Today we remember Gale Sayers, a first-round draft pick for the Chicago Bears in the 1965 NFL Draft who spent his entire seven-year career with the team and was known for his running style and ability to avoid tackles. Though injuries cut his career short, his accomplishments as both halfback and kick returner made him the youngest person to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 at age thirty-four. He still holds several NFL records, including most touchdowns in a rookie season for a non-quarterback with twenty-two and highest career average kickoff return yardage at 30.6. After his playing career, Sayers and his second wife Ardythe did philanthropy work in Chicago, including supporting The Cradle adoption organization. 

On January 14, 1969, Don Bierman of the Chicago Sun-Times took these photographs when he visited Sayers at home as he recovered from an injury to his right knee.  See more images. 

Millions of Moments: The Chicago Sun-Times Photo Collection 

From soaring joy to deep grief, pride to livid outrage, and all of the mundane moments in between, our newest exhibition Millions of Moments: The Chicago Sun-Times Photo Collection highlights life in Chicago and celebrates the work of award-winning Chicago Sun-Times photojournalists. Their bold images earned the Sun-Times the moniker “Chicago’s Picture Newspaper,” and today nearly 150 of them are displayed in Millions of Moments—a first look at some highlights from nearly 5 million negatives spanning the 1940s to early 2000s. Learn more.