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The Life of Walter "Sweetness" Payton
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The Birth of Walter Payton
Walter Jerry Payton was born on July 25, 1954, in Columbia, Mississippi. He was one of three children born to Edward and Alyne Payton. His father worked as a factory worker but also played semi-professional baseball. His mother was a standard housemom. He also had an older brother named Eddie, who would also play football at the same college as Walter would. -
Decides to attend Jackson State
Walter Payton turns down bigger school offers to play close to home behind his older brother at Jackson State and under Coach Hill. -
Selected to the All-American Team
In 1973, Walter Payton was selected to the All-American Team. The All-American Team is chosen by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and a few other organizations. Walter Payton led his team to an average record that year. The following year, Walter Payton was selected as the Black College Player of the Year. -
Walter Payton is drafted
Walter Payton was drafted as the fourth overall pick by the Chicago Bears in the 1975 NFL Draft. Steve Bartkowski, hall of fame defensive tackle Randy White, and Ken Huff were taken before him. Not many people knew who Walter Payton was before that draft. His Jackson state teammate, Robert Brazile, was selected by the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) two picks after him. Although he didn't know it, he was going to be a Chicago Bear until he retired after the 1987 season. -
Walter marries Connie
On July 7, 1976, Walter Payton married Connie Norwood. They had two children, Jarrett Payton and Brittany Payton. Soon after they got married, they moved to South Barrington, Illinois, and stayed there until Walter Payton died. -
Payton sets the NFL Single Game Rushing Record
On November 20, 1977, Walter Payton rushed for 275 yards in a regular season game, which broke O.J. Simpson's old record of 273 yards in 1976. It was a great achievment considering that Walter had a 101-degree fever and an intense flu during the game. He played through his illness. The Bears were facing the Minnesota Vikings that game. His longest run that game was for 58 yards. -
Payton breaks the All-Time NFL Rushing Record
On October 7, 1984, Walter Payton broke Jim Brown's all-time rushing record. The record was broken on a 6-yard run off left tackle. When he broke the record, his teammates cheered, lifted him up, and praised him constantly. He even got a phone call from President Ronald Regan from the White House. Regan was a huge sports fan. After the game reporters interviewed Walter. He simply said, "I didn't break it. Jim Brown made it in fewer years than I did. He deserves the record." -
The Bears win Super Bowl XX
The Bears win Super Bowl XX against the New England Patriots. The score was 46-10. The game was played in New Orleans, Louisiana, home of the New Orleans Saints, a football team in the NFC. The game was a blowout from the start. Jim McMahon rushed for two touchdows and William "The Refridgerator" Perry rushed for one. Perry's run was the highlight of Super Bowl XX. Sadly, Walter didn't score. -
Walter Payton Retires
Walter Payton retired on January 10, 1988, after playing 13 years fror the Bears in the NFL. Walter Payton's last play was on fouth-and-8 at the Bears' 36-yard line. Jim McMahon throws a short pass to Walter, who kept fighting and fighting until he got pushed out of bounds at the 43, one yard short of a first down. Walter Payton retired with NFL records in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and seasons with 1,000 or more rushing yards. -
Walter Payton is inducted into the Football Hall of Fame
In July of 1993, Walter Payton was inshired into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was chosen to be in the Hall of Fame in January of 1993. Sometime before his inshirement, the Bears retired his number, 34, so nobody could play on the Bears with that number. When he was asked to pick who his inductee was, he chose his 12 year old son, Jarret Payton. Jarret was truly afraid. But when he got on stage, that all changed. The first words he said on the stage were "My dad was a great man." -
Walter Payton Dies
Walter Payton died in his home on November 1, 1999, in South Barrington, Illinois, when he was 45 years old. He died because of a rare liver disease called cholangiocarcinoma. Cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer of the liver that drains bile from the liver into the small intestine. In honor of him, the NFL held ceremonies in each game that week and the Chicago Bears wore special #34 patches on their jersys that week. His body was cremated after his death. -
Release of "Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton"
Jeff Pearlman releases the biography after years of painstaking research and gives the world a new view on an american icon.
