Lucas Soard- On This Date, Assignment 7

This isn’t the most academic topic that I came across, but I wanted to write about October 7, 1984. On that date in Chicago, Illinois, Walter Payton became the all-time leader in career rushing yards for the NFL. I try to stay away from sports talk in school, but I tried to make an exception here so I can talk about Walter Payton, and how he was more than just a football player.

“Sweetness”, as Payton was so aptly named, described him perfectly. Payton ran with a fluidity and smoothness unknown to the NFL, and his silky moves confounded defenders for his entire career. But Payton was also one of the more humble men to ever grace an athletic field. His teammates urged him to allow them to hold a mid-game ceremony once he broke the record. Payton refused, believing the game was more important. He did at the age of 46, just 12 years after his retirement.

During the final months of his life, Payton was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. He began a popular campaign, giving impassioned people to give organ donations. Though it was too late for him, Sweetness felt it was his duty to do something that could save the lives of others in the future. Payton’s legacy lives on through 2 awards named after him and multiple organ transplant charities.