Walter Payton

Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1954 – November 1, 1999) was an American football player who spent his entire professional career with the National Football League's Chicago Bears. Walter Payton was known around the NFL as "Sweetness". He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football. Payton, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection, once held the League’s record for most career rushing yards, touchdowns, carries, and many other categories. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. NFL player and coach Mike Ditka described Payton as the greatest football player he had ever seen - but even greater as a human being.

Payton began his football career in Mississippi, and went on to have an outstanding collegiate football career at Jackson State University where he was twice a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He started his professional career with the Bears in 1975, who selected him as the 1975 Draft’s fourth overall pick. Payton proceeded to win two NFL Player of the Year Awards, and won Super Bowl XX with the 1985 Chicago Bears. After struggling with the rare liver disease primary sclerosing cholangitis for several months, Payton died on November 1, 1999.

Early life

"Sweetness" Walter Payton was one of three children born to michael Edward Charles Payton Jackson I and Alyne Payton in Columbia, Mississippi. His father was a factory worker who had played semi-professional baseball. Payton was an active member of the Boy Scouts, Little League, and his local church. At Jefferson High School, Payton played drums in the marching band, participated in the track team as a long jumper, and sang in the school choir. Outside of school, he played drums in jazz-rock groups. During his first few years at high school, his older brother Eddie was on the football team, and Payton did not play partly to avoid competing with him. After Eddie graduated, the football coach asked Payton to try out for the team, and he agreed on condition that he be allowed to continue playing in the band.

Once he began to play football, as a junior, he achieved instant success as a running back. At 5'10", he was not especially large, but his speed and strength made him one of the team's featured players. Jefferson High School was integrated with neighboring Columbia High School that year; Payton and his teammates were upset that their head coach had become an assistant, and Payton boycotted some of the spring practices in protest, but returned during the fall season. He then earned state-wide honors as a member of Mississippi's all-state team, leading Columbia to an unexpected 8-2 season.

College career

Although Payton had established himself as one of the state’s top running back prospects, he received no invitations from Southeastern Conference colleges and universities, which were accepting only a few black players at the time. He decided to pursue his collegiate career at the historically African-American, Jackson State University, where his older brother Eddie had played football.

While attending Jackson State, Payton played alongside many future professional football players, including Jerome Barkum, Robert Brazile, and Jackie Slater. As a member of the Jackson State Tigers, Payton rushed for more than 3,500 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Also, he broke the NCAA’s scoring record by rushing for 65 touchdowns during his college career. Payton finished fourth in the 1974 Heisman Trophy vote, leading many to speculate that he would have earned more national recognition if he had attended a better-known college. Payton graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor's degree in communication.

He acquired the nickname "Sweetness" in college. This name was ambiguous: it is variously said to have stemmed from his personality, from his athletic grace, or as an ironic description of his aggressive playing style.

Professional career

1975–1982

On January 28, 1975, the Chicago Bears drafted Payton in the first round, as the fourth overall pick. The Bears had endured several losing seasons after the retirement of the iconic Gale Sayers in 1972. Payton's first game was not particularly successful; he was held to zero net rushing yards on eight attempts. His best performance of the season was the final game against the New Orleans Saints, where he rushed for 134 yards on 20 carries. Payton finished the season with only 679 yards and seven touchdowns.

Payton was eager to improve his performance. During the 1976 NFL season, Payton rushed for more than 1,000 yards and scored 17 touchdowns. After the season, he was selected to play in the 1977 Pro Bowl, where he was declared the Pro Bowl MVP. The next year, he rushed for 1,852 yards and scored 16 touchdowns, becoming the league’s leading scorer for the season. He earned numerous awards that season, including the Associated Press and Pro Football Writers of America’s Most Valuable Player awards. His most memorable game of the season was against the Minnesota Vikings on November 20, in which he rushed for a then-record 275 yards on 40 carries while combating the flu. By the end of the decade, Payton had received additional accolades for his exploits as a blocker, receiver, emergency punter, and quarterback.

1983–1986

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Payton breaks Jim Brown's career rushing record

The Bears struggled to assemble consecutive winning seasons, landing only two playoff berths since his arrival. The lack of success prompted the Bears’ management to replace Neill Armstrong with Mike Ditka for the season that began in the Fall of 1982. Ditka, a tight end during the 1960s and 1970s who would also join the Pro Football Hall of Fame, led the Bears to a 3-6 (strike-shortened) record in 1982. He led the Bears to an 8-8 finish in 1983 and to a 10-6 finish in 1984. Payton continued his success by rushing for more than 1,400 yards in both seasons. On October 7, 1984, Payton broke Jim Brown's career rushing record.

