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Walter Payton dead at 45 NFL's all-time leading rusher suffered from rare liver disease
Posted: Monday November 01, 1999 05:06 PM
CHICAGO (CNN/SI) -- Walter Payton, the all-time leading rusher in NFL history and one of the most popular players ever, died Monday after a long battle with a rare liver ailment. He was 45. Payton, whose nickname was "Sweetness," once said that he only wanted people to know that "he was always giving it his all." And for 13 seasons, no player gave more of himself to the NFL. Born in Columbia, Miss., on July 7, 1954, Payton was a first-round draft pick out of Division II Jackson State in 1975. It was his task to help the legendary Chicago Bears return to glory. For much of his early career, he got little help. Even if the Bears weren't always on the right path, Payton barreled straight ahead. Payton was a carefree spirit but a tenacious runner. Relying more on power and sheer will than speed, it was Payton's philosophy to punish defenders before they could hurt him. In 1976, Payton led the NFC in rushing, gaining nearly 1,400 yards. The next season, he ran for 1,852 yards, was named league MVP and helped the Bears make the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. That year Payton also ran for 275 yards in one game against the Minnesota Vikings, a single game record.
Payton led the NFC in rushing every year from 1976 to 1980 and became the league's highest paid player, and some said the most underpaid as well. In 1982, "Sweetness" as he came to be known, finally started to get some help when Mike Ditka took over as Bears coach and Jim McMahon was drafted to play quarterback. In 1984, the Bears won a division title and on October 7th, Payton stepped into football immortality by breaking Jim Brown's all-time rushing record. Payton finished his career with more than 16,700 yards, which remains an NFL record. That season, the Bears were finally on the verge of the Super Bowl, but lost the NFC Championship game in San Francisco to the 49ers. Afterwards, a grieving Payton profoundly said that, "Tomorrow is never promised to you." But the next season, "tomorrow" finally came. The 1985 Chicago Bears were one of the greatest teams in NFL history. With McMahon at quarterback, and Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary and defensive lineman Dan Hampton leading defensive coach Buddy Ryan's fabled "46 defense," the Bears steamrolled through the rest of the league, losing just one game.
It was Payton who paced the team and after two playoff shutouts at frigid Soldier Field, "Sweetness" was finally Super bowl bound. The Bears routed the New England Patriots 46-10 to take home Super Bowl XX. The only blemish was that Payton didn't score a touchdown. The Bears didn't become a dynasty as expected, and Payton's NFL career ended after the 1987 season, when, in the final moments of a playoff game against the Washington Redskins, he fell one yard short of making a first down that would have kept a potential game-winning drive alive. In 1993, Payton stepped into the Hall of Fame. As always, he did things differently, choosing to be inducted not by a coach or teammate, but by his own son. Six years later, Jarrett Payton stood by his father's side again. It came during the most difficult public appearance of his life when he went before the media to talk about his life-threatening liver ailment. Despite being on a donor's list for a new liver, a replacement was never found. Walter Payton played football with an enthusiasm and joy rarely seen. Not only was he one of the NFL's greatest players, he was also his team's most kindred spirit, one of Chicago's most beloved citizens and one of sports' true gentleman. The game of football won't soon see another like Walter Payton. And all those who saw him, will forever miss him.
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