| No. 78 | |
| Defensive tackle | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: August 25, 1953 | |
Place of birth:  Dallas, Texas
| |
| Career information | |
| College: Texas | |
| NFL Draft: 1975 / Round: 2 / Pick: 38 | |
| Debuted in 1975 for the [[{{{debutteam}}}]] | |
| Last played in 1985 for the [[{{{finalteam}}}]] | |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Sacks | 59 |
| Games | 131 |
| Safeties | 4 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Lowell Douglas English (born August 25, 1953) is a former American football Defensive Tackle for the Detroit Lions (1975–1985).
Early years
English was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and was graduated from Bryan Adams High School in Dallas.
College career
English attended the University of Texas graduating in 1976 with a major in History. He helped the Texas Longhorns to three Southwest Conference titles. In 2011, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Professional career
Along with defensive end Al "Bubba" Baker, English was a cornerstone of the Lions’ feared "Silver Rush" defensive line of the late 70’s and early 80’s. The 6-foot-5, 255 pound English was Detroit’s second-round pick in 1975 out of the University of Texas. He became a starter in his third season, and with the arrival of Baker the following year the Lions defensive line soon became one of the NFL’s best. Because of chronic injuries that were hampering his play, English left football for a year after the Lions’ 2-14 debacle in 1979. However after a year and two off-seasons' rest, a renewed appreciation for the sport of football and the opportunities for community service that come with professional sports, English was coaxed back to the Motor City for the start of the 1981 season.
Doug’s best season came in 1983, when he recorded 13 sacks. That year the Lions won the NFC Central Division title with a 9-7 mark, and came within a whisker of the NFC Championship game when they lost a heartbreaker to the San Francisco 49ers, 24-23, in the divisional round. Upon the arrival of new coach Darryl Rogers in 1985, English was moved to nose tackle in the team’s new 3-4 defensive alignment. His career ended after that season when he was forced into retirement due to a serious neck injury. He finished his career with 59 sacks, which still places him sixth on the Lions’ all-time list. He was named All-Pro three times (1981, 1983–84) and went to four Pro Bowls (1979, 1982–84). Voted defensive MVP in 1979 when he had 90 tackles and 6 * sacks.
Doug is often notable for having tied the mark of most safeties recorded by a single player, with four through his career.
Doug is also the President of the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation.
"Our mission is to work ourselves out of business.” Doug English, President, Lone Star Paralysis Foundation The foundation is self described as " a dedicated group of people working hard to find a cure for spinal cord injury, and we will—this decade. We already have the people, the technology, the science—the missing ingredient is money. So help us during this “Decade of the Cure”." (http://www.lonestarparalysis.org/)