Not one of the greats, the greatest RB to ever play the game. Longevity, moves, sheer power, and most of his career was behind a very weak offensive line; Payton defines the position.
@@kiwikicker9263 One thing they barely touched upon was how Walter trained. He would run up, then down a hill that was nearly 60 degrees of slope. Over and over. This gave him incredible strength in his legs and very quick feet. Add to that his ability to stutter-stop and run on, as well as to fake out defensive players as to which way he was going to run, and his ability to run so fast, made him THE outstanding player of his time. speaking Frank-ly
Tell me one area that he didn't dominate. Person. Personality. Running back. To me he's the G.O.A.T because when the shit hit the fan with his illness, he prayed for his detractors. He ran like a gazelle, hit like a combination bull/freight train, and always kept a good attitude. Just not seeing a downside. Well all have them, I know but Sweetness was something to model and aspire to thats why he's G.O.A.T in my opinion.
@@bobbart6498 They won the game because the Packers blew a field goal in the last seconds. Longwell, who rarely missed had it blocked. Stinker of a game.
Not only the greatest running back, he was the greatest "football" player of all time. There's nothing on the field he couldn't do, and do well. He could run for power or elusiveness, block, tackle, pass, receive, punt, kick field goals, kick off, return kicks, and even long snap. He never ran out of bounds, always the first up out of the pile, often with a frustrating (to the opposition) back flip, he delivered the hit, and missed only one game, a game early in his career, that he could have played in had he known it would be important. He even answered phones and sold tickets at Halas Hall, was on the teams Board of Directors, he'd sign a blank contract, and the team filled in the amount later. I remember his press conference after being drafted. I was in the kitchen listening to the tv. When he said, in a shy high pitched voice, "I'm gonna make Chicago forget Gale Sayers." I left the kitchen to see the face of a guy that would dare to speak such blasphemy. 2 or 3 years later, I had to concede, he was right. He was the Best There Ever Was.
As a Chicagoan, I've been blessed to watch the careers of Walter Payton, Michael Jordan, and Frank Thomas (who, for his first 10 yrs. put up numbers only Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig achieved).
Sorry, but Walter Payton isn't even the greatest RB ever. Barry>Anyone. However, I don't think any list a sane human could put together would have him lower than... 3rd? Maybe Jim Brown 2nd...
Watched a lot of Walter while he was playing. Never saw him go out of bounds to avoid a hit. Ever. He would just lower his shoulder and punish the tackler.
I had the privilege of meeting Mr Payton during his racing career, yes he drove race cars too, this was right after he was inducted into the HOF. Such a nice guy, I was in awe, here was the best, and he was talking to me. Rest in Power Mr Payton.
Growing up near Chicago in the mid-80s, he was a huge deal. At 5 years old, I became a fan of the game from watching the '85 Bears play. When I wasn't playing Mario, I was playing football in the back yard with my older brothers, getting my ass handed to me. We didn't hold back and only padding we had was the snow on the ground. Don't really follow the game anymore, but lifelong Bears fan. RIP Walter.
if you lived in Chicago those years Walter was your family. that's how it felt. he was our brother. we all lost our brother too soon. he took care of a lot of people but he like all of us had demons too. RIP to the goat
No worries at all Panther. WOW, you certainly had a great legend & champion in your family! Just glad he got inducted into the Hall of Fame while he was still alive.
My favorite football player of all time and I wasn't even a Bears fan. He never gave up on a play and was a fantastic blocker. His only "weakness" was that he lacked that 5th gear. His toughness was unmatched.
This guy is the best football player I have ever seen. Barry Sanders was better at running with the football, but overall, Payton was the best football player, any position, I have ever had the honor to watch play. If you ever want to see a very tough man cry, look for interviews with Mike Ditka talking about Payton.
Barry was the best on turf , nothing like him before or since . Sadly both played on horrible teams . As far as ditka ? He's a piece of shit , for years never said a dam thing about not allowing Payton to score in the super bowl . Finally he admitted it was a terrible mistake , after hearing it for years from the people . Ditcrap was a crap coach as well , look at that team he walked into . The players didn't respect ditka , they laughed at him and his stupid play calls which they did not follow . He hated buddy Ryan the true coach who by the way was the first defensive head coach carried off the field by his team , and no other since . ditka hated that with all his soul More important was for jerk ditka to promote himself selling anything anyone would pay him for He ruined a dynasty , then went to new Orleans and ruined that franchise and was ran.out of town , and since never got one single offer to coach any football at any level , he was an awful human being .
The 80's were the best time in football we were blessed to be able to watch Walter, Barry, Jerry, Steve young, Montana, and the list just goes on and on blessed we were
I'm from Wisconsin and a huge Packer fan, but Walter Payton is my favorite player of all time. I loved watching him run, his cuts, his hits, his blocks, his style and most of all his class. He never ran out of bounds, he lowered the shoulders and hit you back. If you don't like Walter Payton, there is something wrong with you!
In 1980, my Dad acquired 4 season ticketed seats to Niner home games, I grew up watchin Montana to Rice, Ronnie Lott knockin RB's out cold, and even attended Super Bowl XIX at Stanford University where I sat next to the wife of the Niners starting Free Safety, Carlton Williamson...I was and am a NINER fanatic....but my first NFL game was in Oakland, where it was the Raiders vs Chicago, 1979, I was 6yrs old...what I remember most vividly is watchin a dude wearin the #34 white jersey run up and down the field, in a blowout win for the Bears...he was probably the best Rb I've ever seen, better than Barry, better than Bo, and much better than Emmett.....
