Doug Newman played football at Cumberland High School from 1959 to 1963 and at Austin Peay State University in 1964-65.

He joined the Air Force in 1966 and was stationed in Tokyo, Japan until 1970. Doug played football for the Tachjikawa Base Command from 1967-1970.

After graduating from Austin Peay in 1972, he began his coaching career at Cheatham High School, coaching football in the fall of 1972. Newman was hired by Goodlettsville High School in January of 1973. He coached football and wrestling there until 1986, becoming head wrestling coach in 1976.

In the fall of 1986 he became the first wrestling coach at Hunters Lane High School while also coaching football. In 1988, Doug held and directed the first Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association State Dual Meet at Hunters Lane High School.

In the fall of 1995, he was hired as the head wrestling coach and also coached football at Hillwood High School.

Doug was AAU State Wrestling Director from 1983 to 1988, and he coached the Tennessee national competition team for the United States Wrestling Association and AAU national tournaments from 1983 to 1989.

He became the first wrestling coach from Tennessee to earn USA Wrestling’s Bronze Level international wrestling coaching certificate in 1988.

A head wrestling coach for more than 47 years, his teams had 25 listings in the National Federation of State High School Associations record book from 1987 to 2018. The only Tennessee schools with team listings in the NFHS national record book are Hunters Lane, Stratford STEM Magnet School, and Franklin Road Academy, all coached by Doug.

Newman developed the “Wrestling Dominance Rater” in 1985.

He received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the Tennessee Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2009, and was presented the first-ever “Coaching with HEART” award by the Nashville Coaches Coalition in 2019.