| No. 44 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | June 11, 1951 Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | December 16, 1983 (aged 32) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Canon-McMillan (PA) | ||||||||
| College | Kentucky | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1974: undrafted | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
* Offseason or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Douglas Allan Kotar (June 11, 1951 – December 16, 1983) was an American professional football player who was a running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Raised in Muse, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh, Kotar graduated from Canon-McMillan High School and played college football at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
Unselected in the 1974 NFL draft, Kotar was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Four days later, they traded him to the New York Giants (for Leo Gasienica), where he played for eight years. Linebacker Harry Carson, a teammate for six seasons, once described him as "a fighter you'd like to have with you in a foxhole."
Kotar rushed for 3,380 yards (while also gaining 1,022 yards receiving) in his career, which was the fourth most in Giants history at the time of his retirement. Kotar was known for leading with his head while rushing, a fact that would come back to haunt him in later life. He retired after the first day of training camp in July 1982, citing knee and shoulder pain and family reasons.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1974 | NYG | 12 | 7 | 106 | 396 | 3.7 | 53 | 4 | 10 | 57 | 5.7 | 18 | 0 |
| 1975 | NYG | 14 | 6 | 122 | 378 | 3.1 | 46 | 6 | 9 | 86 | 9.6 | 17 | 0 |
| 1976 | NYG | 14 | 14 | 185 | 731 | 4.0 | 24 | 3 | 36 | 319 | 8.9 | 30 | 0 |
| 1977 | NYG | 12 | 11 | 132 | 480 | 3.6 | 32 | 2 | 15 | 73 | 4.9 | 13 | 0 |
| 1978 | NYG | 15 | 5 | 149 | 625 | 4.2 | 46 | 1 | 22 | 225 | 10.2 | 31 | 1 |
| 1979 | NYG | 16 | 14 | 160 | 616 | 3.9 | 32 | 3 | 25 | 230 | 9.2 | 37 | 0 |
| 1981 | NYG | 7 | 5 | 46 | 154 | 3.3 | 18 | 1 | 9 | 32 | 3.6 | 11 | 0 |
| 90 | 62 | 900 | 3,380 | 3.8 | 53 | 20 | 126 | 1,022 | 8.1 | 37 | 1 | ||
Kotar and his wife Donna had two children, Doug Jr. and Christie.
After experiencing major headaches post-retirement, Kotar had a CT scan that revealed a brain tumor. He underwent invasive surgery in August 1982 that involved cutting into his skull, but the tumor was malignant and could not be removed. Kotar later suffered partial paralysis and was moved back to his hometown, where he received radiation treatment.
On December 16, 1983, Kotar died in his sleep at age 32.