The 50 Greatest Athletes To Ever Walk The Planet

45. Walter Payton

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The 1985 Super Bowl winning Chicago Bears are heralded for their stalwart defense, but they also happened to have one of the game’s all-time great running backs on the other side of the ball. “Sweetness” lived up to his nickname with a silky-smooth running style. His patented stutter step (dubbed “the scissor kick”) made many defenders look downright silly. Sadly, Payton passed away in 1999 due to complications from a rare liver disease. He was only 45 years of age.