 Hawkins hailed from the industrialised, working class western suburbs of Melbourne, and although he was a North Melbourne supporter in his youth, competition zoning rules in effect prior to the adoption of a national draft, dictated that Hawkins' rights were 'zoned' to , given his suburb of residence was nearby Braybrook.He got his wish, making his VFL debut for Footscray in 1978 as a teenager.Hawkins made a name for himself over the ensuing years as one of the finest wingers the game has ever seen, so much so that at the team's home ground, the Western Oval, the outer wing of the ground was named the "Doug Hawkins Wing".