Payton, Walter

Walter Payton

1954-1999

American football player

Walter Payton, nicknamed "Sweetness" in college for his sweet and graceful moves on the football field, never lost that sweetness, even after he left the game. Never were Payton's qualities of grace and dignity more evident than in his final days, as he struggled unsuccessfully against a rare liver disease that progressed to the cancer of the bile duct that eventually took his life. Only 45 when he died in November 1999, Payton was, until the fall of 2002, the leading National Football League (NFL) rusher of all time, with a career total of 16,726 yards. Payton spent the final weekend of his life with former teammate Mike Singletary, who later told the Washington Times, "With all the greatest runs, the greatest moves I saw from him, what I experienced this weekend was by far the best of Walter Payton I've ever seen. As a person, he was a bright spot for any darkness that appeared." Payton's intensity and ferocity on the football field were balanced by a generosity of spirit and magnanimity off the field that were no less impressive. In his tribute to Payton, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue probably summed it up best: "Walter exemplified class, and all of us in sports should honor him by striving to perpetuate his standard of excellence. Walter was an inspiration in everything he did. The tremendous grace and dignity he displayed in his final months reminded us again why 'Sweetness' was the perfect nickname for Walter Payton."

Born in Columbia, Mississippi

He was born Walter Jerry Payton in Columbia, Mississippi, on July 25, 1954. The son of Peter (a factory worker) and Alyne (a homemaker) Payton, Walter Payton grew up in what he later called "a kid's paradise," close to the Pearl River and several factories where he and his siblings enjoyed playing hide and seek. His Baptist parents instilled both a strong religious faith and a desire to strive for excellence in all their children. As a boy, Payton often ran afoul of their strict rules, but he later described them as firm but fair disciplinarians. Years later, Payton told Philip Koslow, author of Walter Payton : "My parents spent a lot of time with us and made us feel loved and wanted. I didn't care much about what went on around me, as long as I was in solid at home."

By the time Payton was eight-years-old, his father, who worked in a nearby factory manufacturing packs and parachutes for the federal government, had saved enough money to move the family into a new home that had separate rooms for each of his children. Only a block away was the John J. Jefferson School, a segregated school attended by all of Columbia's African American children from grades one through twelve. Walter was a better than average student, but his greatest love was music, on which he spent more time than either his studies or sports. Much to the chagrin of his parents, he'd sometimes duck his chores at home so that he could dance or sing instead.

Joins Track Team as Long Jumper

Payton's interest in sports picked up in the ninth grade when he joined Jefferson's track team as a long jumper. He also played drums in the school's band. Although he was drawn to football, he didn't go out for the school team, on which his older brother, Eddie, was the star running back, because he didn't want his mother worrying about both her sons getting hurt. After Eddie graduated, Jefferson's football coach asked Payton, then a sophomore, to try out for the team. After winning a promise from the coach that he could stay in the band, Payton agreed. In his very first high school game, he ran 65 yards for a touchdown. In 1969, all-black Jefferson merged with all-white Columbia High School, and Payton quickly became the unchallenged star of the school's football team, scoring in every game of his junior and senior years. Looking back on Payton's high school football career, Columbia coach Tommy Davis said he could always count on Walter when the team needed to score. Three years in a row, Payton was named to the all-conference team, and in his senior year he led the Little Dixie Conference in scoring and was selected for the all-state team.

After his graduation from Columbia High, Payton joined older brother Eddie at predominantly black Jackson State College where together the siblings were stars in the college football team's backfield. At the end of Payton's freshman year in college, Eddie graduated and moved on to the NFL, leaving Walter alone in the spotlight. Payton proved himself a versatile player, serving as Jackson State's halfback, punter, and place kicker. He ended his sophomore year as the nation's second highest collegiate scorer. That same year he broke college records by amassing the highest number of points—46—in a single game. As a junior, Payton ran for a total of 1,139 yards and led the country in scoring with 160 points.

