Walter Jerry Payton was born on July 25, 1954. He was fondly known around the NFL and to fans as "Sweetness" because of his moves on the field and his kindness. He will always be remembered as one of the greatest running backs to ever play the game of football. The two-time MVP played with the Chicago Bears for thirteen years (1975-1982) and during his stellar career he scored 125 touchdowns (2nd most ever), 492 receptions, he accounted for a record 21,803 combined net yards and he was a consistent threat in the passing game. In thirteen years he only missed one game and that was during his rookie season in 1975.
"Never Die Easy" was Walter Payton's motto. When he practiced on the field in college at Jackson State he purposely never ran out-of-bounds and always served his tacklers punishment whenever they tried to force him down or off the field. Payton attributed his motto to his college coach, Bob Hill. Never Die Easy is also the title of his posthumously published autobiography.
"Sweetness" was known for his sweet moves on the field. The "stutter-step," a high stepping, irregularly paced run was a signature move he developed to distract his opponents during long runs, causing them to think which gave him an advantage over some of the faster runners. Sweetness also reinvented the practice of stiff-arming tacklers. Sweetness had the ability to leap over other players to score the touchdown. Unlike the other, when Sweetness made it to the end zone he didn't celebrate with a touchdown dance or a football spike, he preferred to play tricks on his teammates in the locker room instead.
Walter Payton and his Chicago Bears teammates made a lot of noise in the mid-80's, they also made a music video called the "Super Bowl Shuffle" before their big Super Bowl XX win in 1985. Payton retired soon after the 1987 season. Payton was successful off the turf too, he formed the Halas Payton Foundation in 1988 to help inner-city kids in the Chicago area and later established the Walter Payton Foundation, also dedicated to helping young people in the state of Illinois. Payton became co-owner of Dale Coyne Racing the CART IndyCar World Series and he did a little racing of his own in the Trans-Am Series in the early 90's. In 1995, Payton along with several partners purchased a Chicago, Quincy and Burlington Railroad roundhouse in Aurora, IL. It became known as "Walter Payton's Roundhouse" and hosted a brewery, restaurant, banquet and meeting facility and museum. It received an award from the National Trust of Historic Preservation, the beers brewed there also received awards in the 2000's.
Before Payton's death in November 1999, he was an advocate for organ transplants encouraging others to donate organs. The NFL's beloved "Sweetness" died at age 45 from cancer. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of fame in 1993 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996. Since his death, the NFL honors a player in the league each year with the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for their volunteer and charity work as well as their outstanding performance on the field. The Walter Payton Award is also awarded each year to the most outstanding offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football. Walter "Sweetness" Payton will always be remembered, not only to Chicago Bears fans, but to all NFL fans as one of the greatest players in football history.
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