Gale Sayers
Hall of Fame Running Back
Gale Sayers used his God given talents to join the NFL in the Chicago Bears, and soon became a treasured player.
The original "magic" man of professional sports, Gale Sayers made football history and touched the lives of millions of Americans. As the Chicago Bears' legendary number 40, Sayers was NFL Rookie of the Year in 1965 and scored a record six touchdowns in one game. After only three years in the NFL, he was voted the best halfback of the first 50 years of professional football. He was also the youngest player ever to be inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame. He went on to write the popular book, I Am Third, which was made into the movie Brian's Song, depicting the relationship between Gale and Brian Piccolo, who died of cancer. The title of the book is Gale Sayers' philosophy of life: "The Lord is first; my family and friends are second; and I am third."
In 1984, Sayers and his wife Ardythe launched a computer reseller firm. Today, Sayers Group is a national technology solutions provider with locations across the US and revenues of more than $300 million. In 1999, Sayers was inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, and was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. In addition, Kansas University School of Education recently unveiled the Gale Sayers Microcomputer Center in Pearson Hall - an inspiration to generations of students and visitors of his dedication to education. Although his technology business is his first priority, Sayers finds time to do motivational speaking engagements for organizations' worthy causes.