34 was the most complete football player of all time He took great pride in all aspects of the game. Record breaking runner Receiver Threw passes Incredible blocker Legendary training regiment Very humble This video did not do his athletic abilities justice . Your good to notice his hip movement . Though he wasn't a massive back , his legs were disproportionately large for his 5'9 205 pound frame. Hips to toes were on a swivel . He made you miss regularly , when it was clear he would be tackled he delivered punishment . He was the majority of the offense on a bad team his entire career . He only missed one game in 13 years , 110 touchdowns , almost 17 thousand yards . An incredible motivator of others ,he made people around him better . Rip Walter .
Somebody once said that if you can run like Payton, you can carry the ball any way you want. He almost never fumbled the ball. A funny story about him was when the team put their "Super Bowl Shuffle" video together. Someone was interviewing William "Refrigerator" Perry, and said he had heard that Walter was ribbing him about his dance moves. (Payton was one of the best dancers on the team, and Perry was one of the worst.) The interviewer asked if Perry danced as well as Payton, and he said "Nope, and I don't talk like Michael Jackson neither."
It's hard to believe it's going on 20 years since he passed away. I still remember that day vividly. He never even got to see his son play in college or in the NFL.
I had the pleasure to watch this man from start to finish and he was an absolute gentleman throughout....There will NEVER be anything close to Walter Payton, the greatest football player IVE ever seen....!
He was called sweetness for a reason. Everyone fan and players alike loved him and respected him. He played hard and with style and respect for the game and people fans and players. He set the all time single game rushing record.. 275 yards running with the flu. 102 F fever. Jim Brown said the first time he saw him he was in awe. Jim's type of player. He fought for every yard and punished his would be tacklers. Often jumping up immediately leaving his tackler feeling badly. He had a straight arm that would push away tacklers. He wasn't the fastest. But he did everything well. He could catch like a wide receiver. He retired with most yards running and most all purpose yards. Most receptions by none receiver. One of his favorite things was blocking as you saw. Often taking on players weighing 50 or more pounds than he did. He was the 3rd string quarterback and backup kicker. He took a pitch from the quarterback and threw to the same quarterback for a touchdown. He had iron grip. He would carry it one handed often. Considered dangerous by most coaches but Payton rarely fumbled. A high school coach advised him never die easy. He never did. Never ran out of bounds. Many consider him the best player of all time and many including his coach even better human being.
When Walter Payton set the single game rushing record he had the flu. When the defense was in the field, he was on the sideline shivering with fever and throwing up. When he was on the field he was running for more yards than anyone in history at that time.
Unlike today's players , when Walter scored , he set the ball down and hustled back to the team , no showboating . Because it wasn't about him , it was about the team and the game . He was the BEST !
His greatest feat was when he was dying and in need of a liver transplant he finally found a donor liver-and also found out a kid needed the same liver. He gave up his spot on the donor list to make sure the kid got it. He was a great RB but he often gets overlooked for how great of a blocker he was. Many times he saved the QB from getting leveled.
JUST DISCOVERED YOU BROTHER! I'm already a subscriber after watching 4 straight vids! LOVE your channel, cheers! Seattle Seahawks were still a new franchise, but clearly we loved them from jump-street! The Bears, a middling team at the time, came to town. First half of the game was fairly slow. 2nd half, Sweetness CAUGHT FIRE and BLEW THE ROOF OFF THE KINGDOME! How awesome was Walter? We loyal Seahawk fans were standing & cheering for him every time he ripped off ANOTHER great run LOL! I've always considered myself fortunate beyond measure to catch Sweetness at the top of his game! Strong, fast, bone jarring stiff arms, CRAZY change of direction and just flat tougher than any other man out on the field...THAT was SWEETNESS!
I watched some videos you suggested about Jonah Lomu. Man, that guy was a BEAST. His thighs were humongous. I’d hate to have to try and tackle him. I also saw a video of his service where his teammates were doing the Haka. Very emotional. He, like Sweetness, died way too young.
Your comparison to Lomu is well taken. Walter Payton was the best football player ever, not just for his running, his blocking as a back was possibly the best of all time, his ability as a receiver was top-notch and he threw more than a couple passes. The backs that surpassed his yardage record could not match his blocking, catching or passing abilities. He was renowned for running players over, his college coach having taught him that there was no rule that he couldn't hit his tacklers first and harder.
I'm so glad I was fortunate enough to watch Payton and Barry Sanders in their prime. Some of their most impressive runs were only for 3 or 4 yards to turn a sure loss into short gains. They were mesmerizing.
I was a kid in the 80s Payton was sweet to watch. Respect Thanks for posting so more people can experience a bit of what it was like to watch live. 🙏🇺🇲
Thanks for doing this video! My unknown name for Payton was Velociraptor! But back then know one knew what a Velociraptor was so it didn’t catch on. You might want to search for another Bears great, William Refrigerator Perry.
@@kiwikicker9263 yea if you didnt hear the super bowl that he won they had the ball on the 1 yard line and their head coach let William "The Fridge" Perry run it in since he was a really big dude, Walter was very sad he never got the td and coach Ditka said it was his biggest mistake as a head coach
Sadly, a liver transplant became impossible when they found out he had cancer of the bile duct. Nothing could have saved him at that point. A legend with a giant heart. R.I.P. Walter.
