I love sports, and have many heroes among sports' members whom I admire. I think of the great Michael
Jordan and how much fun it was to watch him play. Magic Johnson had that unique ability to entertain
whether winning or losing, although he mostly won. Larry Bird never failed to deliver. Lou Brock was
special, and I had the privilege to watch Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris bat back-to-back. I saw Jim Brown
run the football for the Cleveland Browns, and I can never forget those classic battles between John
McEnroe and Jimmy Connors and between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. But of all the great athletes
of our time, my all-time favorite, hands down, had to be the great Walter Payton.
Walter Payton was born in the same month and the same year as I: July of 1954. I would be 17 days older
than he. Walter Payton was a stellar college player, having rushed for 65 touchdowns, and after having
played at Jackson State was drafted fourth in 1975 by the Chicago Bears.
To be sure, Walter Payton was a great runner: he once held the single game rushing record in the NFL, and
for a brief period of time held the NFL record for most rushing yards. He was the first to break Jim Brown's
all-time record. Walter Payton had a unique and very "sweet" way of running with the football. Not only did
Walter Payton possess some unique moves and breakaway speed, he also had grit and toughness. He
could "juke" his way into the open field or he could plow his way forward for extra yardage.
But what I loved most about Walter Payton -- what I looked forward to the most -- what I enjoyed watching
the most when Walter Payton played was not what he did with a football in his hands; no, what I enjoyed
most about watching Walter Payton had nothing to do with what he did with a football while a play was being
executed. What I enjoyed watching the most -- what made Walter Payton great -- what made Walter Payton
what he was, in my opinion, was what he did after a play was over.
Today, you watch players play -- they make long passes; they catch long passes; they make big tackles;etc.
When they get done they go into a big spasm of showing off and flexing their muscles, and dancing around,
making a show of how great they are, and they make me sick. You might see a player score a touchdown
then feign to sign autographs, or you might see a group of players pretend to be posing for photographs.
Among the ways players celebrate these days have been such sights as high-fiving or low-fiving, or the
chest-bump, or the "dirty chicken." Walter Payton on the other hand did something at the end of every play
that was unique in the history of sport, and to my knowledge what Walter Payton did to celebrate a play has
never been duplicated by another player. Whenever Walter Payton played I my eyes were always glued on #
34, but what I anticipated the most was watching to see him do his thing at the end of every play. I salivated
at the chance to watch him do what he did.
What was this unusual and unique thing that Walter Payton did at the end of every play? How did we
observe the great Walter Payton, the greatest running back our generation, as he finished each and every
play? What was it that Walter Payton did that drew so much admiration from me? What was it? Very simply
this: at the end of every play -- be it a long run or a tackle behind the line of scrimmage, while the other
players would take their time getting themselves into position for the next play; while other players were
flexing their muscles or saluting to the stands or stomping around in jubilant celebration, Walter Payton
would very simply bounce off the ground, run to the referee and hand him the ball, then race back to the
huddle. And that was it.
Like a rookie out to earn a spot on the team, Walter Payton was at full speed at all times -- ready and eager
to run another play. No high-fiving; no chest-bumping; no feigning to make a cell phone call; nothing to
draw attention to himself. That was Walter Payton, and that was what I admired so much about him, and that
is why Walter Payton is for me the greatest athlete, the greatest performer, the greatest role model for
young people of our time. Walter Payton was the living personification of the biblical injunction to
"whatever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." Man, oh, man, did Walter Payton ever do it with his
might!
Ah, Sweetness! I miss you so!
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