Smith said he remembers meeting Walter Payton, with his parents. "I was 12 years old and we’d get ice cream at Baskin and Robbin's on the weekends," Smith said.

It was called NFL Man of the Year Award from 1970 until 1999, when it was renamed for Hall of Famer Walter Payton after his death in 1999. Payton was the recipient of the honor in 1977.

Payton Mannie is a Reporter and Anchor for FOX8 Sports, based in High Point, North Carolina. • • • Payton Mannie joined the FOX8 Sports team in May 2025. Before coming to FOX8, she began her ...

The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the FCS. Here's what to know about the subdivision's highest honor.

Steve Wright, a lineman who was immortalized in a sculpture that became the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year trophy, has died at the age of 82. The 6-foot-6, ...

With the fourth pick in the 1975 NFL Draft, the Bears selected Jackson State running back Walter Payton and changed the course of franchise history forever. Former cornerback Charles "Peanut" Tillman ...

Before the Bears made Walter Payton the fourth pick of the 1975 NFL Draft, the running back starred at Jackson State University, racking up 464 points and a then-NCAA-record of 3,563 yards.

Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott won the Walter Payton Award as the Football Championship Subdivision offensive player of the year Saturday night, two days before the top-ranked Bobcats ...

Smith said he remembers meeting Walter Payton, with his parents. "I was 12 years old and we’d get ice cream at Baskin and Robbin's on the weekends," Smith said.

Before the Bears made Walter Payton the fourth pick of the 1975 NFL Draft, the running back starred at Jackson State University, racking up 464 points and a then-NCAA-record of 3,563 yards.

Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott won the Walter Payton Award as the Football Championship Subdivision offensive player of the year Saturday night, two days before the top-ranked Bobcats ...