For Walter Payton, the chase ended Sunday. Now the hunter becomes the hunted, if that's possible. "For the past three weeks, I've tried to conceal it, but there has been a lot of pressure," Payton said. "It's really been hard on me and my family."
Getting the record was as easy as a 6-yard run in the third quarter in the Bears' 20-7 win over New Orleans. The run moved him past Jim Brown's career rushing record of 12,312 yards and into the top spot with 12,316.
He ended the day with 32 carries for 154 yards and one touchdown. His career total stands at 12,400. A 9-yard gain in the fourth quarter pushed him over the 100-yard mark for the 59th time in his 10-year career, bettering the mark of 58 he had shared with Brown.
His fifth consecutive game with more than 100 rushing yards leaves him just two shy of the NFL record currently held by O.J. Simpson and Earl Campbell. His 775 yards this season makes a run at 2,000 yards possible, but Payton dismisses it.
"If it's God's will, it will happen," he said.
Coach Mike Ditka, as fervent a believer in the Bears' rich tradition as Payton, helped put the record in perspective.
"The worst thing anybody can do is compare Jim Brown or Gale Sayers or O.J. and Walter," he said. "They're all great in their own ways. I just think when God said, 'I'm going to make me a fullback or halfback,' He might have said Sayers or Brown. But when He said, 'I'm gonna build me the best football player who ever lived,' he probably said two names - Jim Thorpe and Walter Payton.
"It really means a lot to me to be a small part of it," Ditka said. "The great thing about today is he did it on a day he could have done it with 67 yards, but he did it going away with a win under his belt."
Saints linebacker Jim Kovach made the tackle on Payton.
"It might just be my career to be the answer to the trivia question of who tackled Payton on his record-breaker," he said. "That's just my luck."
Jim McMahon and other Bears, along with members of the Saints and officials, offered their congratulations to Payton as he held the ball that is headed for the Hall of Fame. After shaking hands with New Orleans coach Bum Philips, he jogged across the field holding the ball aloft as an assemblage of cameramen and photographers pursued him.
Champagne flowed in a Soldier Field skybox for Payton's family and friends. The entourage included his mother, Mrs. Alyne Payton, wife Connie, son Jarrett, close friend and ex-teammate Roland Harper, agent Bud Holmes, Charles Boston, his high school coach from Columbia, Miss., and Dr. Lanny Johnston, who performed the arthroscopic surgery Payton dubbed his "11,000-yard checkup" and credits with much of his success this season.
A shoe company that Payton works with gave him a $125,000 Ferrari that can hit 200 mph. "My dream car," said Payton, who says he drives only 55 mph.
Boston, who started coaching Payton in the 10th grade, said he never knew Payton would be the runner he is today - or tomorrow.
"We don't know what Walter can accomplish, really," he said. "It was the first year of integration (1970)."
Payton, a senior, scored two touchdowns in a 14-6 win. "He scored on runs of 65 and 95 yards. That did it for integration. After that, they didn't see a black boy on the field - they saw a Columbia Wildcat."
"I'm glad I don't have to do this every week," Payton said of the media attention his chase attracted. "Maybe when the season is over and we win the Super Bowl, I can reminisce. But the motivating drive for me has been the athletes who have tried for the record and failed and for those who didn't have an opportunity such as the Overstreets (David), the Delaneys (Joe) and the Piccolos (Brian)."
All were NFL running backs who died in the prime of the careers. Piccolo was Gale Sayers' running mate with the Bears in the 1960s.
"This exemplifies what the game is made of and what I did out there is a reflection on these guys," he said. "They made the sacrifice as well."
