Walter Jerry Payton was born on July 25, 1954 in Columbia, Mississippi. Walter Payton grew up in Mississippi with his family. He was one of three siblings, two sons and a daughter, the children of Peter and Alyne Payton. As a young man, Payton was never a competitive athlete. Walter enjoyed doing other things such as playing instruments and being in the school band. He stood in solidarity in the shadow of his brother Eddie. Walter participated in only one sport during his freshman year of high school, track and field. He ended up joining the football team the following year after a coach also asked him to. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay This opened a big door for Walter Payton's athletic abilities. He subsequently won numerous awards for various sports. He branched out and started playing basketball, went on to compete in track and band and made the all-state football team. This was just the beginning of Walter Payton's athletic career. Walter Payton went on to play football for Jackson State University. Walter Payton was one of the highest scoring running backs in college during his senior year. Walter Payton played football all through college and ended up majoring in communications. He received numerous awards while in college. He continued to play football and was drafted by the Chicago Bears straight out of college. He continued to gain awards as he continued to play football. Walter Payton was chosen as a senior at Jackson State University. He was selected as the first round pick by the Chicago Bears. By the end of his 1987 season, he held the record for most rushing yards, including 110 touchdowns. In 1977, Payton led the NFL in rushing in a single game, with 275 yards against the Minnesota Vikings. In 1997, he received the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the season. Shortly after earning the MVP award, he surpassed Jim Brown's record for most rushing yards. Many people continued to surpass Jim Brown's record thereafter, but no one could surpass Payton's career total of 16,726 rushing yards. At age 23, he was the youngest player to ever earn that award. He played for the Chicago Bears for 13 years. During those 13 years he earned the nickname “Sweetness”. Then the Chicago Bears also achieved a memorable victory in Super Bowl XX, marking their first NFL championship since 1963. Walter Payton retired from active playing at the age of 33. Football was not Walter Payton's chosen career. He started training for a job and started his own company after retiring from the NFL in 1987. He was into businesses like real estate and travel. He later joined the board of directors of the Chicago Bears. Walter Payton got married on July 7, 1976. He married his wife Connie and had two children. They decided to name their children Jarrett and Brittney. Family was his main priority in life. His second priority that took precedence over his business was being the assistant coach of the Estates High School basketball team. He loved basketball and loved helping with children's programs. He loved helping so much that in 1988 he founded the Walter Payton Foundation for children in need and was also the co-founder and director of the Wood and Strings Puppet Theater at Skyway Elementary School. Walter Payton accomplished and helped accomplish many extraordinary feats in his life. He ended up being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986, and then was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1993. His family was).