It was a season not unlike most others for Walter Payton.
He played every game in 1985, rushed for 1,551 yards, caught 49 passes and scored 11 touchdowns.
Such were the standards of excellence for the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, who capped a Hall of Fame career with an appearance in Super Bowl XX in New Orleans.
Despite the personal disappointment of not having an opportunity to score a Super Bowl touchdown from close range, Payton always knew his place in Bears history.
He holds 26 Bears records and eight NFL marks. He was voted to the Pro Bowl nine times and had his No. 34 jersey retired.
But former teammates remember the intangible qualities that made Payton the embodiment of perseverance, consistency and durability.
“What sticks in my mind and the mind of most of my teammates is when we left San Francisco in 1984, after we lost the conference championship and how distraught Walter was after that ballgame,” said former Bears wide receiver Dennis McKinnon. “The fans were jeering: `Next time you come back, bring your offense.’
“We got snowed in there and we had to stay there and watch the film. It was the most humiliating thing that I think we had gone through. We were so unsure at that point of whether we were that good. It was a wakeup call. And I think Walter trained harder that off-season than all of the off-seasons that he was so renowned for. He wanted to make sure that there were no excuses in ’85. He was a guy who epitomized what professionalism was on and off the field.”
While quarterback Jim McMahon received most of the attention for being such a vocal leader of the offense, Payton was the unit’s most durable and reliable performer. Yet he remained in the background, overshadowed by the team’s success.
“Perfect. That’s what I wanted. That’s what I was trying to do,” Payton said.
But he was hardly along for the ride.
“I knew better,” Payton said.
“Everybody knew what their role was, and I think that’s why we were as close as we were,” said McKinnon. “And I think that started at the top and Walter set the tone as far as how we approached the game.
“The thing about Walter is that he really didn’t talk that much in the huddle. There was one particular game in Green Bay where Matt Suhey missed the block and Walter got hit straight on. He didn’t get a chance to react, and Walter was hunched over. He just yelled to the sideline: `I need a Darvon,’ which is a pain-killer. Then he looked over at Matt and said: `Don’t miss it again.’
“He didn’t say anything else, because mistakes do happen. Matt had been his cellmate for so many years. Walter didn’t yell at him or anything else. He had a quietness about him, but at the same time he had a presence. Jim , in a sense, was the vocal one. But Walter went out and got the job done.
“He wasn’t an egomaniac and he was down to earth. He accepted us for what we were. In order for us to win, we all had to play together. He made sure that did happen.”
