Payton
Walter Payton's Hall of Fame-worthy career set an example for every NFL player to come after him. Even though Payton passed nearly a decade ago, Bears fans remember him to this day as if he had only retired last week. Sportscasters still measure new players against Payton, an intimidating standard to be sure.
Walter Payton's Hall of Fame-worthy career set an example for every NFL player to come after him. Even though Payton passed nearly a decade ago, Bears fans remember him to this day as if he had only retired last week. Sportscasters still measure new players against Payton, an intimidating standard to be sure.
Born in 1954 in Columbia, Mississippi, Walter was smack in the middle of the racially charged South and reflected on that throughout his public career. One of three children, Walter's youth was not full of the technology of today and kids were kids who fished and played kick-ball and stickball and sports of all kinds. At John Jefferson High School, he found football to be his game and continued on at Jackson State in Jackson, Mississippi.
Payton was the fourth draft pick for the 1975 Chicago Bears, a year where he was also fourth in contention for the Heisman Trophy. His first season got off to a slow start with 679 yards and 7 touchdowns - but in the final game of the season, Payton showed the world what he was capable of. Payton finished out the season with a 134 yard run in a season ending game against the Saints, Payton pulled off a feat not seen by Chicago fans since Gale Sayers was still wearing the uniform.
Payton's second season was more uniformly impressive, with 1,000 yards and the NFL MVP title. This year saw the Bears headed to the playoffs, where Walter Payton ran 274 yards in just one game - this record shattering achievement was not broken until 2000!
Known affectionately as "sweetness" Payton was a favorite with fans and teammates alike for his personality and his impressive record n the gridiron. IN his 13 year NFL career, Payton racked up an astounding 16,726 yards, 110 touchdowns and 77 100-yard rushing games.
Payton made it look easy, with 1,000 yards dashed in each season between 1976 and 1981. Payton played in every Pro Bowl from 1979 until his retirement. His rushing record has been broken since, but is record may still stand today were it not for NFL strikes which cut short the 1975 and 197 seasons.
With the arrival of coach Mike Ditka and his authoritative attitude, new players were recruited to Chicago to ensure Payton's success. That came in 1984 when they led the NFC Central Division, the year that Walter broke Jim Brown's running record. Walter, being the gentleman he was, accepted his new title with dignity, but reminded everyone that day to think of other athletes whose careers were cut short due to injury or illness.
Everyone remembers the "Super Bowl Shuffle" of 1986, still heard from time to time in Chicago. This was the year that the Bears made their very first appearance in the Super Bowl and they did not disappoint the fans, despite Payton's failure to make a touchdown in the game. The Bears triumphed over the New England Patriots 46-10.
In 1987, Walter Payton said goodbye to football with a tremendous send off at Soldier Field in Chicago. Walter was not one to slow down after his retirement from the NFL and sat on the Bears Board of Directors in 1988, started a CART racing team, and opened a restaurant brewpub. In 1993, his greatest triumph was achieved by being named to the NFL's Hall of Fame.
Payton went public with the announcement that he had been diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. He was placed on a waiting list for a new liver; sadly, he passed away on November 1st of that year.
The number 34; Payton's is one which instantly brings a smile to the face of any Bears fan. The foundation started by Payton's wife Connie is yet another of his legacies, urging the people of Illinois to become organ donors. To this day, people in Chicago feel that they lost something truly special when they lost this remarkable man.
Walter Payton's Hall of Fame-worthy career set an example for every NFL player to come after him. Even though Payton passed nearly a decade ago, Bears fans remember him to this day as if he had only retired last week. Sportscasters still measure new players against Payton, an intimidating standard to be sure.
Born in 1954 in Columbia, Mississippi, Walter was smack in the middle of the racially charged South and reflected on that throughout his public career. One of three children, Walter's youth was not full of the technology of today and kids were kids who fished and played kick-ball and stickball and sports of all kinds. At John Jefferson High School, he found football to be his game and continued on at Jackson State in Jackson, Mississippi.
Payton was the fourth draft pick for the 1975 Chicago Bears, a year where he was also fourth in contention for the Heisman Trophy. His first season got off to a slow start with 679 yards and 7 touchdowns - but in the final game of the season, Payton showed the world what he was capable of. Payton finished out the season with a 134 yard run in a season ending game against the Saints, Payton pulled off a feat not seen by Chicago fans since Gale Sayers was still wearing the uniform.
Payton's second season was more uniformly impressive, with 1,000 yards and the NFL MVP title. This year saw the Bears headed to the playoffs, where Walter Payton ran 274 yards in just one game - this record shattering achievement was not broken until 2000!
Known affectionately as "sweetness" Payton was a favorite with fans and teammates alike for his personality and his impressive record n the gridiron. IN his 13 year NFL career, Payton racked up an astounding 16,726 yards, 110 touchdowns and 77 100-yard rushing games.
Payton made it look easy, with 1,000 yards dashed in each season between 1976 and 1981. Payton played in every Pro Bowl from 1979 until his retirement. His rushing record has been broken since, but is record may still stand today were it not for NFL strikes which cut short the 1975 and 197 seasons.
With the arrival of coach Mike Ditka and his authoritative attitude, new players were recruited to Chicago to ensure Payton's success. That came in 1984 when they led the NFC Central Division, the year that Walter broke Jim Brown's running record. Walter, being the gentleman he was, accepted his new title with dignity, but reminded everyone that day to think of other athletes whose careers were cut short due to injury or illness.
Everyone remembers the "Super Bowl Shuffle" of 1986, still heard from time to time in Chicago. This was the year that the Bears made their very first appearance in the Super Bowl and they did not disappoint the fans, despite Payton's failure to make a touchdown in the game. The Bears triumphed over the New England Patriots 46-10.
In 1987, Walter Payton said goodbye to football with a tremendous send off at Soldier Field in Chicago. Walter was not one to slow down after his retirement from the NFL and sat on the Bears Board of Directors in 1988, started a CART racing team, and opened a restaurant brewpub. In 1993, his greatest triumph was achieved by being named to the NFL's Hall of Fame.
Payton went public with the announcement that he had been diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. He was placed on a waiting list for a new liver; sadly, he passed away on November 1st of that year.
The number 34; Payton's is one which instantly brings a smile to the face of any Bears fan. The foundation started by Payton's wife Connie is yet another of his legacies, urging the people of Illinois to become organ donors. To this day, people in Chicago feel that they lost something truly special when they lost this remarkable man.
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