Gale Sayers Biography

Gale Sayers, born on May 30, 1943, was an American professional football halfback and return specialist in the National Football League. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 at the age of 34, making him the youngest person to receive the honor. Sayers played college football for the University of Kansas, where he accumulated 4,020 all-purpose yards over three seasons. In his rookie NFL season, he scored 22 touchdowns and gained 2,272 all-purpose yards, earning him the NFL Rookie of the Year award. After retiring from the NFL, Sayers served as athletic director at Southern Illinois University from 1976 to 1981. During a broadcast interview on September 8, 2010, he mentioned he had originally planned to attend the University of Iowa. As a sophomore in 1962, he led the Big Eight Conference with 1,125 rushing yards and finished third nationally in that category.