lit a candle 11h agoMy dad used to talk about watching him grind out third down runs like it was yesterday. Mr Third Down, he called him, every single time. Didn't know until today he spent the rest of his life as a doctor back in Yakima. That's a whole life, not just a highlight reel.
Their story
Dan Doornink, the Yakima Valley running back who became one of the most popular players of the early Seattle Seahawks era and then spent three decades as a physician in his hometown, died on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at the age of 70. The Seahawks announced his death the following…
Dan Doornink, the Yakima Valley running back who became one of the most popular players of the early Seattle Seahawks era and then spent three decades as a physician in his hometown, died on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at the age of 70. The Seahawks announced his death the following day, calling him "a beloved member of the Seahawks early days, both on and off the field." No cause of death or place of death was made public.
Daniel Glenn Doornink was born in Yakima, Washington, on February 1, 1956, and grew up in nearby Wapato, where his father was a family doctor. Medicine ran deep in the family: his grandfather and an uncle were physicians, and his older brother, Dave, became an internist who later practiced alongside him. At Wapato High School Dan was an all-star quarterback, and it was in a biology class there that he met Sharon, the girl who would become his wife. She was 14 and he was 15. He gave her a Bible with a verse from Proverbs 3 written inside the cover, and the two were close from then on. He graduated from Wapato High in 1974, and the school's football field now bears his name.
Doornink signed with Washington State University under coach Jim Sweeney as a quarterback but arrived far down the depth chart, by his own account as the eighth-string passer. When injuries hit the running backs as a freshman he was moved to the backfield because he already knew the plays. "I got there and ran over the first-team cornerback, a senior cornerback, and I didn't know you weren't supposed to do that," he later recalled. "A couple of weeks later, I was starting." He led the Cougars in rushing in 1976 and 1977, the latter season opening with a famous 19-10 road upset of 15th-ranked Nebraska. He left Pullman with 1,739 rushing yards, then third on the school's all-time list, plus 105 receptions for 968 yards. He was equally strong in the classroom, carrying a 3.6 grade point average, earning Pacific-8 Conference scholar-athlete honors and second-team Academic All-America recognition. After his senior season he was named MVP of the Challenge Bowl.
The New York Giants chose him in the seventh round of the 1978 NFL draft, 174th overall. After one season in New York he was traded to Seattle in August 1979 for a draft choice, and the move shaped the rest of his football life. At 6 feet 3 and 210 pounds he could play tailback or fullback, and his soft hands made him a valuable receiver out of the backfield. Seahawks fans nicknamed him "Mr. Third Down" for his habit of picking up first downs on third down, whether by run or by pass. He was part of the 1983 team that reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and advanced to the AFC Championship Game. His signature afternoon came on December 22, 1984, in the Kingdome, when he carried 27 times for 123 yards in a 13-7 wild-card playoff win over the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Raiders.
The other nickname, "Dr. Dan," described what made him unusual. During his final seasons in Seattle he was also a student at the University of Washington School of Medicine, attending class in the morning, working out with the team in the afternoon and studying late into the night. "I was competing against guys who didn't have to study all the time," he told The Seattle Times. "It was hard and challenging and I didn't get much sleep those years." Injuries slowed him in 1985 and the Seahawks released him in August 1986. Across eight NFL seasons he rushed for 1,836 yards and caught 209 passes for 2,006 yards; the Seahawks credit him with 105 games for Seattle and 15 rushing touchdowns.
He completed his M.D. at the University of Washington with honors and returned to Yakima, where he practiced internal medicine for roughly 30 years and was known around town simply as Dr. Dan. In 2020 he committed his last year before retirement to the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, and as the pandemic swept through the valley's food processing plants he estimated he diagnosed about 300 COVID-19 cases in ten months. He retired three days before his 65th birthday in 2021.
That August, Doornink himself was hospitalized with COVID-19. Although vaccinated, he had a rare autoimmune blood disorder that left his platelet levels dangerously low and made treatment difficult. He spent 23 days in intensive care at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, five of them on a ventilator, and lost 38 pounds. Doctors twice warned his family he might not survive the night. His recovery, which his wife called "truly a miracle," was followed in December 2021 by the proudest walk of his life, escorting his daughter Danielle down the aisle at her wedding in Spokane.
Doornink and Sharon were married for more than four decades and raised four children, Heidi, Danielle, Tyler and Grace. Tyler followed him into medicine. A man of strong Christian faith, Dan led a youth Bible study in Wapato with Sharon, and he stayed fiercely active long after football, racing mountain bikes, lifting weights, golfing and singing whenever he could. He stayed close to the Seahawks as a team legend, raising the 12th Man flag before a 2007 preseason game, and in 2022 the Parker Youth and Sports Foundation honored him as a Yakima Valley sports legend.
He is remembered as a tough, unselfish competitor and a rare professional athlete who achieved two childhood dreams at once: playing football at the highest level and following his father into medicine. Funeral and memorial arrangements had not been made public at the time of writing.
Biography adapted from Seattle Seahawks (seahawks.com, Nov 1, 2026); The Seattle Times (Bob Condotta, Nov 1, 2026; Adam Jude, Dec 24, 2021); Seattle Sports (Nov 1, 2026); WSU Athletics Hall of Fame; Parker Youth and Sports . Wikipedia ↗
In their own words
“I was competing against guys who didn't have to study all the time. It was hard and challenging and I didn't get much sleep those years.”
On attending medical school while playing for the Seahawks, interview with The Seattle Times
“I got there and ran over the first-team cornerback, a senior cornerback, and I didn't know you weren't supposed to do that. A couple of weeks later, I was starting.”
On switching from quarterback to running back as a WSU freshman (Parker Youth and Sports Foundation profile)
“I learned in college how to catch balls and I caught a lot of balls.”
On his receiving role in the NFL
“That was a very, very difficult time.”
On treating COVID-19 patients in the Yakima Valley in 2020, The Seattle Times, December 2021
“I would listen to music but I couldn't make any sound come out. Then all of a sudden I woke up, it was a Thursday, and I said, 'Hey, I can do this!'”
On regaining his singing voice after COVID-19, The Seattle Times, December 2021
“He had to crush it.”
His son Tyler, describing his father's drive, The Seattle Times, December 2021
Photos
1by People Forever
my grandpa called him that too, didn't realize it was a real nickname