NEVER DIE EASY(ISBN=9780375758218) 英文原版 下载 pdf 百度网盘 epub 免费 2025 电子书 mobi 在线

　　"Never die easy. Why run out of bounds and die easy? Make that

linebacker pay. It carries into all facets of your life. It's okay

to lose, to die, but don't die without trying, without giving it

your best."

His legacy is towering. Walter Payton—the man they called

Sweetness, for the way he ran—remains the most prolific running

back in the history of the National Football League, the star of

the Chicago Bears' only Super Bowl Championship, eleven times voted

the most popular sports figure in Chicago's history. Off the field,

he was a devoted father whose charitable foundation benefited tens

of thousands of children each year, and who—faced with terminal

liver disease—refused to use his celebrity to gain a preferential

position for organ donation. Walter Payton was not just a football

hero; he was America's hero.

Never Die Easy is Walter Payton's autobiography, told from the

heart. Growing up poor in Mississippi, he took up football to get

girls' attention, and went on to become a Black College

All-American at tiny Jackson State (during which time he was also a

finalist in a Soul Train dance contest). Drafted by the Bears in

1975, he predicted that he would last only five years but went on

to play thirteen extraordinary seasons, a career earning him

regular acknowledgment as one of the greatest players in the

history of professional football. And when his playing days were

over, he approached business and charity endeavors with the same

determination and success he had brought to the football field,

always putting first his devotion to friends and family. His

ultimate battle with illness truly proved him the champion he

always had been and prompted a staggering outpouring of love and

support from hundreds of thousands of friends and admirers.

Written with veteran journalist and author Don Yaeger in the last

weeks of Walter Payton's life, Never Die Easy presents Walter's

singular voice—warm, plainspoken, funny, self-aware—along with the

voices of the friends, family, teammates, and business associates

who knew him best at all stages of his life, including his wife,

Connie, and their children, Brittney and Jarrett; his teammate and

friend Matt Suhey; former Bears head coach Mike Ditka; and many,

many others.

Walter made Don Yaeger promise that his book would be

"inspirational and leave people with some kind of lesson . . . and

make sure you spell all the words right." Never Die Easy keeps all

those promises.

Foreword

Author's Note

Cast of Characters

The Greatest Bear of Them All

Growing Up

High School

Jackson State

Going to Chicago

The Early Years

The Record

Matt and Me

Super Bears

Retirement

The Businessman

Giving Back to Charity

Family

Walter Gets Sick

Press Conference

Organ Donorship

Like a Train Going Downhill

Remember Me

The Memorial

Afterword

Acknowledgments

　　ABOUT THE COAUTHOR

　　Don Yaeger is the coauthor of the New York Times bestselling

Under the Tarnished Dome and the critically acclaimed

Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL. He lives

in Tallahassee, Florida, with his wife, son, and daughter.

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　　The Greatest Bear of Them All

　　The young man from Columbia, Mississippi, would have been

shocked, maybe even a little embarrassed, by all the attention. He

certainly would have been humbled. In the hours after Walter Payton

passed away on November 1, 1999, something special happened to the

world of sports. For one shining moment, people forgot the problems

that plague sports today?disrespectful athletes, teams holding

cities hostage, out-of-control fans?and focused instead on what is

good about sports, all of which was embodied by that young man from

Columbia.

　　Few things can bring a city as vibrant as Chicago to a

standstill. Fewer still are the things that can bring together a

group of loosely organized people, a group like those involved in

professional football. So forgive Connie Payton if she was, as she

said, absolutely awestruck by the reaction that followed her

husband's death. Sports fans will not soon forget where they were

when they heard that the Greatest Bear of Them All was gone.

　　A zealously private man, Walter Payton had left pro football

nearly thirteen years earlier and had only rarely attended games

and participated in NFL-related events. Walter had grown to believe

there wasn't much more he could do for the game he once played.

There weren't many players he admired and even fewer whom he

enjoyed watching. The game, he worried, was in trouble because so

many players didn't understand the value of team, didn't understand

what it was like to have played in "his time" even though it was

really not so long ago. Walter had worried there was nothing left

he could give to the game.

　　Nothing, Connie Payton found out, could be further from the

truth.

　　During the first few days of November 1999, coaches, players,

fans, and broadcasters from across the country took time out to

talk about Walter Payton and what he had meant to them. What he

meant was not 3,838 carries, 16,728 yards, 110 touchdowns. What he

meant was more than that. Those eulogizing him chose instead to

recall a story about a time they saw him sign an autograph for a

fan in a hospital, spend pregame time talking to those in the

stands or cuddling a child handed down to him from the crowd.

　　The grief and affection that flowed from all corners of America

served as a billboard-size lesson of what the game once was and

should still be. Yes, he held great records. Yes, his runs were

often spectacular?even the runs that gained only a handful of

yards. Yes, he was the most talented player of what many considered

the most talented professional football team in the modern era. He

showed that you could be a superstar and still be someone whom

people could touch. He was down-to-earth, funny, always looking for

a rear end to pinch. He loved to laugh, showing off that perfect

smile, yet he wasn't afraid to cry. He was a man's man and every

mother's dream. Payton had not just been a great football player,

he had been a role model in an age when role models are in short

supply.

　　Most would agree that the death of almost any other player would

not have hit lovers of football quite the way Walter Payton's

untimely passing did. The league asked teams to fly flags at

half-mast. Moments of silence were offered at stadiums from Buffalo

to San Diego. Players remembered him by scribbling his name or

number on their shoes. And while honoring him, those in pro

football came together in a way that touched even the most

hardened. Honoring his passing brought together the men who had

played with and against him, the coaches who had tried to stop him,

younger players who knew him only through video highlights, and

fans, many of whom had never even seen him play. In that time of

mourning, pro football rallied and became a community again.

　　And maybe that was Walter's greatest gift?not his athletic talent

but his unmatched ability to touch all those who came in contact

with him.

　　Connie Payton: Walter would have been shocked at the response

from people all around the world upon his passing. I was quite

shocked. When we were making the funeral arrangements, Ginny and

Matt kept talking about security to help with crowd control. They

mentioned checkpoints at the door of the church and finding a

church large enough to hold the number of people that would be in

attendance. I looked at them with this puzzled expression on my

face and said, "What are you two talking about?" Their response to

me was "Don't you realize how many people are going to want to

attend Walter's funeral and the memorial service?" It was more than

I ever imagined and knowing Walter the way that I do, I'm sure that

he would have been just as surprised. I wondered what it was about

him that made people respond the way they did. As quiet as he could

be there must have been something magical about the way he reacted

around others. Then I realized that it was nothing magical but his

genuine spirit and his openness that set him apart from all the

other athletes. It didn't matter who the person was that wanted his

time. He would stop and talk, even when he didn't want to at times.

About a week or so after he passed, my mother and I were at the car

wash and we were approached by several people telling their

personal Walter stories. There were also stories of encounters with

Walter that had been told to them by friends or family members. The

stories were as simple as: He held my baby, he touched my son's

head, asked him how he was doing in school, made him give Mom or

Dad a kiss, then said to them, That's what you are supposed to do.

He did have a special way with kids and he loved babies. The

stories could go on and on, but it's evident as to why people felt

that they knew him personally.

　　Eddie Payton (Walter's brother): Walter's last days were pretty

much the greatest days of my life, being able to be there with him

at the end. It wasn't a sad time, but it was an emotional time. You

had a mother, a brother, and a wife, a son and a daughter, taking

care of him. He knew what was happening, was well aware of it,

accepted it. He knew what his fate was, never asked me why, never

bitter, enjoyed every day that he was with us. He talked and

laughed and joked with people who came in to visit as long as he

could. As long as his stamina would allow, and then he'd rest. Then

he'd wake up and be ready to talk again. It was one of the most

beautiful things that I'd ever witnessed and one of the greatest

shows of courage that, in my short lifetime, I've ever witnessed.

Because for a man to go with that much pride and that much dignity

just says volumes about who he was. He crammed about as much as he

could in forty-five years of life. I mean, he helped, touched,

inspired, worked for the betterment of so many people. And then he

was able to accomplish some of his lifetime goals. Got two great

kids who are going to be great Americans. One's gonna be a hell of

a football player. And he's instilled in them some of the things

that our parents instilled in us. And when you look at your kids

and see them doing well, or better than you did, you say, I've done

something right. Walter said that before he finally died.

　　Connie Payton: Matt was spending a great deal of time at the

house with Walter. On Saturday, nine days before Walter died, Matt

came over to take him out for a ride, which he did often. It was a

good morning for Walter. He shaved, got dressed, and the two of

them went out for a little while. Several weeks before, we had

started him on a liquid nutrition supplement, which was working out

extremely well. He was feeling a lot stronger, doing more things

around the house. We would take longer walks in the neighborhood.

We all felt that he was getting better with each day. We also had

nurses stopping in to do the treatments that we couldn't do at home

ourselves. One of the things that we had to do often was to take

his temperature. Walter had a PICC line in his right shoulder,

which was used to draw blood and feed him his nutrition. It was

also inserted there to make it easier for everyone involved because

Walter had a fear of needles and wouldn't let anyone near him to

draw blood from his veins, which had started to collapse. On that

Saturday evening, the nurse found that he was running a slight

temperature. She said that we should watch it and that she would

take it again when she came in on Sunday morning. She came that

morning and found that he was still running a fever. We were told

to call the doctor, which we did. The doctor asked us to come to

the hospital just to make sure that an infection hadn't set

in.

　　We took Walter to the Midwest Treatment Center. My family and I

thought that maybe it was time to change the PICC line because it

was only a temporary line anyway. We didn't worry because he seemed

to be in good spirits. As a matter of fact, on our way to the

hospital we had a great conversation with one of his former

teammates, Thomas Sanders, and his family, who were waiting outside

our home. We talked for a while, then he and Thomas hugged and

kissed before we went on our way. The doctors were waiting for us

when we arrived at the hospital around two-thirty p.m. Walter got

out of the car on his own. A wheelchair was waiting to take him

upstairs.

　　When we went to the hospital, we had no reason to think anything

but that possibly Walter had a minor infection, but little did we

know that it was a bigger problem. His body was beginning to shut

down. The fluid that he started to retain was because his kidneys

were failing. I couldn't believe what I was seeing or hearing. In

less than three and a half hours, my husband could no longer get

himself up, he could hardly speak. He was aware that something more

serious was happening to him. The doctors explained that they

wanted to put him on dialysis. I then had to tell him what they

wanted to do; his eyes were open very wide. I told him that we

should consider it, do whatever we had to do to live. He said to do

whatever I thought was right.

　　By Sunday night, his mother and I knew that his condition was

getting worse. The doctor had started the dialysis to relieve

pressure. The doctors knew medically there was not much more that

they could do for Walter. We all wanted him to be comfortable. He

was sleeping a great deal and we made the decision not to say

anything to him about the grim outlook. Such dramatic changes in

such a short period of time. Again I thanked the good Lord for our

reaching the hospital before any of this happened.

　　On Monday morning, the doctors said to have Jarrett come home

from Miami. I made the dreaded call to the University of Miami,

spoke to the athletic director and coaches. I wanted them to know

all the details so that they could help prepare our son

emotionally. Jarrett was not told all the details, but he knew that

it was important for him to get home. We made the travel

arrangements, which got him home late Monday night. Once he arrived

home, he, Brittney, and I had a talk about the turn of events. On

Tuesday morning, we all went to the hospital to see Walter. It was

very emotional for all of us. Brittney took it the hardest. The

kids talked to him, held his hand, and kissed him. He recognized

them, he even said a few words to Jarrett. I really think he knew

that Brittney was upset, so he held on to her hand tightly. He was

very tired, but was trying hard to stay with us. We told him to

rest, that we would all be there for him.

　　On Wednesday, after talking to his doctors and being told that

there was nothing more to do to better his condition, I decided to

bring him home, where I knew he would want to be. Walter loved our

home; after all it was our dream house. The hospital made all the

arrangements to have hospice available and to get all the necessary

hospital equipment set up at the house so that we could make him as

comfortable as possible. I wanted everything to be perfect, nothing

broken, nothing missing! Once things were in order, the ambulance

arrived for the trip home. It seemed like a long trip home, so

different than the trip to the hospital. The one thing that was the

same for me is that I had the same faith to keep believing and

trusting in God. After all, faith is believing in the things

unseen, and we walk by faith, not by sight.

　　Walter was amazing. He fought to live. Our friends and I prayed

long and hard. We were not giving up hope; as a matter of fact his

condition seemed as if it was getting better. He began to respond

to us more and his kidneys were functioning better also. He didn't

seem as swollen and his eyes were not as jaundiced. We were very

thankful for what was happening. We were so sure that he was

getting better that I had planned to send Jarrett back to Miami on

Tuesday, November 2.

　　We brought Walter home because the doctors said that there was

nothing more that they could do for him. I knew this, yet I was not

prepared for him to die. I wanted so badly for him to get better.

He too wanted to beat this dreaded disease. There were so many

things to do, for instance watching Jarrett begin his football

career at UM, watching Brittney grow into a beautiful young lady

with so much to offer the world that lies before her.

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　　If you ask me how I want to be remembered, it is as a winner.

You know what a winner is? A winner is somebody who has given his

best effort, who has tried the hardest they possibly can, who has

utilized every ounce of energy and strength within them to

accomplish something. It doesn't mean that they accomplished it or

failed, it means that they've given it their best. That's a winner.

?Walter Payton -- Review

媒体评论

　　If you ask me how I want to be remembered, it is as a winner.

You know what a winner is? A winner is somebody who has given his

best effort, who has tried the hardest they possibly can, who has

utilized every ounce of energy and strength within them to

accomplish something. It doesn't mean that they accomplished it or

failed, it means that they've given it their best. That's a winner.

?Walter Payton --

Review

书籍介绍

"Never die easy. Why run out of bounds and die easy? Make that linebacker pay. It carries into all facets of your life. It's okay to lose, to die, but don't die without trying, without giving it your best."

His legacy is towering. Walter Payton—the man they called Sweetness, for the way he ran—remains the most prolific running back in the history of the National Football League, the star of the Chicago Bears' only Super Bowl Championship, eleven times voted the most popular sports figure in Chicago's history. Off the field, he was a devoted father whose charitable foundation benefited tens of thousands of children each year, and who—faced with terminal liver disease—refused to use his celebrity to gain a preferential position for organ donation. Walter Payton was not just a football hero; he was America's hero.

Never Die Easy is Walter Payton's autobiography, told from the heart. Growing up poor in Mississippi, he took up football to get girls' attention, and went on to become a Black College All-American at tiny Jackson State (during which time he was also a finalist in a Soul Train dance contest). Drafted by the Bears in 1975, he predicted that he would last only five years but went on to play thirteen extraordinary seasons, a career earning him regular acknowledgment as one of the greatest players in the history of professional football. And when his playing days were over, he approached business and charity endeavors with the same determination and success he had brought to the football field, always putting first his devotion to friends and family. His ultimate battle with illness truly proved him the champion he always had been and prompted a staggering outpouring of love and support from hundreds of thousands of friends and admirers.

Written with veteran journalist and author Don Yaeger in the last weeks of Walter Payton's life, Never Die Easy presents Walter's singular voice—warm, plainspoken, funny, self-aware—along with the voices of the friends, family, teammates, and business associates who knew him best at all stages of his life, including his wife, Connie, and their children, Brittney and Jarrett; his teammate and friend Matt Suhey; former Bears head coach Mike Ditka; and many, many others.

Walter made Don Yaeger promise that his book would be "inspirational and leave people with some kind of lesson . . . and make sure you spell all the words right." Never Die Easy keeps all those promises.