Walter Payton was one of the greatest running backs to ever play in the NFL. He was a powerful runner with a unique ability to make people miss. He was also an excellent receiver out of the backfield. Payton was a nine-time Pro Bowler and was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1977. He retired as the league’s all-time leading rusher with 16,726 yards. Payton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
Table of Contents:
1. Early Life
2. NFL Career
3. Philanthropic Work
4. Later Life and Death
5. Legacy
6. Walter Payton Quotes
- Early Life
Walter Payton was born on July 25, 1954, in Columbia, Mississippi. He was the youngest of three children and was raised by his mother, Alyne, and his father, Peter. His father worked as a sharecropper and his mother was a housewife.
Payton was a talented athlete from a young age, and he excelled in both track and football. He was offered a football scholarship to Jackson State University, and he was accepted.
- NFL Career
Payton was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 1975 NFL Draft. He quickly became one of the most popular players in the league, and he was known for his signature “sweetness” move, which he used to avoid tacklers.
Payton was named the NFL MVP in 1977, and he helped lead the Bears to a victory in Super Bowl XX. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
- Philanthropic Work
Payton was very active in philanthropic work, and he established the Walter Payton Foundation in 1999. The foundation’s mission is to “provide support to educational, charitable, and scientific causes that promote the well-being of children and families.”
Payton also worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and he helped grant the wishes of terminally ill children.
- Later Life and Death
After his retirement from football, Payton remained active. He opened a restaurant and became involved in various business ventures. Payton also worked as a commentator for NFL games.
Payton died on November 1, 1999, at the age of 45, from bile duct cancer. His death was a shock to the entire nation, and he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- Legacy
Walter Payton is considered to be one of the greatest running backs of all time, and his life story is an inspiring one. He overcame a difficult childhood to become one of the most popular and successful athletes in the world. Payton was also a generous and compassionate man, who used his platform to help others. He will be remembered as a true icon, and his legacy will live on forever.
Walter Payton Quotes
“When you’re good at something, you’ll tell everyone. When you’re great at something, they’ll tell you.” – Walter Payton
“Remember, tomorrow is promised to no one.” – Walter Payton
“We are stronger together than we are alone.” – Walter Payton
“Money isn’t everything. Do you get married because of money? Do you have kids because of money?” – Walter Payton
“If you could go back and change things, you might not be the person you are right now.” – Walter Payton
“You have to take things one day at a time.” – Walter Payton
“I am happy to say that everyone that I have met in my life, I have gained something from them; be it negative or positive, it has enforced and reinforced my life in some aspect.” – Walter Payton
“When you speak of role models, when we talk to our kids, everybody is a role model, everyone, just as you look at a Michael Jordan to be the terrific athlete he is.” – Walter Payton
“I always thought, ‘That’s just the way you do it.’ You work as hard as you can for as long as you can, and the small gains you make will eventually pay off.” – Walter Payton
“Most important though, if you love someone, tell him or her, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store.” – Walter Payton
“Children have always brought a tremendous amount of joy to me and I feel that if you can catch them at a young age you can really change a life.” – Walter Payton
“Work hard or don’t work at all.” – Walter Payton
“Why run out of bounds and die easy? Make that linebacker pay. It carries into all facets of your life. It’s okay to lose, to die, but don’t die without trying, without giving it your best.” – Walter Payton
“I try to run on the hottest days, at the hottest time, because that’s the most difficult time. And sometimes I worry about drying out, and dying.” – Walter Payton
“If I’m going to get hit, why let the guy who’s going to hit me get the easiest and best shot? I explode into the guy who’s trying to tackle me.” – Walter Payton
“There was a high school coach such as Charles Boston that took me under his wing and taught me the fundamentals of football. And when I went to college there was Robert Hill who took me there and he showed me what hard work and determination would do if you put forth the effort and you take a little time.” – Walter Payton
“Running alone is the toughest. You get to the point where you have to keep pushing yourself.” – Walter Payton
“If you start something, you shouldn’t quit; that is what we were taught. If you’re going to play, you might as well play to be your best.” – Walter Payton
“You look at Pete Rose to be the terrific athlete he is and then he falls on hard times, but when he played the game, I got something from the way he played the game because he hustled every play, and just because he had one mistake in his life, am I supposed to throw back everything that I gained from him?” – Walter Payton
“No matter what the game was or how much older and stronger the other kids were, we were taught to give it everything we had until it was over. Never give less than one hundred percent.” – Walter Payton
“I want to be remembered like Pete Rose. ‘Charlie Hustle.’ I want people to say, ‘Wherever he was, he was always giving it his all.” – Walter Payton
“I don’t have to jump up and smile just because TV wants me to.” – Walter Payton
“Sixty-five yards on sand is like 120 on turf, but running on sand helps you make your cuts at full speed.” – Walter Payton
“I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field.” – Walter Payton
“Never die easy.” – Walter Payton
“Do you know what a winner is? A winner is somebody who has given his best effort, who has tried the hardest they possibly can, and who has utilized every ounce of energy and strength within them to accomplish something. It doesn’t mean that they accomplished it or failed, it means that they’ve given it their best.” – Walter Payton
“A lot of fans were drawn to me because they knew that whatever the score was, I was going to run as hard as I could on every play. You don’t have that now, you have guys waiting for next week or even next year.” – Walter Payton
“God’s been very good to me. I’m truly blessed.” – Walter Payton
“All people, regardless of whether they’re athletes or not, should treat people the way they want to be treated.” – Walter Payton
“Tough times go away, tough people do not.” – Walter Payton
“If you forget your roots, you’ve lost sight of everything.” – Walter Payton
“I wanted to be a professional drummer.” – Walter Payton
“If you ask me how I want to be remembered, it is as a winner.” – Walter Payton
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