Gale Sayers
Teams
Chicago Bears (1965-1971)
Playoffs
Appearances - 0
Conf Champ Games - 0
Champ Games - 0
Championships - 0
Awards and Honors
Rookie of the Year - 1965
All-Pro First Team - 5 (1965,1966,1967,1968,1969)
Pro Bowl - 4 (1965,1966,1967,1969)
Hall of Fame - 1977
All-Time Ranks
Yards per Rush - #10
Rushing Yards per Game - #33
Yards per Touch - #90
League Leads
Rushing Yards (#1-1966,1969, #2-1965, #3-1967, #5-1968)
Rushing Touchdowns (#2-1965,1966, #3-1969, #4-1967)
Yards per Rush (#1-1968, #2-1966, #3-1965, #4-1967, #6-1969)
Rushing Yards per Game (#1-1966,1968,1969, #3-1965,1967)
Total Touchdowns (#1-1965, #3-1967, #5-1966)
Scrimmage Yards (#1-1966, #3-1965, #4-1969)
Yards per Touch (#1-1968, #2-1965, #3-1966)
After averaging 6.5 yards per carry through his college career at Kansas, Gale Sayers was drafted by the Bears #4 overall in the 1965 NFL Draft, and by the Chiefs #5 overall in the 1965 AFL Draft, and he decided to join the Bears.
Sayers ran away with the Rookie of the Year award, gaining 867 yards on the ground, 507 through the air, and 898 on kick and punt returns while setting a league record with 22 total touchdowns: 14 rushing, 6 receiving, 1 on a punt return, and 1 on a kick return. He also tied the single-game record with 6 touchdowns in a game against San Francisco that year.
In his second season, he led the league in rushing yards with 1231 and scrimmage yards with 1678, and also led the league in yards per kick return, earning a spot on the All-Pro First Team for the second straight year. His production dropped off a bit in his third season, as he began to share the backfield, but he still made the All-Pro First Team.
In 1968, he was back to leading the backfield, and he was #1 in the league with 856 yards through 9 games, when he suffered a major injury to his right knee, tearing both the ACL and MCL and damaging cartilage. He still led the league in yards per carry and yards per touch, but missed the final 5 games of the season.
He made it back in time for the beginning of the 1969 season, and he got better as the season went on, ending up with his second rushing title, gaining 1032 yards on the ground and leading the league in carries for the first time. For the 5th season in a row, he finished in the top 5 in MVP voting, despite the Bears missing the playoffs a 5 times.
He injured his left knee in the 1970 preseason, but still attempted to play through it, but only lasted 2 games before injuring the knee worse, which caused him to miss the rest of the season. He missed the first 3 games of the 1971 season as he worked his way back from that injury, then played 2 games before injuring his ankle, which ended his season again. He planned to come back in 1972, but instead retired after struggling in the preseason.
Sayers may have been the most talented back to ever carry a football, but injuries ended 3 of his 7 seasons early, and forced him to retire at age 29. He was voted to the All-Pro First team in all 5 of his full or nearly-full seasons, led the league in rushing yards twice, yards per carry once, scrimmage yards once, and total touchdowns once, while also being one of the best return men in the league. He didn't play for long, but he was undoubtedly one of the best to ever play the game.
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