From the first day he began plowing through defensive lines, Walter Payton broke the mold and redefined his position. As a result, the 1976 Topps Payton rookie card has become one of the most iconic football cards of all-time The front features a headshot of a smiling Payton, and the reverse praises his collegiate career and rookie debut with the Bears.
When Payton retired, he held the records for total yards (16,726), the most seasons with 1,000 or more yards rushing (10), rushing touchdowns (110), and most rushing yards in a game. On November 20, 1977, he rushed for 275 yards, breaking O.J. Simpson’s all-time record (273). Payton’s 275 mark stood for 13 years. In NFL history, only four players have rushed for more yards in a game.
PSA has inspected this card more than 16,500 times. Of those, just 56 have received Gem Mint 10 grades. That's a gem rate of just 0.3%.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 08/12/2025.
