.jpg) Little in 2012 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 44 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Halfback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1942-07-04)July 4, 1942 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died: | January 1, 2021(2021-01-01) (aged 78) Henderson, Nevada, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 196 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Hillhouse(New Haven) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Syracuse (1964–1966) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1967: 1st round, 6th pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Floyd Douglas Little (July 4, 1942 – January 1, 2021)[1] was an American professionalfootball player who was ahalfback for theDenver Broncos, initially in theAmerican Football League (AFL) and later theNational Football League (NFL).[2] He playedcollege football for theSyracuse Orangemen, twice earningAll-American honors. Little was the sixth overall selection of the1967 NFL/AFL draft, the firstcommon draft. He was the first first-round draft pick to sign with the AFL's Broncos, where he was known as "the Franchise". Little was elected to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.[3]
Little was born inNew Haven, Connecticut, on July 4, 1942.[3] He attended theHillhouse High School inNew Haven[4] and theBordentown Military Institute inBordentown, New Jersey.[5][6]
Little was recruited by Gen.Douglas MacArthur to play football at theUnited States Military Academy and had told him that he'd ascend to the rank of general if he enrolled at West Point. He was also recruited by theUniversity of Notre Dame.[6] Little ultimately chose to attendSyracuse University at the persuasion of the first African-AmericanHeisman Trophy winner,Ernie Davis.[7] Little is the only three-timeAll-American running back to have played for theOrange.[8]
Little played for Syracuse for three seasons. In 1964 he made 157 carries for 874 yards and nine touchdowns and 17 catches for 257 yards and 1 touchdown. In 1965 he made 193 carries for 1,065 yards and 14 touchdowns and 21 catches for 248 yards and one touchdown. In 1966 he made 162 carries for 811 yards and 12 touchdowns and 13 catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns.[9] Little finished fifth inHeisman Trophy voting in both 1965 and 1966.[10][11]
In his rookie year, he was elected a team captain; he would be the last Broncos rookie to do so untilBo Nix in 2024.[12]
In 1975, Little retired as the NFL's seventh all-time leading rusher with 6,323 yards rushing and 54 total touchdowns (rushing, receiving and returns). He also threw a touchdown pass to receiverJerry Simmons in a 1972 upset over the Oakland Raiders. During his rookie year, Little led the NFL in punt returns with a 16.9-yard average. He led the NFL in combined yards in 1967 and 1968. Little was Denver Broncos' team captain in all of his nine seasons with the team, including his rookie campaign.[8]
Little was a charter member of the Broncos' Ring of Fame in 1984, which also included;Rich Jackson,Lionel Taylor, andGoose Gonsoulin. He was the first Bronco to win a rushing title, leading the AFC in rushing 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[8][13] and the 13th player ever in professional football to rush for at least 1,000 yards in one season.[14] He was anAmerican Football League All-Star in 1968. In a week 12 win overBuffalo, he caught four passes out of the backfield for 165 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown, setting a franchise record of 41.25 yards per reception, which still stands.[15] He was 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 and 1968 and was the only player to return punts for touchdowns in both seasons. During a six-year period (1968–1973), Little rushed for more yards and more yards from scrimmage (rushing and receiving) than any running back in the NFL.[16]
Little acquired his nickname "the Franchise" because his decision to sign with the AFL's Broncos was credited with generating sufficient fan interest to keep the team from relocating in the 1960s, and with helping to convince Denver voters to approve funding for the purchase and expansion ofMile High Stadium.[17]
In 2005, Little was named to theProfessional Football Researchers Association Hall of Very Good in the association's third HOVG class.[18]
In 2009, Little was a finalist for induction into thePro Football Hall of Fame.[19] He was voted in on February 6, 2010, his induction took place inCanton, Ohio, on August 7, 2010.[19] Little is one of five players in the Super Bowl era to make the Hall of Fame without ever playing a postseason game.[20]
From July 2011 to June 2016, Little served as the special assistant to the athletic director at Syracuse University.[7][21][22]
Little's jersey number, 44, was retired by the Broncos in 1975 in his honor and bythe Syracuse football program on November 12, 2005, to honor Little, Ernie Davis, and Jim Brown, and the eight other players who wore the number. Little was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1983.[23] He was inducted into the Denver Broncos' Ring of Fame on October 1, 1984.[24]
On August 7, 2010, Little was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame alongsideJerry Rice,Emmitt Smith,Russ Grimm,Rickey Jackson,John Randle, andDick LeBeau.[25] 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.[4] On May 15, 2016, Little received his honorary doctorate from Syracuse University in Humane Letters.[26][21] On May 17, 2019, Little was awarded the University of Denver's Distinguished Alumni Award and on May 18, 2019, Little was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws as speaker at DU's Sturm College of Law's commencement ceremonies.[27] Syracuse's football practice facility has a bronze statue of Little alongside Jim Brown and Ernie Davis.[28][29]
Little lived with his wife DeBorah in Las Vegas.[30] Little finished 40th in his class of 140 at theUniversity of Denver law school, from which he received his master's degree in legal administration degree in 1975. Little owned automobile dealerships in Denver, theSeattle area andSanta Barbara.[7][31]In May 2020, his former Syracuse teammatePat Killorin announced that Little had been fighting cancer.[29]
Little died on January 1, 2021, at the age of 78.[32]
| Year | Team | GP | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 1967 | DEN | 13 | 130 | 381 | 2.9 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 1.6 | 0 |
| 1968 | DEN | 11 | 158 | 584 | 3.7 | 3 | 19 | 331 | 17.4 | 1 |
| 1969 | DEN | 9 | 146 | 729 | 5.0 | 6 | 19 | 218 | 11.5 | 1 |
| 1970 | DEN | 14 | 209 | 901 | 4.3 | 3 | 17 | 161 | 9.5 | 0 |
| 1971 | DEN | 13 | 284 | 1,133 | 4.0 | 6 | 26 | 255 | 9.8 | 0 |
| 1972 | DEN | 14 | 216 | 859 | 4.0 | 9 | 28 | 367 | 13.1 | 4 |
| 1973 | DEN | 14 | 256 | 979 | 3.8 | 12 | 41 | 423 | 10.3 | 1 |
| 1974 | DEN | 14 | 117 | 312 | 2.7 | 1 | 29 | 344 | 11.9 | 0 |
| 1975 | DEN | 14 | 125 | 445 | 3.6 | 2 | 29 | 308 | 10.6 | 2 |
| Career[33] | 116 | 1,641 | 6,323 | 3.9 | 43 | 215 | 2,418 | 11.2 | 9 | |
Floyd Little is portrayed by actorChadwick Boseman in the 2008Universal PicturesfilmThe Express: The Ernie Davis Story, abiographical film about Syracuse UniversityHeisman Trophy winnerErnie Davis.[34]
.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |