Walter Payton

Who holds the NFL record for most rushing yards in a game?David V., 12New Providence, New JerseyWalter Payton of the Chicago Bears ran for 275 yards against the Minnesota Vikings on November 20, 1977. Walter carried the ball 40 times.Walter is also the NFL's career rushing leader. He ran the ball 3,838 times for 16,726 yards from 1975 to 1987. Walter is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Ravens veteran center Matt Birk was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year on Saturday night, recognition for his consistent play on the field and his commitment to community endeavors. Birk is the first Ravens player to win the award, given annually to recognize a player's community service and playing excellence. The announcement was made at the “NFL Honors” award show in Indianapolis, site of Sunday's Super Bowl. "I am honored and truly humbled to be named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year," Birk said in a statement released by the Ravens.

Mention Mike Stankovic and the names of sports heroes come rolling off tongues.His old teammate with the Blast, current Harrisburg Heat coach Jim Pollihan, thinks of Stan Musial and Walter Payton.His old coach with the Blast and Spirit, Tampa Bay Terror coach Kenny Cooper, thinks of Joe Montana and George Foreman."There are certain special athletes, who exude confidence, who have the reputation as winners, who retain that desire to be the best in the world," Cooper said. "Mike is one of them.

ASHBURN, Va. -- When Washington Redskins safety Ryan Clark received a call from former teammate Antonio Pierce after Sunday's loss to the Oakland Raiders, what Pierce said nearly dropped Clark to the floor. "He said [LaDainian Tomlinson is] the best in the league," Clark said. "For Antonio [now with the New York Giants] to say that, that's a big statement because he very seldom gives out compliments. So that was big and I respect that." Only recently has Tomlinson been earning that kind of respect, despite a resume that includes a minimum of 1,236 yards and 10 touchdowns in each of his first four seasons.

Earnest Byner pointed to his office door."Imagine running into that door 20 to 25 times a game," the former NFL running back said, trying to describe Walter Payton's running style.Payton wouldn't wait for the door to crack open, or seek an easier way out. He would barge through that door, barrel over a defender. It was his preferred method of getting from Point A to Point B."I know for a fact that when defensive players got one-on-one with Walter, they preferred that he juke them or fake them, but he ran through them," said NFL Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome.

Near the end of Walter Payton's 1993 induction speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he said: "I am going to close by saying life is short. It is oh, so sweet."Payton, the NFL's all-time rushing leader, couldn't have known how prophetic his words would turn out to be.His life was sweet, but it was, oh, so short.He died yesterday at the age of 45 of cancer of the bile ducts, which carry digestive fluids from the liver to the small intestine.Payton looked gaunt and frail when he announced in February he had a rare liver disease called PCS (primary schlerosing cholangitis)

ASHBURN, Va. -- When Washington Redskins safety Ryan Clark received a call from former teammate Antonio Pierce after Sunday's loss to the Oakland Raiders, what Pierce said nearly dropped Clark to the floor. "He said [LaDainian Tomlinson is] the best in the league," Clark said. "For Antonio [now with the New York Giants] to say that, that's a big statement because he very seldom gives out compliments. So that was big and I respect that." Only recently has Tomlinson been earning that kind of respect, despite a resume that includes a minimum of 1,236 yards and 10 touchdowns in each of his first four seasons.

CINCINNATI - Corey Dillon limped out of Baltimore in September with 9 rushing yards on 12 attempts, giving him a 2-yard average on 41 carries through three games. The Cincinnati Bengals' 37-0 loss to the Ravens in Week 4 was Bruce Coslet's last game as coach; he resigned the next morning. His replacement, Dick LeBeau, is more dedicated to the running game, and Dillon has prospered under the new regime, with a 131-yard average over the past five games. Actually, Dillon is the hottest running back in the NFL and, among his other professional and personal goals, he wants to atone for his poor game in Baltimore when the Ravens try to end a three-game losing streak tomorrow at Paul Brown Stadium.

Emmitt Smith dreamed about this as a teenager, planned for it as a rookie, lived it for the past year as his personal countdown grew louder and shorter. Sometime soon - possibly on Sunday - the Dallas Cowboys' running back will pass Walter Payton as the most prolific rusher in NFL history. It will be the crowning accomplishment in a career destined for the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and a deserving tribute to one of the game's most respected stars. But what makes it all the more remarkable is that Smith, now 33, envisioned this day for the first time as a youngster - at the age of 14 or 15, he says - growing up in Escambia, Fla. It was right around that time that Payton slashed past Jim Brown in the record book.

