Floyd Little

Floyd Little
refer to caption
At his NFL Hall of Fame ceremony in 2010.
No. 44
Position: Halfback
Personal information
Born: (1942-07-04) July 4, 1942
New Haven, Connecticut
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight: 196 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High school: New Haven (CT) Hillhouse
College: Syracuse
NFL Draft: 1967 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 6,323
Rushing average: 3.9
Rushing touchdowns: 43
Receptions: 215
Receiving yards: 2,418
Receiving touchdowns: 9
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Floyd Douglas Little (born July 4, 1942) is a retired American football halfback,[1] and was a three-time All-American 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 as "The Franchise." Little was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

College career

Little is the only three-time All-American running back to compete for the Syracuse University Orangemen.[2] He finished 5th in Heisman Trophy voting in both 1965 and 1966.

  • 1964: 157 carries for 874 yards and 9 touchdowns. 17 catches for 257 yards and 1 touchdown.[3]
  • 1965: 193 carries for 1065 yards and 14 touchdowns. 21 catches for 248 yards and 1 touchdown.
  • 1966: 162 carries for 811 yards and 12 touchdowns. 13 catches for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Professional career

In 1975, Little retired as the NFL's 7th all-time leading rusher with 6,323 yards rushing and 54 total touchdowns (rushing, receiving and returns). He also threw a touchdown pass to receiver Jerry 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 all 9 seasons, including his rookie season.[4]

Little was a charter member of the Broncos Ring of Fame in 1984, which included Rich Jackson, Lionel Taylor and Goose 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 [5] and the 13th player ever in professional football to rush for at least 1,000 yards in one season.[6] He was an American Football League All-Star in 1968. In a week 12 win over Buffalo, he caught 4 passes out of the backfield for 165 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown, setting a franchise record of 41.25 yards per reception that still stands.[7] 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 6-year period, 1968–1973, Little rushed for more yards and more yards from scrimmage (rushing and receiving) than any RB in the NFL.[8]

In 2009 Little was a finalist for induction into the Hall of Fame.[9] He was voted in on February 6, 2010, his induction took place in Canton, OH on August 7, 2010.[10]

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.[11] On May 15, 2016, Little received his honorary doctorate from Syracuse University in Humane Letters.

Awards and honors

  • Little was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame on October 1, 1984."[12]
  • 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.[13]

Statistics

YearTeamGamesRushingReceiving
AttemptsYardsY/ATDsRecYardsY/RTDs
1967Denver Broncos131303812.917111.60
1968Denver Broncos111585843.731933117.41
1969Denver Broncos91467295.061921811.51
1970Denver Broncos142099014.33171619.50
1971Denver Broncos1328411334.06262559.80
1972Denver Broncos142168594.092836713.14
1973Denver Broncos142569793.8124142310.31
1974Denver Broncos141173122.712934411.90
1975Denver Broncos141254453.622930810.62
CareerDenver Broncos117164163233.943215241811.29

See also

References

  1. ↑ Legwold, Jeff (24 September 2010). "Floyd Little receiving Hall of Fame ring at Sunday's Broncos game". Denver Post. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  2. ↑ Sports Illustrated, July 26, 2010, The Unexpected Hero by Gary Smith, p.60, Published by Time Inc.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  4. ↑ Sports Illustrated, July 26, 2010, The Unexpected Hero by Gary Smith, p.60, Published by Time Inc.
  5. ↑ Sports Illustrated, July 26, 2010, The Unexpected Hero by Gary Smith, p.60, Published by Time Inc.
  6. ↑ Sports Illustrated, July 26, 2010, The Unexpected Hero by Gary Smith, p.63, Published by Time Inc.
  7. ↑ As of 2017; See box score
  8. ↑ Floyd Little's Tales from the Broncos Sideline by Floyd Little and Tom Mackie
  9. ↑
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ Sports Illustrated, July 26, 2010, The Unexpected Hero by Gary Smith, p.57, Published by Time Inc.
  12. ↑ http://history.denverbroncos.com/category/ring-of-fame/
  13. ↑ 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>.
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