Walter Payton 1954 – 1999

Biography

Walter Payton ran like nobody else — sweet, punishing, and impossible to bring down. “Sweetness” spent all 13 of his NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears, carried the offense to a Super Bowl championship, and retired as one of the greatest running backs the game has ever seen, a Pro Football Hall of Famer whose grace off the field matched his ferocity on it. The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award remains the NFL’s highest honor for community service. He died of a rare bile-duct cancer on November 1, 1999, at just 45 — far too young, and mourned across the sport. He was drafted by Chicago in 1975 and stayed a Bear for his entire career, a one-team legend in an era when that was already rare. After football he poured himself into charity work, including the Walter Payton Foundation for underprivileged children.