The original face of the franchise finally has a permanent place in Canton, Ohio. On Saturday the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted Floyd "The Franchise" Little, giving him the elusive golden blazer he envisioned in his dreams for 35 years following his retirement in 1975.
"There are no words to describe the joy of experiencing this final sports chapter in my life," Little said. "This is obviously the highest honor any football player can garner. I stand here today celebrating my athletics life journey and I understand the significance. Everything else pales in comparison."
More than three decades of emotion erupted out of Little in his acceptance speech, but there was no hint of frustration, no sense of lingering resentment from Little's wait for recognition. Little's jubilant speech testified to the legend's optimism and persistence.
"Floyd little can often be heard saying, 'I do not choose to be a common man. It's my right to be uncommon if I can,'" said Marc Little, Floyd's only son and his presenter. "That's my dad, an uncommon man."
Little's speech portrayed the charisma the former Broncos and Syracuse star exudes, but his son's eloquent presentation gave us an idea of the values of education and leadership that Little instilled in his children and continues to live by.
"My sisters and I are all college graduates today," Marc Little said. "Now that's success. That's dad's legacy."
Airing his appreciation for his family was the top priority in Little's speech. He was always a Hall-of-Famer to them.
He lamented the fact neither his parents nor his two brothers could be alive to celebrate with him. He thanked his three sisters, who he said had always been his "rock and his strength," and his biggest fans since middle school. Little's words detailing the accomplishments of his son, two daughters, and four grandchildren, were filled with the pride that only comes from a patriarch.
The man who inspired the bronze bust that will immortalize him also spoke of a darker time. Little's mother supported him and his five siblings by herself for most of his childhood because his father died when Little was just a boy. He had a misplaced anger in him that led him astray early on.
"The road was not always so easy or clear," Little said. "I remember being a strong but angry young man in school and I used my strength in ways that became my weakness. After being kicked out of school I had reached and impasse in my life. Everything was done. The hopes were shattered and done.
"Then I had a late vision from my father that said, 'Floyd! I've chosen you to take my place, to do what I could not do, and to finish what I could not finish. I came to myself, and with the help of those that saw the good in me I was reinrolled back in school with determination. Not only did I become the president of my class, but I started my journey as a leader in everything that I did, and I never looked back."
The epiphany drew Little to greatness. Listening to him speak makes it obvious why Gen. Douglas Macarthur personally recruited Little to play football for Army and told him he could be the first black general in the United States.
Little chose to go to Syracuse and rewrite the records of Jim Brown and Ernie Davis, but he always commanded the attention of his teammates like a general. He was named a team captain of the Broncos as a rookie, and he never relinquished the title in his nine-year career.
At the time of his retirement from pro football, Little was the seventh all-time leading rusher in the NFL. His Broncos records for rushing yards and touchdowns stood until 1998, and his franchise mark for combined yardage stood until 2006. He was truly "The Franchise," because he was the first number one draft choice the Broncos ever signed.
Yet still it took constant lobbying from friends like announcer Jim Gray and super fan Tom Mackie to get Little inducted into the Hall. Mackie's wife, Emily, set up a lunch meeting with Little as a 40th-birthday present to her husband. Once Mackie met his childhood hero, he got so charged up about Little's absence he went on an endless campaign to get Little noticed once more.
"Not only did Tom and I meet, but he became the co-author of my first book, Tales from the Broncos Sideline, my biggest supporter and my advocate for my Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration. Now Tom's my hero," Little said.
Having told his story and given thanks, Little had one more message from his Hall of Fame platform.
"Don't listen to the nay sayer, I have plenty of those," he said. "Don't listen to those that will judge you by your rough edges. Don't focus on your weakness, so you won't become a victim.
"Find the goodness in you that says, 'Yes! I can be a good student. Yes! I can be a good son and daughter. Yes! I can be a positive role model. Yes I can.' Because the good in you is better than the worst in most. The choice is yours. Be the best that you can be."
