Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton

Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton by Pearlman, Jeff. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781592406531.

The first definitive biography of Chicago Bears superstar Walter Payton. At five feet ten inches tall, running back Walter Payton was not the largest player in the NFL, but he developed a larger-than-life reputation for his strength, speed, and grit. Nicknamed "Sweetness" during his college football days, he became the NFLs all-time leader in rushing and all-purpose yards, capturing the hearts of fans in his adopted Chicago. Crafted from interviews with more than 700 sources, acclaimed sportswriter Jeff Pearlman has produced the first definitive biography of Payton. Sweetness at last brings fans a detailed, scrupulously researched, all-encompassing account of the legends rise to greatness. From Paytons childhood in segregated Mississippi, where he ended a racial war by becoming the star of his integrated high schools football team, to his college years and his thirteen-year NFL career, Sweetness brims with stories of all-American heroism, and covers Paytons life off the field as well. Set against the backdrop of the tragic illness that cut his life short at just forty-five years of age, this is a stirring tribute to a singular icon and the lasting legacy he made.