Great book for anyone who loved watching this amazing athlete. Interviews with Walter's siblings, children, teammates, Mike Ditka and Walter himself.

This book was just OK. Did not wow me by any means, wasn't terrible, but honestly I found my self skipping paragraphs more and more. I really like the Walter Payton storyline, and how he was all about "team" over "self." But the book was written with about 20 friends, family and teammates adding in their personal stories and touches to his life and career, and it really made for a different kind of reading.

Walter Payton certainly is one of the best athletes in our history, his legacy is strong and will live on for a very longtime. I need to see what other books are out there on him, as I felt this was rushed to publishing as he was battling a deadly illness.

Excellent book Walter Payton is a great man.

Walter Payton was an amazing player, but an even better human being. My parents are both huge Bears fans, so of course they have read this book before me. Once they heard I had chosen it as my independent reading book, they both were jumping with joy. I thought they were crazy at first, but once I started reading, the book sucked me in and I couldn’t take my eyes off the pages. After finishing ‘Never Die Easy’ I started to ask myself, “am I putting 100% into everything I do? ‘Never Die Easy’ was published in 2001, 2 years after Walter Payton's death. This book was written in the last weeks of Walters life to try and get his unique backstory, and colorful personality out into the public with the help of author and journalist Don Yaeger. Walter has had so much support from his family and friends through his last years of life. He has a beautiful family who loves him with their whole heart and lifelong friends who stayed with him since day 1. Walter is the father of Jarrett & Brittney Payton, the husband of Connie Payton, the brother to Pam & Eddie Payton, and the son of 2 proud parents Alyne & Peter Payton. Walters' best friend Matt Suhey made sure Walters' last years on earth were memorable. One thing in the book that really touched me was Walter's relationship with God. First, as I read the book, I noticed a lot of Walters' teammates saw him praying before every game, thanking God after every game, and telling his teammates that God is in control, and all they can do is trust his process. I truly believe that the reason Walter was the person he is, is because of his complete trust in God. Walter was one of the toughest, and most physical football players of all time. He would give his 100% effort on each play, no matter how bad it hurt, he would never stay down because he knew that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to us in Christ Jesus.” Second, while being a powerful, tough, and scary player on the field, he was a kind, compassionate, and caring person off the field. He showed his fans respect because they showed him the same when he first started out on the Bears. Everyone thought Walter got scammed, and that it was going to be a bad team to play for because of the dangerous city and cold weather. But Walter never backed down from a fight. He took over Chicago and was ready to take down every other team in the NFL. He was the leader on the team, not just because he gave pep talks before the game, or could cheer his teammates up with one joke. No, he was a leader because he led by example, he made sure everyone on the team saw how hard he worked, and how much effort he put in on every play. The nickname “sweetness” really shows how much the people around him saw him as a friendly giant. I think the reason the fans loved him so much is because of not only his ability to play the game, but also his selfless actions that show how much of an amazing human being he is.
If you enjoy seeing a story from multiple points of view then I believe you will like this book. Each person that Walter was close to gets a chance to speak their mind. If you really take the words in this book to heart, then you can become not only a better athlete, but a better human. It made me think back to my personal life and take a look at where I really see myself in the future, because of this I can easily rate this a 5 star book. It was perfect.