up a steep hill near his Illinois home about 20 times a day for several months before the start of each NFL season. Convincing teammates or local college players to join him on his treks from time to time, the mischievous Payton admitted, “I enjoy seeing them try it once or twice and then vomit.”
Payton’s strength, conditioning, and tenacity also helped make him one of the league’s finest blocking backs, with Los Angeles Rams Hall of Fame defensive end Jack Youngblood stating, “I remember a block he threw on me once, and I thought he opened a hole in my sternum, he hit me so hard. I said, ‘Walter, what are you doing?’ He said, ‘You were in the way.’”
Although Payton lacked great breakaway speed, defenders rarely caught him from behind, due, in part, to his signature “stutter step,” which he often employed to distract his pursuers during long runs. Feeling that this high-stepping maneuver caused his opponents to commit to an angle of pursuit based on what they believed he would do next, Payton made any necessary adjustments, allowing him to gain an advantage over players who possessed more straight-ahead speed.
A selfless team leader who preferred not to draw attention to himself, Payton chose not to take part in elaborate touchdown celebrations, instead handing the ball to an official or one of his offensive linemen because, he said, “They’re the ones who do all the work.”
The totality of Payton’s game, coupled with his unselfish mindset, earned him the respect and admiration of everyone he competed with and against, with former Raiders linebacker Matt Millen saying, “You felt honored to tackle him.”
Dick Butkus, who retired two seasons before Payton arrived in Chicago, called him “a perfect example of what a true back was supposed to be.”
Longtime Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry said, “Walter has two qualities that you don’t have in one running back. He has great speed, but, not only that, he has great strength. You gotta’ plug the hole up twice.”
Former St. Louis Cardinals halfback Johnny Roland suggested, “When God created a running back, he created Walter Payton.”
Meanwhile, Jim Finks, the late general manager of the Bears, once described Payton as “a complete football player, better than Jim Brown, better than O. J. Simpson.”
After surpassing Brown as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher in 1984, Payton helped lead the Bears to the league championship the following year by gaining 1,551 yards on the ground, amassing 2,034 yards from scrimmage, and scoring 11 touchdowns, with his contributions to the success of the team gaining him recognition as the NFL Player of the Year. Payton subsequently rushed for another 1,333 yards in 1986, before assuming a somewhat diminished role in 1987, when he rushed for only 533 yards and scored just five touchdowns in Chicago’s 12 non-strike games. Choosing to announce his retirement following the conclusion of the campaign, Payton ended his career with 16,726 yards rushing, 492 receptions, 4,538 receiving yards, 21,264 yards from scrimmage, 21,803 all-purpose yards, and 125 touchdowns, with his 16,726 yards gained on the ground currently representing the second-highest total in NFL history. Extremely durable, Payton missed just one non-strike game his entire career, appearing in 190 out of a possible 191 contests, 184 of which he started.
When asked years later how he felt about having his long-standing rushing record broken by Payton, Jim Brown said, “Well, there are some individuals who, if they broke a record, and they did it the wrong way, they wouldn’t hear from me. But the way that he was, his attitude, his ability, I have all the admiration in the world for him.”
After retiring as an active player, Payton became involved in an unsuccessful attempt to bring an NFL team to the city of St. Louis that would have made him the first minority owner in league history. Having failed in that venture, Payton dabbled in the race car industry, acquiring part ownership of Dale Coyne Racing. He also opened a restaurant in Aurora, Illinois, that he called Walter Payton’s Roadhouse.
Sadly, Payton found himself unable to enjoy his retirement for very long, disclosing to the public during an emotional news conference held in Chicago on February 2, 1999, that he had been diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a rare condition in which the bile ducts become blocked. Although Payton subsequently received chemotherapy and radiation treatment to help prevent the disease from spreading, it soon became apparent that the cancer had progressed to a point that it had become terminal. Payton spent the next few months trying to raise awareness as to the importance of organ donation, before making his last public appearance at Wrigley Field in April 1999, when he threw out the first pitch at a Cubs game. Payton finally succumbed to his illness on November 1, 1999, passing away at only 45 years of age, after spending the final weeks of his life working with author Don Yaeger to create his posthumously published autobiography entitled Never Die Easy. One of the passages from that work reads: “If you ask me how I want to be remembered, it is as a winner. You know what a winner is? A winner is somebody who has given his best effort, who has tried the hardest they possibly can, who has utilized every ounce of energy and strength within them to accomplish something. It doesn’t mean that they accomplished it or failed, it means that they’ve given it their best. That’s a winner.”
Expressing his love and admiration for his former teammate during the eulogy he delivered at a memorial service the Bears subsequently held for Payton at Soldier Field, an emotional Dan Hampton said, “I’ve got a little girl, she’s four years old. Ten years from now, when she asks about the Chicago Bears, I’ll tell her about a championship, and I’ll tell her about great teams and great teammates and great coaches, and how great it was to be a part of it. But the first thing I’ll tell her about is Walter Payton.”
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Best Season
Payton had so many great seasons from which to choose, with the 1978, 1979, 1983, 1984, and 1985 campaigns all ranking among the finest of his career. Nevertheless, Payton turned in his most dominant performance in 1977, when he earned NFL Offensive Player of the Year and league MVP honors by topping the circuit in seven different offensive categories, establishing career-high marks with 1,852 yards rushing, 2,121 yards from scrimmage, 2,216 all-purpose yards, 14 rushing touchdowns, 16 touch-downs, and an average of 5.5 yards per carry.
Memorable Moments/Greatest Performances
Payton scored the first touchdown of his career when he ran the ball in from 4 yards out during a 46–13 loss to Miami on November 2, 1975.
Payton went over 100 yards rushing for the first time as a pro during a 31–3 loss to the 49ers on November 16, 1975, finishing the game with 23 carries for 105 yards.
Payton amassed 300 yards of total offense in the 1975 regular-season finale, rushing for 134 yards and one touchdown, making five receptions for 62 yards, and returning two kickoffs for 104 yards during a 42–17 rout of the New Orleans Saints.
Payton led the Bears to a 19–12 win over the 49ers on September 19, 1976, by rushing for 148 yards and two touchdowns, the longest of which covered 20 yards.
Payton carried the ball 27 times for a season-high 183 yards during a 34–7 win over the Seattle Seahawks on December 5, 1976.
Payton led the Bears to a 30–20 win over Detroit in the 1977 regular-season opener by rushing for 160 yards and two touchdowns, with his longest run of the day being a 73-yard scamper.
Payton rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns during a convincing 26–0 victory over the Packers on October 30, 1977.
Payton proved to be the difference in a 28–27 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on November 13, 1977, rushing for 192 yards and three touchdowns, with his most memorable run of the day coming on a 32-yard gain in which he bowled over several would-be tacklers before finally being brought down from behind by the ankles.
Payton turned in arguably the greatest performance of his career on November 20, 1977, when, despite displaying severe flu symptoms entering the contest, he ran for a franchise-record 275 yards and one touchdown during a 10–7 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Payton