Douglas Lloyd Betters (born June 11, 1956) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) from 1978 to 1987. After graduating from Arlington High School in

Arlington Heights, Illinois Arlington Heights is a village in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County Illinois, United States. A northwestern Chicago metropolitan area, suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of the city's downtown. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

, Betters played college Division I football for the

Montana Grizzlies The Montana Grizzlies and Lady Griz are the nicknames given to the athletic teams of the University of Montana, located in Missoula, Montana, Missoula. The university is a member of the Big Sky Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fieldin ...

from 1974 to 1976, then transferred to play for the Nevada Wolf Pack in 1977. The next year, he was a sixth round draft pick for the Dolphins. Betters was a part of Miami's "Killer B's" defense, and went to

Super Bowl XVII Super Bowl XVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

and XIX. In 1983, Betters recorded 16

sack A sack usually refers to a rectangular-shaped bag. Sack may also refer to: Bags * Flour sack * Gunny sack * Hacky sack, sport * Money sack * Paper sack * Sleeping bag * Stuff sack * Knapsack Other uses * Bed, a slang term * Sack (band), ...

s in 16 games and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, and was named to the AFC

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

team. In '83 and '84, Betters was named the Miami Dolphins "Outstanding Defensive Lineman." Betters played 146 NFL games and made career sacks ( official, post–1981). He was named by the fans to the Dolphins' Silver Anniversary Team in 1991 and the Golden Anniversary Team in 2016. Betters was an assistant coach for the University of Montana Grizzlies in 1995 and 1996. Doug guided fly fishing on the Flathead River in Montana for Glacier Wilderness Guides and class 4 whitewater on the Lochsa River in Idaho for Lewis and Clark Trail Adventures after his retirement from the NFL. In 1998, Betters suffered a

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue that extends from the medulla oblongata in the lower brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone) of vertebrate animals. The center of the spinal c ...

injury while

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

at Big Mountain in Whitefish, Montana. Betters founded the Doug Betters Winter Classic Organization in 1985, which provides money for children in need of medical care. Betters is involved with numerous other charitable organizations, including the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

and

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...

. In 2002, he received the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Montana Award. As of 2014 he resides in Whitefish. On December 14, 2008, Betters was inducted into the Miami Dolphins Ring of Honor during a ceremony at Dolphin Stadium.

References

External links

*
Doug Betters fund
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Betters, Doug 1956 births Living people American football defensive ends Miami Dolphins players American Conference Pro Bowl players Nevada Wolf Pack football players Montana Grizzlies football players Players of American football from Lincoln, Nebraska People from Whitefish, Montana NFL Defensive Player of the Year winners