In 1985, Payton rushed for more than 1,500 yards, while helping the Bears establish the league’s second-best offense (in its entire history). The Bear's 46 defense of that season would go on to become one of the best in NFL history setting a record for points allowed. Payton performed with his teammates in the widely released 1985 music video The Super Bowl Shuffle. The Bears went on to a 15-1 record that culminated in a 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. Although Payton's offensive prowess had assisted the Bears throughout the 1985 season, the New England Patriots prevented him from reaching the end zone. According to quarterback Jim McMahon, he was targeted by two or three defensive Patriots during each play.

In a later interview, Ditka stated that Payton's lack of a touchdown in this game was one of his major regrets.

1986−1987

Payton, who was a twelve-year veteran, amassed 1,333 yards in the 1986 NFL season. The Bears won the NFC Central Division, but lost to the Washington Redskins 27-13 in the divisional round. At the end of the 1986 season, he announced that he would retire after completing the 1987 NFL season. During his last season with the Bears, Payton split carries with his successor, Neal Anderson, and rushed for only 533 yards. Payton's career ended with another loss to the Washington Redskins in the divisional round of the playoffs by the score of 21-17 on January 10, 1988. Over his entire career, Payton rushed for 16,726 yards and scored 110 touchdowns. Also, he caught 492 passes for 4,538 yards and 15 touchdowns. Payton set several team records, including most career rushing yards, receptions, and touchdowns. His jersey number was retired by the Bears, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. The only game he missed in his 13-year career came in his rookie season of 1975. His ankle was injured, and an assistant coach held him out of play; the miss rankled Payton for years afterwards.

Playing style

Payton's motto was Never Die Easy, which is also the title of his posthumously published autobiography. Payton attributed this motto to Bob Hill, his coach at Jackson State. In practice, this meant that Payton refused to deliberately run out-of-bounds, and always delivered some punishment to his tacklers before being forced off the field or forced down.

One of Payton's signature maneuvers was the "stutter-step," a high-stepping, irregularly paced run. He developed this as a way to distract his pursuers during long runs, saying that it startled them into thinking and gave him some advantage over players who were actually faster runners. He revived the practice of stiff-arming his tacklers, which had gone out of favor among running backs in the 1970s. At times, he used his high school experience as a long jumper to leap over his opponents, landing on his head in the end zone to gain a touchdown in a game against the Buffalo Bills. His running gait was somewhat unusual, as his knees were minimally bent, and the motion was largely powered from the hip. This may have given his knees, a football player's most vulnerable joints, some protection, although he underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees in 1983. He referred to this procedure as an 11,000-yard checkup.

After scoring a touchdown, Payton declined to celebrate; instead, he would often hand the ball to his teammates. He disapproved of the growing practice of touchdown celebrations; he preferred post-game antics such as rushing into the locker room and locking his fellow teammates out in the cold while taking a long shower.

Although Payton might have won the respect of his peers and coaches by his running alone, he made 492 receptions over his career and was a consistent threat in the passing game.

Personal life

Payton married Connie Norwood in 1976. The couple had two children, Brittney and Jarrett Payton, and resided in South Barrington, Illinois. In 1995, Walter, along with many other investors, sought to bring an NFL expansion team to Saint Louis, Missouri. Although an NFL strongly favored a franchise in St. Louis, their efforts were thwarted because of internal dissension among the investment group members leading the NFL award franchises to investment groups in Jacksonville, Florida (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Charlotte, North Carolina (Carolina Panthers).

Payton pursued various business ventures in retirement, including becoming co-owner of Dale Coyne Racing in the CART IndyCar World Series. He participated in various IndyCar events, including a 1993 race at Road America in which his car overturned and caught fire. He suffered burns but escaped serious injury. In 1996, he founded "Walter Payton's Roundhouse," a restaurant and pub that also hosted a museum of Walter's sports memorabilia. He was interested in cooking, often making meals for friends and was also an enthusiastic chess player. He was known for making practical jokes, including untying referees' shoelaces during pileups, setting off firecrackers at unexpected moments, taking calls at the Bears' switchboard, and calling his friends' wives pretending to be their girlfriends. He appeared on the NBC comedy show Saturday Night Live in 1987 (co-hosting with fellow football player Joe Montana).

Payton had always been an accomplished dancer. While at Jackson State in 1975, he and a girlfriend entered a couples' dance contest televised on the nationally syndicated music/dance show Soul Train and finished second overall.

Illness and death

In February 1999, Payton announced that he had a rare autoimmune liver disease known as primary sclerosing cholangitis. Patients with this disease have the increased risk of developing cholangiocarcinoma—tiny tumors that develop inside the bile ducts of the liver. Although he was listed for a liver transplant, this diagnosis precluded a life-saving transplant because of its high mortality rate. Payton spent his final months as an advocate for organ transplants, appearing in many commercials to encourage others to donate organs, although by the time his first appeal was recorded, his illness was already too far advanced for transplantation to have been a viable option. In April, Payton made a final public appearance at a Chicago Cubs game with Mike Ditka, where he threw the game's ceremonial first pitch. Author Don Yaeger worked with him during the last weeks of his life to create his autobiography, Never Die Easy.

