There, too, were defensive end Richard Dent and linebacker Otis Wilson, who over time befriended Obama and became his workout partners.
But the remembrance was also bitter sweet.
Payton, known as "Sweetness" and who retired as the NFL's all-time leading rusher after the 1987 season, died from a rare liver disease and bile duct cancer in 1999. According to a new book, Payton abused painkillers in retirement and became suicidal after football.
"Chicago still loves Sweetness," Obama said. Wilson said: "I think about him every day."
Perry was diagnosed in 2009 with Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disease that attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis. He was unable to attend.
It was also a reminder of the game's punishing price.
McMahon has had memory issues, sometimes finding himself in a room and not remembering why he's there. And Obama paid tribute to Dave Duerson, a safety on the defense that was the backbone of the team, who committed suicide in February after asking his family to donate his brain to researchers studying the effect of head trauma in athletes.
"Hopefully lessons from his great struggle, with the kind of brain injuries those hits might have caused, will help today's players down the road," Obama said.
Associated Press Writer Dave Zelio in Chicago contributed to this report.
The Associated Press