Sayers, Gale E.
Football
b. May 30, 1943, Wichita, KS
Possibly the greatest open-field runner in history, Sayers unfortunately played only four full seasons and parts of three others as a professional. Here's just one measure of his greatness: Since the NFL began keeping track of such things in 1963, only four players have scored a touchdown rushing, a touchdown receiving, and a touchdown returning a kick in a single game. Sayers did it three times, twice in 1965 and once in 1967.
An All-American at the University of Kansas in 1963 and 1964, Sayers was the Chicago Bears' first choice in the 1965 NFL college draft. He was an immediate sensation, setting a league record with 22 touchdowns, 14 rushing, 6 on pass receptions, 1 on a punt return and 1 on a kickoff return. He tied the NFL record with 6 touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers that year and had 2,272 combined yards.
Sayers was named the league's rookie of the year and an All-Pro. In 1966, he led the NFL in rushing with 1,231 yards and in kickoff returns with an average of 31.2 yards per runback. He averaged an incredible 37.7 yards with 3 touchdowns on just 16 kickoff returns in 1967, when he also rushed for 880 yards.
An injury to his right knee shortened his 1968 season, but he came back to lead the league in rushing again with 1,032 yards in 1969. However, his left knee was severely damaged early in the 1970 season. After two operations, he attempted a comeback in 1971 but was forced to retire.
During his NFL career, Sayers rushed 991 times for 4,956 yards, a 5.0 average, and 39 touchdowns; caught 112 passes for 1,307 yards, an 11.7 average, and 9 touchdowns; returned 28 punts for 391 yards, a 14.0 average, and 2 touchdowns; and ran back 91 kickoffs for 2,781 yards, a 30.6 average, and 6 touchdowns.