velvetsilence
06-14-2006, 10:19 PM
Yep gonna find myself rooting for this kid his whole career. Walters legacy most definately lives on
http://images.nfl.com/images/pagetitles/2004/nfl-features.gif http://m1.2mdn.net/viewad/817-grey.gif (http://ad.doubleclick.net/click;h=v6|3405|0|0|%2a|c;44306;0-0;0;10732674;238-150|30;0|0|0;u=Qg4vrAooBB8AAHkALJ4;~sscs=%3f)http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/sponsorships.nfl.com/fs/stories;arena=nfl;feat=stories;type=psa;user=Anony mous;cust=no;vip=no;sz=150x30;tile=5;ord=662111503 37483? (http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/sponsorships.nfl.com/fs/stories;arena=nfl;feat=stories;type=psa;user=Anony mous;cust=no;vip=no;sz=150x30;tile=5;ord=662111503 37483?)
Jarrett Payton: Dad always had my back http://m1.2mdn.net/viewad/817-grey.gif (http://ad.doubleclick.net/click;h=v6|3405|0|0|%2a|c;44306;0-0;0;10732674;238-150|30;0|0|0;u=Qg4vrAooBB8AAHkALJ4;~sscs=%3f)http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/sponsorships.nfl.com/fs/stories;arena=nfl;feat=stories;type=psa;user=Anony mous;cust=no;vip=no;sz=150x30;tile=5;ord=662111503 37483? (http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/sponsorships.nfl.com/fs/stories;arena=nfl;feat=stories;type=psa;user=Anony mous;cust=no;vip=no;sz=150x30;tile=5;ord=662111503 37483?)
Note: The following is an excerpt from the book PAYTON, released last year by Rugged Land and NFL Publishing. PAYTON is available in bookstores.
By Jarrett Payton
When I was growing up, I could always count on my dad to have my back no matter where I went or what I did. From my first games in high school he'd been a constant presence, always up there in the stands. And whenever he wanted to let me know he was there watching out for me, he'd just whistle. I'd turn my head, and there he'd be. That whistle became our special bond, almost like a secret handshake that only he and I knew about.
http://images.nfl.com/photos/features/img9497744.jpg That whistle helped me get through a lot of tough times in my life. And even after my dad got sick, when he was facing the toughest battle of his life, I knew I could still count on that whistle to help me find some inner strength. I remember a game I was playing up at Boston College while I was still a Miami Hurricane. This may seem like the strangest thing, but I was just standing on the sidelines, in between plays, and I swear I heard that whistle. It was so clear to me that I had to turn around. The funny thing is that I was so sure I had heard him I even started to look for him up in the stands, even though I knew he had to be at home watching the game on TV. This was only a few months before he passed away. Thinking about that game and that whistle lets me know that he's still watching my back, even today.
When I was growing up, I knew that my dad was something special. Not because he was the biggest running back, or the fastest, or the strongest, because he wasn't any of those things to me. Not by a long shot. But in my eyes, even as a little kid (and not just because he was my dad), I knew he was the smartest.
From the get-go, Dad knew that getting anywhere in the game wasn't about how much muscle you have but about how much willpower, or what the Payton family calls "want-to," you have. And my dad had more want-to than just about anybody in the league. He worked harder than anyone else, and that was the secret to his success, or at least part of it.
I'd say the other part of how he got so far was the way that he grew to really embrace his team as his family. They were his family in the sense that these were people who counted on him to give everything of himself, all the time, on every play, and not let them down. He knew that if he did that for them, they'd do the same for him in return. He never had to talk or say anything, since he wasn't much of a talker anyway. He let his actions do the talking, and anyone who saw how much heart and effort he put into his game would pretty much have no choice but to feel inspired to do the same.
http://images.nfl.com/photos/features/img9497771.jpg Jarrett Payton's first moment in the spotlight was when he introduced his dad at Canton in 1993. People always ask me what it was like growing up as the son of a superstar. After all, back in the '80s he was to Chicago what Michael Jordan was to that city in the '90s. But despite all the fame, I always loved my dad for being so down to earth, for knowing that at the end of the day, it was the love he shared with me, my mom and my sister that mattered most.
I remember being chosen as the one to introduce my dad when he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 1993. The funny thing is that with all the hype going on, he seemed most concerned with just making sure I was doing all right with the speech I was preparing. He asked me, "Are you OK?" and I always just said, "Yes," even though I was pretty nervous. In the speech, I called him my role model and my best friend. That's still true today.
