Pearlman found Payton 's earliest use of the later date during his pursuit of the Heisman Trophy at Jackson State .
However , while researching his biography of Payton , Sports Illustrated 's Jeff Pearlman discovered his actual date of birth to be July 25 , 1953 .
Jeff Pearlman found Payton 's earliest use of the later date during Payton 's pursuit of the Heisman Trophy at Jackson State .
However , while researching his biography of Payton , Sports Illustrated 's Jeff Pearlman discovered his actual date of birth to be July 25 , 1953 .