Bears Honor Walter Payton
By Benjy Lipsman in Miscellaneous on Nov 2, 2009 5:00PM
It's hard to believe more than 20 years have gone by since Sweetness last played for the Bears, and that a decade has passed since Walter Payton's untimely death due to a rare liver disease at age 45. On the ten year anniversary of his passing, the Bears held a halftime tribute to Sweetness at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon. With his widow Connie, children Jarrett and Brittney and his mother Alyne in attendance the team showed a video tribute to Payton of his highlights on the field and his legacy off the field, as one of the greatest players to wear a Bears uniform and one of the greatest men to play in the NFL. The team also honored Payton by emblazoning both 34 yard-lines with Payton's #34 jersey number.
Payton donned #34 for the Bears from 1975 until 1987, rewriting the NFL record books over the course of his career. In 1977, he set an NFL record for rushing yards in a single game, accumulating 275 yards against the Minnesota Vikings. By the time he'd retired, he had carried the ball 3,838 times for 16,726 yards and 110 touchdowns -- all records at the time. He also caught 492 passes for 4,538 yards and 15 more touchdowns. A runner who never gave up, going through defenders or up-and-over them, he personified toughness and was a key member of the great Bears teams in the mid-80's, including the team that won Super Bowl XX.
Said Brittney Payton, "After he is gone, to me this is when I realize what a true legend he was and how much people did really love him. It's a sad day, but it's an awesome day to know that we're here with everyone around him who loved him. And they want to celebrate just as much as we do."