A Tribute Above All Others

This weekend marks the 10 anniversary of one of the darkest days in Chicago Sports and one that rivals the death of John Lennon on my personal hero loss heart-break.  Like so many kids who grew up in Chicago in the 1970s, Walter Payton was my hero.  Not just on a football level but on an outlook on life level.  Most kids who played running back in the early 1970s wanted number 32.  I had to have number 34.

Walter Payton was not the biggest, most talented football player growing up.  His determination and unending tuning of his body made him that way.  Walter did not listen to dissenters.  He used their dissent as inspiration to better himself and prove them wrong.  Walter set the record for rushing in the NFL not behind championship teams like Emmett Smith, who later broke Walter's record.  He ran for losing teams until the final years of his career. 

His determination and resolve drove him to being the best running back in NFL history, period.  He ran, caught passes, blocked and even passed the ball like no running back before or since.  In an era when weightlifting and personal trainers were still in the future, Walter used to run the hill in Arlington Heights, IL.  He ran the 92 foot hill up to 20 times a day.  It hurts just thinking about it.

Sadly, Walter's body, which he kept in prime shape during his playing career, couldn't overcome the liver disease that took his life.  In February 1999, Walter revealed that he had primary sclerosing cholangitis.  Although he was on a liver transplant list, the mortality rate from the disease precluded a life-saving transplant.

Walter passed away on November 1st, 1999.  I cried that day and will likely do the same this weekend.  At halftime of Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field, the Bears will pay tribute to Walter.  His family is urging fans to wear their No. 34 Walter Payton clothing to Sunday's game. His teammates Matt Suhey and Dennis Gentry will escort the family, including his Mother, onto the field.

A family spokesperson says that an announcement is coming in the next few weeks regarding a Wlter Payton statue that the family commisioned and hoped would be placed at Soldier Field.  The Chicago Park District, which owns teh stadium, nixed taht idea saying the building is a memorial to soldiers and the Walter statue would not be appropriate there.  She added that the announcement will make everyone happy.

The Chicago Tribune has more information on the halftime tribute.