Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
CHICAGO (AP) — The Bears will unveil statues of Hall of Famers Walter Payton and George S. Halas outside of Soldier Field on Sept. 3.
The 12-foot, 3,000-pound bronze statues honoring the great running back and the franchise founder and coach will be made public two days before Chicago hosts Green Bay to kick off the NFL's 100th season.
"I know Walter would be humbled to have this honor bestowed upon him, just as Jarrett, Brittney and our entire family are," said Connie Payton, Walter's widow. "To say that I am enthusiastic about unveiling this statue to the city of Chicago is an understatement. What a proud moment for all of us and the city of Chicago. We're not just Chicago Bears fans, we're family."
Payton entered the Hall of Fame in 1993. He held 16 NFL records when he retired.
Halas, who led the team for 40 years, entered the hall in its first class in 1963.
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/tag/NFLfootball and https://twitter.com/AP\_NFL
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
