Doherty played professionally, first, with the former Brooklyn Tigers in 1944, when he was declared "Rookie of the Year".
While he was in California playing for the former Los Angeles Rams (1946-1995), Doherty claimed to have kissed the actress Carole Landis, sat beside Joan Caulfield on a bench, visited in the home of the crooner Bing Crosby, and been feted at the Brown Derby restaurant by Don Ameche.