At 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m), Atkins often batted passes down at the line of scrimmage and used his skills as a high jump champion to leapfrog blockers and get to the quarterback.

[8] He finished runner-up in the high jump at the 1952 Southeastern Conference championships with a mark of 6' 6" (1.98m) which placed him 25th in the world that year.

[13] The Browns traded Atkins and Ken Gorgal to the Chicago Bears for a third-round and a sixth-round pick in the 1956 NFL draft.

[14][15] According to Pat Summerall, Atkins was traded by Paul Brown for burping out loud in a team meeting.

With the Bears, Atkins was a First-team All-Pro selection in 1958, 1960, 1961, and 1963, along with being a starter in the Pro Bowl in eight of his last nine years with Chicago.

Once, Atkins was ordered by a coach to run laps during practice and was told to wear his helmet while doing so, as the weather was hot.

[3] He played a minor acting role as "Jebbo" in the 1975 film, Breakheart Pass, starring Charles Bronson.

After he retired from the NFL, Atkins worked in various jobs, including as an exterminator, as a pipe system manager, and selling caskets to funeral homes.

[25] Atkins died of natural causes at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, on December 30, 2015, at the age of 85.