Ranking the Top 5 Bears running backs of all time

Other than the obvious number one, who rounds out the rest of the top five and where do they sit?

Chicago Bears, Walter Payton
Chicago Bears, Walter Payton | James Biever Photography LLC/GettyImages
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2. Gale Sayers

If you were to look at the all-time rushing list, you might question as to why Matt Forte isn't number two on this list. But, if you dug deeper, you'd realize just what Gale Sayers meant to the Bears during his time with the team.

Sayers represents one of the biggest "what ifs" in league history, having only played for seven seasons, and truly only five of those seasons counted as he appeared in just two games over each of his last two years in Chicago.

Still, in that limited time, Sayers ran for 4,956 yards and 39 touchdowns. He also caught 112 passes for 1,307 yards and nine touchdowns.

But, if you add in what he did on special teams, that's what made Sayers such a complete football player. The guy did it all. Handling special teams duties in five seasons with the Bears, Sayers also scored another eight touchdowns.

He was truly a special player, and could do anything asked of him. There is a reason why in his five full seasons, Sayers earned five All Pro honors. That's a rarity when we're talking about the history of the league, but Sayers was simply that good. He was an easy All Pro decision each year he handled a full load.