Chicago Bears' Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers dies at age 77; Southern Illinois native recalls playing against Sayers

MARION - The sports world lost another legend this week with the passing of NFL Hall of Famer Gale Sayers.

Sayers, 77, spent his final years suffering from dementia, something one of his opponents says is an all-too-familiar story on players from Sayers' era.

"Every time he got hit, he was at full speed," said former NFL great Ray May, an East St. Louis native. "Those helmets just didn't have the padding so your head would rock twice. So many of us struggle, because of that equipment. I can speak about it and I've kind of crossed that bridge myself, but mine is not as severe."

May, who played middle linebacker on the Baltimore Colts Super Bowl V championship team, said he faced Sayers multiple times on the field.

"As a running back, there was none better," said May. "When he got the ball you prayed he wasn't coming your way."

May described Sayers as a running back who was "spontaneous."

"His body was so controlled - literally, he could run sideways and backwards as fast as some people can forwards."

May said Sayers' running ability was "scary."

"He was just a natural with the ball in his hands," he said. "If you stopped to think you had him he was gone."

While the NFL was already "segregated," May said black players were often overlooked for positions requiring thought.

"You didn't see black quarterbacks," he said. "They said we didn't think fast enough."

May said players like Sayers helped to dispel those "historical carry overs of racism."

May, who made his name on defense at the University of Southern California, was switched to offense when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was touted in local papers then as "the first Negro middle linebacker."

Sayers, who made his mark on the leftover color barriers when he was assigned to share a room with Brian Piccolo, didn't have to worry about thinking, according to May.

"His body just did it all for him," he said. "He was like liquid metal. He would slime right through your arms."

May described Sayers as "a wonderful human being."

"Some people have said that he was arrogant," said May, "but how can a man downplay what everybody knows? He was the best. As a player, your heart stopped every time he got the ball and the funniest part was, you hoped he would go in the other direction because it was better to be chasing him than to look like a fool. As soon as you thought you had him, especially on those lag draws, that's when he would leave you in the dust."

May waves away his own role during his 10-year NFL career.

"I was nothing special," he said. "I was just a guy who wanted to play."

However, he described Sayers as a rarity.

"The kinship was such that you wanted to destroy him when he had the ball, but you loved him to death because of the human he was."