Even when he broke Jim Brown's record, he still made sure that I never felt left out. The one memory I have of that crazy time is being with him in the stadium parking lot when he was presented with a Lamborghini to commemorate that amazing day. There were cameramen and reporters all trying to ask my dad questions. But he managed to get through all of them, and he picked me up in his arms. We got in the car and just sat inside and talked. It's like he just shut out all of the madness and took time out to chill with me in the front seat.
Coming Into My Own
In some ways, being the son of Walter Payton has its own difficulties. Particularly because of who he was, there are always going to be comparisons and certain expectations. But I knew, right from the start, that I needed to step out of his shadow. I needed to make it on my own and to be recognized in my own right.
http://images.nfl.com/photos/features/img9497766.jpg Jarrett Payton always has drawn inspiration from his legendary father. The great thing about having Walter Payton as a dad was that, despite how much he achieved, he never pressured me to "do this" or "do that." The funny thing is that when I first became interested in sports, football wasn't really my passion. The first sport I ever played was soccer. He didn't understand it at first. And here's the great thing about my dad: even with his busy schedule, he still put the time in to learn as much as he could about the game, and he quickly became a fan. Toward the end of my first two high school years, he was there at every game -- right by the goalpost.
Of course, it was just a matter of time before my love for football developed. And I think my dad knew in his heart that it was always going to happen. As much as I was already getting compared to him in soccer, it was 10 times worse in football. I remember when I told Coach Kelly at school, who was a friend of my dad's, about wanting to play tackle football. News traveled fast. When I got home, my dad called. He said, "You know it's gonna be hard, right?" And I said, "Yeah, I know." And he said, "All right, I just wanted to tell you." He never said I couldn't do it. He just loved everything I did.
I know a lot of what he was trying to instill in me has
has helped me tremendously. Once I started college at the University of Miami, I think he knew he wasn't going to be around for a long time. He did things I didn't understand then -- like teaching me about hard work. He made me work at Payton Power Equipment over the summer -- I had to be there all day and work from the bottom up. If he hadn't done that, I wouldn't be the strong person I am today. He was putting me in those difficult situations then so I could handle them on my own now.
I know my dad was one of a kind and that there will never be another Sweetness, but as he himself would be the first to tell you, that shouldn't stop you from trying to climb that hill.
http://images.nfl.com/images/pagetitles/2004/nfl-features.gif http://m1.2mdn.net/viewad/817-grey.gif (http://ad.doubleclick.net/click;h=v6|3405|0|0|%2a|c;44306;0-0;0;10732674;238-150|30;0|0|0;u=Qg4vrAooBB8AAHkALJ4;~sscs=%3f)http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/sponsorships.nfl.com/fs/stories;arena=nfl;feat=stories;type=psa;user=Anony mous;cust=no;vip=no;sz=150x30;tile=5;ord=662111503 37483? (http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/sponsorships.nfl.com/fs/stories;arena=nfl;feat=stories;type=psa;user=Anony mous;cust=no;vip=no;sz=150x30;tile=5;ord=662111503 37483?)
Jarrett Payton: Dad always had my back http://m1.2mdn.net/viewad/817-grey.gif (http://ad.doubleclick.net/click;h=v6|3405|0|0|%2a|c;44306;0-0;0;10732674;238-150|30;0|0|0;u=Qg4vrAooBB8AAHkALJ4;~sscs=%3f)http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/sponsorships.nfl.com/fs/stories;arena=nfl;feat=stories;type=psa;user=Anony mous;cust=no;vip=no;sz=150x30;tile=5;ord=662111503 37483? (http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/sponsorships.nfl.com/fs/stories;arena=nfl;feat=stories;type=psa;user=Anony mous;cust=no;vip=no;sz=150x30;tile=5;ord=662111503 37483?)
Note: The following is an excerpt from the book PAYTON, released last year by Rugged Land and NFL Publishing. PAYTON is available in bookstores.
By Jarrett Payton
When I was growing up, I could always count on my dad to have my back no matter where I went or what I did. From my first games in high school he'd been a constant presence, always up there in the stands. And whenever he wanted to let me know he was there watching out for me, he'd just whistle. I'd turn my head, and there he'd be. That whistle became our special bond, almost like a secret handshake that only he and I knew about.
http://images.nfl.com/photos/features/img9497744.jpg That whistle helped me get through a lot of tough times in my life. And even after my dad got sick, when he was facing the toughest battle of his life, I knew I could still count on that whistle to help me find some inner strength. I remember a game I was playing up at Boston College while I was still a Miami Hurricane. This may seem like the strangest thing, but I was just standing on the sidelines, in between plays, and I swear I heard that whistle. It was so clear to me that I had to turn around. The funny thing is that I was so sure I had heard him I even started to look for him up in the stands, even though I knew he had to be at home watching the game on TV. This was only a few months before he passed away. Thinking about that game and that whistle lets me know that he's still watching my back, even today.
