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CHISAYERS0

Gale Sayers

Retired

Chicago Bears · RB

Gale Sayers recorded 68 indexed regular-season NFL appearances across 7 rostered seasons with Chicago Bears.

▶Best highlights

72.9

rush yds/gm

19.2

rec yds/gm

0

playoff games

68

career games

Five defining games

Start here

A researched consensus introduction to Gale Sayers's defining games.

Editorial methodology and sources

Cross-checked Pro Football Hall of Fame: Gale Sayers, postseason and milestone context, and verified Athlore box scores. This frozen editorial order balances the highest-leverage indexed appearances with statistical peaks that represent Gale Sayers's career; no ranking formula runs in the application.

  1. #1. Against San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears, Gale Sayers recorded 113 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns, 89 receiving yards in the leading indexed performance of this editorial five. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Gale Sayers
  2. #2. Against Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, Gale Sayers recorded 80 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdowns, 104 receiving yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Gale Sayers
  3. #3. Against Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, Gale Sayers recorded 64 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdowns, 63 receiving yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Gale Sayers
  4. #4. Against Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears, Gale Sayers recorded 197 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdowns, 26 receiving yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Gale Sayers
  5. #5. Against Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons, Gale Sayers recorded 120 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdowns, 30 receiving yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Gale Sayers

Reviewed through 2026-08-11

Regular Season
1965
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
CHICAGOBEARS
DEC 12, 1965

San Francisco 49ers vs Chicago Bears

Regular Season · Dec 12, 1965

113 rush yds · 4 rush TD · 2 rec

Regular Season
1965
CHICAGOBEARS
GREEN BAYPACKERS
OCT 3, 1965

Chicago Bears vs Green Bay Packers

Regular Season · Oct 3, 1965

80 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 5 rec

Regular Season
1965
CHICAGOBEARS
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
OCT 17, 1965

Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings

Regular Season · Oct 17, 1965

64 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 4 rec

Regular Season
1966
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
CHICAGOBEARS
DEC 18, 1966

Minnesota Vikings vs Chicago Bears

Regular Season · Dec 18, 1966

197 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 1 rec

Regular Season
1967
CHICAGOBEARS
ATLANTAFALCONS
DEC 17, 1967

Chicago Bears vs Atlanta Falcons

Regular Season · Dec 17, 1967

120 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 2 rec

Single-game peaks

Career highs

Position-relevant single-game records from Gale Sayers's indexed NFL box scores.

Career high: 205 rushing yards

Regular Season
1968
CHICAGOBEARS
GREEN BAYPACKERS
NOV 3, 1968

Chicago Bears vs Green Bay Packers

Regular Season · Nov 3, 1968

205 rush yds · 0 rush TD · 0 rec

Career high: 4 rushing touchdowns

Regular Season
1965
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
CHICAGOBEARS
DEC 12, 1965

San Francisco 49ers vs Chicago Bears

Regular Season · Dec 12, 1965

113 rush yds · 4 rush TD · 2 rec

Career high: 104 receiving yards

Regular Season
1965
CHICAGOBEARS
GREEN BAYPACKERS
OCT 3, 1965

Chicago Bears vs Green Bay Packers

Regular Season · Oct 3, 1965

80 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 5 rec

Career chapters

Franchise eras

Follow the team eras that shaped Gale Sayers's career, in chronological order.

Earliest → latest

Franchise era

1958–1981

01
CHISAYERS40Gale Sayers
CHIBUTKUS51Dick Butkus
CHIPAYTON34Walter Payton

Transcendent individuals carry uneven teams

Chicago Bears · Butkus, Sayers and Payton

Butkus and Sayers defined their positions before Payton became the franchise's relentless offensive center through years of rebuilding.

Read the era story →

Career accomplishments

NFL rushing yards leader · 19697 NFL seasons68 career games111 career passing yards1 career passing touchdowns4,956 career rushing yards39 career rushing touchdowns112 career receptions1,307 career receiving yards9 career receiving touchdownsJersey: 00 playoff appearancesFirst appearance: Sep 19, 1965Most recent: Oct 17, 1971

Official awards via ESPN · Pro Bowl and All-Pro counts via NFLverse with selection years cross-checked against Wikipedia · league leads verified from indexed regular-season stats

Team history