Adam "Mad Dog" MacDougall is an Australian author, businessman and former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative centre and wing, he could also play fullback and spent the majority of his career at the Newcastle Knights, with whom he won the 1997 and 2001 Premierships. He has also played for the Sydney Roosters and South Sydney Rabbitohs. His brothers, Luke MacDougall, Ben MacDougall and Scott MacDougall have also played in the NRL. His father, Gil MacDougall, played for the Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies NSWRFL.

The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league team based in Newcastle, New South Wales that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, the Knights joined the top tier competition in 1988, 79 years after the previous Newcastle based team, the Newcastle Rebels had departed the Sydney competition with the formation of a separate league competition based in the Newcastle region.