On this Throwback Thursday, seeing as we are little over a week away from Super Bowl XLVIII, I'll be taking a look at one of the greatest Broncos of all time - Floyd Little.
When one looks back over his career, it is hard to believe it took him so long to reach the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. The running back was the owner of Syracuse university's famed #44 jersey after Jim Brown and Ernie Davis, and was the first player drafted by the newly-created Denver Broncos in 1967. Understandably, his nickname - to Broncos fans, at least - remains 'The Franchise'.
Of course, Little didn't receive such an esteemed nickname solely because of his status as a first round draft pick - he earned it with immediate and sustained success on the football field.
Little was initially used as a kick and punt returner, and quickly flourished at the pro level. In his rookie season he led the American Football League in punt returns (16.9 avg on 16 returns) and set a career-best record for kick returns - returning 35 kickoffs for 942 yards. He scored the AFL's only punt return touchdown that season, and - with rushing and receiving yardage totalling just under 400 yards - was responsible for almost 1,500 all-purpose yards.
As Little matured as a running back, he started to see more carries and established himself as the prominent component of the Denver Broncos offense. He was averaging five yards per carry by his third season, caught 25 passes in each of his final five years in the league, became the first 1,000-yard rusher in franchise history in 1971 and won the NFL rushing title in the same year with 284 carries for 1,133 yards and six touchdowns.
His explosive running and pass-catching abilities made him a fan favourite in Denver, and he arguably helped pave the way for guys like Barry Sanders, Roger Craig, Marshall Faulk and - in today's NFL - Reggie Bush and Danny Woodhead.
He was named to three Pro Bowls (in 1970, 1971 and 1973), the AFC all-star game (in 1968 and 1969), and was inducted to the Broncos ring of fame and - finally - the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984 and 2010 respectively.
But Floyd Little's significance to the Broncos runs much deeper than rushing records and all-purpose touchdowns - he is arguably the very reason that Peyton Manning and Co. are even in the Super Bowl next Sunday. Little's success created a bond between the city of Denver and it's new football franchise - hugely significant considering Denver almost lost the Broncos in 1965.
They don't just call him 'The Franchise' for nothing.
No comments:
Post a Comment