- Born
- Died
- Birth nameGale Eugene Sayers
- Nickname
- The Kansas Comet
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- Gale Sayers grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, where he excelled as a running back and set a high school record for long jump. He originally received national prominence as a two-time All-American. Sayers was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1965, and in his debut season, he had 2,272 rushing, receiving, and kick-return yards, as well as 22 touchdowns, a rookie record. That year, in a game against the 49ers, he tied an NFL record with six touchdowns. Not unexpectedly, he won Rookie of the Year in 1965. He twice led the league in rushing, was voted All-Pro for five years in a row, and owns the NFL's greatest career kickoff return average.
A series of serious knee injuries prompted Sayers to retire at the age of 29 before the 1972 NFL season. He later worked as an assistant athletic director at the University of Kansas and athletic director at Southern Illinois University. Sayers started a profitable computer supply firm in 1984. His close connection with Bears halfback Brian Piccolo was featured in the 1971 television film Brian's Song.- IMDb mini biography by: Jim Russell
- SpousesArdythe Elaine Bullard(December 1, 1973 - September 23, 2020) (his death)Linda Lou McNeil(June 10, 1962 - November 20, 1973) (divorced, 3 children)
- Number 40 jersey with the Chicago Bears and number 48 with the Kansas Jayhawks
- Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.
- Coholder of NFL record for most touchdowns scored in a single game with 6 (first accomplished by Dub Jones in 1951).
- Halfback with the Chicago Bears, 1965-1971.
- Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1977.
- Halfback on the University of Kansas football team, 1962-1964.
- When I'm carrying the ball, there isn't any play going through my mind. When I come to a tackler I don't think, "Now fake one way and cut the other." My feet just go. I don't think about it at all. I just do it, and I don't really know how. Where my feet go, I go.
- Just give me 18 inches of daylight. That's all I need.
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