Football addicts, rejoice! The college game is in the thick of its bowl schedule. The NFL's regular season culminates today before rumbling into the playoffs. And there are enough new books on football to fill Tony Siragusa's lunchbox. From the historical to the comical, from Walter Camp to Walter Payton, from the preps to the pros, this bevy of books offers football fanatics a diverse and intriguing menu. The late, great Howard Cosell might have called it a "veritable plethora" of reading material.

HOUSTON - Moments before publicly accepting their nominations for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, John Elway and Barry Sanders talked about what life would have been like had the two lined up in the same backfield. "We would have been fighting over that pigskin, there is no question about that," Elway said. "But I would have been glad to give it to him." While Elway, who spent 16 seasons as the Denver Broncos' quarterback, and Sanders, who spent 10 years as the Detroit Lions' running back, never even got the chance to play in the same conference, the two will now be linked as the headliners of the Class of 2004.

LANDOVER - The Washington Redskins could blame only themselves for letting another fourth-quarter lead slip away. For the third consecutive week, the Redskins allowed an opponent to rally from a deficit. This time, the New Orleans Saints trailed by three points in the final period, but forged a 24-20 victory on a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aaron Brooks to tight end Boo Williams before 76,821 at FedEx Field yesterday. The Saints, who turned away two Washington drives in the fourth quarter, improved to 6-6 and kept alive their hopes of a wild-card playoff spot.

Emmitt Smith dreamed about this as a teenager, planned for it as a rookie, lived it for the past year as his personal countdown grew louder and shorter. Sometime soon - possibly on Sunday - the Dallas Cowboys' running back will pass Walter Payton as the most prolific rusher in NFL history. It will be the crowning accomplishment in a career destined for the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and a deserving tribute to one of the game's most respected stars. But what makes it all the more remarkable is that Smith, now 33, envisioned this day for the first time as a youngster - at the age of 14 or 15, he says - growing up in Escambia, Fla. It was right around that time that Payton slashed past Jim Brown in the record book.

During the Denver Broncos' 2000 training camp, Mike Anderson was a nice human interest story. Here was a soon-to-be 27-year-old rookie who had spurned high school football, choosing instead to play drums in the school band. Here was a 6-foot, 235-pound running back who learned life's lessons not running between the tackles but crawling through the underbrush at Marine boot camp on Parris Island, S.C. No doubt about it, Anderson made for good copy during the dog days of August. But no one, not Anderson or Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, could imagine what fate had in store for the unheralded sixth-round draft choice.

Football addicts, rejoice! The college game is in the thick of its bowl schedule. The NFL's regular season culminates today before rumbling into the playoffs. And there are enough new books on football to fill Tony Siragusa's lunchbox. From the historical to the comical, from Walter Camp to Walter Payton, from the preps to the pros, this bevy of books offers football fanatics a diverse and intriguing menu. The late, great Howard Cosell might have called it a "veritable plethora" of reading material.

CINCINNATI - Corey Dillon limped out of Baltimore in September with 9 rushing yards on 12 attempts, giving him a 2-yard average on 41 carries through three games. The Cincinnati Bengals' 37-0 loss to the Ravens in Week 4 was Bruce Coslet's last game as coach; he resigned the next morning. His replacement, Dick LeBeau, is more dedicated to the running game, and Dillon has prospered under the new regime, with a 131-yard average over the past five games. Actually, Dillon is the hottest running back in the NFL and, among his other professional and personal goals, he wants to atone for his poor game in Baltimore when the Ravens try to end a three-game losing streak tomorrow at Paul Brown Stadium.

Walter Paytons death shows the need for more organ donorsWalter Payton, one of the greatest football players of all time, died last week. He had been on the waiting list for a liver transplant, although when he died he may have been too sick to receive a transplant.The day Mr. Payton died, two or three other people probably died while on the waiting list for a liver. Another three or four died waiting for a heart or lung and five or six died waiting for a kidney.And the next day, 10 or 12 more people died waiting.

Let's forget about Boogie for a minute. Let's talk about another group of investors buying the Orioles.The Orioles.Cal, Gregg, Moose, the whole gang. Yeah. Imagine what would happen if they pooled their money and bought the club from Eli Jacobs, who has put up a for-sale sign.Don't laugh. It isn't as preposterous as you think. Well, considering the Orioles' payroll, which is puny by baseball's steroid-inflated standards, it is indeed preposterous. But the finances wouldn't be so improbable elsewhere.

Walter Paytons death shows the need for more organ donorsWalter Payton, one of the greatest football players of all time, died last week. He had been on the waiting list for a liver transplant, although when he died he may have been too sick to receive a transplant.The day Mr. Payton died, two or three other people probably died while on the waiting list for a liver. Another three or four died waiting for a heart or lung and five or six died waiting for a kidney.And the next day, 10 or 12 more people died waiting.