When I was growing up, I knew that my dad was something special. Not because he was the biggest running back, or the fastest, or the strongest, because he wasn't any of those things to me. Not by a long shot. But in my eyes, even as a little kid (and not just because he was my dad), I knew he was the smartest.
From the get-go, Dad knew that getting anywhere in the game wasn't about how much muscle you have but about how much willpower, or what the Payton family calls "want-to," you have. And my dad had more want-to than just about anybody in the league. He worked harder than anyone else, and that was the secret to his success, or at least part of it.
I'd say the other part of how he got so far was the way that he grew to really embrace his team as his family. They were his family in the sense that these were people who counted on him to give everything of himself, all the time, on every play, and not let them down. He knew that if he did that for them, they'd do the same for him in return. He never had to talk or say anything, since he wasn't much of a talker anyway. He let his actions do the talking, and anyone who saw how much heart and effort he put into his game would pretty much have no choice but to feel inspired to do the same.
http://images.nfl.com/photos/features/img9497771.jpg Jarrett Payton's first moment in the spotlight was when he introduced his dad at Canton in 1993. People always ask me what it was like growing up as the son of a superstar. After all, back in the '80s he was to Chicago what Michael Jordan was to that city in the '90s. But despite all the fame, I always loved my dad for being so down to earth, for knowing that at the end of the day, it was the love he shared with me, my mom and my sister that mattered most.
I remember being chosen as the one to introduce my dad when he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 1993. The funny thing is that with all the hype going on, he seemed most concerned with just making sure I was doing all right with the speech I was preparing. He asked me, "Are you OK?" and I always just said, "Yes," even though I was pretty nervous. In the speech, I called him my role model and my best friend. That's still true today.
Even when he broke Jim Brown's record, he still made sure that I never felt left out. The one memory I have of that crazy time is being with him in the stadium parking lot when he was presented with a Lamborghini to commemorate that amazing day. There were cameramen and reporters all trying to ask my dad questions. But he managed to get through all of them, and he picked me up in his arms. We got in the car and just sat inside and talked. It's like he just shut out all of the madness and took time out to chill with me in the front seat.
Coming Into My Own
In some ways, being the son of Walter Payton has its own difficulties. Particularly because of who he was, there are always going to be comparisons and certain expectations. But I knew, right from the start, that I needed to step out of his shadow. I needed to make it on my own and to be recognized in my own right.
http://images.nfl.com/photos/features/img9497766.jpg Jarrett Payton always has drawn inspiration from his legendary father. The great thing about having Walter Payton as a dad was that, despite how much he achieved, he never pressured me to "do this" or "do that." The funny thing is that when I first became interested in sports, football wasn't really my passion. The first sport I ever played was soccer. He didn't understand it at first. And here's the great thing about my dad: even with his busy schedule, he still put the time in to learn as much as he could about the game, and he quickly became a fan. Toward the end of my first two high school years, he was there at every game -- right by the goalpost.
Of course, it was just a matter of time before my love for football developed. And I think my dad knew in his heart that it was always going to happen. As much as I was already getting compared to him in soccer, it was 10 times worse in football. I remember when I told Coach Kelly at school, who was a friend of my dad's, about wanting to play tackle football. News traveled fast. When I got home, my dad called. He said, "You know it's gonna be hard, right?" And I said, "Yeah, I know." And he said, "All right, I just wanted to tell you." He never said I couldn't do it. He just loved everything I did.
I know a lot of what he was trying to instill in me has
has helped me tremendously. Once I started college at the University of Miami, I think he knew he wasn't going to be around for a long time. He did things I didn't understand then -- like teaching me about hard work. He made me work at Payton Power Equipment over the summer -- I had to be there all day and work from the bottom up. If he hadn't done that, I wouldn't be the strong person I am today. He was putting me in those difficult situations then so I could handle them on my own now.
I know my dad was one of a kind and that there will never be another Sweetness, but as he himself would be the first to tell you, that shouldn't stop you from trying to climb that hill.