Chronology

1954	Born in Columbia, Mississippi, on July 25
1971	Graduates from Columbia High School where he starred in football
1971-75	Attends Mississippi's Jackson State College
1972	Scores 46 points in a single game
1975	Picked by Chicago Bears in first round of NFL draft
1976	Marries college sweetheart Connie Norwood on July 7
1985	Leads Chicago Bears to Super Bowl Championship
1987	Retires from professional football
1993	Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame
1999	Develops rare live disease and later cancer of the bile duct
1999	Dies at the age of 45 in South Barrington, Illinois, on November 1

Named NCAA Leading Scorer of All Time

After a grueling summer of training with brother Eddie in 1973, Payton, now a senior, returned to Jackson State stronger than ever. At the end of his senior year in football, he was named the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) leading scorer of all time with 464 points. Somehow, through it all, Payton managed to keep up with his studies, earning his bachelor's degree in special education in only three and a half years. It was during his college years that Payton picked up the nickname "Sweetness," which was to stay with him for the rest of his life.

In the first round of the 1975 NFL draft Payton was chosen by the Chicago Bears, making him the fourth player to be drafted overall. He successfully pushed for a signing bonus larger than that the Bears paid four years earlier to Archie Manning, a quarterback from the University of Mississippi. In the end, the Bears paid Payton $126,000. The Bears, which had had their last winning season in 1967, were hoping that Payton could help turn things around for them. Sadly, the dreams of a quick turnaround were not to materialize. Even with Payton energizing the Bears lineup, the team lost six of its first seven games. Slowed by an ankle injury, Payton played only sporadically in the first half of the season and missed one game altogether—the only missed game of his career.

Payton snapped back in the second half of his rookie season as his ankle healed. At season's end, he led the NFL in kickoff returns and had amassed a total of 679 yards rushing, the highest for any Bears runner since 1969. During the summer following his first season with the Bears, Payton married Connie Norwood, his college sweetheart at Jackson State, on July 7, 1976. During Payton's second season, the Bears fared better than they had in eight years, with an even split of seven wins and seven losses. Had it not been for an injury he suffered in the final game of the season, Payton almost certainly would have won the NFL rushing title for the year—and he did lead the National Football Conference (NFC) in yards gained with a total of 1,390.

Breaks Single-Game Rushing Record

Payton's breakthrough year came in 1977. In the opening game of the Bears' season, Payton gained 160 yards, and six weeks later he posted the first 200-yard game in his pro career. Three weeks later, Payton broke O.J. Simpson 's single-game rushing record when he ran for 275 yards. Freezing rain during the Bears' final game of the season held down Payton's rushing yardage for the year to 1,852, just 151 yards short of Simpson's season rushing record of 2,003 yards.

As his performance on the football field grew steadily more impressive, armchair fans across the country became increasingly familiar with Payton's unique running style-running on his toes with short, stiff-legged strides. Payton also seemed to derive genuine pleasure from blocking for other running backs and protecting the Bears quarterback against blitzing linebackers. Interviewed by Esquire, legendary Bears running back Gale Sayers commented on this side of Payton's game: "That's what sets him head and shoulders above other running backs, the maximum effort he puts into other phases of the game." Payton also showed his appreciation to the offensive linemen who blocked for him by handing the football to one of them after he had scored a touchdown.

Negotiates Lucrative Contracts

Having proved his worth to the Bears, Payton in 1978 negotiated contracts that guaranteed him $400,000 for the 1978 season, $425,000 for 1979, and $450,000 plus incentive bonuses for 1980. However, despite the front office's high hopes, Payton's 50 pass receptions and 1,395 yards in rushing yardage were not enough to keep the Bears from another losing season. They ended the 1978 season with a 7-9 record. Payton and fullback Roland Harper, with 992 rushing yards, accounted for 72 percent of the Bears' offense in 1978.