Kiwi Kicker first of all, Rip To The Greatest Running Back of all time, Sweetness Walter Payton. Walter played hurt, sick n only missed one game out of his career. He died young at the age of 46 of primary sclerosing cholangitis which is Liver Disease. U can't tell any Running back, like Emmet Smith, Barry Sanders, Eric Dickerson & even Jim Brown will tell U that Walter Payton was admired by all of them n he worked hard on his craft. Career history Chicago Bears (1975-1987) Career highlights and awards Super Bowl champion (XX) NFL Most Valuable Player (1977) NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1977) NFL Man of the Year (1977) 5× First-team All-Pro (1976, 1977, 1980, 1984, 1985) 3× Second-team All-Pro (1978, 1979, 1986) 9× Pro Bowl (1976-1980, 1983-1986) NFL rushing yards leader (1977) NFL rushing touchdowns leader (1977) 4× NFL rushing attempts leader (1976-1979) Bert Bell Award (1985) NFL 1970s All-Decade Team NFL 1980s All-Decade Team NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team Chicago Bears No. 34 retired 100 greatest Bears of All-Time First-team Little All-American (1974) Second-team Little All-American (1973) NFL record Most consecutive starts by a running back: 170 Career NFL statistics Rushing yards: 16,726 Yards per carry: 4.4 Rushing touchdowns: 110 Receptions: 492 Receiving yards: 4,538 Receiving touchdowns: 15 Player stats at NFL.com · PFR Pro Football Hall of Fame College Football Hall of Fame.
I had been going through all your vids, and at long last, the one about my childhood idol, while growing up in Chicago in the '80s. I was born in '81, and the '85 Bears team is what sparked the beginning of a lifelong obsession with football (then all other sports by extention). Particularly, Walter Payton. I dreamt of being Sweetness. Though Bored Productions did a good video, nothing can do Walter Payton justice. In Chicago, Jordan was not higher than Payton, he was just that big. And the '85 Bears with Payton, and Jim McMahon, The Fridge, and their vaunted 4-3 defence (considered by many to be the best of all time)..they became a global phenomenon. If you ever get the chance, find the 30 For 30 episode of the '85 Bears. You wont be disappointed. A major chapter in the NFL. And thanks for all these videos! Its awesome to see your passion and knowledge for the game grow and grow. Oh...and the 50/50 jump ball between the Seahawks and Packers at the end of that night game, any peewee coach will tell their defenders to always just bat the ball out of the endzone, to avoid...well, shit like that from happening. (Note: that had nothing to do with Bears/Packers bias. Just wanted to say 😂)
Just come across this channel just wanted to say, Payton the greatest NFL football player that ever lived!!! If you want to watch a wrecking ball running back check out (Earl Campbell) a top 10 running back of all time this guy was a monster you will love it.
We miss him terribly, still. I'll never forget what Sweetness gave us here around Chicagoland and around the world. They finally erected a statue of him alongside Papa Bear outside the stadium last year.
Greatest football player who ever lived. Not just greatest running back, Greatest football player. The man could do everything better than anyone on the field.
I love Walter. I can't hear his name without getting a bit choked up. He was such an exemplary man as well as an athlete. I love how you know the physical mechanics of running the football.
Sweetness was the greatest , most humble person on earth . He was loved by not only Chicago , but America . He punished tacklers , but all of them respected him .
And that sir is why he is the best, no matter what anybody says, never ran out of bounds could block, throw. Return punts and punish tacklers like nobody else came close to. 43 year bears fan and this made me cry again
I still like Barry better, but Walter is without question the only other back worth mentioning in the same sentence as Sanders. There was just something epic about the way he played. I mean, for one, look at his frame. He does things with that body that just shouldn't be possible. How a small and lean guy like that could be so damn stout especially in that throwback era he played in...now that will forever be a mystery. He fought way above his weight, had excellent athleticism, and just had the heart of a warrior.
Greatest football player I’ve ever seen. Greatest. I’ve only cried a few times in my life. My wedding, my children’s birth, and the day Walter Payton passed.
He's in just about everyone's top 3-4 running backs of all time, imho along with Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, and Gale Sayers. You've probably already received requests to react to those guys and I will second them.
Nice! Yeah, most will disagree with me on Sayers, but he really is criminally underrated. I think it's because he not only played a long time ago, but his career was cut short (only 5 productive years) due to multiple knee injuries, so he doesn't ever get much press. But some of his moves were ahead of their time.
@@darchon5 sayers is definitely one of the goats even with the few years he played did more in those short years then most had in twice the amount of time. Hes a legend along with Payton here in Chicago. Bear down!
I met Walter Payton. People forget he was 5'10, 200lbs. He was not the fastest or the biggest Running Back, but his heart, passion and determination was amazing. He went to a small Historically Black Colleg in Mississippi College. The first 7 seasons of his career on Bears were on AWFUL teams!!! There have been many amazing Running Backs in the NFL, but he was the most unique and incredible. {{{P.S. He used to train on a steep hill near my current house, Arlington Heights, Illinois; now called Payton's Hill. (It is shown about 3:20-3:38 on the video) It is 100-200 yds straight up. Preseason, he would do about 10-15 reps. By the start of the NFL regular season, he was doing 25-30 reps. Some players would train with him and Throw Up/Vomit before the season. }. \\\Emmit Smith (Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer) beat his record behind 1 of the Best Offensive Lines in History, Walter Payton, NEVER ran behind an any NFL Hall of Fame Offensive Linemen//
Just a little info. When he was speaking to the press, that was the first time he spoke to the public about his illness. It was at a time was AIDS was prevalent and there were media rumors he was dying of AIDS due to his weight loss. Walter was very proud and private. The rumors hurt him deeply. He was addressing the rumors and disclosing his illness despite his private nature. It wasn't something he wanted to do. I remember the day and we lived not far from his house..
I met Walter Payton at their training camp in 1986 at the University of Wisconsin in Platteville. I was a janitor in the building where they held their team meetings and was assigned to keep the meeting rooms clean and orderly. On the first day I stood at the entrance to the building to watch the players come in. Walter walked up to me and shook my hand and introduced himself. He was a very fine gentleman.
04:34 - The shoes/merchandise with the Kangaroo on them were "KangaROOS" brand (in the US, they were nicknamed "Roos" for short). Popular in the 80s and Payton had an endorsement contract with them.
