1400 John R. Lynch St, Jackson, MS 39217, United States
Payton studied at Jackson State University.
Gallery of Walter Payton
1400 John R. Lynch St, Jackson, MS 39217, United States
Walter Payton at Jackson State College (now Jackson State University).
Career
Gallery of Walter Payton
1975
Los Angeles, California, United States
Chicago Bears' rookie running back Walter Payton gets a short gain during game action against the Los Angeles Rams, on November 23, 1975, in Los Angeles, California.
Gallery of Walter Payton
1977
Walter Payton is shown in a close-up during the singing of the national anthem prior to the start of a game against Kansas City.
Gallery of Walter Payton
1980
1410 Museum Campus Dr, Chicago, IL 60605, United States
Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears carries the ball against the Detroit Lions on October 19, 1980, at Soldier Field in Chigaco, Illinois.
Gallery of Walter Payton
1980
Walter Payton twirls a football on his finger during a game.
Gallery of Walter Payton
1981
Walter Payton
Gallery of Walter Payton
1982
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears poses for this portrait during a Chicago Bears practice circa 1982 in Chicago, Illinois.
Gallery of Walter Payton
1983
4201 North Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, Florida, United States
Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears looks on from the sideline area during their NFL game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tampa Stadium on November 20, 1983 in Tampa, Florida.
Gallery of Walter Payton
1983
Running back Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears in 1983.
Gallery of Walter Payton
1984
Walter Payton in action, jumping over the line of the New Orleans Saints.
Gallery of Walter Payton
1985
Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears smiles during training camp in 1985.
Gallery of Walter Payton
1986
1500 Sugar Bowl Dr, New Orleans, LA 70112, United States
Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears carries the ball against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XX on January 26, 1986, at the Louisiana Superdome (now the Mercedes-Benz Superdome) in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Gallery of Walter Payton
1987
Walter Payton
Gallery of Walter Payton
1987
3911 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037, United States
Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears circa 1987 sits on the sideline against the Los Angeles Raiders at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.
Gallery of Walter Payton
1987
3911 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037, United States
Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears circa 1987 against the Los Angeles Raiders at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.
Gallery of Walter Payton
1987
3911 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037, United States
Willie Gault in the huddle with Mike Tomczak, Walter Payton and Calvin Thomas during the American Football Conference West game against the Los Angeles Raiders on December 27, 1987, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California, United States.
Gallery of Walter Payton
1987
1410 Museum Campus Dr, Chicago, IL 60605, United States
Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears vaults over a defender during the NFL game against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.
Gallery of Walter Payton
Walter Payton, running back for the Chicago Bears, dressed in his uniform on the field during a game, probably the 1980s.
Gallery of Walter Payton
Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears in this portrait watches the action from the bench circa mid-1980s during an NFL football game.
Chicago Bears' rookie running back Walter Payton gets a short gain during game action against the Los Angeles Rams, on November 23, 1975, in Los Angeles, California.
4201 North Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, Florida, United States
Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears looks on from the sideline area during their NFL game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tampa Stadium on November 20, 1983 in Tampa, Florida.
1500 Sugar Bowl Dr, New Orleans, LA 70112, United States
Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears carries the ball against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XX on January 26, 1986, at the Louisiana Superdome (now the Mercedes-Benz Superdome) in New Orleans, Louisiana.
3911 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037, United States
Willie Gault in the huddle with Mike Tomczak, Walter Payton and Calvin Thomas during the American Football Conference West game against the Los Angeles Raiders on December 27, 1987, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California, United States.
(Written with veteran journalist and author Don Yaeger in ...)
Written with veteran journalist and author Don Yaeger in the last weeks of Walter Payton's life, Never Die Easy presents Walter's singular voice - warm, plainspoken, funny, self-aware - along with the voices of the friends, family, teammates, and business associates who knew him best at all stages of his life, including his wife, Connie, and their children, Brittney and Jarrett; his teammate and friend Matt Suhey; former Bears head coach Mike Ditka; and many, many others.
Walter Payton was an American professional gridiron football player whose productivity and durability made him one of the game's greatest running backs. He was a running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons.
Background
Walter Jerry Payton was born on July 25, 1954, in Columbia, Mississippi, United States. He was one of three children born to Peter and Alyne Payton. His father worked at a factory that manufactured packs and parachutes for the United States government.
Education
Hyperactive, prankish, and strong-willed, young Walter was often punished by his Baptist parents, Peter and Alyne.
Peter Payton worked at a factory that manufactured packs and parachutes. By 1962, he had saved enough money to move his family to a new home with separate rooms for each child. It was located just one block from John J. Jefferson High School, the segregated school that all African-American children attended from grades one through 12.
