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Floyd Douglas Little (born July 4, 1942) is a Pro Football Hall of Fame running back,[1] and was a three-time American football All-American running back 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 was the only three-time All-American running back to compete for the Syracuse University Orangemen.[2] He would finish 5th in Heisman Trophy voting in both 1965 and 1966.
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.[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, 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.[7]
In 2009 Little was a finalist for induction into the Hall of Fame.[8] He was voted in on February 6, 2010, his induction took place in Canton, OH on August 7, 2010.[9]
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.[10]
(*) number was unretired for Peyton Manning
National Football League, Colorado, American Football League, John Elway, Super Bowl XXXII
Walter Payton, Cleveland Browns, Emmitt Smith, O. J. Simpson, Barry Sanders
Dallas Cowboys, Tom Brady, Jim Brown, Joe Montana, Walter Payton
Denver Broncos, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Super Bowl XXXIII, Peyton Manning
Atlantic Coast Conference, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York, Notre Dame Fighting Irish football