born July 25, 1954, Columbia, Miss., U.S.
died Nov. 1, 1999, Barrington, Ill.
U.S. football player.
He played football at Jackson State University and from 1975 to 1987 was a member of the NFL Chicago Bears. He retired as the all-time leader for combined yardage (rushing, kick returning, and pass receiving; 21,803 yds), seasons with 1,000 or more yards rushing (10), and rushing yardage (16,726). In 2002 his career rushing record was broken by Emmitt Smith and his combined yardage record was broken by Jerry Rice . Payton is considered among the greatest running backs in football history.