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10 greatest Chicago Bears of all time

By Russell S. Baxter

LOS ANGELES,CA: Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears circa 1987 prepares to play against the Los Angeles Raiders at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES,CA: Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears circa 1987 prepares to play against the Los Angeles Raiders at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Chicago Bears Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers runs upfield in a 28 to 38 loss to the Washington Redskins on September 15, 1968 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nate Fine/Getty Images)
Chicago Bears Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers runs upfield in a 28 to 38 loss to the Washington Redskins on September 15, 1968 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nate Fine/Getty Images) /

3. RB Gale Sayers

His days in the National Football League proved to be very numbered due to injuries. But you can make it compelling case for Chicago Bears’ running back and versatile performer Gale Sayers as the most exciting player in league annals. The fourth overall pick out of the University of Kansas in 1965, one selections after the team selected linebacker Dick Butkus, he exploded onto the scene in an amazing debut campaign which included a few record-setting moments.

Against the San Francisco 49ers at sloppy Soldier Field, Sayers ran for four touchdowns, took back a punt for a score and also returned a kickoff for a TD. He tied the NFL record for most total touchdowns in a game (6). That season, he would reach the end zone a combined 22 times, also a league record for a rookie. He brought elusive to a new level.

“I had a style all my own,” said Sayers (via the Pro Football Hall of Fame). “The way I ran, lurchy, herky-jerky, I kept people off-guard so if I didn’t have that much power when I hit a man, hell, he was off-balance and I could knock him down.”

In just 68 contests, he reached the end zone 56 times and accumulated 9,435 total combined yards. Sayers was a four-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro and of course, a Pro Football Hall of Famer.

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