You had to be there back in the day to know how much Floyd Little meant to the Denver Broncos.
You had to see him, watch him, hear him to appreciate his play and his leadership.
He had a lot of things going against him at a young age, not a lot of money, family fighting to make it, and AFTER high school he went to a military school, Bordentown Academy, and he became not a man, but a man among men.
Floyd Little came to the Broncos at the age of 25 and for nine years put it all on the line. He played here for nine years, and NINE times he was voted team captain by his teammates.
Floyd was bowlegged, made for some great shots by NFL Films, but maybe that physical condition came from being the best back in the American Football League while simultaneously carrying a team and a city on his shoulders.
A growing town like Denver can get pretty heavy when you have to carry it for nine years.
His nickname was The Franchise, and it did not do him justice.
With the vote earlier today taking Floyd Little out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Veterans Committee, he is now just one vote away.
At Syracuse he was the first three time consensus All-American in college football since Doak Walker—and does anybody really understand what that means, or hard it was to do?
It means that the only halfback named on every All-American team for three straight years was Floyd Little.
And now, finally, his time is near at hand.
And every Bronco season ticket holder, every fan who watched this team grow and emerge through the 1960’s and 1970’s, is rewarded as well.
You had to see him play.
And you had to know him as a leader and as a man.
A great day for the Denver Broncos franchise, as The Franchise, Floyd Little, carries the city one more time.
Tags: Floyd Little, Jim Saccomano
Looks like Marshall is still practicing but his pre season debut is still up in the air. Thought it was interesting.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d81225152&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true
Wow - this is ironic…
For all you Cutler loving fans out there who hate McDaniels… chew on this:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AuMiB9mJwvBqfEUqwpCk6Oc5nYcB?slug=ap-cutlersreturn&prov=ap&type=lgns
Even Cutler himself, has praise for McD!
McD will make “rookie” mistakes… he’s gotta learn on his own, and after trial and error, he’ll know what works…
I’m not gonna lose my trust in him even if he/we have a bad year… after year 2 is when he’ll start to lose credibility (if he does bad).
BroncoBailey - that is the wisest comment i’ve heard about McD. McD has the ability to be a great coach in this league, it will take a little developing… i too am behind him for the first couple years, without criticism!
Nicely said Ddave…I pretty much do the same…Every now and then, I’ll check out another site just to see what’s going on but don’t blog. Guess that’s why I got all upset and called Olap an idiot..Guess that’s why they removed my blog.. Oh well. I don’t blog very much but enjoy reading your guys input on many things.
oops, was reading older blogs and reacted forgetting I was reading this mornings comments.
Broncs55, Thank you…
People keep saying things like “Well, no one from under Beliceck has done good in the NFL, so McD won’t”
Well, McD is a young guy, and if he can do what he’s done at such a young age (compared to all the others) then there is something special about him…
Is anyone else upset about the broncos letting some rookie wear no. 27?
i just thought after what happen to darrent williams the team would retire his jersy, it just does’nt look right seeing someone else wearing his no.
Wow, you’re really outta the loop huh?…
Well, After consulting Darrent Williams mother, Moreno was giving the full praise to wear 27, only if Moreno became a strong part of his Boys and Girls club… so he agreed…
D-Wills mother gave him permision, and he’s doing something good for the community in return…
And besides… it’s bad that you have to recognize someone by there number, and not the player as a person on and off the field… The player makes the number, not the number makes the player…
As far as retiring 27, that may not happen…ever. In the now 50 year history of this organization only 3 numbers have been retired and those 2 players had rather monumental carreers. I personally am thinking that giving Moreno that number might be part of grooming to help lead the team, the responsability of living up to the players (yes, more than just DWilliams played with 27 on their back, Atwater ring a bell) may be one of the ways to try to keep him grounded so he can help this team the best he can.
Don’t think so…he is as arrogant as Cultler…Shanahan was a class act and will be missed!! What color was our “Rookie ” coach wearing tonight…don’t think I will embrace him until he embraces Denver…It’s all about him right now..and that won’t win games!!
Thrilled for Floyd Little…now those were the good old days….ok…we cheered and loved them even though they really didn’t give us a whole lot to cheer about…but Floyd…he was so fun to watch!!!
If #27 is ever retired, it will be in honor of Steve Atwater. He made history playing Safety wearing that #. No offense for D Will, who also wore the same #. Let’s hope the new #27 will be another impact player for us !
I agree with u Charleen. It’s all about him right now, has been since he was hired. Cutler’s trade was a mistake that we r gonna pay for all season. This thing with Marshall is just as bad. Marshall is wrong for acting the way he did in practice but where does it go from here? I don’t think the rest of players have bought into McD’s scheme either. It’s obvious in they way they play. The team has the talent, but without leadership can they win? No. Not with number 8 behind center and McD wearing the headset. We r in for a long season.
Chiefs cut Zach Thomas. I say we pick him up and start him right now. We need a GOOD veteran at linebacker. Him and DJ would be great. You can never have enough veteran talent on defense.
Jim, I got a chance to look at your new book on the Broncos today. The page on Floyd Little should be sent to the Hall of Fame selection committee and he’ll be a shoe in this year. By the way, I was about to buy the book and noticed the 2000’s win and loss record section was an accidental repeat of the 1960s. Will this be fixed and reprinted before Christmas? Eager to buy, BF’60.