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Walter Payton: 1954-1999
by Benjamin Trecroci
Sports Editor
The space that this column will take up does not justify the legacy that Walter Payton left behind in the minds of football fans and most notably, Chicago Bears fans.
If it were up to me, this entire edition of the Chronicle would be a dedication to Payton. From his achievements on the field to his uncanny attitude off the field to the dignity he showed near the end of his life, Walter Payton was truly an icon.
Before Michael Jordan ruled the basketball court and was the popularity vote of Chicago, Payton was Chicago. In the same fashion that #23 (Jordan) became the number of choice for every pickup game between kids, #34 (Payton) was the number everyone wanted. From his familiar leap over defenders to the high-stepping glide in which he scored one hundred ten touchdowns, Payton brought grace and style to the football field.
When Payton broke in with the Bears in 1975, they were a struggling franchise trying to establish a name for themselves. After finishing with 4-10 and 7-7 records in their first two seasons with Payton, the Bears finished the 1977 season with a 9-5 record and a trip to the playoffs losing to the Dallas Cowboys, who evenetually won the Super Bowl. The 1977 season was Payton’s best overall season racking up 1,852 yards including the all-time single game record of 275 yards on 40 carries against the Minnesota Vikings.
Over the next eight seasons, (excluding the ‘82 strike-shortened season) Payton would rack up nearly 10,000 yards and shape the Bears as a legitimate Super Bowl contender under the coaching of “Iron” Mike Ditka.
After the 1984 season that saw Payton amass 1,684 yards and ended with the Bears losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the 1984 NFC Championship, the Bears’ made 1985, their year.
No matter what people say, Chicago has always been a Bears town and in 1985, the Bears and Payton were everywhere from the infamous “Super Bowl Shuffle” rap that was the hit of the air waves (even made an appearance on Soul Train), to commercials endorsing everything from Cadillacs to Popeye’s Chicken.
On their way to the Super Bowl, the Bears dominated the league, finishing with a 15-1 record. Once in the playoffs, Payton rushed for 125 yards in the two games during their unprecedented rampage through the playoffs, shutting out both the New York Giants and the then Los Angeles Rams.
Super Bowl XX in which the Bears defeated the upstart New England Patriots 46-10, turned into disappointment for Payton. In the fourth quarter with Bears up by 26 points, William “The Refrigerator” Perry was put in on the one-yard line to score a mock touchdown. Payton was openly disappointed by not scoring a touchdown in the only Super Bowl he would see as a professional.
Payton would play another two years before retiring after the 1987 season, which would end Payton’s career on a sour note with a disappointing first round loss to the Washington Redskins.
The picture of Payton crying with his head in his hands sitting on the bench during the waning seconds of the game knowing that his career was over was a perfect example of the dedication that Payton gave on and off the field.
Chicago takes its sports seriously and before Jordan was the talk of the town, it was Payton’s town. More heroes will come along, but nobody will have the legacy that Payton left behind.
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