33 Facts About Walter Payton Man of the Year

1. Walter Payton Man of the Year was survived by his wife, Connie, and their two children.

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

3. Walter Payton Man of the Year learned to face challenges both on and off the gridiron with every resource he had.

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

5. Walter Payton Man of the Year 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.

6. Walter Payton Man of the Year told the press that he needed a liver transplant in order to save his life.

7. On July 31, 1993, Walter Payton Man of the Year was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame.

8. Walter Payton Man of the Year ended the 1977 season with 1,852 yards rushing, leading the NFL in yards gained and carries.

9. Walter Payton Man of the Year capped his college career by becoming the National Collegiate Athletic Association all-time leading scorer with 464 points.

10. Walter Payton Man of the Year had his Super Bowl ring, but he seemed unhappy and moody in the locker room.

11. Walter Payton Man of the Year ended the season with 1,852 yards rushing, leading the NFL in yards gained and carries.

12. In 1982, Walter Payton Man of the Year had only 596 yards and one touchdown and played only nine games because of the players strike.

13. Walter Payton Man of the Year was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

14. Walter Payton Man of the Year continued to shine where he received not one but nine Pro Bowl selections.

15. Walter Payton Man of the Year died on November 1, 1999 in Barrington, Illinois at the age of 45.

16. Walter Payton Man of the Year was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

17. In 1988, Walter Payton Man of the Year joined the board of directors of the Chicago Bears.

18. Walter Payton Man of the Year Incorporated dealt in various businesses including real estate, travel, and nursing homes.

19. In 1977, Walter Payton Man of the Year led the NFL with the most yards rushed in a single game, with 275 yards against the Minnesota Vikings.

20. Walter Payton Man of the Year was a serious student, who belied the prevailing stereotype that athletes were of low intelligence.

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

22. Walter Payton Man of the Year went on to earn nine Pro Bowl selections, his efforts annually propelling the Bears into playoff contention.

23. Walter Payton Man of the Year led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns in the 1977 NFL season.

24. Walter Payton Man of the Year 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.

25. On November 1, 1999, Walter Payton Man of the Year died from the complications that arose from his illness.

26. Walter Payton Man of the Year attributed this motto to Bob Hill, his coach at Jackson State.

27. Over his entire career, Walter Payton Man of the Year rushed for 16,726 yards, which broke the record for most rushing yards by any NFL player in history, and scored 110 touchdowns.

28. Walter Payton Man of the Year performed with his teammates in the widely released 1985 music video The Super Bowl Shuffle.

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

30. On September 19, 1984, Walter Payton Man of the Year passed Franco Harris as the active leader in career rushing yards.

31. Walter Payton Man of the Year continued his success by rushing for more than 1,400 yards in both seasons.

32. Walter Payton Man of the Year finished the season with only 679 yards and seven touchdowns.

33. Walter Payton Man of the Year 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.