Typewritten letter on Walter Payton Inc. letterhead dated December 31, 1987 and signed by Walter Payton.

In this warm personal letter Payton thanks Coach Ditka for all he's done to further his career and pledges: "If there is ever a time that I can do anything for you, it will be a labor of love to do so." Letter displays expected folds. Payton's NFL career ended a mere ten days later when the Bears lost to the Washington Redskins in the divisional round of the playoffs, making this perhaps one of the last letters he sent as an active NFL player.

The respect and admiration was mutual.

After Payton's death in 1999, Ditka told The New York Times: 

''He's the best football player I've ever seen. At all positions, he's the best I've ever seen. There are better runners than Walter, but he's the best football player I ever saw. To me, that's the ultimate compliment.''

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