When Walter Payton died, a peace of me died as well. I was a Right Guard myself and he was my inspiration, the reason for joining in the first place. I remember how I cheered when he broke the All Time Rushing Record!! I remember how I cried when I heard that he had passed. He meant so very much, to so many. Something inside me went away and I stopped watching football that day. I didn't really care for it anymore. I think it was my feeling, that there would NEVER be another like him, so, why bother at all. He rests with GOD now. Mr. Payton.... My inspiration, my hero and the greatest player EVER to have graced the field. R.I.P.
sweetest voice from a guy, but he would bust your ass if you tried to tackle him, never seen a RB make tacklers pay like him. my fav RB of all time, hope you are resting well, Walter.
Young man I'm from Chicago I was 15 when the bears drafted him. 27 when he retired & I'm telling you, no other sports figure in my hometown was more revered & LOVED more than sweetness. I cried like I lost a family member when he passed. He was much more than a football player a true human being a kind, generous person who loved kids I had the honor of meeting him twice & on the 2nd meeting he remembered my name. That's, a special guy.
I grew up in Chicago when Walter was playing. He wasn't fast, he wasn't big, but he could do everything... run, block, catch, and pass. He was a piece of iron with legs. I went to high school and college at IU with the kid who ran that hill with him. At a party at IU, I ran into the kid. I didn't really know him but knew of him from HS . So, I mentioned reading about him in Sports Illustrated and he was very modest as Walter would have been as well. When Walter broke the record, I was in the dorm's central television lounge... or whatever they called it, my memory fails me. Those were good years for the Bears. It would be nice to go back with the knowledge I have and redo things a bit Reminiscing is never easy.
You do one on another Chicago great running back, Gale Sayers. Played 5 years in a 7-year career. However, he was so great and productive that he was inducted in to the Hall of Fame as the youngest inducted at 34 years old. A part of his life was made in to movie (Brian's Song).
Yes, Walter "Sweetness" Payton one of the best and classiest to play the game of football. I am a die-hard Chicago Bear fan. You haven't lived until you've come to a home game in Chicago's winter....❤
Even more remarkable was the fact that, as great a football player that he was, he was an even better human being. It wasn't just the football world that lost a great man when Walter Payton died.
patriots fan here to say that hes the greatest to ever do it. barry is right behind him, but they inspired me to move from soccer to football and show shiftiness and speed is always something to be fucked with. salute to a legend.
The good old days of leading with your helmet (jk though, I probably got over a dozen concussions in high school because of that). It is effective though...
I had a co-worker who sat next to Walter Payton on an airplane. Payton, then retired, brought a lot of business papers with him to read through and review. My co-worker was amazed at how hard he concentrated on what looked like complicated papers. When he took a break, my co-worker told him how much he enjoyed watching him play. "Hey, thanks man," he said. Then back to the papers.
After every game, the press would gather around him, and the first thing he would do was thank his line. He was truly humble...and it was his linemen who gave him the name Sweetness.
The NFL man of the year award is named after Mr.Payton
Steven DuCharme well this is an amazing honour. Glad to see the league paying tribute to one of the greats.
Not one of the greats, the greatest RB to ever play the game. Longevity, moves, sheer power, and most of his career was behind a very weak offensive line; Payton defines the position.
Most of his career was on astroturf as well, a true beast.
@@kiwikicker9263
One thing they barely touched upon was how Walter trained. He would run up, then down a hill that was nearly 60 degrees of slope. Over and over. This gave him incredible strength in his legs and very quick feet. Add to that his ability to stutter-stop and run on, as well as to fake out defensive players as to which way he was going to run, and his ability to run so fast, made him THE outstanding player of his time.
speaking Frank-ly
Tell me one area that he didn't dominate. Person. Personality. Running back. To me he's the G.O.A.T because when the shit hit the fan with his illness, he prayed for his detractors. He ran like a gazelle, hit like a combination bull/freight train, and always kept a good attitude. Just not seeing a downside. Well all have them, I know but Sweetness was something to model and aspire to thats why he's G.O.A.T in my opinion.
I remember the day he died. I couldn't possibly describe how depressed the city of Chicago was that week. It was like we all lost a family member.
I cried deeply. What a great man.
Honestly that day destroyed my heart. .sweetness will always be missed #beardown
Bro people were crying fuckin everywhere. Like, no exaggerating.
I remember that the bears beat Brett Favre and the Packers just four days later in his honor.
@@bobbart6498 They won the game because the Packers blew a field goal in the last seconds. Longwell, who rarely missed had it blocked. Stinker of a game.
Not only the greatest running back, he was the greatest "football" player of all time. There's nothing on the field he couldn't do, and do well. He could run for power or elusiveness, block, tackle, pass, receive, punt, kick field goals, kick off, return kicks, and even long snap. He never ran out of bounds, always the first up out of the pile, often with a frustrating (to the opposition) back flip, he delivered the hit, and missed only one game, a game early in his career, that he could have played in had he known it would be important. He even answered phones and sold tickets at Halas Hall, was on the teams Board of Directors, he'd sign a blank contract, and the team filled in the amount later. I remember his press conference after being drafted. I was in the kitchen listening to the tv. When he said, in a shy high pitched voice, "I'm gonna make Chicago forget Gale Sayers." I left the kitchen to see the face of a guy that would dare to speak such blasphemy. 2 or 3 years later, I had to concede, he was right. He was the Best There Ever Was.
As a Chicagoan, I've been blessed to watch the careers of Walter Payton, Michael Jordan, and Frank Thomas (who, for his first 10 yrs. put up numbers only Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig achieved).
runner6500 -I totally agree. Walter Payton and the Chicago Bears Forever!!!
I agree... Sweetness was the most complete football player that God ever created.
Evan Moyer agree 100%. If fantasy football existed like it does now Sweetness would of been the number 1 pick for a decade straight
Sorry, but Walter Payton isn't even the greatest RB ever.
