How Sweet it is

Today, in 1984, Walter Payton passed Jim Brown to take 1st place on the all-time rushing list. Payton, known as "Sweetness," had the New Orleans Saints in his way of the all-time record. And in typical Payton form, he did not disappoint. It was a blistery 62 degrees at Soldier Field on that October day. Payton needed just 66 yards to surpass Jim Brown. Brown's rushing mark sat at 12,312 yards. Payton didn't get those yards all at once however. Payton showcased his ability to earn the hard yards. Trailing 13-7 in the first half Walter Payton punched the ball in from a yard out to put the Bears up one going into intermission. He was just two yards shy of Brown. Then, in the 3rd quarter, it happened. Payton broke the record to surpass Brown. True to form, Payton, who was not known as an outspoken player, declined for the game to be stopped when he broke the record. The game, like Payton, just kept on going. Payton would go on to rush for 88 more yards, ending his day with 154 yards and a touchdown. It was the fifth consecutive game Payton rushed for over 100 yards, the fifth of nine times Payton surpassed the century mark in '84. Of course we all know what happens next. The Bears shuffled their way to a Super Bowl victory in '85. Payton would go on to be inducted into the hall of fame in 1993. Payton would later be surpassed on the all time list by Emmitt Smith in 2002. It was a record that stood for 18 years. While seven more running backs passed Brown's mark, Payton still remains second on the all-time list. Payton rushed for 16,726 yards through his career. A lot of great memories in that career, no doubt what occurred on October 7th, 1984 being one of the greatest. Sources Photo-http://plimptonmovie.com/paper-lion/jeff-pearlman-on-his-walter-payton-bio http://www.todayinsport.com/day/october/7 http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198410070chi.htm http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PaytWa00/gamelog/1984/ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rush_yds_career.htm http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122711/index.htm http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/espn25/story?page=moments/31 http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PaytWa00.htm http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/espn25/story?page=moments/80