For you young folk who never hear Sayers' name today (he died of dementia at 77,Sept.23 ),this man was poetry in motion,and before a devastating knee injury incurred in '68,he was the unquestioned best running back and kick returner the NFL ever saw ,and his exploits have never been duplicated. On Dec.12,1965,in a 61-20 rout of the 49ers,the Bears' 22-year-old rookie scored six touchdowns to tie the NFL record,and amassed a then-record THREE HUNDRED TWENTY-SIX scrimmage yards. in '68,a few weeks before his career-curtailing injury,Sayers and his team played the Lions,which then shared Tiger Stadium with the Tigers. A World Series game had been played a day or two before,the field was sloppy,even somewhat wrecked,yet Sayers ran over,under,around and through the Lions.In my 10th Grade geography class the next day,we learned about Cherrapunji,India,the world's wettest city,which gets about 450 inches of rain annually.I piped up,"Gale Sayers would average 250 yards a game there." Go to YouTube to see some of Sayers' matchless runs from scrimmage and his kickoff and punt returns,which caused coaches to kick out of bounds and start from the 35-yard line rather than risk a Sayers touchdown gallop .RIP,"Kansas Comet," you are truly the running back GOAT !!!!
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