Gale Sayers

Lore & Background

Nicknamed 'the Kansas Comet', Sayers played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks, where he compiled 4,020 all-purpose yards over three seasons and was twice a consensus All-American. In his rookie NFL season, he set a league record by scoring 22 touchdowns—including a record-tying six in one game—and gained 2,272 all-purpose yards, earning NFL Rookie of the Year. He earned four Pro Bowl appearances and five first-team All-Pro selections. A right knee injury ended his 1968 season early, but he returned in 1969 to lead the NFL in rushing and be named Comeback Player of the Year. His friendship with Bears teammate Brian Piccolo inspired his autobiography I Am Third, which became the basis for the 1971 TV movie Brian's Song. Sayers is one of five players in the Super Bowl era enshrined in the Hall of Fame without playing in a postseason game. He was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team as a halfback and kick returner, the only player to occupy two positions on the team. In 2019, he was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame the same year. His jersey number is retired by both the Bears and the University of Kansas. After his NFL career, he served as athletic director of Southern Illinois University from 1976 to 1981.

In Their Own Story

The crowd was a sea of navy blue and orange, roaring as Gale Sayers lined up for the snap. The ball hit his hands, and he took off. It wasn't just running; it was flight. Defenders lunged, but they grasped only air as he wove through traffic with impossible grace. Crossing the goal line, he didn't celebrate immediately; he simply looked back at the stunned defense, a small smile playing on his lips, knowing that for one more play, he had defied gravity itself.

Reader's Guide

Sayers was the fourth overall pick in the 1965 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears. He led the league in rushing in 1966 with 1,231 yards and again in 1969 with 1,032 yards. He set an NFL record for all-purpose yards in a season with 2,440 in 1966. He scored six touchdowns in a single game on December 12, 1965, tying the NFL record. He was named NFL Rookie of the Year in 1965 and Comeback Player of the Year in 1969. He never won NFL MVP, never played in a Super Bowl, and was never a Miami Dolphin.

Did You Know?

• Sayers scored 22 touchdowns as a rookie, an NFL record at the time.
• He tied the NFL record for most touchdowns in a single game with six.
• He is the youngest person ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, at age 34.
• He is one of only five players in the Super Bowl era in the Hall of Fame who never played in a postseason game.
• His jersey number 40 is retired by the Chicago Bears and the University of Kansas.