Walter Payton, NFL Hall of Fame football player, was born in Columbia, Mississippi, the son of Peter Payton, a factory worker, and Alyne Payton. Walter, or "Spider Man" as he called himself as a boy growing up, was active in Boy Scouts, the church choir, camping with friends, and playing drums in the band before e he finally turned to football his junior year in high school at the all-black Jefferson High School. Already bigger and stronger than most of his teammates, Walter was an instant starter.

Midway through his junior year at Jefferson, the all-white Columbia High School was order to integrate, and Payton and some of his teammates transferred there. They were upset, however, when a white coach, by the name of Tommy Davis, was hired for the Columbia job of head football coach instead of their Jefferson coach, Charles Boston. Already socially conscious at the age of sixteen, Payton boycotted spring practice that year to express his dissatisfaction, but soon recognized that the decision would not change, he joined the team for the start of his senior season.

Payton led his team to an 8-2 record that year and was named All State, but was not heavily recruited because of the two years that he only played of high school football. He attended nearby Jackson State University, where he joined a team of soon to be future NFL players and Pro Bowlers, like Jerome Barkham, Vernon Perry, Ricky Young, and many more. At Jackson State, Payton rushed for a combined 3,563 yards, with 6.1 yards per rushing attempt, and became the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher with 65 touchdowns. He majored in communications and graduated in 1975.

Walter Payton was made the fourth player chosen on the first round of the NFL college draft in the spring of 1975 by the Chicago Bears. It seemed strange at the time for the young man from rural Mississippi to leave the small city of Columbia for the second largest city in the country, but the shift proved pretty good. Payton spent his entire thirteen-year career in Chicago, becoming one of the greatest, toughest, and hardest-working players the game had ever seen. Payton played all but one game his rookie year only because rookie coach Jack Pardee forced his prize running back because of a sprained ankle to sit out the fifth week of the season, a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game was the only game Payton did not play in his whole career. Over the next twelve seasons Payton averaged 1,337 yards rushing per season.