Payton, Walter

Payton, Walter (Jerry) “Sweetness”

(1954– ) football player; born in Columbia, Miss. A fast, powerful running back, he became the National Collegiate Athletic Association's leading career scorer at Jackson State University in 1974 with 464 points. He is the NFL's (National Football League) leading lifetime rusher, with 16,726 yards for the Chicago Bears (1975–87). Extremely consistent, he had 77 NFL games in which he rushed for 100 or more yards and ten seasons of at least 1,000 yards.