NFL · Hall of Fame
Walter Payton
Walter Jerry Payton
Super Bowl XX champion. 1977 NFL MVP. The NFL's all-time rushing leader at his 1987 retirement. 'Sweetness.'
Position
Running Back
Size
5'10" · 200 lb
Born
Jul 25, 1954 · Columbia, Mississippi
Died
Nov 1, 1999
Drafted
1975 · pick 4
16,726
Rushing Yards
110
Rushing Tds
492
Receptions
4,538
Receiving Yards
21,803
All Purpose Yards
Walter Payton spent his entire 13-year NFL career with the Chicago Bears after being drafted 4th overall in 1975 out of HBCU Jackson State. Nicknamed Sweetness for his running style, he won Super Bowl XX in January 1986, was named 1977 NFL MVP, and retired in 1987 as the league's all-time rushing leader (16,726 yards) — a record that held until Emmitt Smith broke it in 2002. The NFL renamed its annual Man of the Year community-service award after Payton following his death from a rare bile duct cancer in November 1999 at age 45.
Career
Honors & Awards
Super Bowl XX Champion (1985 season)
1977 NFL MVP
9× Pro Bowl
5× All-Pro First Team
1985 Walter Payton Man of the Year (renamed in his honor 1999)
Pro Football Hall of Fame (1993, first ballot)
NFL 75th, 100th Anniversary Teams
All-time NFL rushing leader at retirement (passed 1984 by his then-record 12,400)
See also all Hall of Fame stories · all players · player stock market.