Athlete. Omaha Central Class of 1961.  Gale Sayers participated in football and track and field at Omaha Central High School, a Class A school (largest of four classes in Nebraska at the time).  Sayers was a standout in both sports. In football, Sayers led the state in scoring both his junior and senior seasons, scoring 127 points as a senior.  Although the Omaha Central High School records are almost non-existent, newspaper research revealed that he had several games of over 100 yards rushing (no total season rushing totals could be found).  In addition to his offensive prowess, newspaper accounts report that during his senior year, he scored on a pass interception return of 53 yards and fumble recovery return for 29 yards.  Sayers led his Omaha Central team to an undefeated season during his senior year.

He made an equally compelling record in his high school participation in track and field.  His primary events were the broad (long) jump, high hurdles, low hurdles, and the 880-yard relay.  During his senior season, Sayers won every hurdle race he entered, setting personal bests of :19.7 in the 180-yard low hurdles and :14.7 in the 110-yard high hurdles.  His 880-yard relay team ran an impressive 1:31.1. 

His premier event, however, was the broad (long) jump.  Sayers set the state record in 1961, leaping 24’10 ½” on his final jump in the State Meet.  That record was the longest standing Nebraska State Track and Field Record until it was broken in 2005. 

Gale Sayers earned all-state in football during his junior and senior seasons.

He won two all-class Gold Medals at the 1961 State Track and Field, commemorating the best performance in two different events at the State Meet, regardless of class.

Sayers was selected to the Scholastic Coach All-America High School Track Team, having had the lead performance in the broad (long) jump in 1961 across the nation.

Heavily recruited by numerous colleges, Sayers picked the University of Kansas, where he enjoyed a sensational three-year football career under Coach Jack Mitchell, twice earning All-American honors. While setting Big Eight records, Gale rushed for 2,675 yards, caught passes for 408 yards and added 835 yards on kick returns. He was the fourth pick in the 1965 NFL Draft, and went on to star for the Chicago Bears.

He still holds the Bears record for the number of touchdowns scored in a single season (22) set his first year in the NFL. Sayers also still holds the Bears record for the most touchdowns and points scored in a single game. He scored six touchdowns for 36 points in a 1965 game against San Francisco.  During his career, Sayers had nearly 9,500 combined net yards, almost 5,000 yards rushing and scored 336 points. He also is the NFL's lifetime kickoff return leader.

Sayers was named the Pro Bowl's Player of the Game in 1967, 1968 and 1970, and was named to the 75th Anniversary All Time NFL Team. He was also named to the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame in 1980, the Blacks Sports Hall of Fame in 1975 and the NFL All-Time Millennium Team. In 1977, he was the youngest player ever inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.

The Pro Football Writers of America once named Sayers the NFL's most courageous player to acknowledge his dedicated comeback from career-threatening knee surgery.

After completing his professional football career, Sayers returned to Kansas University and earned his bachelor's degree in physical education while also handling duties of assistant athletic director. He then accepted the assignment as assistant director of the Williams Education Fund for three years and earned his master's degree in educational administration. From 1976 through 1981, he was athletic director at Southern Illinois University.

Following a successful career at SIU, Sayers moved back to Chicago and launched a sports marketing and public relations firm, Sayers and Sayers Enterprises.

In 1984, Sayers and his wife, Ardythe, started a computer reseller firm. Today, the Sayers Group is a national technology solutions provider with locations across the United States.