On Biography.com, you can read about Gale Sayers' NFL career with the Chicago Bears. He was a running back for seven years. Gale Sayers was a former Chicago Bears running back who became the Pro Football Hall of Fame's youngest inductee. The 7-year veteran played in 92 games and had 2,010 rushing attempts during his career.
He finished second in the voting for the 1958 NFL MVP award behind Larry Csonka of the Miami Dolphins. That year, he led the league in scoring with 104 points, including two touchdown runs of 70 and 75 yards. His overall average of 5.4 yards per carry ranked third in history.
After his football career, Sayers had a successful business venture before becoming involved in politics. He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1964 and served three terms. In 1970, he was elected mayor of Kewanee, Illinois. He held that position for four years before being elected to the United States Senate. Sayers was only 39 years old when he was appointed to the seat vacated by Charles Percy. He was chosen by his fellow senators to fill out the rest of Percy's term which ended in 1980.
In the 1978 election, Sayers ran for president of the United States on an independent ticket. He received 1,071 votes in the electoral college while Ronald Reagan won 49 states plus the District of Columbia.
Gale Sayers, full name Gale Eugene Sayers (born May 30, 1943 in Wichita, Kansas, U.S.—died September 23, 2020), was an American gridiron football player who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 at the age of 27. A halfback, Sayers played eight seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. After graduating from high school in Wichita, Kansas, he attended Doane College before transferring to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. There he became a three-time All-American and helped lead his team to the national championship.
After graduating from college in 1966, Sayers signed with the Chicago Bears as a free agent. He quickly became one of the league's best running backs, leading the Bears to the playoffs each year from 1967 to 1969. In 1970, he joined the Cleveland Browns as they looked to build on their 1st-place finish the previous season. That year, he led the league in rushing with 1,406 yards and 12 touchdowns. He returned to the Bears for one more season in 1971, but he lost his job to Mike Pruitt after only six games. In 1972, he joined the New York Jets and ended his career there in 1973. That year, he finished second in the voting for the NFL MVP award.
After his playing days were over, Sayers went on to have a successful coaching career.
Sayers was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame at the age of 34 in 1977, making him the youngest individual to do so. He was chosen to the NFL's 75th Anniversary Squad as a halfback and a kick returner, making him the only player on the team to play both positions.
Before becoming athletic director at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1976, Sayers worked for three and a half years in the athletic department at his alma school, the University of Kansas.
1977 After-career recognition In 1977, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. His number 48 jersey is one of three that the Kansas Jayhawks football team has retired. Later, in 1977, Sayers was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he remains the youngest inductee.
Gale Henry Sayers was born on January 4, 1931, in Elba, New York. He was an American football halfback who played for the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). Sayers was drafted by the Bears with the third overall pick in the 1953 NFL draft. He earned All-America honors at Ohio State University before being drafted by a professional football team.
After two seasons with the Bears, Sayers was traded to the Browns for whom he played from 1955 to 1957. During his time with the Browns, Sayers helped them win the 1956 NFL championship. In 1958, he joined the Detroit Lions, but he only stayed there for one season before retiring from football.
In 1960, Sayers returned to football as the starting halfback for the San Francisco 49ers. However, he was released after one season because of a knee injury. In 1961, Sayers came out of retirement to play for the Chicago Cardinals. However, he was released after one season because of a shoulder injury.
The Gale Sayers Center is an after-school program on Chicago's west side for students aged 8 to 12. It focuses on leadership development, tutoring, and mentorship. Sayers joined the University of Kansas Athletic Department in 2009 as the Director of Special Projects Fundraising.
Gale Sayers was a collegiate and professional football player. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was a running back for the Chicago Bears. He was awarded an All-American twice.
Sayers authored this book in 1970, following the end of the 1969 NFL season, in which the Hall of Fame running back for the Chicago Bears recovered from a horrific knee injury suffered in 1968. Of course, the book was written after the death of his colleague, Brian Piccolo, from cancer. Piccolo was a strong supporter of LGBT rights and had come out as gay several years before his death.
The book is an autobiography that covers Sayers's life from birth through 1969, when he died. It also includes chapters on various important figures in Sayers's life, including his parents, siblings, friends, teammates, and coaches. The last chapter is about Piccolo and contains excerpts from letters that Sayers wrote at the time of his friend's death.
In it, Sayers discusses his early years, how he became one of the best runners in American football, his struggles with drugs and alcohol, and his efforts to help others following his own coming-out party in Chicago. He also reveals details of his intimate relationships and talks about what it was like growing up in a small town in Kansas during the Great Depression.
Overall, this is a great read for fans of sports history and anyone who wants to learn more about one of the greatest players in NFL history.
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