Spokesman.com
Dan Doornink, a Coug and a Seahawk, ran for 123 yards we still remember
Dan Doornink ran for 123 yards in a playoff game, and we still talk about it. That's the kind of thing that sticks. The Coug from Wapato High who went to WSU, led the Cougars in rushing two straight years, and then spent seven seasons with the Seahawks died at 70, and if you're a certain age, you just heard that number and felt it. He was "Dr. Dan" for a reason. Doornink studied at UW Medical School while playing in the NFL. He said he was competing against guys who didn't have to study all the time, and he didn't get much sleep. After football, he earned his M.D. and practiced internal medicine in Yakima. That's not a side note. That's the whole point. The playoff game against the defending Super Bowl champion Raiders in 1984 is what people remember. Seattle ran the ball 51 times and threw 10. Doornink got 29 carries, a career high, and piled up 123 yards. He said they knew exactly what Seattle was going to do, and it didn't matter. That's a line you text a friend. He also battled COVID-19 hard in 2021, spending 23 days in intensive care and losing 38 pounds. He had a rare blood disorder on top of it. The Seahawks called him beloved, and they were right. If you want another story about a Coug leaving it all on the field in Pullman, read "Nelly Jemeli on the Palouse, a Pac-12 champ in her own words.
