Doug opened the gym on September 1, 1962. It was one of the first gyms in US! The location, 2010 Commerce Street has been the same ever since. From the very beginning, the gym attracted all kinds of people. WWF wrestlers start going to Doug's Gym. In 1963 Lee Harvey Oswald got shot on the street across from Doug's Gym. You can see Doug’s Gym on many documentaries about the Kennedy assassination.
More and more people frequented the gym. The crowd was still mixed and several famous wrestlers joined the gym. Doug invested in a heavy boxing punch bag. His gym was one of the first gyms to use boxing as a form of cardio exercise. In the late 70's the first female clients joined the gym.
The old fashioned gym started becoming popular with film makers and actors alike. The motion picture "Though Enough" featuring Dennis Quaid was recorded in the gym.
Several Episodes of "Texas Rangers" with Chuck Norris were recorded in the gym, along with numerous commercials. Clients and Doug fans started to sign their names on the walls.
The gym reorganized and the "hole in the wall" that previously connected the two rooms was closed off in 2001. The gym lives on with new and old members and the walls are starting to get filled with memorabilia and pictures of Doug and his clients. Some new machines were installed, but the gym is basically the same as it was in 1962. Doug's Gym is one of the few "old school" gyms remaining in the US.