Legendary Chicago Bears running back Walter “Sweetness” Payton passed away on Nov. 1, 1999, at the age of 45. The Hall of Famer was always inspirational off the field and astounding on it. A look at his life and times.
Youth
Walter Payton was born in Columbia, Mississippi, on July 25, 1954, or on the same date in 1953 as was written in his biography. Payton was an active member of the Boy Scouts, Little League, and his local church. At John J. Jefferson High School, Payton played drums in the marching band, participated in the track team and sang in the school choir.
Takes to football
Walter Payton did not play football in high school until he was a junior. The reason? He wanted to avoid playing and competing with his older brother, Eddie. Once Eddie graduated Columbia HS, Walter was asked to try out for the team. He agreed under one condition … .he was allowed to continue to play in the band. It didn’t take long to realize “Sweetness” was special. His first carry went 65 yards for a TD.
College
Walter Payton did not receive any offers from SEC schools. Instead, he went to Jackson State, where his brother, Eddie, was attending. Payton rushed for more than 3,500 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry, and set the school record for career rushing touchdowns with 65. In 1973, Payton had a school record 24 rushing touchdowns, and was named Black College Player of the Year. On Sept. 23, 1972, during Payton’s sophomore year, he set a SWAC single-game scoring record by rushing for seven touchdowns (on runs of 6, 8, 2, 3, 1, 2, and 31 yards) and two 2-point conversions for 46 points as Jackson State crushed Lane College, 72–0. He also set a school record with 279 rushing yards in the game. In 1974, he was again named Black College Player of the Year, in addition to being selected for the All-American Team. Payton graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications.
NFL Draft
The Chicago Bears drafted Walter Payton in the first round of the 1975 NFL Draft, as the fourth overall pick. He was chosen after Steve Bartkowski, Randy White and Ken Huff. The Bears were in need of a franchise running back, having endured several losing seasons after the retirement of the iconic Gale Sayers in 1972.
Rookie season
Payton’s pro career got off to a slow start. In a 35-7 loss to the Colts, he rushed for zero yards on eight carries with a long of three. He showed signs in his second game, rushing for 95 yards on 21 carries. Sweetness did not reach the 100-yard mark in a game until Nov. 16, 1975 when he rushed for 105 yards in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Payton finished his rookie season with 679 yards rushing and seven touchdowns as the Bears went 4-10.
Blossoms in second season
Walter Payton became the great running back everyone associates him with in his second season as a Bear. He rushed for 1,390 yards and 13 TDs in 1976. Payton led the league in carries with 311. This began a stretch that saw Payton rush for 1,000 yards in 10 of 11 seasons. The only season he did not reach 1,000 was 1982, when the league played a nine-game season due to a players’ strike.
A superstar season
In his third season, Payton erupted. He rushed for 1,852 yards on 339 carries and scored 14 touchdowns, all league-highs. Payton averaged 132.3 yards per game on the ground. In a 26-0 win over the Packers on Oct. 30, 1977, Payton rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns. He was voted the NFL Man of the Year in 1977.
Career-high in carries.
Payton led the NFL in carries for the fourth straight season in 1979. The 339 carries led to 1,610 yards and 14 TDs. He averaged 100 yards per game and 4.4 yards per carry.
Super Bowl run
Payton continued to be an unstoppable force and was a huge part of the 1985 Bears team that went 15-1 and crushed the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Payton averaged 4.8 yards per carry in rushing for 1,551 yards and scoring nine TDs on the ground.
Championship controversy
Everything was not sweet in the Super Bowl victory. Rather than have Payton score a TD in the NFL championship, Mike Ditka sent in defensive lineman William Perry, who barged in for a score. This ignited a controversy over why the coach would not have his great back score a touchdown in the game. The TD comes at the 3:50 mark of the video below.
Concludes career
At the age of 33 in 1987, Payton rushed for 533 yards in 12 games before retiring. He finished his Hall of Fame career with 16,726 yards, 110 touchdowns and averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Payton started 184 of the 190 games in which he played. The six games he did not start were in his rookie season. He caught 492 passes for 4,538 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Some of his accomplishments:
- Super Bowl champion (XX)
- 9× Pro Bowl (1976–1980, 1983–1986)
- 7× First-team All-Pro (1976–1980, 1984, 1985)
- Second-team All-Pro (1986)
- AP NFL Most Valuable Player (1977)
- Bert Bell Award (1985)
- 2× NFC Offensive Player of the Year (1977, 1985)
- NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1977)
- NFL Man of the Year (1977)
- NFL rushing yards leader (1977)
- NFL rushing touchdowns leader (1977)
- 4× NFL rushing attempts leader (1976–1979)
- First-team NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
- First-team NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
- NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
- Chicago Bears No. 34 retired
A strong arm, too
Payton threw 34 passes in his NFL career. He completed 11, with eight going for touchdowns. In 1983, Payton completed 3-of-6 passes for 95 yards. Each completion went for a TD. He wound up with 331 yards passing. He also threw a 19-yard TD pass in a 1984 playoff game against Washington, his lone postseason completion.
Hall of Fames
Payton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in in 1993, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame that same year, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996. Mike Ditka described Payton as the greatest football player he had seen. but greater as a human being.
One of Walter Payton’s outside investments was a racecar team. Here he looks at the ride which, of course, was No. 34.
Works corner at WrestleMania
In 1994, he made an appearance at the World Wrestling Federation’s Summerslam event in the corner of Razor Ramon.
Makes the Wheaties box
Payton was featured on a commemorative box of Wheaties breakfast cereal.
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Walter Payton Man of the Year Award
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field. The award was established in 1970. It was renamed in 1999 after the late Hall of Fame running back, Each team nominates one player who has had a significant positive impact on his community. The winner of the award each year receives $250,000 donated to United Way in his name and up to $250,000 donated to the winner’s charity of choice. All other 31 nominees receive a $50,000 donation in their name to expand Character Playbook and up to $50,000 donated to their charity of choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation, Nationwide and United Way Worldwide.
In February 1999, Payton announced that he had a rare liver disease known as primary sclerosing cholangitis, which may have led to his bile duct cancer. He spent his final months as an advocate for organ transplants. In April of that year, Payton made a final public appearance at a Chicago Cubs game with Ditka, where he threw the game’s ceremonial first pitch. On Nov. 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. His body was cremated after his death.
Payton’s legacy continues through the charitable Walter and Connie Payton Foundation. The asteroid 85386 Payton, discovered in 1996, is named in Payton’s memory. In September 2019, the Chicago Tribune named Payton the greatest Bears player of all time
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