With all due serious respect to Bo 'Knows' Jackson, he was not Gale Sayers in that era of the National Football League. Sayers was more than Jackson. He was Barry Sanders
before Barry Sanders.
Some older members may wish to weigh in also. Allow his PFHOF biography (
link) speak partially for him:
Gale Sayers burst upon the pro football scene in 1965 with the kind of impact that the sport had not felt in many years. It is difficult to imagine a more dynamic debut than the one he enjoyed as a rookie. In his first heavy pre-season action, he raced 77 yards on a punt return, 93 yards on a kickoff return, and then startled everyone with a 25-yard scoring pass against the Los Angeles Rams.
In regular season, he scored four touchdowns, including a 96-yard game breaking kickoff return, against the Minnesota Vikings. And, in the next-to-last game, playing on a muddy field that would have stalled most runners, Gale scored a record-tying six touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers. Included in his sensational spree were an 80-yard pass-run play, a 50-yard rush and a 65-yard punt return. For the entire season, Gale scored 22 touchdowns and 132 points, both then-rookie records.
Quiet, unassuming, and always ready to compliment a teammate for a key block, Sayers continued to sizzle in 1967 and well into the 1968 season. Then, in the ninth game, Sayers suffered a knee injury that required immediate surgery.
After a tortuous rehabilitation program, Gale came back in 1969 in a most spectacular manner, winding up with his second 1,000-yard rushing season and universal Comeback of the Year honors. But injuries continued to take their toll and, just before the 1972 season, Gale finally had to call it quits.
In his relatively short career, he compiled a record that can never be forgotten. His totals show 9,435 combined net yards, 4,956 yards rushing, and 336 points scored. At the time of his retirement he was the NFL's all-time leader in kickoff return yards. He won All-NFL honors five straight years and was named Offensive Player of the Game in three of the four Pro Bowls in which he played.
Forget statistics for a moment. 'Eye test' is an overused term but it perfectly suited Sayers. In an abbreviated career, Sayers awed players, coaches, fans and the Board of Selectors alike into believing he might be the
best NFL player of all-time. Jackson was a two-sport freak of nature. Perhaps Jackson might would have fully inspired everyone of his NFL legend if he had dedicated himself to it full-time. People saw glimpses of Jackson's greatness whenever baseball did not interrupt them. Sayers was showcased during his entire career.
I encourage anyone. Research Sayers. Look for old video of him. The man was more than twice the legend of Jackson in his time. The Hall will be lucky to get Jackson one day. The Hall needed players like Sayers to forever validate its existence. That is no exaggeration.
