Gale Sayers Career NFL Stats 1965-1971 |
||||||||||
G |
RATT |
YARDS |
YPR |
RTD |
REC |
RECYARDS |
RECTD |
TOUCHES |
SCRIMMAGE |
TOTTD |
68 |
991 |
4,956 |
5.0 |
39 |
112 |
1,307 |
9 |
1,103 |
6,263 |
48 |
Gale Eugene Sayers was born on May 30, 1943 in Wichita, KS. He was the son of Bernice and Roger Sayers. The Sayers family moved to Nebraska when Gale was young. They faced problems within the family but one of them wasn’t Gale. He stayed out of trouble when some of the other neighborhoo kids didn’t. He did that by staying active in sports.
Sayers attended Omaha Central High School. He played the three major sports of baseball, basketball and football and he excelled at them all. Sayers even participated in track and was setting records in the long jump. In football, he earned All-American honors his senior year. Sayers accepted a college scholarship to the University of Kansas.
Gale Sayers College Career Stats and Notes
Sayers played for Kansas from 1962-64. He rushed for 2,675 yards and 18 TDs during his college career. He was given the nickname the ‘Kansas Comet’ due to his speed. Sayers was a two-time Consensus All-American and a 3-time All-Big Eight selection.
Awards and Achievements |
|
MVP
|
|
All-Pro
|
1st Team: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 1969 |
Pro Bowl Selections |
1965, 1966, 1967, 1969
|
Rushing Titles: |
1966, 1969
|
Achievements
|
NFL Rookie of the Year NFL Comeback Player of the Year Member of 1960s All-Decade Team Member of NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team Member of NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team |
Gale Sayers NFL Career Stats and Notes
Sayers was selected 5th overall in the 1965 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. One of the most elusive and fast runners the game has ever seen, Sayers was must watch whenever he touched the ball. That’s because he was a threat to take it to the house whether on offense or special teams.
Sadly, injuries cut his promising career short and his true potential was never realized. Sayers played only seven years before retiring after the 1971 season. He was a 4-time Pro Bowler and a 5-time First Team All-Pro selection. Sayers was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 at the age of 34, the youngest players ever and a reminder of what could’ve been for one of the greatest to play the game.
Gale Sayers NFL Record Tying 6 TDs vs San Francisco 49ers
The talent of Gale Sayers was undeniable. Even though his career was cut short by injuries we saw flashes of his immense potential. One of those times was in a game against the San Francisco 49ers during the 1965 season.
Sayers was in a groove all game long. He scored on short runs (7 and 1 yard), long runs (21 and 50 yards), an 80 yard TD reception and an 85 yard punt return. The Bears won thanks to Sayers tying an NFL record with 6 TDs. It was truly one of the greatest individual performances the league has ever seen.