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Syracuse football legend Floyd Little died on Friday at age 78, according to his son. Little, the only tailback in SU history to be named a three-time All-American, was diagnosed with a rare cell cancer in May and entered hospice care in late November. 

The Pro Football Hall of Famer was the third of Syracuse’s legendary running backs to wear No. 44, leaving a legacy of nearly unparalleled excellence on the field. At SU, he rushed for 2,704 yards and 35 touchdowns in three seasons.

Little embodied what being Orange meant, Chancellor Kent Syverud said in a statement Saturday. President-elect Joe Biden, who attended SU with the football great, said in a statement that Little was “full of character, decency, and integrity.”

“As with everything else he did in life, Floyd lived to the very end with grit and heart, and love for his family and faith in God,” Biden said. “I will miss my friend. He was a good man.”

Former teammate Patrick Killorin remembered Floyd as a role model for others.

“Throughout his football career, Floyd has been a tremendous example for youth to follow in athletics,” Killorin wrote in a poem. “As a player he was unselfish, always giving credit to his line for his blocking and was an athlete who understood the words ‘teammate’ and ‘brotherhood’ as important factors in having a winning team. One can say that Floyd never forgot where he came from.” 

Little was born in New Haven, Connecticut and grew up in housing projects with five siblings. When he was six, Little lost his father to cancer, so his mother raised him and his siblings alone. 

He struggled as a student early on, and his high school counselor once told him he wasn’t smart enough to go to college. Little spent one year at a military prep school in New Jersey. There, his competitive nature led him retake the SAT, memorizing the answers and scoring a perfect 1200 on the second try. 

Notre Dame, Army and Syracuse pursued Little as a high school recruit, but Gen. Douglas MacArthur sold him on West Point. MacArthur told him he’d ascend to the rank of general if he enrolled, something no Black man had done at the time. 

But Little chose Syracuse in large part because of a recruiting pitch by Ernie Davis. Little, who didn’t know of Davis’ leukemia at the time, promised Davis he’d come to SU. He committed the day he learned of his passing. Little would later call Davis, the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy, the most influential person in his life.

At Syracuse, Little continued the tradition of No. 44 that Davis and Jim Brown carried before him, and he finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting in both 1965 and 1966. He averaged over five yards per carry in all three of his seasons while contributing as a receiver and a member of special teams — he still holds the Syracuse record with six punt return touchdowns.

During one game in Archbold Stadium against Kansas in 1964, Little ran for 159 yards on just 16 carries and scored five touchdowns. The Jayhawks’ coach after the game called it “the greatest performance by a back” he’d ever seen, and two-time All-American Gale Sayers was on his sideline. 

Drafted sixth overall by the Denver Broncos, Little quickly made an impact on a fledgling franchise, canvassing door-to-door to raise money for a new stadium so it wouldn’t have to relocate. In each of Little’s nine NFL seasons, all with the Broncos, he was named captain. 

Little retired in 1975 as the seventh-leading rusher in NFL history. He made five Pro Bowls while playing during one of the most physical eras of the NFL. Many of his contemporaries have since died, often diagnosed with or perceived to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Once, Little was hit so hard by Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus that he wobbled back into the Bears’ huddle by accident. 

But over the years, Little’s mind remained sharp. He worked as a special assistant to Syracuse’s director of athletics from 2011 to 2016. A talented public speaker, Little earned an honorary doctorate of law and addressed the University of Denver’s graduating law class at the 2019 commencement. 

His legacy remains at Syracuse, where his football career took off. Outside the Ensley Athletic Center, Syracuse’s football practice facility, his bronze, life-size statue stands next to the other pillars of SU’s football program: Davis and Brown.

Little’s statue represents more than just his on-field performance. When Killorin, his teammate at SU, shared the news that Little was entering hospice care in late November, an outpouring of support followed. The Denver Broncos awarded Little the game ball after they upset the Miami Dolphins. Others recalled Little’s random acts of generosity and kindness. 

SU football coach Dino Babers, whose daughters call Little “Uncle Floyd,” said the Orange legend opened doors for Babers. Boeheim, who’s known Little since the running back came to campus, compared his raw talent to that of basketball legend Pearl Washington.

“Watching (Little) play that game, watching him play against Gale Sayers and watching him against UCLA in there, he was a thrill to watch play,” Boeheim said. “You just had to come to football games to watch Floyd Little. He came back here, there’s just no better Syracuse guy. He’s Syracuse through and through.”

Published on January 2, 2021 at 2:34 pm

Contact Danny: dremerma@syr.edu | @DannyEmerman