No Excuses

Southern Living, Aug 2002 by Vanhooser, Cassandra M

southerners

This NFL coach refuses to let physical limitations block his path to success.

Ask Miami Dolphins kicking coach Doug Blevins about this year's Super Bowl, and he'll tell you. He was overcome by his emotions. Push a little harder, and he'll admit, somewhat grudgingly, "Yeah, I shed a few tears."

He wasn't on the sidelines for that game. He was in Raleigh, in town to address the student body at North Carolina State. His Dolphins had lost in the playoffs. So at game time, Doug was watching the Super Bowl on TV, just like millions of others.

Hardcore football fans recall precisely what happened that February day. The gritty Patriots looked as if they might beat the highly favored Rams-until St. Louis tied the game with less than a minute to go.

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In a series of quick downs, New England's quarterback drove his team to the Rams' 48 yard line. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for place kicker Adam Vinatieri. Seven seconds on the clock. One chance for glory. It was the moment every boy dreams of-that every man dreams of

For Doug, it was even more. Much more. Adam is his client. His friend. His son's godfather. Through his kicking consulting company, he taught Adam the ins and outs of the pro game. Mentally, Doug was on that field. He talked his talented protege through every step.

"I said, `Adam, take your big first step. Fall into your first step, buddy. Don't rush it,' " Doug recalls. "That far out I was afraid that he would rush it, get in a hurry, and push it to the right. I'm telling him, `Adam, take that big step with your right foot! "

Doug didn't have to see the ball clear the goalpost to know it had found its mark. So familiar is he with Adam's kicking mechanics that he pronounced, "It's good. They win" on the first step. That's when the tears began.

"I can't put it into words," he muses. "It's funny how my life boils down to this. Just seeing that football go through the uprights was so satisfying. That was a very proud moment for me. It's the closest I'll ever get to kicking a ball."

A Passion Found

To fully understand Doug's story, you've got to go back to Abingdon, Virginia, and another championship game long ago. The year was 1967. Doug was 4 years old. "I remember watching the Ice Bowl. The Cowboys and the Packers," he recalls. "I was an avid Cowboys fan. My dad was too. I was very upset that Dallas lost that game. If I had to define one day, one moment when I decided I wanted to be in pro football, it was that day. It's the only thing I ever wanted to do."

His parents didn't say much. They knew that little boys have lots of big dreams, but inwardly they had their reservations. Doug was born with a slight case of cerebral palsy. He would never walk unaided. How would he ever become an NFL coach?

Doug, however, had no doubts. "I'm very competitive," he states. "I love challenges. I've always been very confident in my ability. I don't focus a great deal of time-or any time-concentrating on limitations. I've always looked at my physical limitations as being inconveniences."

He couldn't play football as a child, so he became junior commissioner instead. No high school ball? Fine. Doug signed on as team manager but functioned more as a coaching assistant. When no one showed any interest in the kicking game, he took that on too. He developed a passion for it, secretly looking for the specialty that would take him to the NFL. At the University of Tennessee, he worked as student assistant, establishing himself in big-time college ball. Every step was an opportunity to learn, to build a solid knowledge of the game.

"Jobs and accomplishments don't fall out of the sky," Doug scoffs. "You make your own luck. That's why I hate whiners. That's why I'm pretty conservative in nature. I don't buy into a victim mentality. I don't like it."

Over the years, Doug coached at colleges and high schools, for the Canadian Football League, and for NFL Europe. He built a consulting company, Championship Place Kicking & Punting; developed outstanding players; and grew his reputation as a coach. Then, in 1994, he got the break he needed. The New York Jets took a chance and hired him. The team amassed a miserable 6-10 record. The entire coaching staff was fired the following year.

Doug still thinks the firing was unjust. The staff had the team going in the right direction, he says. But he's not one to dwell on life's misfortunes. He knew if he stayed the course, the NFL would come calling again.

A Dream Realized

In 1996, former Miami coach Jimmy Johnson hired Doug purely on the basis of his resume. He had no idea Doug had a disability until he rolled into his office the first day at work. "He thought somebody was trying to play a joke on him," Doug remembers with a chuckle. "Then we got to talking, and he realized I knew what I was doing. Jimmy's a winner, and all he wants is winners around him. Nothing else matters."

Doug's proud of his accomplishments. Who wouldn't be? But winners don't rest on their successes. He has plenty more to do in football. He hopes to be head coach at a major university, then an athletic director. In an ideal world, this route would take him back to his beloved Tennessee.

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No Excuses

Southern Living, Aug 2002 by Vanhooser, Cassandra M

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