Walter Payton is a legend who had a very attainable but still collectible run of base cards issued throughout his career.

The 1985 football season was the first I paid attention to. I can remember sitting in our wood paneled basement on Sunday afternoons with my dad, watching the Bears dominate opponent after opponent. I can picture Jim McMahon with his headband unloading a rocket to Willie Gault speeding down the sidelines. Richard Dent and Mike Singletary were crushing opposing offenses. On a team loaded with talent, there was one player who stood out above the rest.

Sweetness.

Walter Payton was the player who immediately became my favorite.

From his rookie card in 1976 through his final card of his playing days in the 1988 set, he has a great run of base cards. By my count there are 35 different Payton cards which were issued in the Topps base sets. While his rookie card can get pricy, especially in good condition, the others are pretty reasonable. You can track down the full run at an affordable price and have a collection highlighting the career of one of the best NFL running backs of all time!