Payton became a better-than-average student, though music took precedence over studies or sports. He was constantly drumming or tapping out a beat on anything in reach. Often he would dance or sing instead of doing his household chores, much to the dismay of his mother and siblings.
In the ninth grade, Payton joined the track team as a long jumper and played drums in the school band. He consciously avoided the football team where his brother, Eddie, was the star running back. After Eddie Payton graduated, Jefferson High School's football coach asked Payton to try out for the team. Payton, then a sophomore, agreed only after being allowed to stay in the band as well. On his first high-school carry, he ran 65 yards for a touchdown.
Jefferson merged with all-white Columbia High School in 1969, and Payton became the undisputed star of the newly integrated football team. Tommy Davis, Columbia's football coach, claimed that he could always count on Payton when the team needed to score. Payton's statistics proved that this was no exaggeration: he scored in every game during his junior and senior years. He was named to the all-conference team three years in a row. Payton also led the Little Dixie Conference in scoring during his senior year and made the all-state team. In addition to excelling at football, Payton averaged 18 points a game for Columbia's basketball team, leaped three-quarters of an inch short of 23 feet in the long jump, played some baseball, and continued to play drums in the school band.
Upon graduating, Payton followed his brother to nearby Jackson State College (now Jackson State University), soon starting alongside him in the team's backfield. Eddie Payton graduated after Payton's first year at college, however, and joined the NFL, allowing the younger Payton to become Jackson State's lone star. Payton was the team's halfback, punter, and placekicker, and he even passed on occasional option plays. Playing against other predominantly black schools, he ended his sophomore season as the nation's second-leading scorer including the highest single-game total (46 points) in college history. The following year, 1973, he ran for 1,139 yards, led the country in scoring with 160 points, was voted the most valuable player in the conference, and was named to the Black All-America team.
Determined to become even better, Payton embarked on a new training program with his brother during the summer of 1973. The two Paytons sprinted up and down the sandbanks and steep levees alongside the Pearl River during the hottest part of the day. These workouts did more than just build up leg strength and endurance; the constantly shifting sand helped develop balance and the ability to better make a cut or abruptly change direction.
This grueling conditioning led to a successful senior year. Payton capped his college career by becoming the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) all-time leading scorer with 464 points. He was chosen to the Black All-America team again, made the NCAA Division II All-America team, and was named to the College All-Star team. About the only time he finished in second place was during a televised Soul Train dance contest. Academically, Payton was an all-star as well, graduating in three-and-a-half years with his bachelor's degree in special education and beginning work on a master's degree.
The Chicago Bears chose Payton in the first round of the 1975 NFL draft, making him the fourth player picked overall. He demanded a signing bonus larger than that received four years earlier by Archie Manning, a quarterback from the University of Mississippi, a school formerly closed to African-Americans. The Bears offered him 126,000, the highest amount ever paid to anyone from Mississippi.
The Bears were one of the NFL's more storied teams, counting many legendary names among their former players - Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski, Sid Luckman, Gale Sayers, and Dick Butkus. But these stars and those glory days were long gone - the franchise had not had a winning season since 1967. Payton's first season, 1975, was no exception. The team lost six of its first seven games. Payton was slowed by an ankle injury, missed the only game in his NFL career, and played sporadically in others. After healing, though, he gave the Chicago fans an inkling of his talent by leading the league in kickoff returns and finishing the season with 679 yards rushing, the most for any Bears runner since 1969.
The following season he became the focal point of the Bears' offense, carrying the ball 311 times, the most in the league, and gaining 1,390 yards. An injury in the season's final game cost him a chance at the league rushing title, though he led the National Football Conference (NFC) in yards gained. His performance helped the Bears finish with seven victories and seven losses, their best season in eight years.
At training camp in 1977, reporters noticed a different Payton. Once the season started, the reason became clear - he had been preparing himself for one of the greatest individual seasons in NFL history. Payton gained 160 yards in the season opener. The first 200-yard game in his career came in the seventh week. He ran for 275 yards in the tenth game, which broke O. J. Simpson's single-game rushing record. Many speculated he would break Simpson's season rushing record of 2,003 yards as well. He came close, but a freezing rain during the final game turned the field to ice, made footing a nightmare, and limited him to 47 yards.
Payton ended the 1977 season with 1,852 yards rushing, leading the NFL in yards gained and carries. The Bears finished 9-5 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.
Before the 1978 season began, Payton signed contracts for the next three seasons reflecting his superstar status - 400,000 for 1978, 425,000 for 1979, and 450,000 plus incentive bonuses for 1980. Clearly, the Bears were expecting big things from him and better days for the team. Under new coach Neill Armstrong, the Bears finished with a 7-9 record despite Payton's 1,395 yards, most in the NFC, and 50 pass receptions. Together with fullback Roland Harper's 992 yards, the two runners accounted for 72 percent of the Bears' offense.
