8 The Compass Thursday, March 18, 1999
Hall of Fame Running
Back In Game Of His Life
By Michael Fournier
Staff Writer
Hall of Fame rimning back and Chi
cago Bears legend Walter Payton re
cently revealed that he has a rare liver
disease and will need a transplant
within the next two years.
Speaking at an emotional news con
ference where he at times broke into
tears, Payton urged his friends and fans
to pray for him. The 44-year-old Payton
said he feels fine and is "as healthy as I
can be."
'T survived a lot of hits playing foot
ball, and this is just something else that
I'm going to have to overcome," Payton
said in an interview after the news con
ference.
"It's out of my hands now, though,
so we'll just have to stay positive and
pray things go well."
Payton's physician. Dr. Joseph A.
Lagattuta, a liver specialist, said that
Payton has primary sclerosing
cholangitis. The disease, whose cause
is unknown, affects three of every
100,000 people and blocks the flow of
bile out of the liver and damages liver
cells.
Lagattuta estimated that without a
transplant, Payton would live approxi
mately two years, but said that the sur
vival rate after a transplant is very high.
"A one-year survival rate is approxi
mately 88 percent with long-term sur
vival very promising," Lagattuta said.
"We have every hope that Walter will
receive a transplant and after the op
eration return to a normal, active life."
Payton said he first began to feel ill
in July, and consulted Lagattuta on Oct.
1 of this year.
Mr. Payton is also receiving treat
ment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,
Minn., where he said he will return in
the next few weeks to be evaluated for
a donor and be placed on the trans
plant list.
Mr. Payton's wife estimates that her
husband has lost about 25 pounds since
the symptoms began in early July.
In addition to the weight loss, the
disease's symptoms include fatigue,
fever and jaundice, a yellowing of the
eyes and skin pigment.
Payton said he probably would not
have come public with his disease had
it not been for a public appearance last
week, during which members of the
local news media noticed his physical
appearance, fueling rumors about his
declining health. Payton, who played
13 years for the Bears, led them to the
1985 Super Bowl championship and
was selected to the Pro Bowl nine times.
He is probably best known for break
ing Jim Brown's record for rushing
yardage, accumulating 16,726 yards, a
mark that still stands.
He also holds the single-game record,
running for 275 yards against Minne
sota in 1977.
Payton was the Bears' first roimd
draft pick in 1975 after setting dozens
of National Collegiate Athletic Asso
ciation and school records at Jackson
State LFniversity.
Vikings suffer Disappointing
Winter Homecoming Loss
By A1 Randolph
In a nationally televised game and a
battle for first place in the Eastern Di
vision of the CIAA, the Virginia Union
Panthers (10-2, 5-1) and the Elizabeth
City State Vikings (11-3,3-2) were ready
for the challenge. After a crucial over
time win over St. Paul's, the Vikings
wanted to continue their success in the
CIAA.
In the first half, the Vikings got off to
a good start offensively and defen
sively. The Vikings were aware of the
Panther's guard, William Davis, who's
ranked number seven in scoring in the
CIAA. The Vikings key player, Will
iam Fitzgerald, is the leading scorer in
the CIAA. It wasn't a shoot-out in the
first half as Uruon went on a nm at the
end of the half for a 38-23 lead. Davis
dropped 14 in the half. Virginia Union's
defensive pressure and rebounding al
lowed them to slowly get back in the
game.
In the second half, the Vikings came
out with a new strategy trying to con
tain the Panther's William Davis and
free up 3-pointer shooter William
Fitzgerald to regain the lead. With a
tenacious man to man defense, the Vi
kings found themselves down by nine
at the six-minute mark in the game.
The Panthers kept their poise on both
ends of the floor in the second half and
the results were the same as in the first.
Fitzgerald finished with 26 points, but
his scoring wasn't enough as the Vi
kings fell 83-65.
The ECSU Vikings then traveled to
meet the Bulldogs of Bowie State (2-17,
0-10), looking to bounce back from the
Virginia Uruon loss. The Bulldogs came
out confident looking for their first
CIAA win of the season as they put
together a 10-point half-time lead. Wil
liam Fitzgerald had a slow start, but he
redeemed himself in the second half as
he scored 20 points to lead the Vikings
to a 79-75 win over the Bulldogs.
B
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#4
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photo courtesy of Eugene O’Neal
ECSU’s Che Lugo in action against arch rival Virginia Union.
Vikings Baseball Schedule
3/16
*Shaw University
Home
3/20
‘Virginia State
*St. Augustine’s College
Away
3/23
Away
3/27
’Bowie State
Home
3/31
*St. Paul’s College
Home
4/2
*St. Augustine’s College
Home
4/8
*Shaw University
Away
4/12
‘Virginia State
Home
4/14
*St. Paul’s College
Away
4/17
‘Bowie State
Away
4/22-24
CIAA Tournament-Petersburg, VA
*CIAA Conference Games
Vikings Softball Schedule
3/19-21
IVIIDSEASON ROUNDUP
Charlotte, NC
3/19
Johnson C. Smith
Away
3/19
North Carolina Central
Away
3/20
Winston-Salem State
Away
3/20
St. Augustine’s College
Away
3/21
Fayetteville State
Away
3/23
Shaw University
Away
3/24
St. Augustine’s College
Away
3/27
Virginia State
Away
4/1
Virginia Union
Away
4/6
Virginia Union
Home
4/8
Bowie State
Away
4.10
Virginia State
Home
4/16-18
CIAA Softball Tournament - Charlotte, NC