Payton had the unenviable task of following in the cleat prints of one of the most exciting runners in NFL history, Gale Sayers. Their careers with the Bears didn鈥檛 actually overlap 鈥� Sayers retired after the 1971 season; Payton arrived in 1975 鈥� but the memory of Sayers lived on in Chicago and Payton longed for his approval and guidance, neither of which he received. Once, Sayers even called Payton 鈥渇oolish鈥� for turning down a Bears鈥� contract offer and said that Eric Dickerson (and not Payton) was the best running back in NFL history.
Some who knew them both said that Payton and Sayers were just two different personalities. Others felt Sayers may have been jealous of Payton鈥檚 success.
Sayers had the better rushing average: 5.0 yards per carry compared with Payton鈥檚 4.4. But Payton was an ironman whose career lasted twice as long and included winning an NFL championship team, something that eluded Sayers.
