Doug Whaley facts for kids

Douglass G. Whaley (born December 16, 1972) is an American professional football executive. This means he holds important jobs managing football teams and leagues. He used to play college football. Currently, he is a senior vice president for the XFL. From 2013 to 2017, he was the general manager of the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League (NFL).

Early Life and College Football

Doug Whaley was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He played high school football there. Later, he played college football at the University of Pitt. He played as a defensive back, which is a player who tries to stop the other team from catching the ball. During his time at Pitt, he caught 4 interceptions. An interception is when a defensive player catches a pass meant for an offensive player.

Football Career

Working with the Pittsburgh Steelers

After college, Whaley started working behind the scenes in football. He worked for the Pittsburgh Steelers for 10 years. His job was to help find and evaluate professional players. He worked closely with Kevin Colbert, who was in charge of football operations. Whaley helped the Steelers find and choose talented defensive players like Lamarr Woodley, Troy Polamalu, and Lawrence Timmons.

Time with the Buffalo Bills

In 2010, Doug Whaley joined the Buffalo Bills. He started as the assistant general manager. He also directed the team's professional player department. He helped the general manager, Buddy Nix, with all football-related tasks. This included looking at college players to see if they were good enough for the NFL.

In 2013, Buddy Nix stepped down. Just three days later, Whaley became the new general manager for the Bills. As GM, he made important decisions for the team. One big move was trading up in the draft to pick receiver Sammy Watkins. Another notable trade was sending linebacker Kiko Alonso away to get star running back LeSean McCoy.

Whaley also helped the Bills owners, Terry and Kim Pegula, choose new head coaches. He was involved in hiring Rex Ryan. After Ryan left, Whaley led the search for the next coach, Sean McDermott. In 2016, the Bills gave Whaley a new contract. However, in April 2017, after the NFL draft, the Bills decided to let him go. After leaving the Bills, he spent some time helping to recruit players for a special college football game called the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in 2018.

Joining the XFL

In November 2018, Doug Whaley was hired by the XFL. This was a new football league starting up. He became the senior vice president of football operations. His job was to help manage all the football-related parts of the league. However, in April 2020, the XFL stopped playing games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most staff members, including Whaley, were laid off. But in November 2021, Whaley was hired by the XFL again. He now works as the vice president of player personnel, still helping to find and manage players for the league.