The more and more I get into this site, the more and more I start to think about not what players of today do to get in shape, but what players of the past did for the even more grueling sports environment of the past. This brought me to Walter Payton, and Payton's Hill. Unfortunately I never got to see Payton player, as I was a little too young, but from his size and the way the game of football used to be played, you can tell that he knew he was going to receive a beating each and every game. So he ran..... ran hills. Did you think this didn't have an impact on LT.
A note on Payton's Hill:
Walter Payton's Hill[ via NKGC]
In the 1970s and 80s, the landfill site on Kennicott (now Nickol Knoll) was used by Chicago Bear football legend, Walter Payton, for training. A resident of Arlington Heights at that time, Payton ran the 92-foot elevation sometimes 20 times a day, often accompanied by friends and teammates. The site was know as "Payton's Hill" long after the football player was no longer training.
The 56-acre future park/golf course began construction in 1993 - a cooperative venture between the Village and the Park District. The site was named after John G. Nickol, original owner of the property in 1878, to honor the contributions of the Nickol family.
When Walter Payton died in November 1999, his fans suggested naming the hill in his honor. After consulting the Payton family and his close friends, the Park District Board of Commissioners designated a two-fold tribute to Walter Payton. A bronze plaque, placed in the general area where Payton ran, gives visitors a sense of the perspective he viewed during his training. Another plaque graces a garden area at the clubhouse as a more visible reminder of Payton's relationship with this site.
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