Gale Sayers

Highlights

He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is a legendary Chicago Bears running back; His #40 is retired by the Bears

Fee Range: $10,000 - $20,000

Secure Gale Sayers for Your Event

Sayers, known as "The Kansas Comet", spent his entire NFL career  with the Chicago Bears. He was an impressive 2-time All-American player at the University of Kansas and it showed in the NFL.

He was NFL Rookie of the Year in 1965 and had the amazing feat of being the only rookie at the time to score six touchdowns in a game on route to scoring a record 22 touchdowns in his rookie year. In his second season, despite attempts of revamping defenses, Sayers led the league in rushing with 1,231 yards.

But in a game against the San Francisco 49ers in 1968, Sayers was chopped down after receiving a pitch and tore ligaments in his right knee, ending his season prematurely. Soon he had surgery and rehabilition and made a successful comeback. In the 1969 season he led the league in rushing once again, but he lacked the speed he once had.

Once again, in 1970, Sayers suffered another knee injury, this time with his left knee. During his off time, he took classes at the University of New York to become a stock broker and became the first black stock broker in his company's history. After another rehabilitation period, he tried for a comeback, but was not successful. He was encouraged to retire, due to his loss of speed. His final game was in the preseason, where he was handed the ball three times, and fumbled twice.

Sayers retired from football during the 1971 campaign, and began a career as a CEO for a computer company. In 1977 he entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame and in 1994 he had his uniform number, 40, retired at Soldier Field in Chicago.

His friendship with teammate Brian Piccolo, and Piccolo's struggle with the cancer that would eventually result in his death, became the subject of the legendary made-for-TV movie Brian's Song. The movie, in which Sayers was portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in the original and by Mekhi Phifer in the remake, was adapted from Sayers' telling of this story in his 1971 autobiography I Am Third.

Direct Sportslink - Sports Celebrity Endorsements: Direct Sportslink can help you secure any spokesperson, such as Gale Sayers, for an endorsement. The endorsement rights often include television commercials, radio commercials, media tours, infomercials, PR campaigns, print advertising, and internet usage rights. Please visit our sports celebrity endorsement division or contact us for more information.

Direct Sportslink secures sports talent for motivational speaking engagements, personal appearances, and celebrity endorsements on behalf of corporations, associations, and other organizations. Our database includes many of the world's greatest athletes and coaches from sports including basketball, football, baseball, tennis, golf, and hockey. We have made this easy for you so that you can find sports stars such as famous Olympic speakers with personal experiences on topics such as Christian faith, overcoming adversity, healthcare, leadership, business, adapting to change, and medical awareness topics such as cancer and asthma.

Direct Sportslink - Motivational Speakers: Direct Sportslink speakers bureau will assist you in hiring a motivational speaker like Gale Sayers for any keynote speaking engagement or guest speaker request. If you need to contact Gale Sayers we will do so directly or via the agent, agency, or manager for Gale Sayers. We take out the stress of you trying to contact Gale Sayers. With the click of a mouse, you can immediately find a popular motivational speaker above for your trade show, conference, or sales meeting.

Based on your interest in Gale Sayers as a speaker or for a personal appearance, Direct Sportslink has provided you additional links below for other sports talent with similar appearance fees, speaker topics, and categories that match Gale Sayers .