Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1043920 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 96 pages

Amazon.com Review
The day Walter Payton died, Chicago Bears owner Virginia McCaskey tearfully said, "After Brian Piccolo died, my husband Ed and I promised ourselves we wouldn't be so personally involved with any of the players. We were able to follow that resolve until Walter Payton came into our lives." Payton was magical to watch, playing with a toughness that never failed to impress opponents, teammates, and fans alike. Alternately graceful and bruising, Payton ran, leapt, and battered his way to eight NFL records in his 13-year career--including the most rushing yards in a single game (275), most career rushing yards (16,726), and most career total yards (21,803), in addition to having 10 1,000-yard rushing seasons, five 1,500-yard rushing seasons, and 77 100-yard rushing games.

As Sweetness: The Courage and Heart of Walter Payton points out, however, Payton was much more than just a football player. The contributors (many of whom are Chicagoans themselves) certainly highlight Payton's great athletic ability, his impressive stats, and the respect felt for him by his professional colleagues. But they also honor Payton the family man, the practical joker who loved to set off firecrackers in the locker room, and the philanthropist who quietly gave thousands of dollars to charities throughout Illinois. Dozens of photos, quotes from friends and family, and a handful of short essays will help football fans remember a time when life was a little sweeter. A fitting tribute to the man Mike Ditka called "the best football player I've ever seen, and probably one of the best people I've ever met." --Sunny Delaney

Customer Reviews

A good book about a good man
This is a terrific book, especially for parents who want to show their sports-mad kids a real role model. The photos are wonderful, and the text describes the whole man, not just the football player. And he was as good a man as he was player, and there wasn't ever a better player.

Give this to a football-loving kid for Christmas, and try not to cry when you read it yourself.

A GREAT REMINDER OF A GREAT MAN.
"Sweetness: The Courage and Heart of Walter Payton" is a wonderful collection of quotes, stats, stories, and pictures illustrating the complete Payton. He was indeed one of the greatest running-backs of all time. What this book gives, that many don't, is a review of Walter's off-field perfomances. He was kind, caring, and loving to all. This book clearly shows that Walter was in all aspects.....a hero. This title is a must for all those who miss the headbands, the dives over the goal lines, the amazing runs, the jumping high fives, and a great man----SWEETNESS!

AWESOME SWEETNESS
Walter Payton was the model of what every player should be like, even in today's "me only" generation. Walter was a first class football player amd first class individual as well.

He is what other players should strive to be like, Walter broke the mold and still stands as the premiere football player of all time. Walter can not and will never be replaced, he represented what all of us should be like no matter what color we are or where we came from or anything!

A truly remarkable individual that went beyond being a great football player, Walter was a great person as well. If a person couldn't be inspired by what Walter Payton represented, they just couldn't be inspired with anything!

I named my son after his son, and my family will never forget watching #34 on the field on Sunday's. Walter is my all time hero and inspiration, and always will be.