Top 10 Career Accomplishments By Walter Payton

By Bill Zimmerman

Top 10 Career Accomplishments by Walter Payton

Walter Payton Soldier Field — This week was the 30th anniversary of the day Walter Payton surpassed Jim Brown as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. Payton has since been passed by Emmitt Smith, but his legacy lives on. Payton is arguably the greatest back to ever grace an NFL field, so let's look back at the most significant accomplishments of his tremendous career.

10. Scored 7 Touchdowns in a Single Game at Jackson State

Walter Payton Wheaties Box

10. Scored 7 Touchdowns in a Single Game at Jackson State

Walter Payton Wheaties Box — Despite being all-state in Mississippi as a high school football player, Payton didn’t garner much attention from major universities. He attended little-known Jackson State and didn’t garner any national attention immediately. His sophomore year, Payton broke out nationally when he scored seven touchdowns in a 72-0 demolition of Lane College. That grabbed the attention of NFL scouts, and he was eventually taken 4th by Chicago in the 1975 draft.

9. Threw 8 Career Touchdown Passes

Chicago Bears: Walter Payton

9. Threw 8 Career Touchdown Passes

Chicago Bears: Walter Payton — Payton gets attention for being a complete back. He was a tremendous runner, pass catcher and blocker, but Payton was a threat with his arm as well. He was the Bears' emergency QB for several years and threw eight career touchdowns, the most by any non-QB in NFL history.

8. Rushed for Over 100 yards in 9 Consecutive Games in 1985

Chicago Bears Walter Payton

8. Rushed for Over 100 yards in 9 Consecutive Games in 1985

Chicago Bears Walter Payton — In 1985, Walter Payton was 31 years old, and when most running back's careers wind down by the age of 30, Payton was still in top form. From Week 6 to Week 14, Payton rushed for at least 100 yards in every game, setting a then NFL record that was eventually broken by Barry Sanders.

7. Scored 110 Career Rushing Touchdowns

Walter Payton #34

7. Scored 110 Career Rushing Touchdowns

Walter Payton #34 — Another NFL record that eventually fell. Payton had a nose for the end zone and broke Jim Brown’s touchdown rushing record in 1987. The league was a different animal in Payton’s era. Now the NFL sees touchdowns as frequently as a teenage girl receives text messages, but in Payton’s time, scoring was at a premium many years. His 110 rushing touchdowns were truly a remarkable feat.

6. 77 Career Games Over 100 Yards Rushing

WALTER PAYTON BEARS

6. 77 Career Games Over 100 Yards Rushing

WALTER PAYTON BEARS — More impressive than Payton’s nine consecutive games over 100 yards rushing in 1985 is the fact that he ran for over 100 yards 77 different times in his career. A true mark of consistency, Payton was always a threat for a big game. This record eventually fell to Emmitt Smith, but it took Smith 215 games to have his 77th career 100-yard game -- Payton did it in his 172nd.

5. Rushed for 275 Yards in a Single Game

Walter Payton

5. Rushed for 275 Yards in a Single Game

Walter Payton — This was yet another NFL record that Payton owned. He held it for 23 years until it eventually fell to Corey Dillon (and since Adrian Peterson). In a 1977 November home game against the Vikings, Payton rushed for 275 yards on 40 carries, scoring one TD. The Bears won the game 10-7 as Payton single-handedly willed the Bears to a victory. Payton touched the ball so often that QB Bob Avellini threw only six passes, completing four for 33 yards.

4. 1977 NFL MVP

Walter Payton #34

4. 1977 NFL MVP

Walter Payton #34 — In what is largely an award for QBs, Payton won the MVP award in 1977. He gained 1,852 yards on the ground and had another 269 yards receiving. He scored 16 touchdowns that year. Payton led the league in rushing, all-purpose yards and TDs. The NFL still had a 14-game regular season that year, and his 132.3 yards per game on the ground would have been good for 2,117 in a 16 game schedule. Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record is 2,105.

3. Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993

Walter Payton #34

3. Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993

Walter Payton #34 — It was a no-brainer, but in 1993 Walter Payton (shown here at his 1987 retirement ceremony) was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Payton was the most complete back in NFL history and the biggest star on the 1985 Chicago Bears, arguably the most famous team in NFL history. He was on the NFL All-Decade team in both the 1970s and 1980s and was named the fifth greatest player in NFL history by NFL Network.

2. Super Bowl XX Champion

Super Bowl XX Walter Payton

2. Super Bowl XX Champion

Super Bowl XX Walter Payton — Super Bowl XX brings up a lot of negativity in Payton’s career. Payton had a mediocre game and failed to score a touchdown. Famously, Payton was upset that Mike Ditka opted to give the ball to rookie William Perry for a score late in the game. The fact of the matter is the Patriots put so much focus on stopping Payton that the rest of the game opened up into the blowout it became. Payton earned every bit of that Super Bowl championship.

1. Gained 16,726 Career Rushing Yards

Pittsburgh Steelers Chicago Bears Walter Payton

1. Gained 16,726 Career Rushing Yards

Pittsburgh Steelers Chicago Bears Walter Payton — The number doesn’t roll off the tongue like 755, but it’s a significant number in history. When Payton surpassed Jim Brown to become the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, the sports world stopped to crown Payton as King of the NFL. This stat is a microcosm of his career, demonstrating his greatness and consistency. Emmitt Smith surpassed him in 2002, but Payton's accomplishments are still remarkable and deserve the appreciation of fans everywhere.

Bill Zimmerman is a Chicago Bears writer for www.RantSports.Com. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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