Walter Payton’s Hall of Fame-worthy career set an example for every NFL player to come after him. Even though Payton passed nearly a decade ago, Bears fans remember him to this day as if he had only retired last week. Sportscasters still measure new players against Payton, an intimidating standard to be sure.

Payton was born in Columbia, MS in 1954 and came to the game relatively late in life for an NFL player. It was not until high school that he discovered his talent for and love of the game. He continued to play in college at Jackson State in Mississippi.

Payton was fourth in contention for the Heisman Trophy in 1975, the year that saw him becoming Chicago’s fourth draft pick. Walter Payton got off to a slow start his first season, with a mere 7 touchdowns and 679 yards, but gave the world a taste of what would come later in his final game of the season. This game saw the Bears facing off against the New Orleans Saints; Payton made a 134 yard run, something which had not been seen in Chicago since the Gale Sayers era.

His second year as a Bear saw him with 13 touchdowns and 1,000 yards, a performance which won him the NFL’s 1977 MVP title. The Bears went to the playoffs this year and Payton ran an impressive 274 yards in a single game, a record which stood for 23 years.

Known affectionately as “sweetness” Payton was a favorite with fans and teammates alike for his personality and his impressive record n the gridiron. IN his 13 year NFL career, Payton racked up an astounding 16,726 yards, 110 touchdowns and 77 100-yard rushing games.

Payton made it look easy, with 1,000 yards dashed in each season between 1976 and 1981. Payton played in every Pro Bowl from 1979 until his retirement. His rushing record has been broken since, but is record may still stand today were it not for NFL strikes which cut short the 1975 and 197 seasons.

With the addition of coach Mike Ditka to the team, Payton saw a new batch of players arrive and the Bears were better than ever. Payton lead a division-leading Chicago Bears and broke Jim Brown’s record for yardage in 1984; ever the gentleman, Payton dedicated this feat to athletes whose careers had ended early due to injuries or illness.

Everyone remembers the “Super Bowl Shuffle” of 1986, still heard from time to time in Chicago. This was the year that the Bears made their very first appearance in the Super Bowl and they did not disappoint the fans, despite Payton’s failure to make a touchdown in the game. The Bears triumphed over the New England Patriots 46-10.

The following year, Payton’s retirement was marked with a huge send off at the Bears home field, Soldier Field in Chicago. After his retirement from the game, he stayed active, sitting on the team’s board of directors, beginning a CART racing team and even opening a restaurant. He was name dot the NFL Hall of Fame in 1996, a fitting cap on an extraordinary career.

Payton stunned the world in 1999 with his announcement that he had been diagnosed with the rare autoimmune disease Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. Payton was placed on an organ transplant waiting list (it wasn’t his style to use his fame to receive treatment before those even sicker than himself). Tragically, he would pass away in November of that year.

The number 34; Payton’s is one which instantly brings a smile to the face of any Bears fan. The foundation started by Payton’s wife Connie is yet another of his legacies, urging the people of Illinois to become organ donors. To this day, people in Chicago feel that they lost something truly special when they lost this remarkable man.