Awards and Accomplishments

1974	Named Little All-American after setting nine school records at Jackson State College
1975	Tops 100 yards rushing for Chicago Bears for the first time
1976	Named Sporting News NFC Player of the Year and picked to play in Pro Bowl
1976-81	Rushes for 1,000 yards or more each season
1977	Sets single-game rushing record with 275 yards vs. Minnesota on November 20
1977	Named NFL Player of the Year and Sporting News NFC Player of the Year
1977	Named NFL Offensive Player of the Year
1978-81, 1984-87	Selected to play in Pro Bowl
1984	Breaks Jim Brown's NFL career rushing record
1985	Named NFL Player of the Year
1993	Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame

Lessons in Greatness

Payton was not the greatest running back in history, but he was close. Jimmy Brown and O.J. Simpson were better, but no one player in NFL history at any position has forced more from his body and driven himself as relentlessly as Payton. This is Payton's first lesson: Never settle for less than you can possibly be….

"I'm always fearful I'm not in the best shape I can be in," Payton once told me. "My goal is to be able to play all out 60 minutes every game. Since you might have the ball only 30 minutes, I figure I've got enough left to go all out every play."

Source: Attner, Paul Sporting News (November 15, 1999): 8.

Hampered by a painful pinched nerve in his shoulder through much of the 1979 season, Payton nevertheless managed to rush for 1,610 yards, the best in the NFC. With a 10-6 record, the Bears made it into the playoffs, but they were eliminated in the first round. With a season total of 1,460 yards, Payton snagged his fifth consecutive NFC rushing title in 1980, but it was not enough to keep the Bears from a dismal 7-9 record. The following year was even worse for the Bears, who finished the season with a record of 6-10. Slowed for much of the 1981 season by a sore shoulder and cracked ribs, Payton managed to rush for only 1,222 yards for the season, failing to win the NFC rushing title for the first time in several years.

Signed to 3-Year, $2 Million Contract

In advance of the 1982 season, Payton negotiated a three-year contract worth $2 million with the Bears. To beef up its chances, the Bears' owners brought in Mike Ditka as coach. But the season as marred by a players' strike, and the Bears finished the shortened season with a disappointing record of 3-6. In 1983 the Bears brought in Jim McMahon as quarterback. Thus strengthened, the team finished with an 8-8 record. Payton alone accounted for more than a third of the Bears' offense, running for 1,421 yards and catching 53 passes for 607 yards. Payton's performance in 1984 was electrifying. Early in the season, he broke Jim Brown's 19-year-old NFL career rushing record of 12,312 yards and ended the year with a season total of 1,684 yards. The Bears ended the regular season with a record of 10-6. In the first game of the playoffs, Chicago defeated the Washington Redskins by a score of 23-19 but fell to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game.

Payton's dream of making it to the Super Bowl finally came true in 1985. The Bears compiled a stunning record of 15-1 in the regular season and handily polished off its two playoff opponents in home games to power its way into Super Bowl XX. It was a storybook finish for the Bears as they demolished the New England Patriots, 46-10,

in the big game. The following year, the Bears finished the season with a blazing 14-2 record but stumbled in its first playoff game, losing to the Redskins, 27-13. In 1987, the season was once again marred by a player strike. However, the Bears performed strongly in the regular season, finishing with a record of 11-4 and making it into the playoffs again. Paired off against the Redskins, the Bears' post-season march was stopped in its tracks. Not long after the end of the season, Payton, now 33, decided it was time to call it quits and announced his retirement from pro football.

After his retirement, Payton focused most of his attention to the operations of Walter Payton Inc., his personal holding company with investments in restaurants, timber, and real estate. He managed, however, to find time to race cars and boats. In July 1993, Payton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In making the presentation to his father, Payton's son, Jarrett, said: "Not only is my dad an exceptional athlete, he's a role model; he's my biggest role model and best friend. We do a lot of things together…. I'm sure my sister willendorse this statement: we have a super dad."

Related Biography: Football Player Mike Singletary

By Walter Payton's side in the final days of his life was longtime teammate and friend, Mike Singletary. The two spent the final weekend of Payton's life praying and reading scripture. After the death of his friend, Singletary told the Associated Press that even at the end, Payton refused to talk about dying. "He had dealt with that," said Singletary, "but he didn't want to talk about that. Walter was the kind of individual who refused to think, 'Why me, why now?' He just continued to look forward."

