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Kaitlyn Price
Walter Payton’s Character IS His Legacy
Never die easy are the three most important words to describe Walter Payton and his
legacy. Walter Payton may have been a great football player, but his character off the field is
really what made him so special. Walter Payton was mainly known as the man that goes by the
nickname “Sweetness” because of his actions and beliefs on and off the field. The three words,
“never die easy,” explain Walter through his beginning days of college football until the last days
of his life. He lived up to those words through his hard work and dedication to his fans and to the
children of America even after he became sick. Children and his fans were really his life, along
with life lessons he lived to give.
Walter had many beliefs that helped him become such a respected hero in Chicago
history. He helped write a book that was a different form of an autobiography. The main reason
Walter Payton agreed to write this book, even though he valued his own privacy and the privacy
of his family, was to remind them of the most important message in life; everything is an
opportunity that you must continue to work for. Walter Payton and Don Yaegar say almost the
same thing in their book, Never Die Easy. It states:
He wanted others to remember the importance of appreciating what they have, of
remembering that no matter what you’ve accomplished, you are not better than
anyone else, that every opportunity you have to meet someone is an opportunity
to leave a piece of yourself behind (14).
Walter stood behind his words. He was never a hypocrite with the lessons he gave. He lived up to
the message above by being the best football player and man for the fans of Chicago, for his
friends, and for his family, instead of himself. He pushed himself to the limit and lived each day
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as if it were his last (one of his lessons that he gave to many). Most of his lessons came from his
background and from his experiences during his college football career.
Walter Payton attended Jackson State University with a full football scholarship, and his
head coach was Coach Hill. Coach Hill was a big role model in Payton’s life; he was like another
father away from home. Jackson State was a smaller school that did not get much attention from
the press, and it was not a school that had a lot of money, which is why Walter chose this school.
Walter showed his character with his choice of school because he was not looking for fame and
glory, he was looking to play the game in order to be the best football player and to make it in to
the NFL.
Walter was the fourth pick for the Chicago Bears. At the time, the Bears were not doing
so well, but the city of Chicago stood by their team. That inspired Payton to give back by being
