Walter Payton

Walter Jerry Payton , born on July 25th, 1954 with Columbia (the Mississippi) and deceased on November 1st, 1999 with South Barrington (Illinois), was a player of American football evolving/moving at the station of Running back and having carried out the integrality of its career to the Chicago Bears. He is regarded as one of the best players of all times at his station.

Career

University career

At its exit of Jefferson High School, Payton was already recognized like one of the best hopes of the country. It integrated the university of Jackson State where it establishes during its course a new record for NCAA on the level of the number of touchdowns registered with the race (65). However, in spite of its results and its astonishing agility and capacity with feinter the unfavourable defenders, it does not finish in 1975 qu ' in the fourth place in the vote for the Heisman Trophy.

Professional path

Holder of a diploma in communication, Payton presented himself to the draft organized by the National Football League in 1975. As for the vote of Heisman Trophy, it was selected in fourth position by the Chicago Bears. Its first season was relatively disappointing since it covered only 679 Yard S with the race, marking 7 all the same Touchdown S. One did not have however not to wait a long time to witness a reaction of its share. As of its second season, it crosses the bar of the 1 000 yards with the race, adding to this performance 13 touchdowns.

The season of the personal dedication was the following one, the season 1977, during which it will coura for more 1 800 yards and marked 16 touchdowns. This remarkable season was worth the honor to him to be elected Most Valuable Player of the NFL. However, success was not complete because on the collective level, Bears had been described as accuracy for the playoffs, loser besides very largely with the first turn against the future champions, the Dallas Cowboys.

The change intervened a few years later with the nomination of Mike Dikta at the post of trainer as a chief of Bears in 1982. Bears, which had been qualified for the playoffs only twice since the arrival of Payton, then became one of the best teams of the NFL, with a Walter Payton always so regular in the course of the years. This last will benefit from it besides to beat, in 1984, the mythical record of Jim Brown concerning the full number yards gained with the race on a career.

It continued on its impetus at the time of the season 1985 by adding up more 1 500 yards on the ground but especially by leading its team to a remarkable assessment of fifteen victories for only one defeat, is by far the best assessment of a team this season. Bears confirmed their superiority at the time of the playoffs, punctuating those by a broad victory at the time of the Super Bowl XX against the New England Patriots (46 points with 10). But Payton did not shine at the time of this match, Patriots having focused their defensive attention on him. There does not remain about it less one of the large craftsmen of the victory of Chicago in 1985.

Not lowering a mode, Walter Payton piled up 1 333 yards at the time of the season 1986. It thus led its team to a second consecutive season as a better team of the league, with equality with the New York Giants (fourteen victories for two defeats). But, unlike them Giants which were going to gain the Super Bowl, Bears collapsed at the time of their first match of playoff against the Miami Dolphins.

Used by tiredness, Payton announced with starts season 1987 that this one would be its last carried out with the more high level. On the personal level, it shared the role of running back with the Rookie Neal Anderson, chosen by Bears like its successor. Bears still carried out a beautiful season (eleven victories for four defeats) but lost once again at the time of their first match of playoff against the Washington Redskins which were going later to gain the Super Bowl. Walter Payton thus withdrew himself at the conclusion of match.

On the whole, on the whole of his career, Walter Payton ran for 16 726 yards and marked 110 touchdowns. To pay homage to him, Bears withdrew its famous number 34 which could not thus any more be carried by a player of Chicago. The league then also paid to him homage by establishing it to the Pro Football Hall off Famed since 1993, which constitutes one of the fastest accessions of the history. In the famous classification of the 100 best players of the history appeared in 1999 in The Sporting News , Payton appears in convincing an eighth position.

In February 1999, Walter Payton announced to have a serious lesion with the liver which degenerated into cancer. On standby of a transplantation of body, it declined an offer enabling him to pass at the head from the waiting lists. It dies out on November 1st, 1999 of the complications of its disease.

Prize list

MVP of the NFL in 1977 Victorious
of the Super Bowl in 1985 with Bears
Selected nine times at the Pro Bowl: 1976-1980, 1983-1986

External bond

Statistiques on Pro football refers

Simple: Walter Payton

Random links: