"Greatest Football Player Ever" - Mike Ditka
"Greatest Person To Ever Play Football" - BearFanatic34
Walter Payton, 1954-1999
NFL running back, Hall of Famer, and philanthropist Walter Payton, known to fans and football teammates as "Sweetness" for his good nature, died November 1st 1999 after a brief but intense struggle with cancer. Payton, holder of many NFL and NCAA records, was 45 years old.
Born July 25th 1954 in the town of Columbia, Mississippi, Walter Payton was known for defying the usual rules of his game. Smaller than most running backs at 5'10" and an average weight around 200 lbs., Payton's speed, determination, and tenacity made him a standout in college football as well as his later career in the NFL. Payton set an NCAA record of 464 career points during his years playing college football for Jackson State, with 46 points scored in one game. Payton brought attention to the previously overlooked school, and the 2-time Little All-American and Heisman Trophy contender led pro-ball scouts to revise their recruiting practices to include smaller colleges. In 1975, Payton emerged a first round NFL draft choice, and was signed to the Chicago Bears.
Payton spent 13 seasons with Chicago, including 6 under Coach Mike Ditka. Of those 13 seasons, Payton missed only 1 pro-ball game, in his freshman year with the team, due to injury. Payton set an unchallenged NFL record of 16,726 rushing yards during his career, and a record 275 yards in a single game (Chicago vs. Minnesota in 1977). Payton was a 7-time All Pro, was voted to 9 Pro Bowls, and was recognized as a key element in the Bears' first (and to date only) Super Bowl win in 1985, rushing for 1,551 yards and 9 TDs. When Payton retired from professional football in 1987, Chicago simultaneously retired his number, 34. Payton later joined the Bears Board of Directors, and was a member of the NFL 75th Anniversary Team. When Payton was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, he requested that his son, Jarrett, then 12 years old, be his presenter for his induction.
Those who did not necessarily follow football still recognized Walter Payton, the man the NFL knew as "Sweetness" and a notorious practical joker. Payton graced General Mills' "Wheaties" cereal boxes 9 times, and was an active and avid public speaker. In 1989 Payton had founded the George Halas/Walter Payton Foundation (renamed The Walter Payton Foundation in 1998 after Halas death) to provide financial and motivational assistance for children. Payton devoted much of his time and energy to the charity, which, among other activities, provides Christmas gifts to children who are Wards of the State in Illinois. The Foundation established scholarships for social work, and joined with Illinois efforts to create The Alliance for the Children.
Payton additionally headed Payton Enterprises, which operates a chain of Chicago area restaurants, and was an avid fan of his son Jarrett's football career with the University of Miami. The NFL record holder had been active as a motivational speaker. In February, 1999 Payton shocked the American public with the announcement that he was suffering from a rare liver disease, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (or PSC) and was in need of a liver transplant. Payton and his family had deliberated over making the announcement, and agreed that his personal crisis might help raise awareness of the desperate need for organ donors. While on the Mayo Clinic transplant waiting list, Payton's condition deteriorated rapidly, developing into a cancerous condition, which spread to his bile ducts and made surgery or transplant impossible. Nine months after the announcement of his illness, Walter Payton died.
Walter Payton is survived by his wife, Connie, his son, Jarrett, and daughter Brittney. Memorial donations maybe directed to The Walter Payton Foundation for Children. Payton, anticipating the terminal aspect of his illness, completed the inspirational autobiography, "Never Die Easy: The Autobiography of Walter Payton".
If you are not yet an Organ Donor, please become one. It won't hurt, I promise.
American Legends issued the white Sweetness bear in a limited quantity of 2,000. Here are a few other of my collectibles of Walter Payton. I am sure I will add more to this section later, for I have numerous things. As far as I know, there aren't too many Payton Bobblehead Dolls but the 2 that I have are still readily available in the market "for sale"...reasonable pricing, as well. I'm showing the 5" 1992 Sports Impressions figure made of porcelain and the resin Danbury Mint figurine. The SI is hard to come by and there are actually 2 versions with limited production numbers. The Danbury figure, however, is can easily be purchased for around $70. The following information pertains to the bust, quoted from it's recent description on ebay:
This bust is from a limited edition (1,000) series of bronzite statues created by Brad Lorang. The statuette measures approximately 7 1/2" tall including the 3 1/2" square base with a numbered name-plate and a Certificate of Authenticty on the bottom of the base.
This 24kt gold card was made by the Danbury Mint, nicely encapsulated and depicts the career highlites of the greatest back ever...
Here's a 1980 Topps oversized boxtopper card...oversized cards were inserted when dealers/collectors purchased trading cards by the box, and not the pack...
Below is one of my shelves that I enjoy looking at, even though it's somewhat cluttered...just little trinkets about Walter....there's an Old Style Beer can, a drinking glass showing Payton's NFL record and piece of Soldier Field artificial turf that was given away by Shell in 1988...there are the figyrines and collector plates by Sports Impressions....that circular disk is a 1976 Crane Potato chip card (Payton's Rookie year), the Winning in Life video, matchbook cover from his restaurant...and the letter caches with postmarks - the one visible is a 1987 postmark when Payton broke Jim Brown's rushing record....just a cool little shelf..
In 2003 McFarlane made a 2 pack with Brett Favre and Urlacher and a 12 inch figure hit the market in 2004. There was also a 3 inch figure in 2004 and the regular Series 9 issue. Series 9 had another Variant figure wearing all blue. Needless to say, I own all of these issues.
