Gale Sayers Dies; Elusive Hall of Fame Running Back Was 77 (Published 2020) (2024)

FAQs

Gale Sayers Dies; Elusive Hall of Fame Running Back Was 77 (Published 2020)? ›

He was 77. Sayers died Tuesday at his home in Wakarusa, Ind., his stepson, Guy Bullard, told the New York Times. The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the news Wednesday morning. The “Kansas Comet,” as Sayers was nicknamed, was one of the most agile and elusive ball carriers ever.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 at age 34, the youngest person ever selected. In a relatively short career, Sayers compiled a record that can never be forgotten. He totaled 9,435 combined net yards, 4,856 yards rushing and 336 points scored.

A right knee injury forced Sayers to miss the final five games of the 1968, but he returned in 1969 to lead the NFL in rushing yards and be named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. An injury to his left knee in the 1970 preseason as well as subsequent injuries kept him sidelined for most of his final two seasons.

Gale Sayers' infamous quote helps tell the story of what made him one of the most electric players in pro football history. Sayers, who died at age 77 in 2020, was born 80 years ago today (May 30, 1943). Sayers dazzled NFL fans with his dizzying array of speed, agility and vision.

Truth be told, Sayers and Piccolo were close during their time together on the Bears — they were the first interracial roommates in NFL history — but not best friends. Piccolo was closer with Ralph Kurek, another running back.

No. Gale Sayers never played in a championship game during his NFL career. Drafted: 1st round (4th player overall) in 1965 by Chicago Bears in NFL Draft.

Gale Sayers (Kansas): The fourth overall pick in the 1965 draft, the writer of "I Am First," which is the basis for "Brian's Song," set all sorts of record in Kansas yet never finished in the balloting.

Over an eight-year NFL career during which he earned Rookie of the Year honors and gained 4,956 rushing yards, Sayers said he earned $275,000. “These players made $5,000 $10,000 $15,000, $20,000 a year, but they kept this game going so these players of today can make $5, $10, $15 million a year,” Sayers said.

198 lbs

Gale Sayers / Weight

He was 77. His stepson Guy Bullard said the cause was complications of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. In March 2017, his family revealed that Sayers had dementia after he had publicly displayed symptoms of it for four years. He joins a growing list of football players who developed dementia and died of brain damage.

Was Gale Sayers shy? ›

Both running backs, the two were obviously competitive and temperamentally quite different — Sayers was shy and serious, Piccolo a gregarious funny man — but they grew to appreciate each other.

he became the youngest person to ever become a. Hall of Famer.

Though knee injuries shortened his career, Sayers showed in his seven seasons that he was one of the most elusive running backs in the history of the National Football League (NFL). Born: May 30, 1943, Wichita, Kansas, U.S.

His final words to a dying Piccolo, played by James Caan, were, “I'll see you tomorrow.” For Gale Sayers, tomorrow has come. And in our mind's eye, if you look toward the heavens, you just may see Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo running in slow motion, side by side, and smiling.

From his two marriages Sayers has a total of six children: one daughter and five sons. It has been more than three decades since Sayers left professional football.

When “Brian's Song” made its debut as an ABC Movie of the Week in 1971, this tear-jerker about a professional football player who died of cancer became a surprisingly popular hit.

Gale Sayers was the most effortlessly gifted running back of all time. Watching him run was like watching a Ballet. Walter Payton, while still gifted, simply out worked everyone on the field. Watching him run was like watching Bruce Lee.

The first class of enshrinees included 11 former players (Red Grange, Don Hutson, Dutch Clark, Bronko Nagurski, Mel Hein, Pete Henry, Cal Hubbard, Sammy Baugh, Johnny McNally, Ernie Nevers and Jim Thorpe), 1 founder/owner/coach (George Halas), and 5 owners/executives (Curly Lambeau, Bert Bell, Joe Carr, Tim Mara and ...

Not surprisingly, he was named Rookie of the Year in 1965. He twice led the league in rushing (1966, 1969), was named All-Pro five years in a row (1965–69), and has the best career kickoff-return average in the NFL (30.6 yards per return).