Floyd Douglas Little (born July 4, 1942 in New Haven, Connecticut) was a three-time American football All-American running back at Syracuse University, following in the footsteps of many great running backs at Syracuse such as Jim Brown and Ernie Davis. In 1967 Floyd Little was the 6th selection of the first common NFL-AFL draft. He was the first ever first-round draft pick to sign with the American Football League's Denver Broncos where he was k...
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Floyd Douglas Little (born July 4, 1942 in New Haven, Connecticut) was a three-time American football All-American running back at Syracuse University, following in the footsteps of many great running backs at Syracuse such as Jim Brown and Ernie Davis. In 1967 Floyd Little was the 6th selection of the first common NFL-AFL 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" for saving the team from certain relocation by forcing the expansion of Mile High Stadium and generating a string of sellouts that lasts today.
Little led the NFL in rushing for the six-year period from 1968–73. He retired as the 7th leading rusher in NFL history with 6,323 yards rushing and 54 touchdowns.
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...
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