The following year, Payton played with a painful pinched nerve in his shoulder but still amassed 1,610 yards, again leading the NFC. The Bears made the playoffs with a 10-6 record, but they were eliminated in the first round. He gained 1,460 yards in 1980 for an unprecedented fifth consecutive NFC rushing title, but the Bears fell to 7-9. The team continued its mediocre play the next year, finishing 6-10, and Payton, injured most of the season with cracked ribs and a sore shoulder, slipped to 1,222 yards, failing to win the NFC rushing title or make the Pro Bowl. Even so, he became the first player in NFL history to run for 1,000 yards six years in a row.
The Bears realized Payton's value and signed him to a three-year contract worth 2 million. They also hired Mike Ditka as the new head coach. The 1982 season was tarnished by a player strike, however, and the Bears finished 3-6. The next season, with Jim McMahon, installed at quarterback, they finished 8-8. Payton ran for 1,421 yards and caught 53 passes for 607 yards, personally accounting for 36 percent of the Bears' total yardage. After the season, Payton had arthroscopic surgery on both knees and renegotiated his contract. He received 240,000 a year for life, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
What Payton really wanted was to play for a Super Bowl champion. The 1984 Bears showed tremendous promise. Their defense was strong and the offensive line was able to open big holes for Payton and the other running backs, while effectively blocking for quarterback McMahon. Although the team finished 10-6, the season was highlighted by Payton breaking Jim Brown's 19-year NFL career rushing record of 12,312 yards on October 7. He finished the season with 1,684 yards and caught 45 passes to set a new Bears career receiving record.
In the divisional playoff game against the Washington Redskins, Payton ran for 104 yards, threw a 19-yard touchdown pass, and blocked with such ferocity that he knocked a defensive back out of the game. The Bears defeated Washington by a score of 23-19, but they were shut out by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game the following week. Despite his 92 yards rushing and three pass receptions.
Payton and the rest of his teammates would have their revenge in 1985. Running up a 15-1 record with a devastating defense and a powerful offense, the Bears blasted through the regular season, strutting their superiority with an arrogant attitude and a music video entitled "The Super Bowl Shuffle." Payton enjoyed another excellent season, rushing for 1,551 yards.
Chicago won its two playoff games at home to earn the right to play the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. Like most of the Bears' regular-season games, the result was never in doubt. Chicago crushed New England by a score of 46-10.
The 1986 Bears showed every sign of repeating as champions. They finished 14-2, while Payton displayed his usual form with 1,333 yards rushing and 37 pass receptions. The team stumbled in the playoffs, however, losing to Washington by a score of 27-13. The next season was marred by another player strike. Although the Bears and Payton played well enough to win 11 of their 15 games, they again lost to Washington in the playoffs. Payton was 33 years old, and the Bears had started to split his playing time with talented newcomer Neal Anderson. After 13 years, Payton decided it was time to retire while still on top of his game. He left behind 26 Chicago Bears team records and several NFL records: most rushes (3,838); most yards rushing (16,726); most combined (running and receiving) yards (21,736); most rushing touchdowns (110); most 1,000-yard seasons (10); and most 100-yard games (77) of any running back in history.
Following his retirement from the NFL, Payton began racing cars and boats while turning his financial attention full time to Walter Payton Inc., his personal company holding investments in real estate, timber, and restaurants. For many years, he worked to become the first African-American to own an NFL franchise. He was also on the Chicago Bears' board of directors. In 1995, he and several partners purchased a Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad roundhouse in Aurora, Illinois.
Payton appeared on a 1987 episode of Saturday Night Live. In 1994, he made an appearance at the World Wrestling Federation's Summerslam event in the corner of Razor Ramon.
(Written with veteran journalist and author Don Yaeger in ...)
2000
Religion
Payton had been baptized as a child but he was not public about his Christianity.
Views
By the end of the 1990s, Walter Payton had been long and constantly dedicated to charity work, particularly causes involving inner-city children and special education. He recognized his position as a role model for youngsters and made enormous efforts to provide a positive image for them to emulate. In 1988, he helped to start the Halas/Payton Foundation to help the inner-city youth of Chicago.
Walter Payton spent his final months before death as an advocate for organ transplants. He appeared in many commercials to encourage others to donate organs.
Quotations:
"Never die easy. Why run out of bounds and die easy? Make that linebacker pay. It carries into all facets of your life. It's okay to lose, to die, but don't die without trying, without giving it your best."
"When you're good at something, you'll tell everyone. When you're great at something, they'll tell you."
