Walter Payton
Teams
Chicago Bears (1975-1987)
Playoffs
Appearances - 6 (1977,1979,1984,1985,1986,1987)
Conf Champ Games - 2 (1984,1985)
Super Bowls - 1 (1985)
Championships - 1 (1985)
Awards and Honors
MVP - 1 (1977)
Offensive Player of the Year - 1 (1977)
All-Pro First Team - 5 (1976,1977,1980,1984,1985)
All-Pro Second Team - 3 (1978,1979,1986)
Pro Bowl - 9 (1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1983,1984,1985,1986)
Hall of Fame - 1993
All-Time Ranks
Rushing Yards - #2
Scrimmage Yards - #3
Rushing Touchdowns - #5
Rushing Yards per Game - #5
Total Touchdowns - #12
Yards per Rush - #64
League Leads
Rushing Yards (#1-1977, #2-1976,1978,1979,1980,1984, #3-1985, #4-1983, #5-1986, #8-1981, #10-1982)
Rushing Touchdowns (#1-1977, #2-1976,1979, #3-1978, #7-1984, #8-1985, #10-1986)
Yards per Rush (#1-1977, #7-1980, #8-1985, #10-1976,1984)
Rushing Yards per Game (#1-1977, #2-1976,1978,1979,1980,1984, #3-1985, #5-1986, #6-1983, #8-1981)
Total Touchdowns (#1-1977, #2-1979, #3-1976, #5-1978, #9-1985,1986, #10-1984)
Scrimmage Yards (#1-1977,1978, #2-1979, #3-1980,1983,1984,1985, #4-1976, #5-1986, #9-1981,1982)
Yards per Touch (#4-1977)
After rushing for 1029 yards and 19 touchdowns during his senior season at Jackson State, Walter Payton was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the #4 overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft.
Payton rushed for only 679 yards as a rookie, but that would be one of the few seasons where he wasn't one of the best backs in the league. He gained 1390 yards on the ground in 1976 and scored 13 touchdowns, earning a spot on the All-Pro First Team in just his second season, but that was just a preview for what would happen the next year.
In 1977, Payton left no doubt that he was the best running back in the NFL. He led the league in carries (339), rushing yards (1852), rushing touchdowns (14), yards per carry (5.5), yards per game (132.3), scrimmage yards (2121), and total touchdowns (16). He broke OJ Simpson's record for most yards in a game, with 275, and that record stood for 23 years. He was easily named both the Offensive Player of the Year and the league MVP after one of the best seasons by any player in history.
He never got close to that level again, but he remained a very good running back for a long time after. He led the league in scrimmage yards again in 1978, gaining 1875, but had only 1395 rushing. He gained 1610 yards in 1979, the third time that he finished as runner-up in rushing yards.
He continued to pick up a lot of rushing yards on bad teams, but the Bears finally turned around in 1984. Payton rushed for 1684 yards that year, the second-highest total of his career, and the Bears reached the NFC Championship Game for the first time in his career. He also passed Jim Brown for #1 in all-time rushing yards that year, a mark he held until 2002.
The next season, the Bears were historically great. Payton was very good as well, rushing for 1551 yards and 9 touchdowns, and the team lost only once all season. They went all the way to the Super Bowl, not giving up a single point in the NFC playoffs, then beat the Patriots 46-10 in the Super Bowl, with Payton rushing for 61 yards in the win.
He played 2 more seasons with the Bears before retiring after the 1987 season, and when he left, he was the all-time leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, both of which have been surpassed now. Though he only led the league in rushing yards once, he was runner-up 5 times, and he never missed time due to injury in his career. He was definitely one of the greatest running backs of all time.
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