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Walter Payton is born
Walter Jerry Payton was born in Columbia, Mississippi. His father Edward worked at a parachute company along with his mother, who also took care of the house. He was born into a strict home, where his parents “were determined to raise children with morals, common sense and the kind of work ethic that would prove legendary later in life” (Payton 20). -
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Childhood
Walter payton grew up with his brother Eddie and sister Pam. They “spent their time outside of the home playing in the woods, fishing, or trying to put together sandlot football or baseball games”(Payton 19). The time spent at home was used to help their parents around the house. The Payton parents were strict, making sure their kids stayed out of trouble. Walter’s childhood taught him to work hard, and gave him a love for competition. -
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Highschool
High School was the first time Payton started playing organized football. For his first two years, he was a member of the band, before joining football his Junior year. He also played basketball, baseball, and ran track. Payton was not a football star right away, which only inspired him to work harder. He said “life in Columbia gave me the confidence to do bigger things later on,” illustrating that his high school career was the first step to football stardom for Payton (Payton 47). -
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College
Payton attended college at Jackson State, a small school that allowed him to “keep [his] feet planted” (Payton 53). He would become their all-time greatest player. He was coached by Bob Hill, a man that Payton credits a lot of his success too. Hill mentored Payton, and taught him to never show boat and never run out of bounds. Payton’s success in college propelled him into the NFL. -
Drafted into the NFL
Walter Payton was drafted into the NFL by the Chicago Bears when he was 20 years old as the fourth overall pick (Payton 68-69). Coming from a small town in Mississippi, going to Chicago to play professional football was a huge change for Payton. Getting drafted into the NFL was the start of a 13 year career, where Payton would arguably become the best player to ever play the game. -
Super Bowl XX
Payton and the Bears won Super Bowl XX. Payton had been working towards this goal his entire career, and he was overwhelmed when he finally achieved his goal. In a post-game interview, he mentioned how hard he had worked for this and how grateful he was to have such a great team (Orpheusking). This highlights Payton´s selflessness and happiness in having achieved the greatest feat in professional football. -
Retires from professional football
Walter Payton retired from professional football after 13 year of playing for the Chicago Bears. He rushed for a total of 17,303 yards, an NFL record. On his last play, “Walter Payton had been stopped a yard short of a first down,” yet “despite what happened on his last play, he was never a yard short” (Anderson). He always worked his hardest, only missing one game in his career. After playing professional football for 13 years, it was finally time for him to retire and move on with his life. -
Inducted into Hall of Fame
5 years after retiring from football, Payton was inducted into the HOF, proving what a truly great football player he was. In his acceptance speech, Payton thanked everyone who helped him achieve this honor. At the end of his speech he left a message: “Everybody that you meet you can learn something from them” (“Walter Payton's Hall of Fame Speech”). On the field, he was a great football player, off the field he was a selfless man with great character. -
Walter Payton dies
Payton died of a rare liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis (“Walter Payton”). His untimely death prompted an outpouring of love and support from friends, family and fans. Payton had come to be known as ¨sweetness¨ for his running style on the field and his character off the field. A popular photograph depicts Payton carrying the ball in his hand while running gracefully (“Walter Payton”). Off the field, he “believed in kids," and spread his “sweetness” to everyone he met (Riedle).