Barry>Anyone. However, I don't think any list a sane human could put together would have him lower than... 3rd? Maybe Jim Brown 2nd...
Greatest RB of all time on the field, and one of the greatest, classiest men off the field.
Watched a lot of Walter while he was playing. Never saw him go out of bounds to avoid a hit. Ever. He would just lower his shoulder and punish the tackler.
RIP THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME “SWEETNESS”
I had the privilege of meeting Mr Payton during his racing career, yes he drove race cars too, this was right after he was inducted into the HOF. Such a nice guy, I was in awe, here was the best, and he was talking to me. Rest in Power Mr Payton.
Growing up near Chicago in the mid-80s, he was a huge deal. At 5 years old, I became a fan of the game from watching the '85 Bears play.
When I wasn't playing Mario, I was playing football in the back yard with my older brothers, getting my ass handed to me. We didn't hold back and only padding we had was the snow on the ground.
Don't really follow the game anymore, but lifelong Bears fan. RIP Walter.
Donatello's TurtleCom thats awesome man.
I’ve been a bears fan since a birth and bro u got watch this season it’s going pretty good
Parker Summers awesome man. I have been keeping an eye on them. Mack is on another level!
People forget how insanely powerful he was. Freakish strength. When necessary, he could run like a much larger man.
if you lived in Chicago those years Walter was your family. that's how it felt. he was our brother. we all lost our brother too soon. he took care of a lot of people but he like all of us had demons too. RIP to the goat
Thx for reacting! Walter is my relative on my father's side, but I never got a chance to meet Walter.
No worries at all Panther. WOW, you certainly had a great legend & champion in your family! Just glad he got inducted into the Hall of Fame while he was still alive.
Sorry about the awkward beginning aswell! Got late last night when I was editing haha
Thank u so much! He had a successful life, a successful career and a loving family. we Paytons have and always will cherish Walter.
No worries about the beginning Haha.
My favorite football player of all time and I wasn't even a Bears fan. He never gave up on a play and was a fantastic blocker. His only "weakness" was that he lacked that 5th gear. His toughness was unmatched.
This guy is the best football player I have ever seen. Barry Sanders was better at running with the football, but overall, Payton was the best football player, any position, I have ever had the honor to watch play.
If you ever want to see a very tough man cry, look for interviews with Mike Ditka talking about Payton.
well said
Barry was the best on turf , nothing like him before or since .
Sadly both played on horrible teams .
As far as ditka ?
He's a piece of shit , for years never said a dam thing about not allowing Payton to score in the super bowl . Finally he admitted it was a terrible mistake , after hearing it for years from the people .
Ditcrap was a crap coach as well , look at that team he walked into .
The players didn't respect ditka , they laughed at him and his stupid play calls which they did not follow .
He hated buddy Ryan the true coach who by the way was the first defensive head coach carried off the field by his team , and no other since . ditka hated that with all his soul
More important was for jerk ditka to promote himself selling anything anyone would pay him for
He ruined a dynasty , then went to new Orleans and ruined that franchise and was ran.out of town , and since never got one single offer to coach any football at any level , he was an awful human being .
Was honored to watch sweetness live many times. Live near Chicago. Thank you sir I will cherish those memories
The 80's were the best time in football we were blessed to be able to watch Walter, Barry, Jerry, Steve young, Montana, and the list just goes on and on blessed we were
Let it be noted, when the Man of the Year award was named after 34...No one argued. Not at the time or since.
I'm from Wisconsin and a huge Packer fan, but Walter Payton is my favorite player of all time. I loved watching him run, his cuts, his hits, his blocks, his style and most of all his class. He never ran out of bounds, he lowered the shoulders and hit you back. If you don't like Walter Payton, there is something wrong with you!
That block, where you said "nice block" was Payton's all-time favorite play for me, I'm a BEARS!!!!! fan 'til I die, and that block was stellar
Bear down brother
In 1980, my Dad acquired 4 season ticketed seats to Niner home games, I grew up watchin Montana to Rice, Ronnie Lott knockin RB's out cold, and even attended Super Bowl XIX at Stanford University where I sat next to the wife of the Niners starting Free Safety, Carlton Williamson...I was and am a NINER fanatic....but my first NFL game was in Oakland, where it was the Raiders vs Chicago, 1979, I was 6yrs old...what I remember most vividly is watchin a dude wearin the #34 white jersey run up and down the field, in a blowout win for the Bears...he was probably the best Rb I've ever seen, better than Barry, better than Bo, and much better than Emmett.....
34 was the most complete football player of all time
He took great pride in all aspects of the game.
Record breaking runner
Receiver
Threw passes
Incredible blocker
Legendary training regiment
Very humble
This video did not do his athletic abilities justice .
Your good to notice his hip movement . Though he wasn't a massive back , his legs were disproportionately large for his 5'9 205 pound frame.
Hips to toes were on a swivel .
He made you miss regularly , when it was clear he would be tackled he delivered punishment .
He was the majority of the offense on a bad team his entire career .
He only missed one game in 13 years , 110 touchdowns , almost 17 thousand yards .
An incredible motivator of others ,he made people around him better .
Rip Walter .
Somebody once said that if you can run like Payton, you can carry the ball any way you want. He almost never fumbled the ball. A funny story about him was when the team put their "Super Bowl Shuffle" video together. Someone was interviewing William "Refrigerator" Perry, and said he had heard that Walter was ribbing him about his dance moves. (Payton was one of the best dancers on the team, and Perry was one of the worst.) The interviewer asked if Perry danced as well as Payton, and he said "Nope, and I don't talk like Michael Jackson neither."
The Fridge was an Icon all unto himself. I'll never forget his touchdown. The one and only touchdown. Haha.
