The league announced the 12 running backs on its NFL 100 All-Time Team, and the Bears took two of those spots with legends Walter Payton and Gale Sayers.
Payton is the Bears’ all-time leading rusher with 16,726 yards, second in league history only to Emmitt Smith, who also was selected. Payton was a seven-time all-pro selection, Super Bowl champion, the 1977 league MVP and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993. The NFL named its Man of the Year trophy after him.
Sayers’ career was cut short by injuries, but he was dominant. He averaged 5.