Floyd Douglas Little (born July 4, 1942) is a Pro Football Hall of Fame running back,[1] and was a three-time American football All-American running back at Syracuse University. In 1967 he was the 6th selection of the first common AFL-NFL draft. He was the first ever first-round draft pick to sign with the American Football League's Denver Broncos where he was known simply as "The Franchise."
Football
Syracuse
Floyd was successfully recruited by Syracuse U. in part by a declining Ernie Davis, he was also at the time offered a place as a plebe at West Point by Gen Douglas MacArthur. (see ESPN News, Nov. 2011).
Little was the only three time All-American running back to compete for the Syracuse University Orangemen.[2]
Little wore the famous SU #44 subsequent to Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, and the Great Jim Brown. Also prior to Michael Owens and Rob Konrad (SU web site). He led the college nation in all purpose yards in 1966 (ESPN). He teamed with Larry Csonka to lead the Orange to the 1966 Gator Bowl (Gator Bowl web site). He was well known for running the scissors play, an inside reverse where he began the play at wingback.
Professional career
Little led American Professional Football in rushing in 1969 and 1971. At the time of his retirement, he was the 7th leading rusher in professional football history with 6,323 yards rushing and 43 touchdowns. As a Denver Bronco, Little was team captain in his rookie season and in his final season.[3]
Little was one of the first players selected for the Broncos' Ring of Fame in 1984. He was the first Bronco to win an AFC rushing title in 1970 with 901 yards and the following year he became the first Bronco to eclipse 1,000 yards, gaining 1,133 to lead the NFL. Little was the first player to lead his conference in rushing for a last place team [4] and the 13th player ever in professional football to rush for at least 1,000 yards in one season.[5] He was an American Football League All-Star in 1968, named first-team "All-AFL" in 1969, and made the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl in 1970, 1971 and 1973. At 5'10" and 195 pounds, Little was the smallest back to lead the league in rushing since World War II. He led the league in combined yards in 1967 & 68 and was the only player to return punts for TDs in both seasons.
In 2009 Little was a finalist for induction into the Hall of Fame. He was voted in on February 6, 2010, his induction took place in Canton, OH on August 7, 2010. Little was the first Bronco to have his jersey number "44" retired.
Post football
Little coached at the University of California, Santa Barbara when the university briefly reinstated NCAA football in the mid-eighties. He briefly served as a Football analyst for NBC in the late 1970s, and was featured as a contestant on Family Feud in the mid-2000s. Little is a member of The Pigskin Club Of Washington, D.C. National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll. In 1983 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Other
Little finished 40th in his class of 140 at the University of Denver law school, from which he received his masters in legal administration degree in 1975. Little owned automobile dealerships in Denver, the Seattle area and Santa Barbara,[6] though he is believed to be retired.
He graduated from Bordentown Military Institute (BMI), Bordentown, NJ, in 1963. He was portrayed in the 2008 Ernie Davis biopic The Express by Chadwick Boseman.
Little's autobiography "Promises to Keep: My Inspired Run from Syracuse to Denver to the Hall" was released in August 2012.
Awards and honors
- The number 44 was retired by the Syracuse football program on November 12, 2005, to honor Little, Ernie Davis, and Jim Brown, and the eight other players who wore the number.
- On September 15, 2011, the New Haven Athletic Center, billed as the largest scholastic athletics facility in New England, was renamed the Floyd Little Athletic Center.[7]
Statistics
See also
References
- ↑ Legwold, Jeff (24 September 2010). "Floyd Little receiving Hall of Fame ring at Sunday's Broncos game". Denver Post. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
- ↑ Sports Illustrated, July 26, 2010, The Unexpected Hero by Gary Smith, p.60, Published by Time Inc.
- ↑ Sports Illustrated, July 26, 2010, The Unexpected Hero by Gary Smith, p.60, Published by Time Inc.
- ↑ Sports Illustrated, July 26, 2010, The Unexpected Hero by Gary Smith, p.60, Published by Time Inc.
- ↑ Sports Illustrated, July 26, 2010, The Unexpected Hero by Gary Smith, p.63, Published by Time Inc.
- ↑ Sports Illustrated, July 26, 2010, The Unexpected Hero by Gary Smith, p.57, Published by Time Inc.
- ↑ Ehalt, Bob. "Renaming of Athletic Center Means a Lot to Floyd Little." New Haven Register - Serving Greater New Haven, CT. 10 Sept. 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. <http://nhregister.com/articles/2011/09/10/sports/doc4e6bba8add545752245303.txt?viewmode=fullstory>.
External links
|
|---|
| | |
- Draft years
- 67
- 68
- 69
- 70
- 71
- 72
- 73
- 74
- 75
- 76
- 77
- 78
- 79
- 80
- 81
- 82
- 83
- 84
- 85
- 86
- 87
- 88
- 89
- 90
- 91
- 92
- 93
- 94
- 95
- 96
- 97
- 98
- 99
- 00
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 06
- 07
- 08
- 09
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
|
|
1992 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award winners |
|---|
| |
|
NFL season rushing yards leaders |
|---|
| |
|
|
|---|
| | | | The Franchise | |
|---|
| | Current league affiliations | |
|---|
| | Stadiums | |
|---|
| | Culture | |
|---|
| | Lore | |
|---|
| | Rivalries | |
|---|
| | Head Coaches | |
|---|
| | Key Personnel | |
|---|
| | Retired Numbers | |
|---|
| | Ring of Fame | |
|---|
| | Media | |
|---|
| | League championships (2) | |
|---|
| | Conference championships (7) | |
|---|
| | Other titles | |
|---|
|
| |
|---|
| | 1960s–1970s | |
|---|
| | 1980s–1990s | |
|---|
| | 2000s–2010s | |
|---|
|
|
|
|---|
| | |
- AFC East
- BUF
- MIA
- NE
- NYJ
- North
- BAL
- CIN
- CLE
- PIT
- South
- HOU
- IND
- JAX
- TEN
- West
- DEN
- KC
- OAK
- SD
- NFC East
- DAL
- NYG
- PHI
- WAS
- North
- CHI
- DET
- GB
- MIN
- South
- ATL
- CAR
- NO
- TB
- West
- ARI
- STL
- SF
- SEA
|
|
Denver Broncos Retired Numbers |
|---|
|
(*) number was temporarily unretired for Peyton Manning |
|
| Persondata |
|---|
| Name |
Little, Floyd |
| Alternative names |
Little, Floyd Douglas |
| Short description |
Player of American football |
| Date of birth |
July 4, 1942 |
| Place of birth |
New Haven, Connecticut |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
