Walter Payton

Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1954 – November 1, 1999) was an American football running back and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. He is acclaimed as one of the best running backs of all time, and was named by Football Digest as the greatest player ever upon his retirement.

Career

Walter Payton spent his entire 13-year career (1975-1987) with the Chicago Bears. The Bears drafted him in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1975 draft out of Jackson State University, where he was fourth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy (which was won that year by Ohio State University running back Archie Griffin, who would win it again the following year). Nicknamed "Sweetness," Payton was quiet, humble, and generous off the field, but a relentless, hard-nosed competitor on it. He earned numerous accomplishments, including his crowning achievement: breaking Jim Brown's NFL career rushing record on October 7, 1984, against the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field in Chicago. He also broke another Jim Brown record in this game with his 59th career 100-yard performance. His career rushing record would stand for 18 years until surpassed by Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith in 2002.

Against the Minnesota Vikings on November 20, 1977, Walter Payton rushed for 275 yards on 40 carries while fighting a case of influenza. The 275 yards was an NFL single-game record until it was broken by Corey Dillon of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2001. He was the NFL's Player of the Year and its Most Valuable Player in 1977.

Payton also scored 125 career touchdowns, fifth on the all-time scoring list. In addition to being a running back, Payton was assigned many plays as a receiver and blocker, and, later in his career, was also an emergency quarterback and punter. In one game against the Vikings on October 21, 1979, he ran for, passed for, and caught a touchdown, a feat that has only been done by six other players.

Known as a figure of resilience, Payton missed only one game in his 13 year career with the Bears. The missed game took place during the 1975-76 season, Payton's rookie season. Payton missed the game because the Bears trainer wouldn't allow him to play, despite Walter's insistence that he was well enough to do so. But perhaps more important to Walter than missing that game was the fact that he wanted to serve as an example to younger football players, that he never took a play off, and that he went all out every play. This consistency and toughness Walter exhibited was later chronicled in his autobiography, Never Die Easy.

1985

Although Walter Payton was a legitimate superstar and an icon in the city of Chicago, he played on some awful Bears teams. That changed in 1985. Former Bears tight end Mike Ditka had returned to the team in 1982 as its head coach and began rebuilding it. In 1985, the Bears had an incredible season, going 15-1 in the regular season (with their only blemish being to the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football in the 13th week). The Bears bounced back and finished strongly, then, augmented by a song Bears members recorded called The Super Bowl Shuffle, steamrolled through the NFC playoffs, shutting out both the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams, and finally defeating the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX where they limited the Patriots to 7 yards rushing, a Super Bowl record.

While Payton only began playing football in his junior year of high school, he retired with 16,726 yards, a total surpassed by the Dallas Cowboys' Emmitt Smith in 2002. On July 31, 1993, Payton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His son Jarrett Payton, now a running back with the Tennessee Titans, gave his induction speech. Coincidentally, Walter Payton's former teammate, Jeff Fisher, is the Titans' head coach.

Style

At 5'-10", Payton wasn't a large player, nor was he a "breakaway" runner, but at 200 pounds, Payton's forte was power and quickness. His large leg muscles led to a stiff-legged running gait, and he was not content to gain yards and run out of bounds. He could often be seen with his hand on the facemask on a pursuing tackler. He was perhaps the most adept player at the "goal line leap" into the endzone. A few times, he leaped for a touchdown straight over defenders who were standing straight up. At the end of every carry, Payton would extend the ball as far forward as possible with his arms. This tactic was considered to be an advantage to his team, perhaps gaining a few precious inches which would add up over the course of a game. He was also known to untie officials' shoelaces as he lay on the turf, one of many examples of his penchant for practical jokes.

Payton was fastidious about standing up from the ground as quickly as was reasonably possible after tackles, citing a concern for injury due to "dirty play" that sometimes occurs in pileups on the field. He believed that standing and getting away from the scene of the tackle as quickly as possible helped limit the opportunity for defenders to "accidentally" pull or twist his ankles or knees.

Payton's unique and distinctive "stiff-legged" high-stepping running style was also a product of his desire to avoid injury. He ran by planting only the balls and toes of his feet on the turf, and keeping his heels elevated. This allowed his leg to pivot, or rotate, about the point of contact between his feet and the ground if he was hit in the side of the leg, protecting the connective tissues in his knees from injury. This stance neccessitated extremely strong leg biceps and glutes, as he had to swing his legs from his hips in order to run. This gave Payton his distinctive gait.

Payton was known to rarely run out of bounds to avoid tackles, preferring instead to attack defenders by pre-empting the tackle with an explosive assault of his own. He would often eschew open field in order to run into would-be tacklers, admitting that he loved the contact and violence of football and always made a point to punish those who were tasked with bringing him down. He once knocked two defenders unconscious on a single running play at Tampa.

Post-career

After retirement, Payton dabbled in auto racing, co-owning a team with Dale Coyne which competed in ChampCars. The team's best result under Walter was 3rd in the 1996 US 500, driven by former Formula One driver Roberto Moreno, although none of its drivers ever finished in the championship top 10. For many years he was the only African-American team owner in what remains a white-dominated sport.

He was part of a group of investors that sought to bring an NFL team back to St. Louis. This effort, however, proved unsuccessful; the NFL instead awarded expansion franchises to Jacksonville, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina in 1995 (although the Los Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995). A college preparatory high school in Chicago is named after him. He also opened a restaurant and brewery in Aurora, Illinois called Walter Payton's Roundhouse Complex, which contains a museum dedicated to Walter and his football career.

Illness and death

In February 1999, Payton announced that he had a rare liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis. Living with unbearable pain, Walter continued to live his life the way he wanted to live it. He still conducted many motivational speeches and appeared on TV encouraging organ donation. Unable to receive a liver transplant because of bile duct cancer, Payton died in his home in South Barrington, Illinois, on November 1, 1999. After breaking Payton's career rushing record in 2002, Emmitt Smith tearfully paid tribute to Walter, saying that Payton had taught him how to conduct himself on and off the field. Payton was survived by his wife Connie, son Jarrett, and daughter Brittany. His son, Jarrett, is currently an NFL running back. During his tenure at the University of Miami, Jarrett wore his father's number, 34.

External links

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
Walter and Connie Payton Foundation/Payton34.com
Walter Payton Cancer Fund website
SI Payton
Career Stats Biography on one of the NFL's finest Walter Payton
Pro-Football-Reference.com - Career Stats
Jim McQueen Art.com - Pictures