WAKARUSA, Ind. – Gale Sayers, one of the NFL’s greatest running backs, has died on Wednesday, September 23rd. He was 77 years old when he finally succumbed to his years-long battle with dementia.
Sayers was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1965, becoming a record-setting rookie of the year.
While his career was cut short by knee injuries in 1972, Sayers actually sued the NFL in 2014 for concussions he received that led to memory loss, depression, irritability, and dementia.
Sayers was the youngest player ever to be enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame in 1977.
Cook’s Pizza in Wakarusa was one of Sayers’ favorite restaurants, having quite the impact on the people that worked there.
“He was so approachable, and just part of the community, he’d walk around. Any social events, he’d be out there helping dip ice cream, serve pie- whatever they wanted him to do. Just one of the people- just a normal dude,” said Stanley Cook, owner of Cook’s Pizza.
The football Hall of Fame is flying flags at half-staff until Sayers is laid to rest to honor his legacy.