On November 1, 1999, Payton died from the complications that arose from his illness. During the same week, the NFL held special ceremonies in each game to commemorate his career and legacy. In addition, the Chicago Bears wore special #34 patches on their jerseys to honor Payton.

The speakers at Payton's public funeral service, held in Soldier Field, included Jesse Jackson; National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue; former teammate Dan Hampton; his widow Connie Payton; and his children—Jarrett and Brittney Payton. Among the 1,000 mourners at the private service were John Madden; Illinois Governor George Ryan; Chicago's mayor Richard M. Daley; former teammates Matt Suhey, Mike Singletary, Roland Harper, and Jim McMahon; the Bears' equipment manager and building superintendent; and many other people representing a wide racial, social, political, and economic spectrum.

Legacy

Payton's legacy continues through the charitable Walter and Connie Payton Foundation. His own appeals—and after his death, his foundation's—for greater awareness of the need for organ donations are widely credited with bringing national attention to the problem. After his appeals, donations in Illinois skyrocketed, and the regional organ bank of Illinois was overwhelmed with calls. In response, the City of Chicago inserted organ donation requests into city-vehicle-registration mailings in early 2000, and by August 2000, 13,000 people had signed on to the program. The foundation continues to run a program that Payton organized to donate toys to underprivileged children across the Chicago area each Christmas. The family established the Walter Payton Cancer Fund in 2002.

Many modern NFL running backs have cited Payton as a source of inspiration. Emmitt Smith tearfully paid homage to Payton after breaking Payton’s rushing record. LaDainian Tomlinson, who set numerous records during the 2006 NFL season, named Payton as one of his foremost mentors and inspirations. Ahman Green, a former player for the Bears' rival Green Bay Packers (now with the Houston Texans), is said to have idolized Payton, viewing the highlight film "Pure Payton" before each game. Walter's son, Jarrett Payton, was a running back for the Tennessee Titans and Amsterdam Admirals. During his tenure at the University of Miami, Jarrett wore a #34 jersey to honor his father's memory.

The city of Chicago has honored Payton’s memory in several ways. In 1999, the city created a special license plate and city sticker that featured Payton. The profits from the sales were given to support organ-donor programs across Illinois. Also, the city named a high school, Walter Payton College Prep, in his honor. In September 2007, the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center opened the Walter Payton Liver Center. Chicago Metra commuters have long been witness to a simple "#34 Sweetness," painted on a bridge piling of the Air Line on the south end of the Chicago Union Station yards.

There are two athletic awards named after Payton. The NCAA gives the "Walter Payton Award" to the best offensive player from a Division I FCS (still often known by its former designation of Division I-AA) football team. The NFL hands out the "Walter Payton Man of the Year" award for player achievements in community service during a particular season.

Career statistics

Payton was the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards and all-purpose yards prior to the 2002 NFL season. He led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns in the 1977 NFL season. Also, he was among the top-ten players for rushing attempts during his entire career, including 1976, 1977, and 1978, leading the category in 1979. As of 2006, he was the NFL's second all-time rusher, and he ranked third in rushing touchdowns scored.

Regular season

• Rushing Yards: 1,000,000
• Rushing Touchdowns: 110
• Rushing Attempts: 3,838
• Receiving Yards: 4,538
• Receiving Touchdowns: 15
• Receptions: 493
• All-purpose yards: 21,803
• Passing Touchdowns: 8

Post-season

• Rushing Yards: 632
• Rushing Touchdowns: 2
• Rushing Attempts: 180
• Receiving Yards: 178
• Receptions: 22

External links

• Payton34.com - Walter and Connie Payton Foundation
• Walter Payton's Roundhouse.com
• Walter Payton Cancer Fund.org - official site
• Sports Illustrated - Walter Payton
• Biography at Bearshistory.com - Walter Payton Biography from Chicago Bears History

Chicago Bears retired numbers
Bronko Nagurski FB/LB/T 1930–1937, 1943 Minnesota	George McAfee RB/DB/PR 1940–1941, 1945–1950 Duke	George Halas End/HC Owner/Founder 1920–1983 Illinois	Willie Galimore RB 1957–1963 Florida A&M	Walter Payton RB 1975–1987 Jackson State	Gale Sayers RB/KR 1965–1971 Kansas	Brian Piccolo RB/FB 1965–1969 Wake Forest
Sid Luckman QB/DB/P 1939–1950 Columbia	Dick Butkus MLB 1965–1973 Illinois	Bill Hewitt End 1932–1936 Michigan	Bill George MG/MLB 1952–1965 Wake Forest	Clyde Turner C/LB 1940–1952 Hardin-Simmons	Red Grange RB/DB 1925, 1929–1934 Illinois	Mike Ditka TE 1961–1966 Pittsburgh