There have been many great running backs in NFL history, and you could make a case with any number of them. Jim Brown comes to mind, along with such greats as Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, and LaDainian Tomlinson. But for sheer physical ability and the list of accomplishments achieved, there can be only one that can be called the greatest: Walter Payton.
When Walter Payton joined the Chicago Bears in 1975, he was destined to become not just the main focus of the Bears' offense, but the cornerstone on which the offense was built. They called him "Sweetness," but on the gridiron, he was anything but. Payton joined a mediocre Bears team that would improve largely due to his offensive exploits. Being the workhorse was not without its drawbacks though. Payton had the proverbial bulls eye on his back, with opposing teams understanding that if Payton were stopped, then the Bears were stopped. As game as Payton was, the beating he took every week took its toll. Archive interview footage that can be found on the Web shows Payton with reporters, questioning whether he could keep up the weekly punishment. In the end, not only did he effectively deal with the weekly pounding, but became better as he went along. His powerful physique, especially his legs, allowed him to go head to head and come out on top against the toughest defenders in the league, and there have been many a hapless defensive back that learned their lesson the hard way. Despite being the target of every defense in the league, Payton excelled, breaking long standing records, many of which stand to this day. His 16,726 yards rushing, and 110 touchdowns stood as records for years. Keep in mind, those records were broken by players on very different teams. Emmitt Smith broke Payton's rushing record, but for most of his career he played behind the biggest line in the league. He also had the benefit of playing with two hall of famers on offense, Troy Aikman and Michael Ervin to draw attention away from him. Walter Payton did not have that luxury until late in his career. His touchdown record was recently broken by LaDainian Tomlinson, but again, opposing defenses had to contend with the likes of Drew Brees, and later Philip Rivers at the same time.
Walter Payton was a competitive, punishing runner that had opposing defenders complaining about his penchant for delivering a hit before they did. That was Walter's style, and it served him well. So well in fact, that he is without a doubt, the greatest running back in NFL history.
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Walter Payton, the Chicago Bears' first-round choice and the fourth player selected in the 1975 National Football League Draft, developed into a superstar of unusual dimensions during his 13-season NFL tenure from 1975 to 1987, all of which he spent with the Chicago Bears.
The 5-10, 200-pound running back who rushed for 3,563 yards in four seasons at Jackson State went on to dominate the rushing section of the NFL record book during and long after his career ended.
The records he held at the time of his retirement included 16,726 total yards, 10 seasons with 1,000 or more yards rushing, 275 yards rushing in one game against Minnesota (1977), 77 games with more than 100 yards rushing, and 110 rushing touchdowns. Payton had 4,368 combined net attempts and accounted for 21,803 combined net yards. He also scored an impressive 750 points on 125 touchdowns.
Payton won the NFC rushing title five straight years from 1976 to 1980. He also led the NFC with 96 points in 1977 and won the NFL kickoff return championship in his rookie 1975 campaign. He was named both All-Pro and All-NFC seven times and played in nine Pro Bowl games. Payton was selected as the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1977 and 1985, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 1977 and 1985 and the NFC Most Valuable Player in 1977.
An amazing runner, Walter rushed for more than 1,000 yards 10 of his 13 seasons. His best season came in 1977, when he ran for 1,852 yards, third best in history at that time. Payton's 492 career pass receptions for 4,538 yards and 15 touchdowns contributed to his exceptional combined net yard totals.
Extremely durable, Payton missed one game in his rookie campaign and then played in 186 consecutive games.
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