Dan Doornink

{{Short description|American football player (born 1956)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Dan Doornink

| number = 35, 33

| position = Running back

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|2|1}}

| birth_place = Yakima, Washington, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 3

| weight_lb = 210

| college = Washington State

| high_school = Wapato (WA)

| draftyear = 1978

| draftround = 7

| draftpick = 174

| teams =

• New York Giants ({{NFL Year|1978}})
• Seattle Seahawks ({{NFL Year|1979}}–{{NFL Year|1985}})

| statlabel1 = Rushing yards

| statvalue1 = 1,836

| statlabel2 = Rushing average

| statvalue2 = 3.5

| statlabel3 = Rushing touchdowns

| statvalue3 = 15

| pfr = DoorDa00

}}

Daniel Glenn Doornink (born February 1, 1956) is an American former professional football running back in the National Football League (NFL) who played one season for the New York Giants and seven seasons for the Seattle Seahawks.{{Cite news |last=Wickwire |first=Bob |date=January 12, 2015 |title=Chat Rewind: Former Seahawks running back Dan Doornink |work=The Seattle Times |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/chat-rewind-former-seahawks-running-back-dan-doornink/ |access-date=February 2, 2016}}

Born in Yakima, Washington, Doornink graduated from Wapato High School in 1974 and played college football at Washington State University in Pullman. He was selected in the seventh round of the 1978 NFL draft by the Giants, then was traded to the Seahawks in August 1979 for a {{nowrap|draft choice.{{Cite news |date=August 22, 1979 |title=Ax falls hard on NFL stars |page=19 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |agency=Associated Press |location=(Washington) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=31ZOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LfkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5777%2C1784892}}{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Butch |date=October 13, 1979 |title=Seahawks can move ball |page=13 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HaQSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LvkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2233%2C4477306}}}}

Seahawks fans gave him the nicknames of "Dr. Dan" for his medical career, and "Mr. Third Down" for his knack of frequently picking up a first down for the team on third down when given the ball via run or pass. He ran for 123 yards on 27 carries for the Seahawks in a wild-card playoff win over the Los Angeles Raiders on December 22, 1984 in the Kingdome in Seattle. After a series of injuries in 1985, Doornink was released by the Seahawks in {{nowrap|August 1986.{{Cite news |date=August 19, 1986 |title=Doornink and Simpson cut |page=B1 |work=Spokesman-Review |agency=Associated Press |location=(Spokane, Washington) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rv8RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Xe8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5423%2C2092742}}{{Cite news |date=August 18, 1986 |title=The Seattle Seahawks Monday released fullback Dan Doornink |publisher=UPI |agency=(archives) |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/08/18/The-Seattle-Seahawks-Monday-released-fullback-Dan-Doornink-and/8708524721600/ |access-date=October 24, 2018}}}}

Doornink earned his M.D. at the University of Washington in Seattle and practiced internal medicine as a physician in Yakima. {{nowrap|He and his wife,}} Sharon, have four children, Heidi, Danielle, Tyler, and Grace. Prior to the Seahawks 2007 preseason game on August 25 against the Minnesota Vikings at Qwest Field in Seattle, he raised the 12th Man flag.

In August 2021, Doornink was hospitalized for COVID-19. Although vaccinated, he has an autoimmune blood disorder which makes him more susceptible to complications. Doornink was placed on a ventilator and then removed from it when his breathing improved.{{cite web | last=Tracy | first=Gerald | title=Former Seattle Seahawk turned doctor fighting COVID-19 in ICU | website=KOMO | date=August 1, 2021 | url=https://komonews.com/news/local/former-seattle-seahawk-turned-doctor-fighting-covid-19-in-icu | access-date=August 1, 2021}} After being released from the hospital, he needed months of recovery.{{cite news |last1=Jude |first1=Adam |title='Truly a miracle': Ex-Seahawk Dan Doornink's family grateful after he nearly died from COVID-19 battle |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/truly-a-miracle-ex-seahawk-dan-doorninks-family-grateful-after-he-nearly-died-from-covid-19-battle/ |access-date=December 27, 2021 |work=Seattle Times |date=December 24, 2021}}