No one ran like Gale Sayers. Jim Brown was more powerful, O.J. was faster, Barry Sanders was better at starting and stopping, but Gale combined speed, shiftiness, and elusiveness. He had a glide that no one else did. His 6-touchdown game was stunning. Though he was primarily a running back and not a special teams performer, he still holds the career record for average kickoff return yardage, almost half a century after his retirement. His star shone so bright that he made the Hall of Fame after only 68 games. RIP, Kansas Comet!
He played from 1965-1971. He was selected on his first year of eligibility. At the time of his HOF induction, Sayers was the youngest player to be enshrined, he was only 34.
Legacy and honors -
Sayers' record of 22 touchdowns in a season was broken by
O. J. Simpson in 1975, who scored 23. His 22 touchdowns remained a rookie record as of 2017.
Sayers remains the most recent player to score at least six touchdowns in a game. His career
kickoff return average of 30.56 yards is an NFL record for players with at least 75 attempts, and he is one of several players to have scored two return touchdowns in a game.
He is tied with four other players for the second most career kickoff return touchdowns, with six. Sayers' rookie record of 2,272 all-purpose yards was broken in 1988 by
Tim Brown, who gained 2,317 yards through 16 games, which was two more games than Sayers set the record in. The season was 14 games during Sayers' era. His single-season all-purpose yards record of 2,440 set in 1966 was broken in 1974 by
Mack Herron, who surpassed it by four yards.
Post-career recognition -
Sayers was elected to the
Lincoln Journal's Nebraska Sports Hall of Fame in 1973, the first black athlete to be so honored. He was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame in 1977. His number 48 jersey is one of three retired by the Kansas Jayhawks football team.
Later in 1977, Sayers was inducted into the
Pro Football Hall of Fame and is still the youngest inductee in its history. On October 31, 1994, at halftime of a Monday night game, the Bears retired his number 40 at
Soldier Field, along with number 51, which had been worn by teammate, linebacker
Dick Butkus.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee named Sayers to its
NFL 1960s All-Decade Team, which is composed of the best players of the 1960s at each position. In 1994, Sayers was selected for the
NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team as both a halfback and a kickoff returner;
he was the only player selected for multiple positions. In 1999 he was ranked 22nd on
The Sporting News's list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
www.espn.com
Trying to tackle Sanders was like trying to climb a greased pole.