@Ulysses432 Maybe so. I dunno. I think his famous one was his first.
It's hard to believe it's going on 20 years since he passed away. I still remember that day vividly. He never even got to see his son play in college or in the NFL.
This guy embodied everything that Jim Brown means when he said "If you're trying to stop me, i will make you pay for it"
Dude, it didn't matter who your team was...Payton was a gem and a lot of fun to watch.
The man was so humble. You just don't see that in athletes these days.
I had the pleasure to watch this man from start to finish and he was an absolute gentleman throughout....There will NEVER be anything close to Walter Payton, the greatest football player IVE ever seen....!
He was called sweetness for a reason. Everyone fan and players alike loved him and respected him. He played hard and with style and respect for the game and people fans and players.
He set the all time single game rushing record.. 275 yards running with the flu. 102 F fever. Jim Brown said the first time he saw him he was in awe. Jim's type of player. He fought for every yard and punished his would be tacklers. Often jumping up immediately leaving his tackler feeling badly. He had a straight arm that would push away tacklers. He wasn't the fastest. But he did everything well. He could catch like a wide receiver. He retired with most yards running and most all purpose yards. Most receptions by none receiver. One of his favorite things was blocking as you saw. Often taking on players weighing 50 or more pounds than he did.
He was the 3rd string quarterback and backup kicker. He took a pitch from the quarterback and threw to the same quarterback for a touchdown.
He had iron grip. He would carry it one handed often. Considered dangerous by most coaches but Payton rarely fumbled. A high school coach advised him never die easy. He never did. Never ran out of bounds.
Many consider him the best player of all time and many including his coach even better human being.
Brings a tear to my eye. May nobody ever forget Sweetness.
i cry everytime i watch him. i miss watching him!!!! GO BEARS
Go Bears.
When Walter Payton set the single game rushing record he had the flu. When the defense was in the field, he was on the sideline shivering with fever and throwing up. When he was on the field he was running for more yards than anyone in history at that time.
Unlike today's players , when Walter scored , he set the ball down and hustled back to the team , no showboating . Because it wasn't about him , it was about the team and the game . He was the BEST !
His greatest feat was when he was dying and in need of a liver transplant he finally found a donor liver-and also found out a kid needed the same liver. He gave up his spot on the donor list to make sure the kid got it. He was a great RB but he often gets overlooked for how great of a blocker he was. Many times he saved the QB from getting leveled.
100% untrue. What is the source of your bullshit story?
T C yes, he contracted a rare cancer which made him ineligible for the transplant.
@@jmzsil ApparentlyJames Robert isn't content with Walter's amazing talent on the football field, he invents stories too.
JUST DISCOVERED YOU BROTHER! I'm already a subscriber after watching 4 straight vids! LOVE your channel, cheers! Seattle Seahawks were still a new franchise, but clearly we loved them from jump-street! The Bears, a middling team at the time, came to town. First half of the game was fairly slow. 2nd half, Sweetness CAUGHT FIRE and BLEW THE ROOF OFF THE KINGDOME! How awesome was Walter? We loyal Seahawk fans were standing & cheering for him every time he ripped off ANOTHER great run LOL! I've always considered myself fortunate beyond measure to catch Sweetness at the top of his game! Strong, fast, bone jarring stiff arms, CRAZY change of direction and just flat tougher than any other man out on the field...THAT was SWEETNESS!
I watched some videos you suggested about Jonah Lomu. Man, that guy was a BEAST. His thighs were humongous. I’d hate to have to try and tackle him. I also saw a video of his service where his teammates were doing the Haka. Very emotional. He, like Sweetness, died way too young.
RIP to the first global Rugby superstar who put the sport on the world map
Your comparison to Lomu is well taken. Walter Payton was the best football player ever, not just for his running, his blocking as a back was possibly the best of all time, his ability as a receiver was top-notch and he threw more than a couple passes. The backs that surpassed his yardage record could not match his blocking, catching or passing abilities. He was renowned for running players over, his college coach having taught him that there was no rule that he couldn't hit his tacklers first and harder.
I'm so glad I was fortunate enough to watch Payton and Barry Sanders in their prime. Some of their most impressive runs were only for 3 or 4 yards to turn a sure loss into short gains. They were mesmerizing.
I was a kid in the 80s
Payton was sweet to watch.
Respect
Thanks for posting so more people can experience a bit of what it was like to watch live. 🙏🇺🇲
Thanks for doing this video! My unknown name for Payton was Velociraptor! But back then know one knew what a Velociraptor was so it didn’t catch on.
You might want to search for another Bears great, William Refrigerator Perry.
It's like losing him all over again. We remember you, Sweetness.
he deserved a super bowl td :(
Steven DuCharme by the looks of it he certainly did!
@@kiwikicker9263 yea if you didnt hear the super bowl that he won they had the ball on the 1 yard line and their head coach let William "The Fridge" Perry run it in since he was a really big dude, Walter was very sad he never got the td and coach Ditka said it was his biggest mistake as a head coach
Steven DuCharme You’re goddamned right he did. I remember how angry I was when they put Perry in there.
What player doesn't deserve one? Just because someone is the best at their position shouldn't make them more deserving than the others.
@@tc1817 Yeah, but Walter was the one who got them to the 1 yard line.
Sadly, a liver transplant became impossible when they found out he had cancer of the bile duct. Nothing could have saved him at that point. A legend with a giant heart. R.I.P. Walter.
