The first major player in the history of the Broncos passed away.
Floyd Little, the star of the franchise during years of struggle in the 1960s and ’70s, died Friday night after a battle with a rare form of cell cancer.
Min was 78.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced Little’s death.
“Floyd Little was a true hero of the game,” said David Baker, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “He was a man of great integrity, passion and courage. His contributions from the field were even greater than his amazing achievements he has made to it. Floyd’s smile, heart and character show the meaning of a Hall of Fame life. ‘
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement that Little ‘was not just a Hall of Fame running back, he was a Hall of Fame person. Faith, family and football were the pillars of his life. I was so happy to know Floyd and saw firsthand the impact he had on others. ”
A member of the College Football Hall of Fame (1983), the Broncos’ inaugural Ring of Fame class (1984) and the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2010), Little’s cancer diagnosis was made in late May by his friend and Syracuse. teammate announced. , Pat Killorin, who started a GoFundMe to cover Little’s medical expenses.
On November 21, Killorin announced on social media that Little had been placed in the hospital; he started chemotherapy treatments last summer.
Kevin Rivoli, The Associated Press
Former Syracuse and Denver Broncos running back Floyd Little acknowledge crowds at a No. 1 hiatus. 44 jersey in Syracuse, NY, to retire on Saturday, November 12, 2005.
Connecting with Ernie Davis
Floyd Little was born on July 4, 1942 in New Haven, Conn., And attended Hillhouse High School in New Haven and Bordentown Military Institute in New Jersey. He was six when his father died of cancer.
Little was recruited by the U.S. Military Academy (led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur), Notre Dame, and Syracuse. Little’s encounter with MacArthur was at the Waldorf Astoria in New York and met baseball players Roy Campanella and Elston Howard.
“General MacArthur has guaranteed that I will become the first African-American general,” Little said in 2010. ‘If you think about it, I could be Colin Powell’s boss. I could have been General (Normal) Schwarzkopf’s boss. I could have been General (David) Petraeus’ boss. Just think about it. ”
According to reports, Little Syracuse chose on the advice of former Orange runner Ernie Davis, who visited Little in Connecticut. At Syracuse, Little continued the tradition of star buyers wearing number 44 after Jim Brown and Davis.
Little was a 1964-66 three-time All-America pick (freshmen were not eligible to play) and Little rushed for 2,704 yards and 46 touchdowns. He finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy poll in ’65 and ’66.
In 2010, decades after his college career, Little returned to Syracuse to be a special assistant to the athletics director, assisting with fundraising, recruiting and mentorship.
On his return to Syracuse, Little said Davis, who died in 1963 at the age of 24 from leukemia, was the motivating factor.
“My life was linked to Ernie’s life because I wanted to be the Ernie Davis he could not be,” Little said. “This is how I led my life because Ernie Davis did not have the chance to live his.”
Little worked at Syracuse until 2016, when he and his wife moved to Las Vegas.
“Floyd Little embodies what it means to be orange,” Kent Syverud, Chancellor of Syracuse, said in a statement. “He was an American student-athlete. He set records in the NFL. He achieves success in the business world. Floyd has mentored numerous student-athletes and devoted his time, energy and resources to improving the lives of others. He was a good friend to me and his beloved Syracuse University. … Floyd Little, no. 44, will be our Orange MVP forever. ”
The Denver Post
Floyd Little (44) of the Denver Broncos avoids the attack of Jet player Steve O’Neal (20) and continues on his way to the New York Jet 1 yard line where he was drowned on September 22, 1969. Little returned a 56-yard beam kick during the second quarter to set up a Denver onslaught on the next play. The Broncos scored an upset 21-19 victory over the Jets that day in front of a single crowd of 51,000 people in Denver.
Good player in a bad team
The Broncos entered their eighth year of existence and are still looking for their first winning season, picking Little sixth overall in the 1967 AFL / NFL draft. Four players from the first round will become members of the Hall of Fame – Bob Griese (Purdue fullback) (fourth to Miami), the defensive attack by Notre Dame (Alan Page (15th to Minnesota) and the Texas A&M guard , Gene Upshaw (17th to Oakland).
From the moment he was drafted, there was little against the wheat because he actually signed with the Broncos, not the much safer National Football League. In their first seven years, the Broncos could not pick their first round (imagine that happening these days).
His sign up bonus was $ 10,000.
Griese and Upshaw became Super Bowl champions and Page played in four title games. However, team success has eluded little for his entire Broncos career.
