2 , 1945 . 1946 season and name change . Doll was honorably discharged from the military in June 1946 and returned to USC in time for summer practice . In July 1946 , Braven Dyer wrote that USC had found " a new backfield star . " Dyer continued , " Fresh out of the Marines , the lad ' s name is Doll , Don Doll , that is . " Doll had changed his surname from " Burnside " to " Doll " after being discharged from the military . Doll later explained the reasoning behind his decision : " My stepfather , Adna Doll , raised me and as soon as I was old enough ( and , incidentally , had dough for the legal transfer ) I changed my name to his because I was grateful for all Dad had done for me . I thought that if any honors came my way in football , I ' d like to be known by his name . " However , Doll recalled that " sports writers had a field day " with his new name : " When I weaved downfield I was the ' Dancing Doll . ' If I took too long on a play , I was the ' Mechanical Doll . ' " Doll played at the left halfback position for the 1946 Trojans . In the final game of the season , a 20 - 14 victory over Tulane in New Orleans , Doll had a key interception and return for 34 yards . 1947 season . In 1947 , Doll added punting and punt and kickoff return duties to his role as a starting halfback . In October 1947 , he was leading the Pacific Coast Conference with an average of 45 yards per punt ; he was also leading the Conference with an average of 20 yards on punt returns . One of the highlights of the 1947 season for USC was a 32 - 0 victory in Columbus , Ohio , over a highly touted Ohio State team . Doll started the Trojans ' scoring against the Buckeyes with a 42 - yard touchdown run around the left end in the first quarter . Doll ' s longest gain of the season was a 95 - yard kickoff return in a 21 - 0 victory over Cal . At the end of the 1947 season , Doll was picked as a first - team back on the United Press All - Coast Conference team . The 1947 Trojans won the Pacific Coast Conference championship and faced Michigan ' s famed " Mad Magicians " team in the 1948 Rose Bowl . USC lost the game 49 - 0 , and Doll was one of the few USC players praised for his performance in the game . Sports writer Maxwell Stiles wrote , " Don Doll was a power in the secondary until he was forced out with what was reported to be a broken arm . " 1948 season . In 1948 , Doll played his final season at the left halfback position for USC . He scored the Trojan ' s only touchdown on a 28 - yard run in a 7 - 0 victory over Rice . The following week , Doll again scored USC ' s only touchdown , this time in an 8 - 7 loss to Oregon . He added two touchdowns in a 32 - 7 win over Washington . At the end of the 1948 season , Doll was selected as a first - team halfback on the Associated Press All - Pacific Coast Team . He was also selected as the halfback and punter for the West team in the 1948 East - West Shrine Game . Professional football player . Doll was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 9th round ( 67th overall pick ) of the 1948 NFL Draft and signed a one - year contract with the team in February 1949 . He played as a defensive back for the Lions for four years from 1949 to 1952 . He was selected as an All - Pro player in his first three seasons in the NFL ( 1949 – 1951 ) . He was also selected four times to play in the Pro Bowl ( 1950 – 1953 ) . At 5 feet , 11 inches , and 185 pounds , Doll was small for a professional football player . In a 1954 profile on Doll , a reporter noted , " Don , who ' s built like a bank clerk , piano tuner , soda jerk , errand boy or - - egad - - even a sports writer doesn ' t look any more like a pro gridder than your cousin Joe . " Doll explained how he handled the disparity in size with the players he was required to tackle : " I just throw a shoulder into ' em and hit ' em low . If they are over two tons I aim for their shoelaces . If they ' re medium sized ( around boxcar weight ) I hit for the thighs . I ' ll admit I do not drive ' em back but I stop ' em where they are . . . . My size is no detriment in football . I rate as the No . 1 asset the ' desire ' to tackle . And I ' ve plenty of that desire . " 1949 season . During his rookie season , Doll had 11 interceptions which he returned for 301 yards , including a 95 - yard return for a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 8 , 1949 . His 301 return yards off interceptions set an NFL record that stood until 1961 . His total still ranks 5th all - time in NFL history . Doll still holds the record for most interception return yards by a rookie , and it is one of the oldest remaining records in the NFL . Doll also led the NFL in 1949 with 536 kickoff return yards . He also tied an NFL record on October 23 , 1949 with four interceptions in a 24 - 7 win over the Chicago Cardinals . 1950 season . In his second season in the NFL , Doll snagged 12 interceptions in 11 games , one interception short of the NFL record of 13 interceptions set by Dan Sandifer in 1948 . At the end of the 1950 season , Doll was selected as a first - team All - Pro for the second straight year and was also selected to appear in his first Pro Bowl . 1951 and 1952 seasons . During the 1951 and 1952 seasons , Doll was selected to appear in his second and third Pro Bowl s and received the George S . Halas Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the 1952 season Pro Bowl . Doll played safety on the 1952 Detroit Lions team that won the NFL championship . Though the 1952 Lions team is remembered mostly for the offensive output of Bobby Layne , the defense included Doll and Les Bingaman and led the NFL in both scoring defense and rush defense . In 2008 , Doll was selected as a member of the Lions ' 75th Season All - Time Team , recognizing him as " one of franchise ' s greatest players . " He still holds Lions ' team records for interceptions in a season ( 12 ) and interception return yards in a season ( 301 ) . 1953 season . At the start of the 1953 NFL season , Doll was traded by the Lions to the Washington Redskins , where he played under head coach Curly Lambeau . Doll totaled 10 interceptions for the 1953 season , making him the first player in NFL history to tally at least 10 interceptions in each of three seasons ( 11 in 1949 , 12 in 1950 and 10 in 1953 ) . Doll remains the only player in NFL history to accomplish this feat in three seasons . He was also selected for his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl . The Pro Bowl began with the 1950 NFL season , and Doll is one of the few players to have played in each of the first four Pro Bowls . 1954 season . In January 1954 , Doll was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in a three - team , multi - player deal that also sent Night Train Lane to the Chicago Cardinals . At the time of the trade , Doll , who lived at the time in San Gabriel , California , told the " Los Angeles Times " , " This is good news . I ' ve wanted to play for the Rams since I got out of school . " Doll concluded his playing career with the Rams and had five interceptions in 1954 . When he retired at the end of the 1954 season , Doll was the NFL ' s all - time career leader with 41 interceptions . Coaching career . Doll retired from playing football in 1955 and worked for the next 34 years as a football coach . In 1955 , Doll was hired as an assistant coach at the University of Washington under head coach John Cherberg . Doll was put in charge of defensive backs for the Huskies . During his one year at Washington , the Huskies had the 10th best passing defense in the country , allowing only 60 yards per game in passing yards . In 1956 , Doll accepted a head coaching position at West Contra Costa Junior College . In February 1957 , Doll returned to USC as the Trojans ' backfield coach under head coach Don Clark . At the time of his hiring , the " Los Angeles Times " called Doll " an all - time SC great " and " one of the top defensive backs in football history . " Doll served as USC ' s backfield coach during the 1957 and 1958 seasons . He also served as an assistant on the College All - Star coaching staff in 1957 and 1958 . In February 1959 , Doll was hired by Notre Dame as its backfield coach under head coach Joe Kuharich . Prior to the 1959 game between USC and Notre Dame , Braven Dyer warned in the " Los Angeles Times " that the man who had " mapped SC ' s secondary defense " was " now in the camp of the enemy . " Notre Dame defeated USC in 1959 by a score of 16 - 6 . Doll was Notre Dame ' s backfield coach throughout Kuharich ' s tenure which ended after the 1962 season . In January 1963 , Doll was hired by the Detroit Lions as their defensive backfield coach . Doll , who was then 36 years old , replaced Don Shula , who left the Lions coaching staff to become the head coach of the Baltimore Colts . Doll remained the Lions ' defensive backfield coach through the 1963 and 1964 NFL seasons . At the end of the 1964 season , Doll was " swept out " of the Lions organization when team owner William Clay Ford " purged the coaching staff . " In January 1965 , Doll was hired by the Los Angeles Rams as their defensive backfield coach under head coach Harland Svare . Doll remained with the Rams for only one season . In 1966 , Doll was hired as an assistant coach for the Washington Redskins under head coach Otto Graham . Doll remained with Redskins as the defensive backfield coach for five years and through three head coaches . In 1969 , Vince Lombardi was hired as the Redskins ' head coach . Doll served as an assistant coach under Lombardi during the 1969 NFL season , which was Lombardi ' s last as a coach . Doll also served under Redskins ' head coach Bill Austin in 1970 . In February 1971 , Doll was hired as defensive backfield coach for the Green Bay Packers under head coach Dan Devine . Doll remained with the Packers for three years from 1971 to 1973 . He helped mold the Packers ' backfield into what " The New York Times " called " one of the National Football League ' s stingiest pass defenses . " In 1972 , the Packers had the best pass defense in the NFL . In 1973 , the defense lost All - Pro cornerback Willie Buchanon to a broken leg in the sixth game of the season , but still finished as the fifth best pass defense in the NFL . In January 1974 , the Packers announced that Doll had resigned " because of personal problems , " but it was later revealed that he was fired by Devine due to a personality conflict and disagreements over defensive strategy . On learning of Doll ' s departure , Willie Buchanon said , " It hurts to get news like this . Not only was he a very good coach , but he was someone who we could relate to and get along with . There aren ' t many people like that . " In February 1974 , after undergoing hip surgery , Doll was hired by the Baltimore Colts as defensive coordinator and secondary coach . He served in Baltimore under head coaches Howard Schnellenberger ( who was head coach for three games ) and Joe Thomas . During the 1974 season , the Colts finished 2 - 12 and allowed 23 . 5 points per game ( 2nd worst in the NFL ) . In February 1975 , Doll resigned from his position with the Colts to accept a position as linebackers coach with Miami Dolphins under head coach Don Shula , who Doll had replaced in Detroit in 1963 . Doll served as the Dolphins ' linebackers coach during the 1975 and 1976 NFL seasons . The Dolphins finished 10 - 4 in 1975 and allowed 15 . 8 points per game ( 4th best in the NFL ) . In 1976 , the Dolphins dropped to 6 - 8 , allowing 18 . 8 points per game ( ranking 15th out of 28 teams ) . In January 1977 , the Dolphins announced that they were restructuring the defensive coaching staff and would not renew Doll ' s contract . In February 1977 , Doll was hired as a special assignments coach with the San Francisco 49ers . In February 1978 , Doll returned to the Detroit Lions as special teams coach and film coordinator . In his second stint as an assistant coach for the Lions , Doll served 11 years from 1978 through 1988 . In 1988 , after 10 years in one city , Doll noted , " It ' s kind of nice , staying in one place for a while . " Later years , family and death . Doll was married in the early 1950s to Diana Davies , a graduate of UCLA . After their wedding , she became Diana Davies Doll , and Doll joked with a reporter in 1954 that he called her his " Triple - D Dynamo . " Doll and his wife had five children , Steven , Wendy , Kevan , Heidi and Michael . In his later years , Doll lived with his wife in San Juan Capistrano , California . Doll died at his home in San Juan Capistrano in September 2010 at age 84 . He was survived by his wife Diana Doll , five children , six grandchildren , and one great grandchild .