He first came to prominence with Ballyboden Wanderers when he captained the 1968 Dublin Junior Football championship winning team.
Doherty first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a senior member of the Dublin county team in the early 1970s.
The men from the west, who had been beaten in two of the previous three championship deciders, took a 1-4 to 0-5 lead at half-time, however, the real turning point of the game came in the 52nd minute.
A 0-14 to 1-6 score line resulted in a first All-Ireland winners' medal for Doherty and a first for Dublin in eleven years.
Dublin proved that their success in 1974 was not a flash-in-the-pan by retaining the Leinster title in 1975 after an enormous 3-13 to 0-8 defeat of Kildare.
[3] Doherty's side were the red-hot favourites going into the All-Ireland final against the youngest Kerry teams of all-time.
On a rain-soaked day John Egan and substitute Ger O'Driscoll scored two goals for Kerry and 'the Dubs' were ambushed by 2-12 to 0-11.
Immediately after the game started he careered through the Kerry half-back and full-back lines, however, his shot at goal went wide.
In one of the greatest games of football ever-played 'the Dubs' triumphed and booked a final apot against Armagh.
[3] The eleven point victory in this game made Doherty's side the favourites to secure a remarkable third All-Ireland title in-a-row.
A free was awarded and the Kerry forward lobbed the ball over the head of Paddy Cullen, who was caught off his line arguing with the referee.