Walter Payton had a career in the NFL which should be a model for every player to follow. The Hall of Famer passed away in 1999, but will always be remembered by fans in Chicago, the city where Payton spent his entire 13 year career. Payton is still the standard that all other players are measured by; a fitting remembrance of this legendary player and outstanding human being.

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 fourth in contention for the Heisman Trophy in 1975, the year that saw him becoming Chicago’s fourth draft pick. Walter Payton got off to a slow start his first season, with a mere 7 touchdowns and 679 yards, but gave the world a taste of what would come later in his final game of the season. This game saw the Bears facing off against the New Orleans Saints; Payton made a 134 yard run, something which had not been seen in Chicago since the Gale Sayers era.

In his second season with the Bears, Walter reached 1,000 yards with 13 touchdowns and was named the NFL’s most valuable player in 1977. In 1977, the Bears made the playoffs where Walter ran for 274 yards in one game, a record that wasn’t broken until the year 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.

He made it look easy rushing for 1,000 yards every season between 1976 and 1981 and his first Pro-Bowl came in 1979-he was voted to every Pro-Bowl after that year until his retirement. Although his rushing yard record has been broken, that was mainly due to two strikes during his career in the NFL, which cut the seasons short, and between 1975 and 1977, the NFL season was only 14 games, unlike the 16 games it is today.

Things got even better for Chicago once Coach Mike Ditka came on board. Ditka aggressively recruited new players to support Payton. In 1984, the Bears led their division and Payton broke Jim Brown’s running record. The day he broke the record, he dedicated his feat to those athletes whose careers were tragically cut short by injuries and illnesses.

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.

Payton would retire the following year, seeing a hero’s send off at Chicago’s Soldier Field. He stayed active after his retirement, serving on the Chicago Bears board of directors, starting a racing team and in 1996, opening Walter Payton’s Roadhouse, a restaurant and brewpub. In 1996, Payton was elevated to the NFL Hall of Fame, taking his rightful place among the other legends of the gridiron.

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.

Tags: a, activity, c, f, football, i, l, leisure, lifestyle, o, p, R, recreation, Recreation & Sports, recreationandsports, s, sport, Sports

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 10:34 am and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.