Greatest football player/man to ever live
Kiwi Kicker first of all, Rip To The Greatest Running Back of all time, Sweetness Walter Payton. Walter played hurt, sick n only missed one game out of his career. He died young at the age of 46 of primary sclerosing cholangitis which is Liver Disease. U can't tell any Running back, like Emmet Smith, Barry Sanders, Eric Dickerson & even Jim Brown will tell U that Walter Payton was admired by all of them n he worked hard on his craft. Career history
Chicago Bears (1975-1987)
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XX)
NFL Most Valuable Player (1977)
NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1977)
NFL Man of the Year (1977)
5× First-team All-Pro (1976, 1977, 1980, 1984, 1985)
3× Second-team All-Pro (1978, 1979, 1986)
9× Pro Bowl (1976-1980, 1983-1986)
NFL rushing yards leader (1977)
NFL rushing touchdowns leader (1977)
4× NFL rushing attempts leader (1976-1979)
Bert Bell Award (1985)
NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
Chicago Bears No. 34 retired
100 greatest Bears of All-Time
First-team Little All-American (1974)
Second-team Little All-American (1973)
NFL record
Most consecutive starts by a running back: 170
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 16,726
Yards per carry: 4.4
Rushing touchdowns: 110
Receptions: 492
Receiving yards: 4,538
Receiving touchdowns: 15
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame.
That one run on kc around 2:35 was a awesome display of power.
Thanks for showing respect to the greatest football player. Please watch more and you you’ll see how really special he was.
I had been going through all your vids, and at long last, the one about my childhood idol, while growing up in Chicago in the '80s. I was born in '81, and the '85 Bears team is what sparked the beginning of a lifelong obsession with football (then all other sports by extention). Particularly, Walter Payton. I dreamt of being Sweetness. Though Bored Productions did a good video, nothing can do Walter Payton justice. In Chicago, Jordan was not higher than Payton, he was just that big. And the '85 Bears with Payton, and Jim McMahon, The Fridge, and their vaunted 4-3 defence (considered by many to be the best of all time)..they became a global phenomenon. If you ever get the chance, find the 30 For 30 episode of the '85 Bears. You wont be disappointed. A major chapter in the NFL.
And thanks for all these videos! Its awesome to see your passion and knowledge for the game grow and grow. Oh...and the 50/50 jump ball between the Seahawks and Packers at the end of that night game, any peewee coach will tell their defenders to always just bat the ball out of the endzone, to avoid...well, shit like that from happening. (Note: that had nothing to do with Bears/Packers bias. Just wanted to say 😂)
I was born 2007 and I know everyone from the bears 1975 to 2019 I miss him to this day I’m crying because I can’t say I met sweetness
SWEETNESS.. best I ever saw all around...and a GREAT man.
Died 20 years ago today. RIP Walter.
Lost a friend a couple years ago to a disease similar to what killed Walter Payton. RIP to my friend and sweetness.
Just come across this channel just wanted to say, Payton the greatest NFL football player that ever lived!!! If you want to watch a wrecking ball running back check out (Earl Campbell) a top 10 running back of all time this guy was a monster you will love it.
Watch a Bears game and see how many 34's are in the crowd....
He lives still in our hearts, just like all our heroes in orange and blue.
A candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. What a truly great athlete and a great man. Good ole Mississippi boy, a joy to watch.
The best football player of all time. It's not even close.
One of the games he played in,he was sick with a 104* temperature
That was the game he set the then single game rushing record of 275 yards on 40 carries.
Song by Carly Simon, "Nobody does it better".
Still the best, and always my favorite of all time..
We miss him terribly, still.
I'll never forget what Sweetness gave us here around Chicagoland and around the world. They finally erected a statue of him alongside Papa Bear outside the stadium last year.
Greatest football player who ever lived. Not just greatest running back, Greatest football player. The man could do everything better than anyone on the field.
I love Walter. I can't hear his name without getting a bit choked up. He was such an exemplary man as well as an athlete. I love how you know the physical mechanics of running the football.
Lomu was legend. Was stunned by his passing.
pushpak He put Rugby on the World map. First global superstar of the game.
I have his rookie card and his autograph on a 1980 card. Greatest ever. Go Bears!
His legs always kept moving..Incredible football player.
Sweetness was the greatest , most humble person on earth . He was loved by not only Chicago , but America . He punished tacklers , but all of them respected him .
Grace, thy name is Sweetness.
It devastated me when I heard Walter died. He was my favorite all time player.
Between Gale Sayers and Walter Payton the very best running backs of all time !!!!!!!!!
And that sir is why he is the best, no matter what anybody says, never ran out of bounds could block, throw. Return punts and punish tacklers like nobody else came close to. 43 year bears fan and this made me cry again
I still like Barry better, but Walter is without question the only other back worth mentioning in the same sentence as Sanders. There was just something epic about the way he played. I mean, for one, look at his frame. He does things with that body that just shouldn't be possible. How a small and lean guy like that could be so damn stout especially in that throwback era he played in...now that will forever be a mystery. He fought way above his weight, had excellent athleticism, and just had the heart of a warrior.
Never die easy ._.His motto
just about brought tears, after all these years. after a game, he would give all the praise to his offensive line and they would do anything for him.
Walter Payton is the greatest fooball player of all time.
Greatest football player I’ve ever seen. Greatest. I’ve only cried a few times in my life. My wedding, my children’s birth, and the day Walter Payton passed.
He's in just about everyone's top 3-4 running backs of all time, imho along with Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, and Gale Sayers. You've probably already received requests to react to those guys and I will second them.
darchon5 I have the first 2 on my list but now Gale Sayers is on there too! Sweetness was incredible!
Nice! Yeah, most will disagree with me on Sayers, but he really is criminally underrated. I think it's because he not only played a long time ago, but his career was cut short (only 5 productive years) due to multiple knee injuries, so he doesn't ever get much press. But some of his moves were ahead of their time.
Didn’t Sanders stop short of beating Payton’s all time rushing record out of respect? I think he said something to this effect in an interview
@@darchon5 sayers is definitely one of the goats even with the few years he played did more in those short years then most had in twice the amount of time. Hes a legend along with Payton here in Chicago. Bear down!
