Bob Avellini, quarterback who teamed with Walter Payton to lead Bears to 1977 playoffs, dies at 70

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CHICAGO (AP) — Bob Avellini, the former Chicago quarterback who teamed with Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton to lead the Bears to the 1977 playoffs, has died. He was 70. The Bears said Saturday that Avellini died after a battle with cancer. The team did not say when he died. Avellini and Payton had the finest seasons of their careers in 1977, when Chicago and the Minnesota Vikings each went 9-5 in the NFC North. Minnesota won the division, while Chicago earned a wild-card playoff berth. T