⁍ Sayers played seven seasons in a career cut short by injury.

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⁍ He still holds 20 Bears records and is a member of the NFL100 All-Time Team.

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⁍ ‘Gale was one of the finest men in NFL history,’ said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

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– Gale Sayers, the dazzling former Chicago Bears running back whose graceful moves earned him Hall of Fame honors and whose bond with a dying teammate was chronicled in the movie Brian’s Song, died on Wednesday at age 77, Reuters reports. While playing only seven seasons in a career cut short by injury, Sayers earned five all-NFL selections as he accumulated 4,956 rushing yards from 1965 to 1971. The numbers tell only a small part of the Kansas Comet’s story. The fourth overall pick in the 1965 draft, Sayers was a threat to reach the end zone each time he touched the football, scoring a then record 22 touchdowns in his rookie season. He would walk away with Rookie of the Year honors that year and was named a first-team All-Pro each of his first five seasons. Sayers’ career was derailed by a series of horrific knee injuries that would ultimately force him into early retirement just before the 1972 season. He still holds 20 Bears records and is a member of the NFL100 All-Time Team. In 1977, Sayers was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame at 34-years-old, the youngest former player ever welcomed into the shrine. “Gale was one of the finest men in NFL history and one of the game’s most exciting players,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement. “Gale was an electrifying and elusive runner who thrilled fans every time he touched the ball.”