He was born on July 7, 1931 in Lindsey, Oklahoma to Robert Rutledge (Duke) Ethridge and Amanda Anderson Ethridge.

He grew up in Sundown, Texas where he graduated from Sundown High School in 1949. Doug was a phenomenal athlete where he lettered in multiple sports and earned a scholarship in football and baseball at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls. After graduating from Midwestern State, he joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Austria and Germany. Upon returning from the service, he moved to Phillips, Texas where he began his football coaching career and met and married the love of his life for 65 years to Patsy Lou Capell.

He began his successful head coaching career at Dalhart, TX where it continued to Monahans, TX, Hobbs, NM, Port Arthur, TX, Port Neches, TX (PN-G) and Round Rock, TX. In Dalhart he coached the “Decade of Dominance” teams. In Monahans, TX he had several playoff runs. In Hobbs he won the New Mexico state championship.

In 10 years at PN-G his teams had 4-year span of semifinal appearance with two state appearances with one state championship ranking 3rd nationally, a combined 88-38-2 record with a 25-game winning streak and a state record attendance at Texas stadium of over 50,000.

His major coaching accomplishments included, Texas High School Sportswriters Association Coach of Year in 1975, Texas All Star Coach in 1978, President of the Texas High School Coaches association in 1982-83, Texas Hall of Fame for coaching in 1997, and Texas Coaches Hall of Honor in 1989

After a 25-year coaching career with a 200-85 record, Coach Ethridge hung up his coaching hat. He then became the athletic director for the Pasadena ISD.

In his retirement, you could find Doug Ethridge enjoying his grandkids playing sports, cheering on the Cowboys, playing golf with the Grumpy Old Men, and playing blackjack with Coach Clearman at Win Star.

Doug and Patsy were members of First United Methodist church of Mansfield.

Doug is preceded in death by his parents and his brother John.

He is survived by his wife Patsy of Mansfield, his sister Kathy Hogue of Arlington, his son Richy Ethridge of Dallas, Randy Ethridge and his wife Phyllis of Coppell, his daughter Sherolyn Schneider and her husband Wade of Mansfield; his grandchildren, Lindsay, Casey and Mandy Schneider, Brock, and Brant Ethridge; his niece Traci Hogue Pennington and her husband Pat, and their family, Blake Pennington, Ryan, Jennifer, and Elise McCormick; his nieces Kamie and Kriss Ethridge.

A Funeral Service will be celebrated on Saturday, January 2, 2020 at 12:00 p.m., at Shannon Rose Hill Funeral Chapel & Cemetery, 7301 East Lancaster, Ft Worth, TX 76112.

A Celebration of Doug’s Life will be held in the future in Port Neches, TX.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Doug’s name may be made to the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Group, 5351 Samuell Blvd, Dallas, TX 75228 or the Texas High School Coaches Education Foundation.