September 19.2007

The Floyd Little Broncos

By Stan Dyer

I saw Floyd Little doing a TV commercial the other day. Oh, I knew he had a dealership and sold cars, but it had been a while since I had seen him around. I really didn't hear a word he said. I just heard that voice, saw that smile, and was transported back to the days when Floyd Little was the Denver Broncos.

Professional football players seemed different back then. They were more "blue collar". Today's players are great and talented athletes, but they just do not seem the same. Where today's athletes drink Gatorade on the sidelines and sign endorsements in the locker rooms, yesterday's players drank battery acid on the sideline and snacked on penny nails at halftime. I remember names like Butkus, Nitschke, Nobis, and Russell chewing through blocks and spitting out running backs as if they were eating sunflower seeds. Those were the legends Floyd Little ran at and through.

Little was not a big man, even for the day. He was just 5'10" inches tall and weighed only 195 pounds. Nonetheless, he was the Broncos first ever number one draft pick back in the days of the old AFL. Despite not being in the Hall of Fame, you can find his statistics all over the internet. He was one of three, great Syracuse running backs to wear the number "44", which was retired by the university on November 11, 2005. The other two were Ernie Davis and Jim Brown. For those who don't know, Ernie Davis was the first African-American to win the Heisman and Jim Brown was the first player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season that lasted only 14 games. That's pretty elite company, and Little was just as good. He had to be to survive.

In 1971, despite playing on a team that only won four games, he led the league in rushing with 1133 yards behind the blocks of Sam Brunelli, Mike Current, George Goeddeke, Larron Jackson, Marv Montgomery, Mike Schnitker, and Tommy Lyons. It was an adequate offensive line, but they were not the "Hogs". I can still remember watching the Broncos playing the John Brodie 49ers one time and Little tried to hit a hole that wasn't there. In Barry Sanders style, he just bounced his bowed legs outside and ran 50 yards down the sideline for the touch. He didn't have great size or speed, but he had enough heart to carry the Bronco offense on his back more than once.

That year, 1971, was also one of the last years of that rugged defensive line that every true Bronco fan remembers and the start of a new one. Along with "The Sheriff", Rich Jackson, there was also Paul Smith, Pete Duranko, Jerry Inman, Dave Costa and the new kid, a rookie named Lyle Alzado. Remember the year the Jets stunned the Colts to win Super Bowl III, and, when the Jets came to Denver the following fall, the Broncos not only beat them, but Dave Costa put Namath on his backside with a sack good enough to make the front page of the Rocky Mountain News? That was their equivalent to the Super Bowl, and, for a long time, as close as many of their fans thought they would ever get.

It would take a few years to achieve their first shot at the Super Bowl, but the Broncos made it in January 1978. Unfortunately, most of the old-line players were gone by then and one of them was Floyd Little. In 1973, the Broncos made Purdue running back Otis Armstrong their number one pick in the draft. Armstrong was similar in size to Little, but quicker and faster. His best year rushing was 1974 when he rushed for 1407 yards, and, by then, people knew he truly was Little's heir in the backfield. The new Broncos were taking shape.

It would have been poetic for Little to have at least played in one Super Bowl, but it didn't happen. Many other Broncos from that era also deserved as much just for staying with the same, mediocre team, year after year, even though they were talented enough to play for better teams and for better money. Life's that way sometimes, but it teaches important lessons. For me, whenever I think of the Broncos, I always remember the "Floyd Little Broncos" and what it means to face adversity, but keep on trying. A man never loses until he gives up. Floyd Little never gave up and The Hall of Fame will recognize that some day. For now, he is the first and premier member of the Ring of Fame and a reminder of the days when he was the Denver Broncos.

(Author's Note: You can find Floyd Little pictures, stats and sign a Hall of Fame petition at www.littleinthehalloffame.com)