Doug Plank Douglas Walter Plank ( born March 4 , 1953 in Greensburg , Pennsylvania ) is a former American - football safety and coach in the National Football League . Currently , he is the head coach of the Orlando Predators in the Arena Football League . Early life . Plank attended Norwin School District in North Huntingdon , Pennsylvania . He attended Ohio State University , winning 3 Big Ten titles and participating in 3 consecutive Rose Bowls under legendary coach Woody Hayes . In 1975 Plank was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 12th round . NFL playing career . He spent his entire eight - year NFL playing career with the Bears . Plank was the first Bears rookie to lead the team in tackles . Plank was a favorite of Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan for his hard hitting and aggressive style , so that he named his defense the " 46 defense " after Plank ' s jersey number . Plank was considered one of the hardest hitting safeties in the game . That effort took a physical toll and he retired before the Bears reached their peak in 1985 . Plank and Gary Fencik were dubbed " The Hit Men " , a fact referenced by Fencik in 1985 ' s " The Super Bowl Shuffle " . After football . After football , Plank became a franchisee of Burger King Corporation operating multiple restaurants . In 1995 Plank began working as a football analyst and has done work for Fox Sports , Arizona Cardinals , Arizona State Sun Devils , University of Arizona Wildcats , Arizona Rattlers . In 1996 , a Bears fan " Bearman " became the unofficial mascot of the Bears , and he wore Plank ' s 46 jersey . Since 2001 , Plank has worked as a football color analyst on national radio broadcasts for Sports USA Radio and Westwood One . Plank is currently a voter in the weekly Harris Interactive College Football Poll ranking the top 25 college teams . Coaching career . In 2001 , Plank began his coaching career as a defensive coordinator in the Arena Football League for three seasons under former Dallas quarterback Danny White . In those three seasons , the Arizona Rattlers played in three consecutive Arenabowls . In 2004 , Plank was hired by Arthur Blank to be head coach of the Georgia Force , an Arena Football team he owned in addition to the Atlanta Falcons . Plank was named the AFL ' s Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2007 , leading Georgia to the playoffs in every season and in his first year , ArenaBowl XIX in 2005 . In Plank ' s first four years as an AFL head coach , he won more games in that period than any other coach in the history of the AFL . In 2008 , he was a seasonal assistant on the Atlanta Falcons staff . The Falcons played in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs . In 2009 he served as the assistant defensive backfield coach for the New York Jets under head coach Rex Ryan , the son of Plank ' s former defensive coordinator , Buddy Ryan . The 2009 Jets defense led the NFL in fewest total yards allowed , fewest points allowed , and fewest TD passes allowed . The Jets played in the AFC championship game versus the Colts . In 2010 , Plank became a football program assistant at Ohio State . The Buckeyes earned a share of the Big 10 title with an 11 – 1 record and beat Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl . On August 31 , 2011 , Plank became head coach of the AFL ' s Philadelphia Soul . In Plank ' s first year , the Soul compiled a regular season record of 15 – 3 after going 6 – 12 the previous year . The Soul played in ArenaBowl XXV versus the Arizona Rattlers . The Soul established new franchise records in wins , scoring , rushing , and defensive takeaways in 2012 . On September 5 , 2012 , Plank was named head coach of the Orlando Predators .