THE BOOK PEYTON, WALTER, NEVER DIE EASY (AUTOBIOGRAPHY)

The book Peyton, Walter, Never Die Easy (Autobiography)

The book Peyton, Walter, Never Die Easy (Autobiography)

Introduction

Walter Payton was an athlete who transcended the venue of sports. Like the losses of Arthur Ashe and Roberto Clemente, Payton's untimely death at the age of 44 was felt far outside of the football community. In the last days of his life, Payton worked on his autobiography. The book's title comes from his college coach's instructions, which he took to heart, "Never die easy. Why run out of bounds and die easy? Make that linebacker pay. It carries into all facets of your life. It's okay to lose, to die, but don't die without trying, without giving your best." (R. Ryan, 2005, 87-98)

Nicknamed "Sweetness," the all-time rushing leader never ran away from his fans. His career, he said, was for their pleasure and to give them hope. So it seems that in his absence he wanted to leave this fine book filled with personal recollections and the memories of those who knew him best. The autobiography starts with Walter and the cast of his life recounting his early days as a youngster in Mississippi learning the value of hard work. Payton as a high school, college and professional athlete only knew one way to get into the end zone--over anyone who stood in his way. He would high step and finesse you if he could; he would take his punishment, and give some too, if he could not.

Explanation

It was a treat to read how his elusive style was born. "When the kids in the neighborhood would play `it' I hated to get caught", confides Payton, "I started learning how to juke and spin to make me impossible to catch." The origin punishing style began on half of a football field. "You didn't have a lot of room to move around, so you had to learn how to shed tackles, dodge guys or go right over them." The book was changed so that Payton's story could be told through his voice but also 25 others: his wife, children, brother and sister and the people in football who knew him best -- Mike Ditka, Mike Singletary, Jim McMahon, Franco Harris, Matt Suhey, John Madden and even the legendary Jim Brown, whose career rushing record Payton shattered. (Walter Payton, Yaeger, 2001)

The title of the book comes from a saying of Payton's college coach: "Never die easy. Why run out of bounds and die easy? Make the linebacker pay. It carries into all facets of your life. It's OK to lose, to die, but don't die without trying, without giving it your best.". Those words truly personified what Payton was all about. On the football field he was the leading rusher in the history of the NFL, the star of the only Super Bowl champion the Chicago Bears ever had.

Off the football field he was a wonderful husband, a devoted father, a solid citizen, a man of ...