Born in Houston, Texas, on October 9, 1958, Singletary grew up the son of a strict Christian minister who preached against such sins as wearing shorts and playing sports. As a boy, Singletary was forbidden to play sports and barred from a number of other school and neighborhood activities as well. The year that Singletary entered junior high school, his minister father ran away with another woman, leaving the family in shock and confusion. Singletary took advantage of the ensuing confusion to join the school's football team and quickly made up for lost time. His spectacular performance on the defensive squad at Houston's Worthing High School caught the attention of scouts from Baylor University, and he was offered a scholarship.

A football sensation at Baylor, Singletary was named Southwest Conference Player of the Year in both 1979 and 1980. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1981 NFL draft. In his 12 seasons as a linebacker for the Bears, Singletary won the affection and respect of his fellow players and coaches. He enjoyed probably his finest season in 1985-1986 when he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press and NFC Defensive Player of the Year by United Press International. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. Singletary lives with his wife Kim and three children outside Chicago.

In February 1999 Payton called a press conference to reveal that he was suffering from a rare liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) that causes the bile ducts to close, backing up bile, and permanently damaging the liver. Only three months later, he learned that he had developed bile duct cancer as a result of the PSC. On November 1, 1999, surrounded by his family and close friends, he died at his home in South Barrington, Illinois.

Records are made to be broken, and so it was with Payton's career rushing record. In late October 2002, Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys amassed a total of 16,743 career yards to surpass Payton's 16,726. But Payton was so much more than just a rushing record. In the hearts of his fellow players, coaches, and football fans everywhere, he lives on as one of the game's greatest players. Former teammate Dan Hampton probably said it best: "No one on this football team and no one in the NFL is actually in Walter Payton's league."

SELECTED WRITINGS BY PAYTON:

(With Jerry B. Jenkins) Sweetness, NTC/Contemporary Publishing, 1978.

Career Statistics

			Rushing				Receiving
Yr	Team	GP	Att	Yds	Y/A	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD
CHI: Chicago Bears.
1975	CHI	13	196	679	3.5	7	33	213	6.5	0
1976	CHI	14	311	1390	4.5	13	15	149	9.9	0
1977	CHI	14	339	1852	5.5	14	27	269	10.0	2
1978	CHI	16	333	1395	4.2	11	50	480	9.6	0
1979	CHI	16	369	1610	4.4	14	31	313	10.1	2
1980	CHI	16	317	1460	4.6	6	46	367	8.0	1
1981	CHI	16	339	1222	3.6	6	41	379	9.2	2
1982	CHI	9	148	596	4.0	1	32	311	9.7	0
1983	CHI	16	314	1421	4.5	6	53	607	11.5	2
1984	CHI	16	381	1684	4.4	11	45	368	8.2	0
1985	CHI	16	324	1551	4.8	9	49	483	9.9	2
1986	CHI	16	321	1333	4.2	8	37	382	10.3	3
1987	CHI	12	146	533	3.7	4	33	217	6.6	1
TOTAL	190	3838	167	26	4.4	110	492	4538	9.2	15

(With Don Yaeger) Never Die Easy: The Autobiography of Walter Payton, Random House, 2001.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

"Mike Singletary." Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 4. Detroit: Gale Group, 1993.

"Walter Payton." Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 25. Detroit, MI: Gale Group, 2000.

"Walter Payton." Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement, Volume 20. Detroit, MI: Gale Group, 2000.

"Walter Payton." Newsmakers 2000, Issue 2. Detroit, MI: Gale Group, 2000.

"Walter Payton." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. five volumes. Detroit, MI: St. James Press, 2000.

Periodicals

Attner, Paul. "Lessons in Greatness." Sporting News (November 15, 1999): 8.

Pierson, Mark. "American Football: NFL Mourns Loss of Walter 'Sweetness' Payton." Independent (November 3, 1999): 27.

"Walter Payton." Washington Times (November 7, 1999): B2.

"Walter Payton Timeline." USA Today (November 2, 1999).

Other

"Remembering Walter Payton, 1954-1999." SportingNews.com. http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/payton (November 6, 2002).

"Walter Payton: Running Back." Football-Reference.com. http://www.football-reference.com/players/PaytWa00.htm (November 2, 2002).

Sketch by Don Amerman