The man who deserved the Hall Of Fame
Artwork by Rebecca Holt
Floyd Little has finally earned what he deserved: an induction into the Hall of Fame. His on-field explosiveness and charisma made his remarkable career a standout.
Floyd Douglas Little was born July 4th, 1942. Bronco fans are thankful for that, to say the least. His running back career started at Syracuse University, following in the footsteps of many other great running backs, including Jim Brown and Ernie Davis. Little was an All American with the Orange, and in the spring of 1967 he became the first ever draft pick of the then AFL Denver Broncos. Many people called him “the franchise” for saving the team from certain relocation due to lack of talent and poor ticket sales. His presence started a string of sell-outs, the likes of which still last today. Little impressively led the NFL in rushing yards for six straight years, from 1968-1973. Though his extreme amount of talent should have brought wins, it didn’t, and he unfortunately never came home with a championship trophy. Other awards he received, though, include being elected to the AFL all-star game twice, and also the NFL pro bowl three times. His former coach, Lou Saban, stated that Little was “…one of the most explosive running-backs he has ever seen.”
In 1984 Little was made a charter member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame. He was the first Bronco to ever win the rushing title in 1970 with 901 yards, and then the following year he became the first Bronco to rush for more than 1000 yards in a season with a total of 1133 yards, leading the entire NFL. Little had an unusually small frame, only 5’10” and weighed a mere 195 pounds, which made him the smallest back to lead the entire league in rushing since World War II. He was one of the league’s most exciting players. “ I loved to watch him play; he had such quickness I sometimes held back blinking when he had the ball,” said Chip Warren, who had season tickets for the 70-71 season. In 1967-68 Little was the only player to return a punt for a touchdown, something that now commonly happens in the NFL. Despite Little playing for a team that lacked any distinguished talent, he was by far one of the most explosive offensive threats of all time.
Little retired becoming the 7th leading rusher in the history of the NFL after only eight seasons. After waiting for years, Little was finally nominated to be inducted into the NFL hall of fame in the summer of 2009, and was eventually voted in on February 6th, 2010. He was the first Denver Bronco to have his jersey “44” retired. Little was finally rewarded for his spectacular career, and will go down as one of the best running backs in Bronco history. “I was elated, but at the same time a little disappointed that it took so long … there was a lot of pain over the years; that doesn’t wash away completely,” Exclaimed Floyd in a recent Denver Post interview.
Little now owns his own law-firm, and also owns automobile dealerships in Denver, Santa Barbara and Seattle.