Little played long on struggling teams and played a jumble eighth stamp and was long the Broncos’ apparent. He was the NFL rushing champion in 1971 (1,133 yards) and currently ranks second in team history in rushing attempts (1,641), yards (6,323) and touchdowns (43), behind fellow Hall of Famer Terrell Davis in all three categories.
Few never appeared in a play-off match and were only part of two winning teams (7-5-2 in 73 and 7-6-1 in 74), but his contribution to making pro football in this region a hit, will never be forgotten.
Little made the Broncos chase seven times. The season ticket base has risen from 24,650 to 49,000 during his career. Sy nr. 44 is one of only three numbers retired by the Broncos, joining fullback Frank Tripucka (18) and fullback John Elway (7).
“Without Floyd Little, there would be no Denver Broncos,” Tom Mackie, co-author of Little’s 2006 autobiography, said in a 2010 interview with Mark Kiszla of the Post. “Either they are not picked up by the NFL at the time of the merger, or they move to Alabama and become the Birmingham Broncos.”
Think about it: In the first 23 years of Broncos history, Little was the only addition to the Pro Football Hall of Fame to play for the franchise. From 1983-2002, six eventually played Hall of Famers for Denver.
Translation: It’s been a lot for the Broncos for many years.
Little’s first six Broncos teams have never won more than five games. The AFL West was ruled by Kansas City and Oakland in those days. But he led the AFL in 1969 in yards per rush (5.0) and yards per game (81.0) and earned All-Pro honors.
In Little’s last home game, against Philadelphia in December 1975, he recorded a 66-yard catch and a two-yard rush.
At the time of his retirement, he was ranked seventh in the rush and he was rushing nearly 5,000 yards more than the nearest Broncos player.
Little was universally loved among fans and teammates and has great respect for opponents.
Two days after playing his 117th and final pro football game, and one day after announcing his retirement, Floyd Little was honored in a letter to the editor that appeared in the Miami Herald on December 22, 1975.
“I always dreaded seeing him come out of the backfield on a pass or get the quarterback kicked off, and always wondered how I would ever stop him. No matter how bruised and battered he was after the game, he always managed to get me in the middle of the field to say hello and ask for my health. … He is a person that all children can look up to, and the parents can honestly say, “I hope my child becomes like him.”
The letter was signed “Nicholas A. Buoniconti,” Dolphins linebacker.
John Leyba, The Denver Post
Denver Broncos Hall of Fame fans John Elway, Floyd Little, Shannon Sharpe and Gary Zimmerman pose with new member Terrell Davis during a photo shoot after his speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. , on August 5, 2017.
Long wait to enter Canton
Little’s wait for pro football immortality was frustrating. He had the support of his contemporaries, such as former Baltimore Colts teammate / president of the NFL Players Association, John Mackey, who wrote to the selection committee: ‘If there is no place for Floyd Little in the Hall of Fame, please take me out and put him in. ”
Thirty-five years after his retirement, Little was selected for induction. Shortly afterwards, he received a call from former defensive line “Mean” Joe Greene of Pittsburgh.
“He said, ‘Floyd, you’re the best footballer I’ve ever played against in my 16 years,’ ‘Little said in an interview in February 2019. “I said, ‘Joe, are you serious?’ “And he said, ‘You’re the best footballer. Do not run back. Best football player I have ever played against. ‘”
What did Buoniconti and “Mean Joe” see? The first major Broncos player. Period.
“If I were a (New York) Jet and had the same career I had, I would have been a long time ago,” Little said in 2010.
Maybe so, but Little never lets his long wait dampen his enthusiasm for a bust in Canton, Ohio.
In February 2019, the Hall of Famers will meet in a ballroom on the second floor of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis for the annual Merlin Olsen Luncheon. Little walked to the media contingent in Denver to discuss the next night’s choice of owner Pat Bowlen and cornerback Champ Bailey.
If there is anyone who more than Floyd Little liked being a Hall of Famer, they should step forward. He loved the jacket. He loved going back to Canton. He loved all the happenings with his colleagues. He loved it.
While the interview was breaking down, Little was asked, “What is it like to be a Hall of Famer?”
“I tell the guys: if you’re not feeling well, you’re sick, you have a little cold, just can not start – go to your closet and put on this baby,” he said of his gold jacket. “You will feel so much better. Wearing one of these is one of the great experiences in my life.
“I like to wear it. It makes me feel different. ”