Walter Payton

Do you know who Walter Payton was?  If you do, good.  But if you don't, you have a lot of learning to do. Walter Payton was a famous NFL player and Pro Football Hall of Famer. His nickname was "Sweetness". He was a running back for the Chicago Bears for thirteen seasons (from 1975 to 1987). He made his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame by holding the NFL rushing record with 16,726 yards and the single game rushing record of 275 yards. He also won the MVP (most valuable player) award twice.

Walter Payton was from Columbia, Mississippi. He was born on July 25, 1954. Walter was 5'10 and weighed only 202 pounds. He was fast and strong, but above all things he had amazing balance, and instinct for staying on his feet and driving forward. His motto was "Never die easy" which meant that he refused to deliberately run out-of-bounds and always delivered some punishment to his tacklers.

Some more of his accomplishments were founding the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation that helps underprivileged children. The foundation was dedicated to the emotional healing of neglected, abused, and underprivileged children. Also he had two schools named after him:  Walter Payton High school and The Walter Payton Elementary School. The city of Chicago created a special city sticker in his honor. He had a golf course in Arlington Heights Illinois named after him (Payton's Hill). That's only half of it!

A sad time in Payton's life occurred in February of 1999. He was diagnosed with a rare liver disease that changed his life forever. He spent his final months as an advocate for organ transplants and wanted others to donate organs but it was already too late for a transplant. Walter died on November 1, 1999. The week of his death the NFL had special ceremonies in his honor. A lot of people were devastated because of his death. He was only 45 years old.

I think Walter Payton was very brave because he fought his disease for a while but then it won. I also think he was caring for others because he and his wife made the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation to help children. I feel like Walter Payton was a hero because he helped a lot of people when he needed to help himself. I think more people should know about Walter Payton because of all his accomplishments. Remember Walter Payton's quote "Never die easy".