Candidate #8: Walter Payton
Running Back >>> 5-10, 200
(Jackson State)
1975-1987 Chicago Bears
Walter Jerry Payton . . .First-round pick, 1975 draft. . . Quickly established himself as super star. . .Retired as all-time leader in rushing, combined net yards. . . Career stats: 16,726 yards, 110 TDs rushing; 492 receptions for 4,538 yards; 21,803 combined net yards, 125 touchdowns. . .All-Pro seven times. . .Played in nine Pro Bowls. . . Held single-game rushing record of 275 yards. . . Had 77 games over 100 yards rushing. . .Born July 25, 1954, in Columbia, Mississippi. . . Died November 1, 1999, at age of 45.
Walter Payton, the Chicago Bears' first-round choice and the fourth player selected in the 1975 National Football League Draft, developed into a superstar of unusual dimensions during his 13-season NFL tenure from 1975 to 1987, all of which he spent with the Chicago Bears.
The 5-10, 200-pound running back who rushed for 3,563 yards in four seasons at Jackson State went on to dominate the rushing section of the NFL record book during and long after his career ended.
The records he held at the time of his retirement included 16,726 total yards, 10 seasons with 1,000 or more yards rushing, 275 yards rushing in one game against Minnesota (1977), 77 games with more than 100 yards rushing, and 110 rushing touchdowns. Payton had 4,368 combined net attempts and accounted for 21,803 combined net yards. He also scored an impressive 750 points on 125 touchdowns.
Payton won the NFC rushing title five straight years from 1976 to 1980. He also led the NFC with 96 points in 1977 and won the NFL kickoff return championship in his rookie 1975 campaign. He was named both All-Pro and All-NFC seven times and played in nine Pro Bowl games. Payton was selected as the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1977 and 1985, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 1977 and 1985 and the NFC Most Valuable Player in 1977.
An amazing runner, Walter rushed for more than 1,000 yards 10 of his 13 seasons. His best season came in 1977, when he ran for 1,852 yards, third best in history at that time. Payton's 492 career pass receptions for 4,538 yards and 15 touchdowns contributed to his exceptional combined net yard totals.
Extremely durable, Payton missed one game in his rookie campaign and then played in 186 consecutive games.
Code:
| Rushing | Receiving |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| Year TM | G | Att Yards Y/A TD | Rec Yards Y/R TD |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| 1975 chi | 13 | 196 679 3.5 7 | 33 213 6.5 0 |
| 1976 chi | 14 | 311 1390 4.5 13 | 15 149 9.9 0 |
| 1977 chi | 14 | 339 1852 5.5 14 | 27 269 10.0 2 |
| 1978 chi | 16 | 333 1395 4.2 11 | 50 480 9.6 0 |
| 1979 chi | 16 | 369 1610 4.4 14 | 31 313 10.1 2 |
| 1980 chi | 16 | 317 1460 4.6 6 | 46 367 8.0 1 |
| 1981 chi | 16 | 339 1222 3.6 6 | 41 379 9.2 2 |
| 1982 chi | 9 | 148 596 4.0 1 | 32 311 9.7 0 |
| 1983 chi | 16 | 314 1421 4.5 6 | 53 607 11.5 2 |
| 1984 chi | 16 | 381 1684 4.4 11 | 45 368 8.2 0 |
| 1985 chi | 16 | 324 1551 4.8 9 | 49 483 9.9 2 |
| 1986 chi | 16 | 321 1333 4.2 8 | 37 382 10.3 3 |
| 1987 chi | 12 | 146 533 3.7 4 | 33 217 6.6 1 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| TOTAL | 190 | 3838 16726 4.4 110 | 492 4538 9.2 15 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
Seasons among the league's top 10
Rushes: 1976-1, 1977-1, 1978-1, 1979-1, 1980-2, 1981-4, 1982-10, 1983-6, 1984-2, 1985-4, 1986-4
Rushing yards: 1976-2, 1977-1, 1978-2, 1979-2, 1980-2, 1981-8, 1982-10, 1983-4, 1984-2, 1985-3, 1986-5
Rushing TDs: 1976-2t, 1977-1, 1978-3t, 1979-2t, 1984-7, 1985-8t, 1986-10t
Yards from scrimmage: 1976-4, 1977-1, 1978-1, 1979-2, 1980-3, 1981-9, 1982-9, 1983-3, 1984-3, 1985-3, 1986-5
Rush/Receive TDs: 1976-3, 1977-1, 1978-5t, 1979-2, 1984-10t, 1985-9t, 1986-9t
Among the league's all-time top 50
Rushes: 2
Rushing yards: 2
Rushing TDs: 3
Yards from scrimmage: 3
Rush/Receive TDs: 7
Postseason data
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Year Opp Result | RSH YD TD | REC YD TD
---------------------+-----------------+-----------------
1977 dal L,7-37 | 19 60 0 | 3 33 0
1979 phi L,17-27 | 16 67 2 | 3 52 0
1984 was W,23-19 | 24 104 0 | 1 12 0
1984 sfo L,0-23 | 22 92 0 | 3 11 0
1985 nyg W,21-0 | 27 93 0 | 1 4 0
1985 ram W,24-0 | 18 32 0 | 7 48 0
*1985 nwe W,46-10 | 22 61 0 | 0 0 0
1986 was L,13-27 | 14 38 0 | 1 -2 0
1987 was L,17-21 | 18 85 0 | 3 20 0
---------------------+-----------------+-----------------
TOTAL | 180 632 2 | 22 178 0
* - Super Bowl