Floyd Little
Date of birth	July 4, 1942
Place of birth	New Haven, Connecticut
Position(s)	Running back
College	Syracuse
AFL Draft	1967 / Round 1/ Pick 6
Career Highlights
Pro Bowls	AFL All-Star 1968, 1969 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl 1970, 1971, 1973
Honors	Broncos' Ring of Fame
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1967-1969 1970-1975	AFL Denver Broncos NFL Denver Broncos

Floyd Douglas Little (born July 4, 1942 in New Haven, Connecticut) was a three-time American football All-American running back at Syracuse University. In 1967 Floyd Little was the 6th selection of the first common NFL-AFL draft. He was the first No. 1 draft pick to sign with the American Football League's Denver Broncos where he was known simply as "The Franchise" for saving the team from certain relocation by forcing the expansion of Mile High Stadium and generating a string of sellouts that lasts today. For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Nickname: The Elm City Location in Connecticut Coordinates: NECTA New Haven Region South Central Region Settled 1638 Incorporated (city) 1784 Consolidated 1895 Government  - Type Mayor-board of aldermen  - Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. ... In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time. ... High school running back A running back, halfback, tailback or wingback is the position of a player on an American and Canadian football team who lines up in the offensive backfield. ... This is a list of athletic conferences of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). ... Syracuse University (SU) is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York. ... The American Football League (AFL, 1960 - 1969) stocked its teams in two ways: 1) Signing free agents (players whose contracts in other professional football leagues had expired, or who had no professional experience). ... The Pro Bowl is the National Football Leagues all-star game. ... The Pro Football Hall of Fame and the NFL include American Football League All-Star Games in their statistics for Pro Bowls. From 1961 through 1969, the AFL East All-Stars played the AFL West All-Stars, with the exception of 1965, when an AFL All-Star team played the... City Denver, Colorado Other nicknames Orange Crush Team colors Orange, Broncos Navy Blue, and White[1] Head Coach Mike Shanahan Owner Pat Bowlen General manager Ted Sundquist Mascot Miles League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Western Division (1960-1969) National Football League (1970–present) American Football Conference (1970... AFL logo The American Football League (AFL) was a professional league of American football that operated from 1960 to 1969. ... City Denver, Colorado Other nicknames Orange Crush Team colors Orange, Broncos Navy Blue, and White[1] Head Coach Mike Shanahan Owner Pat Bowlen General manager Ted Sundquist Mascot Miles League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Western Division (1960-1969) National Football League (1970–present) American Football Conference (1970... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Nickname: The Elm City Location in Connecticut Coordinates: NECTA New Haven Region South Central Region Settled 1638 Incorporated (city) 1784 Consolidated 1895 Government  - Type Mayor-board of aldermen  - Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... High school running back A running back, halfback, tailback or wingback is the position of a player on an American and Canadian football team who lines up in the offensive backfield. ... Syracuse University (SU) is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York. ... AFL logo The American Football League (AFL) was a professional league of American football that operated from 1960 to 1969. ... City Denver, Colorado Other nicknames Orange Crush Team colors Orange, Broncos Navy Blue, and White[1] Head Coach Mike Shanahan Owner Pat Bowlen General manager Ted Sundquist Mascot Miles League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Western Division (1960-1969) National Football League (1970–present) American Football Conference (1970...

Legend has it that he was "fired" by coach Lou Saban after a fumble that led to a late-game lead for the Buffalo Bills in 1968. Little, after refusing to leave the huddle, asked QB Marlin Briscoe to "throw the ball as far as you can and I'll catch it." Briscoe threw it, Little caught it, and the Broncos kicked a winning field goal. City Orchard Park, New York Team colors Navy blue, light blue, Red, light Red, White, Royal, and Nickel Head Coach Dick Jauron Owner Ralph Wilson General manager Marv Levy Mascot Billy Buffalo League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Eastern Division (1960-1969) National Football League (1970–present) American... Marlin Oliver Briscoe (born September 10, 1945 in Oakland, California) is a former American football professional wide receiver/quarterback who played American professional football for nine years, after playing in college at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. ...

Little became a charter member of the Broncos' Ring of Fame in 1984; he was the first Bronco to win the AFC rushing title with 901 yards in 1970; the following year he became the first Bronco to eclipse 1,000 yards, gaining 1,133, to lead the entire NFL. He was an American Football League All-Star in 1968, named first-team "All-League" in 1969, and made the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl in 1970, 1971 and 1973. At just 5-10, 195-pounds, Little was a pioneer who became the smallest back to lead the league in rushing since before World War II. He was as versatile as he was exciting. He led the league in combined yards in 1967 & 68 and was the only player to return punts for TDs in both seasons. During his prime, 1968-73, he led the NFL in both yards Rushing and Yards from Scrimmage (rushing and receiving). Little was voted "Running Back of the year" in 1972 by the Professional Football Writers of America, and was 1 of just 7 players to total more than 100-yards (104) per game. Incredibly, despite spending most of his career as the lone offensive threat on a losing team, he retired as the 7th leading rusher in NFL history with 6,323 yards rushing and 54 touchdowns. He was the first Bronco to have his jersey 44 "officially" retired. The Pro Football Hall of Fame and the NFL include American Football League All-Star Games in their statistics for Pro Bowls. From 1961 through 1969, the AFL East All-Stars played the AFL West All-Stars, with the exception of 1965, when an AFL All-Star team played the...

Statistics

City Denver, Colorado Other nicknames Orange Crush Team colors Orange, Broncos Navy Blue, and White[1] Head Coach Mike Shanahan Owner Pat Bowlen General manager Ted Sundquist Mascot Miles League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Western Division (1960-1969) National Football League (1970–present) American Football Conference (1970...

External links

Floyd Little angry over lack of Broncos in Hall of Fame

See also

• Other American Football League players