‘NFL Icons’ Profiles Gale Sayers and His Great Legacy Lesson

As Steve Sabol, late cofounder of NFL Films, puts it in this hour of NFL Icons, “We have a library of 100 million feet of football film dating back to 1894. The most thrilling footage in that library is Gale Sayers in the open field.” Watching those runs in this episode, you will wonder how Sayers ever got tackled.

The man lived up to his early-career nickname of “The Kansas Comet,” says Rich Eisen, who narrates the series. “He had such a spectacular, albeit all-too-brief career,” Eisen points out, defending the legendary running back’s induction into the NFL Hall of Fame (he’s the youngest player ever voted in) even though he played only 68 games from 1965-71 before injuries ended his career. “All these decades later, his greatness is unquestioned.”

But the great legacy lesson of Gale Sayers — who died in 2020 — remains his life’s impact. Specifically, his racial boundaries-breaking bond with his Chicago Bears teammate Brian Piccolo, a tragic tale told in the 1971 TV movie Brian’s Song. The two runners were roommates during an era when such an integration was unheard of. When Sayers endured the first of his career-threatening knee injuries, Piccolo was instrumental in keeping his teammate on a grueling, successful rehab schedule. And Sayers was at his friend’s side during his battle with cancer that claimed him at age 26. Their friendship, Eisen says, remains “the standard bearer of teammates who are there for each other through thick and thin in life — and death.”

As Chicago Bears founder, owner and coach George Halas said during Sayers’ Hall induction ceremony, “He captured my heart. … His like will never be seen again.”

NFL Icons: Gale Sayers, Friday, February 7, 10/9c, MGM+