After Jim Brown was fired by Art Modell in 1966 due to a conflict with Brown’s film career, the sports media intensified its search for “the next Jim Brown,” and Gale Sayers, the Kansas Comet, looked like he might be the man to fit the role. Brown was in France in 1966 filming The Dirty Dozen, and when production went into overtime, Brown was unable to attend training camp on the first day. Modell pitched a fit and issued Brown an ultimatum, threatening to suspend him without pay and publicly humiliate him. Not surprisingly, Brown chose to retire rather than submit to that degrading treatment. Sayers thus became the new Heir Apparent at running back for the NFL. Listed at 198 pounds, he gave up 34 pounds to Brown, but was possibly a bit quicker than Brown and a tick faster in the 40 yard dash. Sayers was incredibly dangerous on punt returns and kickoff returns, and was also a threat catching passes out of the backfield. In his career, Sayers had six kickoff returns for TDs and two punt returns for touchdowns. One of those was an electrifying 85-yard punt return for a score below, part of a six touchdown game from his 1965 rookie campaign. That, you have to admit, was totally insane.

December 12, 1965

GALE SAYERS' SIX TOUCHDOWN GAME

The #Bears rookie ties the #NFL record with an electrifying six TD masterpiece in the slop at Chicago's Wrigley Field

• 80-yard reception
• 21-yard rush
• 7-yard rush
• 50-yard rush
• 1-yard rush
• 85-yard punt return… pic.twitter.com/0d7D2xLopo

— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) December 12, 2023

Sayers led the NFL in All-Purpose Yards his first three years in the NFL, but injured his knee in 1968, interrupting what might have been his best year ever. Knee surgery back then was not nearly as advanced as it is today, so Sayers was able to come back and carry a full workload, but the magic was gone. By maxing out his carries with a career high 236 In 1969, he led the NFL with 1032 rushing yards, but that was it. The knee didn’t hold up in 1970 and he never really made it back–only 90 yards over the 1970 and 1971 seasons.

He only gained 1000 yards on the ground twice in his career, but made five All-Pro teams and was selected to five Pro Bowls.

Brown, on the other hand, played nine years and went to nine Pro Bowls and was selected All Pro eight times. He led the NFL in rushing yards eight times, went over 900 yards all nine years, and was over 1200 yards seven of those nine years. Unbelievable! Though Sayers was more well known as a return man than Browns, Brown actually led the NFL in All-Purpose yards four times, compared to Sayers three times. Brown returned kickoffs his first five years in the NFL, though he never took one to the house as Sayers did.

Let’s give Sayers props as one of the most spectacular return men of all time and a Hall of Fame running back.. However, in the offensive backfield, there was no one like Jim Brown, play after play, game after game, year after year. Jim Brown was the most dominant player in the NFL for the nine years that he played.

https://twitter.com/CLEsportsTalk/status/1244423044044636160

There never was a rivalry between Brown and Sayers, who never played against one another. In fact, Sayers only played against the Browns one time, in 1969, after a knee operation left him as a very good–but no longer great–running back. The Bears were on their way to a 1-13 season with Sayers as their main weapon. They played the Browns tough, but succumbed 28-24. Leroy Kelly and Ron Johnson were the Browns running backs and were held in check, but quarterback Bill Nelsen threw for 290 yards to bomb the Bears into submission. Sayers put on a show, with 20 carries for a season-high126 yards, the last 100-yard game of his career, and a touchdown.

Sayers never quite became the Next Jim Brown, except perhaps in the minds of certain Chicago fans.  All that was just pressure put on Sayers by the media, looking to replace the greatness of Jim Brown. That’s only natural, just as today there is all kinds of talk about who is going to be the Next Tom Brady. Well, there isn’t necessarily going to be anyone that wins seven rings, folks. It’s not impossible, but there is no law of physics saying that it has to happen, either. Sayers was certainly a great running back who deserves to be in Canton. However, so far there has been only one Jim Brown.