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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.332092
EAN: 9780375758218
ISBN: 0375758216
Label: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: September 11, 2001
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Release Date: September 11, 2001
Sales Rank: 72292
Studio: Random House Trade Paperbacks
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
"Never die easy. Why run out of bounds and die easy? Make that linebacker pay. It carries into all facets of your life. It's okay to lose, to die, but don't die without trying, without giving it your best."
His legacy is towering. Walter Payton—the man they called Sweetness, for the way he ran—remains the most prolific running back in the history of the National Football League, the star of the Chicago Bears' only Super Bowl Championship, eleven times voted the most popular sports figure in Chicago's history. Off the field, he was a devoted father whose charitable foundation benefited tens of thousands of children each year, and who—faced with terminal liver disease—refused to use his celebrity to gain a preferential position for organ donation. Walter Payton was not just a football hero; he was America's hero.
Never Die Easy is Walter Payton's autobiography, told from the heart. Growing up poor in Mississippi, he took up football to get girls' attention, and went on to become a Black College All-American at tiny Jackson State (during which time he was also a finalist in a Soul Train dance contest). Drafted by the Bears in 1975, he predicted that he would last only five years but went on to play thirteen extraordinary seasons, a career earning him regular acknowledgment as one of the greatest players in the history of professional football. And when his playing days were over, he approached business and charity endeavors with the same determination and success he had brought to the football field, always putting first his devotion to friends and family. His ultimate battle with illness truly proved him the champion he always had been and prompted a staggering outpouring of love and support from hundreds of thousands of friends and admirers.
Written with veteran journalist and author Don Yaeger in the last weeks of Walter Payton's life, Never Die Easy presents Walter's singular voice—warm, plainspoken, funny, self-aware—along with the voices of the friends, family, teammates, and business associates who knew him best at all stages of his life, including his wife, Connie, and their children, Brittney and Jarrett; his teammate and friend Matt Suhey; former Bears head coach Mike Ditka; and many, many others.
Walter made Don Yaeger promise that his book would be "inspirational and leave people with some kind of lesson . . . and make sure you spell all the words right." Never Die Easy keeps all those promises.
Amazon.com Review:
Walter Payton's premature passing forced a rethinking of his autobiography that completely sidesteps the self-importance that dominates sports memoirs in general. Never Die Easy isn't a traditional autobiography at all. It's an oral history disguised as autobiography that relates the saga of the most exquisite running back in NFL history through an interweaving of Payton's words and the words of those who knew him, with necessary transitions and narrative bridged by his collaborator. The result is an appealing hybrid that mirrors Payton's quiet modesty. "He had not just been a great football player," writes Yaeger, "he had been a role model in an age when role models were in short supply."
The Payton that emerges is a man of great skill, decency, passion, and charity: a man beloved. Naturally, there's lots of football in Never Die Easy--the title comes from a saying of Payton's college coach--with eyewitness testimony provided by the likes of Mike Ditka, Mike Singletary, Jim McMahon, Franco Harris, Matt Suhey, and even Jim Brown, whose career rushing record Payton leaped over. But there is also lots of family: the voices of his wife, children, brother, and sister are heard.
But mostly, there is Walter Payton. It's his own unmistakably high-pitched voice that resonates throughout; he sets down the melody and the others harmonize. Payton was certainly astute about the game and his abilities, forthcoming both in triumph and failure--his unsuccessful attempt at winning the NFL franchise in St. Louis was a terrible post-career blow--and utterly decent. How many other superstar athletes could say, convincingly, "Too many of us only take. We don't give." Payton gave to the end--a man who died for want of an organ was willing and eager to donate his own. It was the ultimate testimony of his refined, unforgettable Sweetness. Never Die Easy offers a fair, honest, appreciative taste. --Jeff Silverman
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Bought this for my boyfriend, who is a huge Walter Payton fan. He loves it. Great book for any fan who remembers and loved Sweetness.
Rating: -
The title of this book says it all! Walter Payton lived life the best way anyone should, doing your very best at whatever you do! Walter Payton was extraordinary both off and on the football field. He is a true hero who touched many lives and leaves a great legacy behind; Walter you are still missed by all! I never met Walter and I was too young to see witness his amazing football skills but I am inspired by his personal story. Everyone should read this; it's inspirational!
Rating: -
Excellent book, very well written, and quite moving.
This is NOT a book about football, but rather, a book about an amazing individual, and the impact he had on so many people.
It's very easy to read, as it's more like a collection of short stories, so you don't have to read-it at one sitting.
Rating: -
I am a huge Bears and Walter Payton, and absolutely loved this book. It covers all the aspects of his life, from growing up in Mississippi, to college at Jackson State, on to the Bears, his many business endeavors after this retirement, and his untimely death. You get an in depth look into his life, as told not only by him, but from his friends and family. I would recommend this book not only to Bears and football fans, but anyone in general. There are many things you can learn from Walter, whether ... Read More
Rating: -
and he was no slouch in football, first ballot hall of famer over 16,000 yards rushing. 13 seasons, 9 All Pros and a Super Bowl Champion, yet all that is nothing compared to what kind of man Walter Payton was.
In this inspiring and uplifting book we get to meet the very private Payton and get a portrait of a man of faith, values, morals and integrity. We also get to learn from someone who is facing the biggest tackler in life ( impending death) in his own words.
I cam away awed and inspired ... Read More
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