Photos: Gale Sayers through the years, 1943-2020
A look back at the life and career of the Hall of Fame running back for the Chicago Bears, who died Wednesday.
1955
Gale Sayers Kansas halfback football player, March 9, 1955. (AP Photo)
1961
Chicago Bears' halfback Gale Sayers poses with the ball in 1961. (AP Photo)
1962
Gale Sayers, Kansas halfback in 1962. (AP Photo)
1965
Two Kansas University football stars, All-America Gale Sayers, left, and George Schinn, leave the administration building on the KU campus in Lawrence, March 9, 1965, after demonstrations protesting alleged racial discrimination at the university ended. Sayers was among those demonstrators arrested Monday and suspended from school. The demonstrators were released on $25 bonds, and later re-instated in school. (AP Photo/William P. Straeter)
1965
Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears' sensational halfback, smiles happily after scoring six touchdowns against San Francisco 49ers as the Bears won, 61-20, in Chicago, Dec. 12, 1965. The remarkable Kansas rookie boosted his season touchdown total to 21, a new record in the NFL. Player at right is unidentified. (AP Photo/Paul Cannon)
1965
Gale Sayers, left, of the Chicago Bears, and Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns appear at a press conference announcing their winning top awards in the Marlboro-Sporting News selection in the NFL, in New York, Dec. 20, 1965. The "Player of the Year" award went to Brown, star fullback for the Browns. Sayers received the "Rookie of the Year" award for his season as halfback for the Bears. Brown was "Player of the Year" by the Pro Football Writers Association, beating Sayers in a close vote. (AP Photo/Harry Harris)
1966
Gale Sayers, sensational halfback of the Chicago Bears, sharpens his eye while playing pool in his basement recreation room in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 29, 1966. Sayers was named NFL Back of the Week by the Associated Press for his recent performance against the Atlanta Falcons. A former All-American at the University of Kansas, Sayers gained 172 yards rushing on 19 carries and caught five passes for 65 yards in the Bears' 23-6 victory at muddy Wrigley Field in Chicago. (AP Photo)
1966
Gale Sayers, who can do almost anything on the football field, holds tightly to his two-month-old daughter, Gale Lynne, while caring for her, Nov. 29, 1966. Sayers was named The Associated Press Offensive Player of the Week in the NFL. (AP Photo)
1967
Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears' sensational running back who was named NFL offensive player of the week, plays with his daughter Gale Lynne, 14 months, at their home in Chicago, Dec. 5, 1967. (AP Photo/Paul Cannon)
1968
Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers is carried from the field to an ambulance after he was injured in the second period Nov. 10, 1968 in a game in Chicago with San Francisco. Sayers suffered torn ligaments in his right knee and will undergo surgery. The league's number one usher had carried 11 times for 32 yards, boosting his season total to 856 before being injured after a short run when he was stopped near the sidelines. (AP Photo)
1968
FILE - In this Sept. 1968, file photo, Chicago Bears' halfback Gale Sayers runs with the ball. (AP Photo/File)
1969
FILE - In this Oct. 27, 1969, file photo, Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers (40) runs for a 28-yard gain against the Los Angeles Rams, in Chicago, Ill. Hall of Famer Gale Sayers, who made his mark as one of the NFL’s best all-purpose running backs and was later celebrated for his enduring friendship with a Chicago Bears teammate with cancer, has died. He was 77. Nicknamed “The Kansas Comet” and considered among the best open-field runners the game has ever seen, Sayers died Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/File)
1969
Dr. Theodore Fox, right, team physician for the Chicago Bears, congratulates a patient back on his feet again, Oct. 3, 1969. The patient is star running back Gale Sayers, accompanied by his wife Linda. The number and extent of athletic injuries is said to be declining - in large measure because of improved equipment. (AP Photo/Fred Jewell)
1969
Running back Gale Sayers of the Chicago Bears, who underwent surgery for a severe knee injury, does some conditioning on a leg exercise machine, part of his daily routine, in Chicago, Ill., Dec. 11, 1969. One of pro football's most exciting runners, Sayers is making a comeback after a slow start, even though his team is having the worst season in their 50-year history. Sayers injured his knee during a game against the San Francisco 49ers in Nov. 1968. (AP Photo/Charles Knoblock)
1970
Gale Sayers, football player for the Chicago Bears, 1970. (AP Photo)
1970
FILE - In this June 19, 1970, file photo. Chicago Bears teammates of Brian Piccolo carry his coffin into Christ the King Church for funeral services in Chicago. From left, front to back, are Randy Jackson, Dick Butkus, and Gale Sayer. Ed O'Bradovich is at right. Hall of Famer Gale Sayers, who made his mark as one of the NFL’s best all-purpose running backs and was later celebrated for his enduring friendship with a Chicago Bears teammate with cancer, has died. He was 77. Nicknamed “The Kansas Comet” and considered among the best open-field runners the game has ever seen, Sayers died Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/File)
1972
Tis relax time for Gale Sayers in his television station office in Chicago on Monday, Sept. 11, 1972. He’s director of sports. Unable to overcome knee injuries, Sayers retired on Sunday as a Chicago Bears player. One year he set a National Football League yards gained record. One game he scored six touchdowns. (AP Photo)
1973
Gale Sayers, center, former football star at Kansas University, is back at the school in Lawrence, Kansas, after playing professional football with the Chicago Bears, Feb. 27, 1973. Sayers will be assistant to the athletic director. At left is Phil Frickey, of Oberlin, Kansas, a sophomore in political science, and at right is David Sheftel, of Overland Park, a junior majoring in chemistry. (AP Photo/William P. Straeter)
1975
Former baseball great Roy Campanella, left, and ex-running back Gale Sayers view portrait of Campanella at a press gathering in Las Vegas, March 12, 1975. Both Campanella and Sayers will be inducted in the Black Athletes Hall of Fame at an awards banquet at Caesars Palace tomorrow in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jeff Robbins)
1977
The five new members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame pose after induction ceremonies in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday, July 30, 1977. The men are, from left, Forrest Gregg, Frank Gifford, Gale Sayers, Bart Starr and Bill Willis. The 15th annual induction brought the number of Hall of Fame members to 93. (AP Photo)
1993
Legendary football players Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers, left, and Gale Sayers of the Chicago Bears pose during a fundraising dinner for the Boy Scouts of America at New York's Plaza Hotel, April 15, 1993. A silent auction was also held with the proceeds benefiting the Greater New York Councils (AP Photo/Jim Cooper)
1994
Former Chicago Bears running back Gayle Sayers holds a jersey during halftime ceremonies in the Bears' game with the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in Chicago Oct. 31, 1994. The Bears retired the uniform numbers of Sayers and linebacker Dick Butkus. (AP Photo/Fred Jewell)
2004
FILE - In this June 2, 2004, file photo, Gale Sayers addresses a luncheon sponsored by the College Football Hall of Fall in South Bend, Ind. Hall of Famer Gale Sayers, who made his mark as one of the NFL’s best all-purpose running backs and was later celebrated for his enduring friendship with a Chicago Bears teammate with cancer, has died. He was 77. Nicknamed “The Kansas Comet” and considered among the best open-field runners the game has ever seen, Sayers died Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond, File)
2010
Pro football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers speaks to middle school students in Boys Town, Neb., Tuesday, May 4, 2010. Sayers returned to his hometown of Omaha to speak at the Boys Town boosters banquet. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
2014
FILE - In this July 11, 2014, file photo, former Chicago Bears NFL football player Gale Sayers throws out a ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Andrew A. Nelles)