Bo Jackson was the greatest I've seen, Mr. Payton was done by the time I became a fan of the game
I met Walter Payton. People forget he was 5'10, 200lbs. He was not the fastest or the biggest Running Back, but his heart, passion and determination was amazing. He went to a small Historically Black Colleg in Mississippi College. The first 7 seasons of his career on Bears were on AWFUL teams!!! There have been many amazing Running Backs in the NFL, but he was the most unique and incredible. {{{P.S. He used to train on a steep hill near my current house, Arlington Heights, Illinois; now called Payton's Hill. (It is shown about 3:20-3:38 on the video) It is 100-200 yds straight up. Preseason, he would do about 10-15 reps. By the start of the NFL regular season, he was doing 25-30 reps. Some players would train with him and Throw Up/Vomit before the season. }. \\\Emmit Smith (Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer) beat his record behind 1 of the Best Offensive Lines in History, Walter Payton, NEVER ran behind an any NFL Hall of Fame Offensive Linemen//
Just a little info. When he was speaking to the press, that was the first time he spoke to the public about his illness. It was at a time was AIDS was prevalent and there were media rumors he was dying of AIDS due to his weight loss. Walter was very proud and private. The rumors hurt him deeply. He was addressing the rumors and disclosing his illness despite his private nature. It wasn't something he wanted to do. I remember the day and we lived not far from his house..
Have you found out that he denied the option to move up on the list for liver transplants because he didn't want to hurt someone else? An amazing man!
My favorite offensive player ever. Did everything above and beyond. Sweetness, RIP!
This is my favorite player ever. Love you KK
I met Walter Payton at their training camp in 1986 at the University of Wisconsin in Platteville. I was a janitor in the building where they held their team meetings and was assigned to keep the meeting rooms clean and orderly. On the first day I stood at the entrance to the building to watch the players come in. Walter walked up to me and shook my hand and introduced himself. He was a very fine gentleman.
You should react to Gale Sayers , Chicago Bears running back in the late 60's and early 70's eras.
04:34 - The shoes/merchandise with the Kangaroo on them were "KangaROOS" brand (in the US, they were nicknamed "Roos" for short). Popular in the 80s and Payton had an endorsement contract with them.
Yeah, Wikipedia has some info on them. I remember when they came out, and had a pair when I was a kid. Hehe
My favorite player of all time
When Walter Payton died, a peace of me died as well. I was a Right Guard myself and he was my inspiration, the reason for joining in the first place. I remember how I cheered when he broke the All Time Rushing Record!! I remember how I cried when I heard that he had passed. He meant so very much, to so many. Something inside me went away and I stopped watching football that day. I didn't really care for it anymore. I think it was my feeling, that there would NEVER be another like him, so, why bother at all. He rests with GOD now. Mr. Payton.... My inspiration, my hero and the greatest player EVER to have graced the field. R.I.P.
sweetest voice from a guy, but he would bust your ass if you tried to tackle him, never seen a RB make tacklers pay like him. my fav RB of all time, hope you are resting well, Walter.
Young man I'm from Chicago I was 15 when the bears drafted him. 27 when he retired & I'm telling you, no other sports figure in my hometown was more revered & LOVED more than sweetness. I cried like I lost a family member when he passed. He was much more than a football player a true human being a kind, generous person who loved kids I had the honor of meeting him twice & on the 2nd meeting he remembered my name. That's, a special guy.
I grew up in Chicago when Walter was playing. He wasn't fast, he wasn't big, but he could do everything... run, block, catch, and pass. He was a piece of iron with legs. I went to high school and college at IU with the kid who ran that hill with him. At a party at IU, I ran into the kid. I didn't really know him but knew of him from HS . So, I mentioned reading about him in Sports Illustrated and he was very modest as Walter would have been as well. When Walter broke the record, I was in the dorm's central television lounge... or whatever they called it, my memory fails me. Those were good years for the Bears. It would be nice to go back with the knowledge I have and redo things a bit Reminiscing is never easy.
He was the best NCAA player I ever saw. He 's the best pro football player I ever saw!
Really tragic. He was only 45 when he died.
You do one on another Chicago great running back, Gale Sayers. Played 5 years in a 7-year career. However, he was so great and productive that he was inducted in to the Hall of Fame as the youngest inducted at 34 years old. A part of his life was made in to movie (Brian's Song).
Yes, Walter "Sweetness" Payton one of the best and classiest to play the game of football. I am a die-hard Chicago Bear fan. You haven't lived until you've come to a home game in Chicago's winter....❤
Not only the best, but also one of the greatest humanitarians. He cared about people.
Even more remarkable was the fact that, as great a football player that he was, he was an even better human being. It wasn't just the football world that lost a great man when Walter Payton died.
the highstep you're referring to is to keep diving tacklers out of reach..cool videos seeing these classic legends.
patriots fan here to say that hes the greatest to ever do it. barry is right behind him, but they inspired me to move from soccer to football and show shiftiness and speed is always something to be fucked with. salute to a legend.
Walter Peyton was so much more than a hall of fame running back. He was a great man. RIP Walter Peyton.
Walter Payton was the greatest running back/football player in my opinion it's so sad that he had to pass that way
The good old days of leading with your helmet (jk though, I probably got over a dozen concussions in high school because of that). It is effective though...
I had a co-worker who sat next to Walter Payton on an airplane. Payton, then retired, brought a lot of business papers with him to read through and review. My co-worker was amazed at how hard he concentrated on what looked like complicated papers. When he took a break, my co-worker told him how much he enjoyed watching him play. "Hey, thanks man," he said. Then back to the papers.
After every game, the press would gather around him, and the first thing he would do was thank his line. He was truly humble...and it was his linemen who gave him the name Sweetness.