36 Facts About Walter Payton Award

1. Walter Payton Award was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, and in 1994 he was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.

2. Walter Payton Award was named to the first of nine career Pro Bowls in his second season, and in 1977 he won the league's Most Valuable Player award after leading the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns (14).

3. Walter Payton Award was survived by his wife, Connie, and their two children.

4. Walter Payton Award refused to use his celebrity to move himself up on the transplant waiting list of more than 12,000 people.

5. Walter Payton Award learned to face challenges both on and off the gridiron with every resource he had.

6. Walter Payton Award began his philanthropic work, to which he devoted the same all-out energy as he did to football, establishing the Walter Payton Foundation to provide funding for educating abused children.

7. Walter Payton Award was known for his small, understated kindnesses, and quickly became popular with the entire Bears organization, but he was known for his brash pranks.

8. Walter Payton Award had the flu for his first game in the NFL, but he burst through the opposing line for twenty-nine yards on one of his carries.

9. Walter Payton Award was one of three children born to Peter Payton, a factory worker, and Alyne.

10. On July 31, 1993, Walter Payton Award was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame.

11. Walter Payton Award ended the 1977 season with 1,852 yards rushing, leading the NFL in yards gained and carries.

12. Walter Payton Award capped his college career by becoming the National Collegiate Athletic Association all-time leading scorer with 464 points.

13. Walter Payton Award was 33-years old, and the Bears had started to split his playing time with talented newcomer Neal Anderson.

14. Walter Payton Award had his Super Bowl ring, but he seemed unhappy and moody in the locker room.

15. Walter Payton Award ended the season with 1,852 yards rushing, leading the NFL in yards gained and carries.

16. Walter Payton Award went on to earn nine Pro Bowl selections, his efforts annually propelling the Bears into playoff contention.

17. Walter Payton Award died on November 1, 1999 in Barrington, Illinois at the age of 45.

18. Walter Payton Award was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

19. In 1988, Walter Payton Award joined the board of directors of the Chicago Bears.

20. Walter Payton Award Incorporated dealt in various businesses including real estate, travel, and nursing homes.

21. In 1977, Walter Payton Award led the NFL with the most yards rushed in a single game, with 275 yards against the Minnesota Vikings.

22. Walter Payton Award was a serious student, who belied the prevailing stereotype that athletes were of low intelligence.

23. Walter Payton Award graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications at the age of 20, after only three-and-one-half years of school.

24. Walter Payton Award led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns in the 1977 NFL season.

25. Walter Payton Award was the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards and all-purpose yards prior to the 2002 NFL season, when Emmitt Smith broke his record.

26. On November 1, 1999, Walter Payton Award died from the complications that arose from his illness.

27. Walter Payton Award was inducted as a laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln by the governor of Illinois in 1987 in the area of sports.

28. Walter Payton Award attributed this motto to Bob Hill, his coach at Jackson State.

29. Walter Payton Award performed with his teammates in the widely released 1985 music video The Super Bowl Shuffle.

30. In 1985, Walter Payton Award rushed for more than 1,500 yards, helping the Bears establish the league's second-best offense with the emergence of quarterback Jim McMahon.

31. On September 19, 1984, Walter Payton Award passed Franco Harris as the active leader in career rushing yards.

32. Walter Payton Award continued his success by rushing for more than 1,400 yards in both seasons.

33. Walter Payton Award finished the season with only 679 yards and seven touchdowns.

34. Walter Payton Award was one of three children born to Peter and Alyne Payton in Columbia, Mississippi.

35. Walter Payton Award began his football career in Mississippi, and went on to have an outstanding collegiate football career at Jackson State University where he was an All-American.

36. Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors.