Never Die Easy: The Autobiography of Walter Payton

by Walter Payton, Don Yaeger

"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.

Genres: Sports, Biography, Football, Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography Memoir

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Walter Payton, affectionately known as "Sweetness," was one of the most iconic and admired athletes in American sports history. A Hall of Fame running back for the Chicago Bears, Payton was renowned for his unmatched combination of speed, power, grace, and tenacity, as well as for his humility and commitment to excellence both on and off the field.
Payton began his football journey at Jackson State University, a historically Black college, where he was a standout player and earned All-American honors. Though he did not play at a traditional football powerhouse, his dazzling performances quickly made him a top NFL prospect. He was selected fourth overall by the Chicago Bears in the 1975 NFL Draft and would go on to spend his entire 13-year career with the team, becoming its heart and soul.
In 1977, Payton had a breakout season, leading the league in rushing yards and being named the NFL's Most Valuable Player. That year he rushed for 275 yards in a single game, a then-record, despite playing with a 101-degree fever. It was this kind of toughness and relentless drive that defined his career. He was not only a dominant rusher but also an exceptional receiver and blocker. Over the course of his career, he accumulated 16,726 rushing yards, 110 rushing touchdowns, and more than 21,000 all-purpose yards—making him the NFL’s all-time leading rusher at the time of his retirement.
Payton’s greatest team achievement came in the 1985 season when he helped lead the Bears to a 15–1 regular season and a victory in Super Bowl XX. Although he did not score in the championship game, his leadership and contributions throughout the season were pivotal.
Off the field, Payton was equally influential. He was devoted to community work, particularly in advocating for underprivileged children and organ donation. The NFL Man of the Year Award, which he won in 1977, was renamed in his honor after his passing. Payton died in 1999 from a rare liver disease, but his legacy endures.
Walter Payton remains a symbol of determination, grace under pressure, and selfless service. His contributions to football and to humanity continue to inspire athletes and fans alike across generations.

Reviews

[Will]

This book was very inspirational. This book pushes you to become a better person and a better athlete. His life was based on giving and never turning his back on other people. The story is about how Walter Payton's life effected everyone eleses around him. I chose to read this book because I like Walter Payton as a player and never really looked to see how he was while he was living and after he retired.

[Dayton Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I noticed straight off the bat that this book was going to be emotional. He uses really deep feeling and detail. You can tell he has great memory. I thought it was funny when he said that he started playing football just to impress girls and get their attention. Now to see his legacy today its pretty incredible. One of the best running backs the NFL has ever seen, one of the best we may ever see.
I wonder how his career would have shaped out on another team. Would he have still been that successful? I believe the match up of Mike Ditka and Walter Payton was a match made in heaven. Together they formed a great Chicago Bears Dynasty. When Walter was drafted analysts predicted he wouldn't last very long. Maybe 5 years max as a bench role. However obviously that was not the case. Would that have been the case if he was on a different team? I wonder.
I was reminded of the big super bowl in 1985. Throughout this book it shows how Payton prepared for this long journey to the Superbowl. He put in a lot of effort to making his team better both as a person and a player. I have jerseys and pictures of sweetness in my room. However i never really knew what type of guy he was outside of the game. I always think of the Superbowl when I see his jersey, but now I see this amazing person and athlete.
I think of how my life is and any time I ever feel down, and when I think people owe me something, I think of Walter Payton. Then I think of never giving up, always taking advantage of each day's opportunities, and being truly thankful for each breath I take. That was the Walter Payton way of living. His coach described him as a player who would never die easy. He would go out the best way possible. This book has made me idolize and look up to Payton a lot more than before.
I realize that one of the main messages in this book is to be humble about your success. Don't be hot headed and show boat. Play the game the way you play it. Play great and don't be rude about it. Keep a level head. Then success comes easy, and you're a better person and more respected athlete in result of staying humble.

[Tylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

the reason i choose this book is because i love walter payton as a big big bears fan he is my favorite all time chicago bear and one of my favoite player and i just wanted to learn more about his life and learn things that i never knew about him before. this book is a biogarphy of his life they do it as like an interveiw they have walter talking in it and his family and also some of his teammates and coachs which i think is pretty cool. they talk about mostly chicago because thats where walter has lived for a while he grew up in chicago which is pretty cool because he ends up playing for chicago.walter was a guy that loved the game of football lived and breathed it and when he retired he missed it alot he came at a point in his life where he wasnt to happy all time because he wasnt on the feild it took him a while to get over that stage in his life and what one thing i never really known was he raced a nascar for a couple of years intill he had a really bad accident after that he jut owned one for a while and hired a driver to drive it for him. they also talked to mike dikta in there and he was asked about the super bowl and why didnt he let walter score a tochdown and ditka said that thats one of the number one things he regrets ever he said he never really thought about it intill someone told him then he was shocked and he felt bad the reason why he said he never thought about it is because he didnt think it was a big deal well to payton it was he didnt like it that he never got to score he didnt like it that the only chance he got to go and win the championship he does not get to help but points on the board and help his team. i liked this book alot it was really intersting to me i learned alot about it and im really glad i read it.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never Die Easy is a great book that tells the different stories of the great Walter Payton. This book is written by Walter’s friends, family, coaches, teammates, and people that were close to one of the greatest football players ever. One story tells about how walter was never looking for the sidelines and how he would rather run over a linebacker, than take the open sideline. Another story tells about how Walter had to run nearly three miles to and from practice every day and how he never touched a weight until his senior year in high school. Some of the interesting sections of this book are written by walters teammates and coaches. They said Walter was always entertaining the team with his childhood stories and his great personality. The parts written by Walter were unbelievable. He talks about how his talent was a gift and not working his hardest would be wasting a gift from god.
This is a very good book and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who likes football (especially Walter Payton fans). This book was very inspirational and taugh me a lot. This is a book that can be read several times and I can see myself reading it again in the future. (209)

[Michael Prescott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the autobiography of Walter Payton knowing a lot about him already, but not much about his personal life and work ethic. He created a reputation as a nice, genuine person, which along with his immense running ability, earned him the nickname "Sweetness." I really enjoyed the personal aspects of the book, such as his description of the struggles of going to a newly-integrated High School in Mississippi, and the racism that surrounded him. A big part of Payton's life was the work ethic that he put in on a daily basis. He had an obsession with getting better, and as a football player, that is something that I an relate to and try to emulate. Overall, this was a good book that provided a new view on an NFL Hall of Famer and insight in to the mind of a legend.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

inspirational book-even if you are not a Bears fan...Walter Payton was the greatest football player of all time but he did wonderful things for children as well-if you want to appreciate a time when football players weren't all about bigger paychecks and loved the game then you will love this book-and cry as well

[Barry Mann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I preferred the 2011 biography, a fuller picture of his life, good and bad

[Jill Hurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good insight to the man that Walter Payton was. My husband is a huge fan & had me read this book so that I could understand why.

[Gregory Jones]

This book shows that sports are more than a game. Walter Payton was an iconic figure for his abilities as a running back, but his legacy goes beyond his accomplishments on the football field. He was larger than life. This autobiography brings together his voice alongside those who knew him best. This would definitely be a good read for any fans of the Chicago Bears or the NFL in general. It is a piece of history, pure and simple.

[Will Gunst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome to finally read and learn more about an absolute legend and role model. I obviously always knew of him as one of the greatest players to play the game but I never knew of how well respected he was on and off the field. On the field he was an all around specimen (running, catching, throwing for TDs, etc.) and his attitude on the field was a treat to read about.

But the book gave me chills at certain times because he was one honorable and humble human being. He had a few ways of giving back to the community but one I thought was sweet was the Christmas foundation that gives presents to those that don’t usually get that opportunity. Also the way he handled his dad’s death spoke to how dedicated he was to his faith.

Great read - gets 4 stars because I thought the flow could’ve been different than just alternating blurbs between different people.

[Jack Wallick · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Never Die Easy: The Autobiography of Walter Payton
2. Walter Payton and Dan Yaeger
3. Autobiography
4. Never Die Easy is the Autobiography of Walter Payton's life. It talks about Walter growing up in the poor town of Columbia, Mississippi, where he started playing football to gain girls attention. When Walter graduated from high school he took his talents to a tiny all black college, called Jackson State. Walter quickly became one of the best football players in the country, and in 1975 the Bears drafted him with the 4th overall pick in the NFL draft. Walter went on to not only be one of the greatest football players of all time, but one of the greatest human beings of all time until he lost his battle with a rare liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis in 1999.
5. a. The first theme in this book is the title, Never Die Easy. It means to go 100% in everything you do, and don't quit something without trying. I think this is a very important theme because it is really important to give your best in everything you do.
b. The second theme is the fact that it is better to give then receive. This theme really stood out to me because Walter Payton was such a big time athlete, but he still made sure he could impact his fans life in someway. Walter wouldn't leave until he signed every fans thing they wanted autographed, or until he at least had a conversation with them. I thought this was really cool because Walter did not form a huge ego. He did everything he could to make a positive impact on someones life, and if more people in the world had as big of a heart as Walter Payton the world would be such a better place.
6. a. "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." (pg. 54).
b. " I remember people wanting his autograph after practice, crowds of people. Most of the time he'd stay out there and sign every autograph request. He didn't care how long it would take. The coaches would have just finished running us to death, and he would stay out there and sign autographs, joke around, play around with the fans. He was that kind of guy." (pg. 88 said by Mike Singletary)
7.The first quote I used taught me to always give it my all. No matter what I am doing i should always give my best effort. I think this is really important because to go far in life you need to work really hard. The second quote taught me that no matter how big you get to not forget where you came from. Even though Walter Payton was a huge superstar he would still try to impact the life of his fans, and i think that is really cool.
8. The population that would enjoy this book the most is males who enjoy football because this book is the story of a football players life.

[Brenden Torrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book, “Never Die Easy”, because it was an autobiography of my all time favorite NFL football player. I wanted to know more about his whole life before he died on November 1, 1999 after struggling with a rare liver disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis, for several months. I chose this also because football is my favorite sport and the story of his life is nonfictional. To me, Walter Payton was the greatest football player in the history of the NFL based on this book and what people say about him.

As stated above, “Never Die Easy” is a non-fictional and autobiographical book about Walter Payton. This book is organized by the chapters of his life. Many family members, teammates, old friends, and even coaches spoke about how great he was in this book. Also this book was being put together before November 1, 1999, so Walter Payton speaks in it too. This book begins with talking about his professional career as a Chicago Bear then it transfers on to his life growing up and so on and so forth. Walter has won one Super Bowl near the end of his glorious and famous NFL career. He grew up in Columbia, Mississippi. When he first entered high school, he wasn’t even thinking about becoming a professional football player, he participated in band as a freshman and sophomore. When he first started football, he was an automatic star on the field and it never stopped after that. He had talent and the greatest work ethic, that is what made him great as a football player and as a person.

Walter Payton: “I thank God for them [His coaches, parents, and teammates] because without them I wouldn’t have made it. So for all you young people who are out there who have dreams, hopes, desires, it doesn’t matter where you are in the race now, it is where you will end up. Don’t give up because you are not where you want to be. Everything that you want, if you visualize it, you can have it. And I hope that you never lose your vision. I was lucky I didn’t and it worked out.” I picked this section or quote because it inspires me and makes me feel like I can do anything if I put my mind to it.

I also admire the quote by Walter Payton: “I took that [“Never Die Easy”] as a motto for my game and my life. Never die easy. Why run out of bounds and die easy? Make that linebacker pay. Make him earn your death. It carries to all facets of life, and it is something both my dad and Coach Hill taught me.” I favor this quote because it represents me again.

[Matthew Hess · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "Never Die Easy" Walter Payton and Don Yaeger discuss the life, football career and death of

the young and athletic Walter Payton. The reader sees the young Payton develop as a football star in high

school and at Jackson State. The book follows the mature man develop his relationship with the Chicago

Bears organization and his path to the Super Bowl. Walter encounters the decision to retire and the

agonizing disease he develops. The weak Payton endures long months of painful treatment for his

illness. Payton's wife, Connie Payton, describes all the lives Walter's kindness has touched. The entire

story of Walter Payton's life is inspiring to the reader.

This autobiography gives the reader lifelong lessons to follow and how to be a true and humble

gentlemen as Payton was. The goal of the author in writing this novel was to touch the heart of the reader

and to explain how Walter Payton was a man on and off the field. Walter describes his life growing up

in a small town in Columbia, Mississippi, playing high school football, playing college ball at Jackson

State, playing with the Chicago Bears, becoming a successful businessman and being the perfect father to

his two children. Walter Payton can be seen as an inspirational role model. “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.” This is a great quotation from Walter because it

shows his true personality and his determination to succeed.

I like the way the book is setup where it briefly describes Walter's life before getting more in

depth about his childhood and the rest of the book. I love the way Walter talks throughout the book

because he is humorous yet serious in a tone that draws you in. I have no dislikes towards this novel. I

believe that anybody who has an interest in football would enjoy this book. Any age would definitely find

themselves reading this novel because it is heartfelt and is just an all around interesting life to learn

about. One lesson I took from this book is that if you truly want something bad enough nothing or no one

will be able to stop you.

[Jaylen Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walter Payton which is the man that people nickname him Sweetness because of the way he ran on the field and he is one of the most creative running backs in the history of the NFL. He was also the star of the Chicago Bears’ only Super Bowl Championship. Walter Payton is also a dedicated father to his children and was a founder of a charitable foundation that help thousands of kids each year. Payton was growing up being poor in Mississippi and played football to attract girls and attended at a Black College. He was drafted by the bears in 1975 and he believed that he would only play for them for five years but he played for the Chicago Bears for thirteen seasons and he is one of the greatest football players in the history of the NFL. Walter Payton is the all-time leading ball carrier in the history of the NFL and was admired from hundreds of thousands of people on and off the football field. He was very successful but he was battling with cancer and died on November 1999.

People like athletes or anyone who is interested in American Football would enjoy one of the greatest running backs in the NFL of all time life. This book can be interesting to anybody really since this book can be very inspiring t most people who read this book. This autobiography is more than just a book; it was a life to remember. Walter Payton wasn’t just very successful on the football field but he was very inspiring to thousands of people off the field because how generous he was and he very successful charity foundations helping thousands of kids each year.

I think that this book was very fun and funny to read and there is not many complaints I have for the book. It was pretty depressing that he ends up dying due to an ultimate battle with cancer. Like I said before but this was just more than just a book. There were many life lessons in this autobiography and this just simply very inspiring to the readers including myself. I noticed that many people just remember how good an athlete is when he/she is playing, but many rarely notice what type of person the athlete is off the field. Before reading this autobiography, I didn’t even know Walter Payton was this good of a person off the field.
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[Aiden Boggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Never Die Easy” by Don Yaeger and Walter Payton is a biography and an autobiography about Walter Payton, and the struggles and success of his short life. This book is not part of a series, even though that would be amazing if it was. But anyway, the plot of this book goes something like this, Walter was born in a small community of Columbia City. Walter’s family did not have a whole lot of money, but his parents made sure everything he needed was paid for. His parents made sure when Walter was a teen, he was busy doing jobs around his small neighborhood. By the time Walter was in Middle School he was a superb baseball and football player. He ultimately chose to play and spent more time in football. By High School he was the star of his High School Football team and despite his superb athleticism he only got offers from all black schools around his area like Alcorn State, and Jackson State. He would choose Jackson State and play so great there he got picked by the Chicago Bears in the 1st round of the 1975 NFL Draft. By the time he retired in 1987 he had all sorts of accomplishments any football fan would want to have. He had one Super Bowl Ring (Should have been two), at the time he was the NFL’s all-time leading rusher all the way until 2002 when Emmitt Smith broke Walter’s record. Years after his football career he was diagnosed with a very rare kidney disease that the doctors didn’t know how to cure. He would end up dying at the age of 45. A legend gone too soon. I really did like how this book was written, and the firsthand accounts of his family and his friends. This book showed how real the world can get, and how precious life is. I also liked this book because Walter himself goes through big events that happened in his football career, and just how hard he worked to get to the NFL. I also like this book because it has stories from when he was a child. One example of a slightly hilarious story when he was a kid, he tried to steal some fruit from a tree but was caught. I will let you read it, so I don’t spoil it too much. I did think that this book is kind of sad considering Walter gave his life to football, but in a blink of an eye that career was gone. I will let you go read this book to find out more!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lorin Helfenstein
10-16-2013
Period 4
Never Die Easy
The book Never Die Easy is an autobiography about Walter Peyton told by Walter Peyton, family, friends, and others that were close to him. I really enjoyed the style of this book. The book was told from different perspectives, which I found to be easy to read and it gives you more than just perspective of a story. The beginning of the book talks about Walter’s death. The next part of the book is about Walter growing up, his high school career, and his college career. The third part of the book is about his NFL career, winning the Super Bowl, and breaking Jim Brown’s all-time leading rusher record. This is probably my favorite part in the book; it has so many great stories in it. After his NFL career is a section all about Walter’s business career. Surprisingly, this was a very interesting chapter to me. For example, how he almost became the first minority to own a NFL team. What caused this dream of his to fall just short was his business partners argued and lawsuits were threatened. Another interesting fact about Peyton in this section was that he also was a professional driver; he participated in many races and even won a few of them. Unfortunately for Walter, he got in an extremely bad crash in which his car flipped over a fence, spilled gasoline, and caught on fire. Miraculously, Walter was not severally injured, but this caused him to quit racing. The next section in the book is about Walter getting sick and eventually dying, this is a very emotional part in the book and is very meaningful. You never would have thought someone like “Sweetness” could ever get so weak and eventually die, Walter even survived much passed what the doctors said he would. He never gave up, just like when he was running the ball in the NFL. This is an extremely well written book and is very inspirational. You don’t even have to like football to enjoy this book, so if you have not yet read this book, I highly recommend it.

[Haashem Malik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never Die Easy by Walter Payton is a biography of the life of Walter Payton and what his life was like through his ups and downs and throughout his conquering journey. One of the great things about this book is that its moral is that to work hard and to never give up and I like that part especially because my father says that all the time. This is a great book because it talks about real life situations and the real and up downs that can really occur in someones life. Not only that it talks about the wonderful life of a legend football player. He both conquered on the field and of the field with a lot of charity work.

This book takes place on the filed and off the field and its genre like I said is a biography, which is my favorite genre. The author does a great job of making you fell that you are in the book. He talks about similarities in real life situations and some real stuff normal people do in the every day life. The characters play a huge part in this book. It talks about every characters impact on the main character of course Walter Payton.

I think this book should be rated a 5 star no douht. I mean with all those life situations and his charity work and his legendary football career on the field its just amazing how the author talks about so much with so much detail. I like the authors detail because of their detail they examin every chapter and every ups and downs in Walters life. They talk about every life changing decision and every character that impacted and never impacted his life both on and off the field both in a incredible detail which is really amazing .


I would recommend this book to biography lovers football lovers and real nice classic books with hard work determination and all in that etc. Its a quality ups and downs book gives a real good example with walters ups and downs and all the characters and all his quotes like never give up or always work hard. And once again I incourage you to read this book because it has truly impacted my life in many good ways and so it can do that to yours also.

[Marcus Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok this is my book talk. Ok so this book is kinda of hard to follow becuase of how it jumps around. So at the beginning of it it is telling about Walters last few days on earth. The doctors had said that Walters kidnees have failed, and that the only way for Walter to stay alive is for him to get a kidnee transplant. So they go and sign him up for one. But the thing is as they were waiting for him to get one the doctors said that there has been other things in walters body that have failed. And the doctors said to his family that there is really not that much more that they can do for him. There has been to many things that have failed for walter. So they said that they can take Walter home if they would like. So that he can be in the comfort of his own home. Also that he would be with his family when he passes. The doctors said thats what he needs is his family to be there for him. Everything was going good for Walter after they left the hospital. He was able to walk again and he was just moving around. But then out of no where something happened and it was like his body just stoped. And Walter passed away on November 1, 1999. They just couldn't beleive it. Then the book jumps to how he grew up in Columbis Mississippi. Walter has always been into sports. Everyday after school he would come home throw his bag inside and would go out and play with his friends, any kind of sport that you can think of they all played it. And they were all really good at it. They we go out and play for hours after school. until there mothers all called them in for dinner. Then they would all start it over the next day. Walter has spent most of his life in Mississippi. He went to an all black John - Jefferson High School. The went on to go to Jefferson State. Then about 3 to 4 years later he was drafted by the bears in the first round in the 1975 NFL Draft. If you would like to know more about this book your just going to have to read it.

[Zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

the overall feeling from this book I got was determination and hard work.
i would recommend it to sports fans. the book revolves around football and i think sports fans would find it more appealing. walter payton born and raised in mississippi faces some challenges growing up. he always worked hard for his parents and in school. walter went to a all black school and did not step on the football field until being a junior. walter was the hardest working person everywhere he went. he later dies of a kidney disease. final thoughts on the book it kinda tough me toughness in a way. because i see the things he goes through and how he deals with them and that's something i could take and use in my own life at times when it hectic.

[Travis H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walter Payton and Don Yaeger did a very good job writing this book. I love how it explains that back then, the players didn’t play for the money or the fame they played because they love the game. I also enjoyed how they talked about Payton’s point of view on the whole racial concept at that time. This is a very powerful and interesting book about Walter Payton and all of his achievements and good deeds he did in his life. It also gets sad towards the end so beware of that but it is a good touch the story. So if you are a football fan or any sports fan this is a very good book to read for you.

[Tommy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I preface this review with letting you know I am a life long Chicago Bear fan. This book gives you every reason why Walter Payton is the best Human Being to ever wear a NFL uniform. The man would give until he could not give anymore then he would find some and give you that. This book documents his life, being stricken with a sickness, and looking for an Organ to be donated for him. This book will make you enroll to organ donation after reading it.

[Vito Clarizio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably my favorite athlete of all time, and I appreciated the things I learned about his charity work and his life outside of football. I'm not crazy about how it is written. It is mostly transcribed interviews of Payton, his family, and those that knew him but seems to get a bit repetitive and turns him into a god among men (it is a biography after all, haha). Though I'm a huge fan, I'm going to look for a more critical biography because the man is better than the legend.

[John Yelverton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though it was a very interesting book and very heart warming in parts, it really wasn't an autobiography. Probably because he passed away so quickly, the book is filled with only excerpts from Walter Payton, and the rest of the book is filled with anecdotes by his friends and family. What was frustrating, is that the vast majority of them just wanted to talk about themselves, and not Walter Payton.

[Ben Shepard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never Die Easy is an amazing book about the life of Walter Payton. The story tells about his childhood, high school, college, pro career, and after his pro career. The book even goes into the perspectives of some of Walter Payton's closest friends.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves football and people who wants to learn about Walter Payton. This is a great book and I think just about every football fan would enjoy it.

[David Choi · Rating 5 out of 5]

inspiring book about a prodigious athletic talent that approached life with humility and compassion. while not without his flaws, payton was a man who never took the easy way out and earned every ounce of his legacy ... 'sweetness' as he was fondly known is one of my favorite all-time sports figures for good reason.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just think this book did a good job of showing what was so inspiring about Walter Payton as a person and an athlete. But it made him a real person as well. It gave quite a bit of insight into how he felt and thought about all that happened with his career and his illness. A must read for any Chicago Bears fan.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because my husband is a Bears fan. After reading it, I am too. At least a fan of the '85 Bears.
Walter Payton was a role model, one that most professional athletes need to emulate. A great athlete that was blessed with great character, and a phenomenal moral compass.
The world needs more Walter Payton's.

[EJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, that was inspirational, but the whole thing was really sad. I felt a heavy heart through almost the entire book. The few chapters that talk about his childhood through his NFL career were uplifting, but also laced with the sadness of Walter Payton's early departure. In any case, it makes me want to do more with my own life.

[Sunil Surendar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book !, put things into perspective if you will esp. when you see so many sports personalities involved in doping scandals and such these days, a true sportsman, hats off to him and the wonderful life he lived.Got inspired by the book and signed up for organ donation.Definitely a must read in my opinion.

[Dylan Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never Die Easy is a book about the life of one of the greatest running backs of all time. Walter Payton lived a very important life and he was a truly great person. He grew up in Mississippi and worked his way through college all the way to the Chicago Bears. It was one of my favorite books I have ever read and would recommend it to anyone.