Walter Payton Bio
Walter Payton, who passed away on November 1, 1999, was the essence of what an NFL player should be. His Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Bears still rings in the ears of Bear’s fans and to this day, sports announcers, still compare rookies to Payton’s running style.
Payton was born in Columbia, MS in 1954 and came to the game relatively late in life for an NFL player. It was not until high school that he discovered his talent for and love of the game. He continued to play in college at Jackson State in Mississippi.
Fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, Walter was also the fourth pick in the 1975 NFL draft going to Chicago. With his rookie season starting slow with only 679 total yards and 7 touchdowns, his final rookie game against New Orleans was a vision of what was to come when he ran for 134 yards-a site unseen in Chicago since the Gale Sayers days.
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.
Payton accomplished it all while making it look easy. Between 1976 and 1981, he ran 1,000 yards in every season and played in every Pro Bowl from 1979 up until he retired from the sport. While others have since surpassed Payton’s rushing record, this may not have been the case had he had a little more time – the 1975 and 1977 seasons were cut short.
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.
The Bears hurrah came in 1984 where they finished the season 10-6, the first time they made the post-season since 1963. It was then in 1986, that the Bears beat New England in the Super bowl with an ending score of 46-10-a game to be remembered, even if New England stopped Walter’s running or scoring attempts-he now had a Super bowl ring and started what is still called “The Super bowl Shuffle.”
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 stunned the world in 1999 with his announcement that he had been diagnosed with the rare autoimmune disease Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. Payton was placed on an organ transplant waiting list (it wasn’t his style to use his fame to receive treatment before those even sicker than himself). Tragically, he would pass away in November of that year.
There are many stories fun, exciting, and charming about old number 34 of the Chicago Bear, but perhaps Walter’s biggest legacy is the outreach of people signing up for organ donation after his death in Illinois. We still today, miss the man, the shuffle-yeah, we still miss “Sweetness.
