Sweetness_ The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton - Jeff Pearlman [45]
One thing Walter couldn’t do was keep his number. Payton had grown attached to No. 22, the digits he had worn throughout his three high school seasons. There was just one problem: In high school, Walter was given No. 22 by Charles Boston because the number had previously been worn by Eddie. Now, at Jackson State, Eddie was the featured back, and by no means interested in being numerically charitable.
Walter’s second-favorite number was thirty-four, one he had never worn, but one that somehow caught his fancy. At the time, the number was owned by Holloway, the redshirt sophomore fullback from Chicago. “I had no real attachment to thirty-four, so when Walter asked for it I handed it over and took number forty-one,” Holloway said. “I have a picture on my mantle of me wearing number thirty-four. Everyone who comes in says, ‘You have Walter Payton’s number?’ And I say, ‘No, Walter Payton has mine.’ ”
On Jackson State’s football team, tradition dictated that freshmen did much watching and little playing. They were primarily present to absorb Hill’s ritual beatings, and if they did so without crying or quitting, they might—might—contribute as sophomores. Walter Payton, however, was different. Though only eighteen years old and naïve to weight training, Payton’s physique was unlike any other Tiger player. “Big calves, nice frame, small waist, legs like fire hydrants,” said Willie Barnes, the team’s trainer. “A total rock.” He had the longest arms anyone had ever seen—ones that dangled from shoulders to below the knees. “They went on forever, and they looked like Popeye’s arms,” said Al Harris, a future NFL teammate. “He stuck his arms out into my chest, and I could barely grab his shoulder pads.” There was also an air of maturity to the kid; a confidence that most nervous freshmen lacked. Hill and W. C. Gorden, the defensive coordinator, nearly came to blows arguing whether the freshman should begin his career as a running back or defensive back. “He had the skills for both,” said Gorden. “He would have been a phenomenal safety.” When Hill announced the roster of those who would dress, two Paytons were listed. Hill warned Walter not to become cocky or comfortable. “The bus works,” Hill told him, “whether you’re on it or not.”
While Tiger players and coaches were excited for the new season, the community showed little interest. After years of losing, the student body had become increasingly ambivalent. The city of Jackson was even more so. In its special college football preview section, The Jackson Daily News, Jackson State’s hometown paper, gave significantly more ink to the programs at Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Millsaps College, Delta State, Alcorn State, as well as several of the nation’s top teams, including Ohio State and Southern California. The paper finally got around to the Tigers on the bottom of the twenty-seventh page, devoting a whopping 198 words to a piece titled “J-State Seeks Improvement.”
Jackson State’s Mighty Tigers will need a complete turnaround in 1971 or the term “Mighty” may be replaced with “Meek.” . . . A new head coach with a penchant for winning and a veteran quarterback [Sylvester Collins] who led the Southwest Athletic Conference in total offense in 1970 are the keys to the Tigers hopes.
The Tigers opened their 1971 season by traveling to Prairie View, Texas, for a September 18 afternoon game against perennially subpar Prairie View A & M. Hill’s plan was in place—his well-conditioned team would pummel the Panthers with brutal physicality. He envisioned a final score of 30–0. Maybe even 40–0. “We were better in all areas,” he said. “No contest.”
Yet in a matchup as dull as it was sloppy, Prairie View slogged its way to a 13–12 win, the difference courtesy of Triplett’s missed extra point early in the first quarter. On the bright side, the defense played well, and Eddie Payton ran for two touchdowns. On the down side, Walter Payton showed why freshmen were freshmen.
In anticipation of the opening kickoff, Walter stood alongside a fellow back named James Marshall.