Floyd Little

Floyd Douglas Little (July 4, 1942 – January 1, 2021) 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 the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He attended the Hillhouse High School in New Haven

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.

Professional career

In his rookie year, he was elected a team captain; he would be the last Broncos rookie to do so until Bo Nix in 2024.

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 receiver Jerry Simmons in a 1972 upset over the Oakland Raiders. During his rookie year, Little led the AFL in punt returns with a 16.9-yard average. He led the AFL 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. and the 13th player ever in professional football to rush for at least 1,000 yards in one season. He was an American Football League All-Star in 1968. In a week 12 win over Buffalo, 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.

In 2005, Little was named to the Professional Football Researchers Association Hall of Very Good in the association's third HOVG class.

In 2009, Little was a finalist for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

From July 2011 to June 2016, Little served as the special assistant to the athletic director at Syracuse University. He was inducted into the Denver Broncos' Ring of Fame on October 1, 1984. 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. Syracuse's football practice facility has a bronze statue of Little alongside Jim Brown and Ernie Davis. Little finished 40th in his class of 140 at the University of Denver law school, from which he received his master's degree in legal administration in 1975. Little owned automobile dealerships in Denver, the Seattle area and Santa Barbara. In May 2020, his former Syracuse teammate Pat Killorin announced that Little had been fighting cancer.

Little died on January 1, 2021, at the age of 78.

Career statistics 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 14 284 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 117 1,641 6,323 3.9 43 215 2,418 11.2 9

Legacy Floyd Little is portrayed by actor Chadwick Boseman in the 2008 Universal Pictures film The Express: The Ernie Davis Story, a biographical film about Syracuse University Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis.