The Greatest Games in Bears History, Vol. 1: 12/12/65- Sayers Scores Six TD
The Greatest Games in Bears History, Vol. 1: December 12, 1965-
Gale Sayers Ties an NFL Mark with Six Touchdowns vs. the San Francisco 49ers
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(Gale Sayers’ 22 touchdowns in 1965 is still the NFL rookie record. Source: ESPN.com, espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016460.html)
On a frigid, soggy Sunday afternoon, the twelfth of December, 1965, the Chicago Bears, those black and blue “Monsters of the Midway”, gathered at venerable Wrigley Field on the north side of the “City of Big Shoulders” to clash with the San Francisco 49ers in a battle between two NFL Western Conference rivals. While neither team stood a chance at catching the runaway Green Bay Packers in the conference standings, there was always pride at stake. And did ever one of Chicago’s football sons produce theatrics such as what fans would see on this day, for it was then that the rookie Gale Sayers, quickly building upon a reputation for greatness and a resume for notoriety sprinkled in with a dash of scorn and derision among defenders around the league, scored six touchdowns, tying the record previously achieved by Ernie Nevers of the Chicago Cardinals (1929) and Dub Jones of the Cleveland Browns (1951). (Source: History.com, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nfl-rookie-gale-sayers-ties-single-td-record)
What fans forget about the great Sayers, though, was that his penchant for the dramatic was a thing of lore long before his life’s journey took him to the gridiron of Wrigley Field. A record-setting track star in the long jump at 24-10 ½ as a collegian at his alma mater, Sayers became a legend as a two-time All-American for the University of Kansas Jayhawks football program, attending the school because he liked head coach Jack Mitchell and it was close to home. While at Kansas, he rushed for 2,675 yards, including setting the NCAA record for the longest run from scrimmage, 99 yards against Nebraska in 1963. (Source: ESPN.com, see above picture caption for URL on the source)
Sayers was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFL and the Bears in the NFL (fourth overall pick, immediately after Chicago selected another All-American, linebacker Dick Butkus) in the 1965 league drafts. Despite Chiefs’ owner Lamar Hunt offering him more money to sign with Kansas City, Sayers chose the Bears, even though he described their counter-offer as “$4.95 and a carton of Cokes.” (Source: ESPN.com)
In his fifth game, Sayers scored four touchdowns in a 45-37 Bears victory over the Minnesota Vikings. However, that was merely a precursor for a much greater accomplishment that lied ahead, for on that bone chilling, wet Sunday afternoon of December 12th, 1965 in Chicago, the rookie scored six touchdowns versus the San Francisco 49ers by plodding through the muddy trenches, equaling the mark by the previously-mentioned Ernie Nevers of the Chicago Cardinals in 1929 and later tied by the Cleveland Browns’ Dub Jones in 1951. He scored in a variety of ways: one on an 80-yard screen pass from quarterback Rudy Bukich, four on runs of 21, 7, 50, and 1 yards, and yet another on an 85-yard punt return. In all, Sayers accounted for 336 yards -- 113 rushing, 89 on pass receptions, and 134 on punt returns. In the first quarter of the second 49ers affair of the season, Sayers scored on the 80 yard screen pass to open up Chicago’s scoring, with the two point conversion from Bukich failing. Mike Ditka caught a 29 yard touchdown pass from Bukich, who would also throw a third touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to Jim Jones that was good for 8 yards. Jon Arnett also rushed for a 2 yard score in the fourth quarter. Roger LeClerc was the place kicker of record for the Bears. For San Francisco, John Brodie threw two touchdown passes to Dave Parks and former Texas A&M Heisman Trophy winner John David Crow in the second quarter, with Tommy Davis, the 49er place kicker, failing to convert the extra point, during which time in between Sayers rushed 21 yards for a touchdown, followed by two more rushing touchdowns for Sayers in the third quarter of 50 and 1 yards. Dave Kopay ran in for a two yard score from 2 yards out in the fourth quarter for the 49ers, followed Bukich’s third touchdown pass of the day to Jim Jones. Sayers would score the last of his six touchdowns on an 85 yard punt return, and halfback Jon Arnett would barrel in for a 2 yard score to cap the scoring at the final 61-20 tally. For the 49ers, all extra points were converted except for the one on the Crow touchdown drive. The win delivered on the Bears’ vow to avenge the humbling loss sustained at the hands of those same 49ers, in which San Francisco crushed the Bears 52-24 on opening day, September 19th. (Source: ESPN.com; Pro-Football-Reference.com, www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/chi/1965.htm)
To summarize one of the greatest rookie seasons in football history, one needs to look at the following stats to summarize “The Kansas Comet”: Sayers accumulated 2,272 yards rushing, receiving, and returning kickoffs and punts. In 1966, he ran for a career-high 1,231 yards in the 14-game season, winning the rushing title. He would win his second rushing title in 1969 with a total of 1,032 yards a year removed from a serious right knee injury whereby he suffered torn ligaments. For his efforts in returning to football, he was awarded the George Halas Award as “the most courageous player in professional football.” He dedicated his newly-won award to his friend and teammate, Brian Piccolo, who was dying of cancer. He would stretch a ligament in his left knee during an exhibition game in 1970 and would never fully recover, ultimately leading to his retirement from the game. For his career, he gained 6,213 total yards from scrimmage both rushing and receiving and scored a total of 56 touchdowns, including eight on kickoff and punt returns. Sayers averaged 5.0 yards a run on his 991 carries (for 4,956 yards), and had set seven NFL records and 23 team marks. The story of his friendship with teammate Brian Piccolo was immortalized in the 1971 TV movie “Brian’s Song,” starring James Caan as Piccolo and Billy Dee Williams as Sayers. He would go on to serve the University of Kansas athletic department as assistant athletic director before moving onto the University of Southern Illinois as athletic director, and he started up a business in Chicago called Crest Computer Supply Company. The company became a success, posting sales of $55.2 million in 1994. He remains active in the community. (Source: ESPN.com)
With his athletic prowess came its rewards: Sayers was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame, the Kansas Hall of Fame, and the Black Athlete’s Hall of Fame. To top all of these accolades was his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 at the age of 34, the youngest man ever so honored. (Sources: ESPN.com, History.com)
On being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Sayers said, “I had a career that was very short, but it had a lot of thrills. This tops them all.”
