Walter Payton

Walter Payton was one of football’s most versatile and accomplished players, able to overpower defenders, evade them, leap over them, wear down defenses, excel in the passing game, contribute on special teams, and even throw touchdown passes as an emergency quarterback. Even while experiencing flu symptoms, he carried the ball 40 times for 275 yards to set an NFL record. During his 13-year career, only nine men had more than his 492 receptions, and he threw for eight touchdowns while also leading the NFL with a 31.7-yard kickoff return average as a rookie and punting once for 39 yards. Selected by the Bears with the fourth pick in the 1975 draft out of Jackson State, he spent his entire NFL career in Chicago, missed just one game, retired in 1987 as the league’s all-time leading rusher with 16,726 yards, was voted to nine Pro Bowls, set 27 Bears records, and had his No. 34 retired. Nicknamed “Sweetness,” he is widely regarded as the best player in Bears history and among the greatest running backs of all time, and figures such as Mike Ditka and John Madden praised him as one of the greatest football players ever. With rare commitment and competitiveness, he set a standard for his teammates and came to define what a Bear is supposed to be.

Chicago, Illinois · United States