Floyd Little

Floyd Douglas Little (born July 4, 1942) is a former American football running back, 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 simply as "The Franchise."

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

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

• Sports Illustrated, July 26, 2010, The Unexpected Hero by Gary Smith, p.60, Published by Time Inc.
• "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-16. 

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 TD 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.

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 teamand 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, 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 TDs 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.

In 2005, he 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 Hall of Fame. He was voted in on February 6, 2010, his induction took place in Canton, OH on August 7, 2010.

• 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 August 7, 2010, Little was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame alongside Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, John Randle, and Dick LeBeau.
• 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.
• On February 6, 2010, Little was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

• 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>.