Gale Sayers would have turned 79 years old on May 30th. When you think about guys whose career would have turned out differently had it not been for injuries, Gale Sayers would be near the top of the list. 68 games is all the Kansas Comet played, each one of them in a Bears uniform. Yet, that’s all he needed to be considered one of the best RBs to ever play the game.
Take the greatest Bears running back of all-time for comparison purposes. Walter may have been the most durable RB of all time, playing 190 games; 122 games more than Sayers! It’s hard to imagine any RB greater than Walter, whether we’re talking strictly Bears, or if we open that up to the whole NFL. Heck, I believe Sweetness is the greatest football player of all time, period. But just for a minute, think about if Sayers played as long. Gale was like Barry Sanders and Devin Hester rolled into one. His moves, his speed… what was one of Gale’s most famous quotes? Give me 18 inches of daylight… There is a reason that even though he played less than 6 whole seasons, Gale is a slam dunk Bears legend; he’s still considered one of the best RBs the NFL ever had to offer.
You know that the Bears drafted him in the first round back in 1965 right? Yes, he was the 4th overall pick. You know who else we got in that same draft right? Dick Butkus was selected one pick ahead of Gale at #3 overall. Not sure there was a better first round by any NFL team… ever. In fact, this was the only time an NFL team has selected 2 Hall of Fame players in the first round of the same draft. Yeah, that Butkus guy was pretty decent too. It’s guys like this that contributed to why the Bears are considered a historic NFL franchise. Speaking about Butkus, I already have his jersey; I have Sweetness too. Does that mean Sayers is next? Not sure I need another one, considering I have Urlacher and McMahon too, but I have thought about it. I think the 85 Bears defense; Dent has kind of risen to the top of my wish list. But, if I was to go another direction… Sayers would be a fine choice.
He was the rookie of the year. He averaged 5 yards a carry for his career. He had 56 total TDs in those 68 games, including an NFL record 6 in that famous game at Wrigley in the mud against the Niners. There were 2 other guys that scored 6 in a game. Some guy named Dub Jones, who did it for the Browns against none other than the Bears back in 1951. Then of course there was Alvin Kamara in the fantasy football championship game; after that performance to secure my first fantasy title in that specific league, I wanted to get HIS jersey… haha. But back to Gale, 4 pro bowls in his career, and seemingly as many spectacular highlights as guys who’ve played twice as long. He squeezed a Hall of Fame career into those 68 games… Happy Birthday Gale, and Bear Down!
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