FORMER FALCON CHRIS DOLEMAN DIES AT 58

A star with Vikings, ex-defensive end had brain cancer.

MINNEAPOLIS — Chris Doleman was clinging to his preferred position of outside linebacker, struggling through his second NFL season with the Minnesota Vikings.

The team’s vision for his 6-foot-5 frame was at defensive end, where he could use his long arms, strong legs and quick feet to become the kind of premier passrusher to build a scheme around.

Finally, during a late-night conversation with a confidant and coach, Doleman relented. His willingness to move up front sent him on a decorated path that traveled all the way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Doleman, whose enviable blend of speed and power made him one of the game’s most feared pass rushers during 15 seasons in the league, died Tuesday, two years after being diagnosed with brain cancer. The longtime Vikings star and former Falcon, who had 150½ career sacks to rank fifth on the all-time list, was 58.

“It’s a shock to see someone who was so strong and so gifted and so incredibly talented and such a great dude and so much fun to be with go so young,” former Vikings teammate Keith Millard said.

Doleman, who had surgery two years ago to remove a brain tumor, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of cancer.

“Chris was a great example for players past and present, as he embodied all the best characteristics of a Viking — resilience, toughness and a competitive spirit,” the Vikings said in a statement.

Doleman spent his first nine seasons with Minnesota, collecting a league-high 21 sacks in 1989. Doleman was a two-time first-team All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl selection who played in 232 of a possible 234 regular-season games.

Doleman ran the 40-yard dash as fast as 4.5 seconds — “That’s running back speed in those days,” Millard said — for an advantage over most opposing offensive tackles that was obvious.

The cancer diagnosis and surgery kept Doleman from attending Super Bowl 52 in Minneapolis, requiring a five-week hospital stay in Atlanta, but later in 2018 he was able to travel to Canton, Ohio, for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony that included former teammate Randy Moss. That fall, he married his wife, LaTresa Doleman.

Doleman, an Indianapolis native who played in college at Pittsburgh, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012. He played two seasons for the Falcons (1994-95) and three seasons with San Francisco (199698) before returning to Minnesota to finish his career in 1999.

Kansas City coach Andy Reid, in Miami for preparations for the Super Bowl on Sunday, was tasked with trying to defend Doleman for years while working with Green Bay’s offensive line.

“He was a phenomenal player,” Reid said.

The longtime Vikings star and former Falcon had 150½ career sacks to rank fifth on the all-time list.

AJC 1994 Chris Doleman, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, was later diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, glioblastoma.