"If you ask me how I want to be remembered, it is as a winner... A winner is somebody who gave 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 they've given it their best. That's a winner."
"Tough times go away, tough people do not."
"Most important thought, if you love someone, tell him or her, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store."
"I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field."
"I am happy to say that everyone that I have met in my life, I have gained something from them; be it negative or positive, it has enforced and reinforced my life in some aspect."
"We are stronger together than we are alone."
"If you forget your roots, you've lost sight of everything."
"Children have always brought a tremendous amount of joy to me and I feel that if you can catch them at a young age you can really change a life. There are a lot of studies that show that one act of kindness to these children has a 40% chance of making that child have a completely different outcome in their life. What you hope is that you can get a kid to believe in something and to believe in themselves."
"Work hard or don't work at all."
"When you speak of role models, when we talk to our kids, everybody is a role model, everyone, just as you look at Michael Jordan to be the terrific athlete he is."
"If I'm going to get hit, why let the guy who's going to hit me get the easiest and best shot? I explode into the guy who's trying to tackle me."
"I want to be remembered like Pete Rose. 'Charlie Hustle.' I want people to say, 'Wherever he was, he was always giving it his all."
"I wanted to be a professional drummer."
"You look at Pete Rose to be the terrific athlete he is and then he falls on hard times, but when he played the game, I got something from the way he played the game because he hustled every play, and just because he had one mistake in his life, am I supposed to throw back everything that I gained from him?"
"God's been very good to me. I'm truly blessed."
"Remember, tomorrow is promised to no one."
"I don't have to jump up and smile just because TV wants me to."
"I try to run on the hottest days, at the hottest time, because that's the most difficult time. And sometimes I worry about drying out, and dying."
"All people, regardless of whether they're athletes or not, should treat people the way they want to be treated."
"If you could go back and change things, you might not be the person you are right now."
"Running alone is the toughest. You get to the point where you have to keep pushing yourself."
"I developed my training routine going into my senior year at Jackson State. I found this sandbank by the Pearl River near my hometown, Columbia, Mississippi. I laid out a course of 65 yards or so. Sixty-five yards on sand is like 120 on turf, but running on sand helps you make your cuts at full speed."
"Money isn't everything. Do you get married because of money? Do you have kids because of money?"
"A lot of fans were drawn to me because they knew that whatever the score was, I was going to run as hard as I could on every play. You don't have that now, you have guys waiting for next week or even next year."
Membership
As a child, Payton was an active member of the Boy Scouts and Little League.
Personality
Payton's motto was "Never Die Easy."
One of his signature maneuvers was the "stutter-step," a high-stepping, irregularly paced run.
Physical Characteristics:
Walter Payton was 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) tall and weighed 200 lb (91 kg).
In February 1999, Payton announced that he had a rare liver disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis, which may have led to his cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). On November 1, 1999, he died from the complications that arose from his illness.
Quotes from others about the person
Johnny Roland: "When God created a running back, he created Walter Payton."
Darryl Grant: "Maybe those guys who carried messages city to city covered more yardage. You know the guys in Greece. But as far as we know, Payton's the greatest."
Interests
fishing, hunting, music
Sport & Clubs
football, basketball
Connections
Walter Payton married Connie Norwood in 1976. The couple had two children - Jarrett Payton and Brittney.
Walter Payton
A career biography of Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears, who broke rushing records and is known as a "complete player."
1986
Walter Payton
One of the greatest all-around running backs in NFL history, Walter Payton set several league records, including career rushing yards (16,726), most games rushing for 100 or more yards (77), and rushing touchdowns (110), during his 13-year career.
2008
I Remember Walter Payton
I Remember Walter Payton, by Mike Towle, is filled with personal recollections of the people who knew NFL All-Pro Walter Payton best. Dozens of his contemporaries, former teammates, coaches, childhood and college chums, business partners, friends, and fans offer their favorite memories of Payton in their own words.
2000
Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton
Crafted from interviews with more than 700 sources, acclaimed sportswriter Jeff Pearlman has produced the first definitive biography of Payton. Sweetness at last brings fans a detailed, scrupulously researched, all-encompassing account of the legend's rise to greatness.
2011
Sweetness: The Courage and Heart of Walter Payton
The book offers a memorial tribute to the Chicago Bears star nicknamed "Sweetness," describes the highlights of his career and his private life, depicts him in action on and off the field, and provides an account of his memorial service.
1999
Walter & Me: Standing in the Shadow of Sweetness
Widely regarded as one of the best football players to ever tie on a pair of cleats, Walter Payton led a fascinating and ultimately tragic life. Told in the voices of those who knew him best, this biography of the Chicago Bears legendary running back tells the inspiring account of the reward of hard work and is an uplifting testament to the power of the human spirit.