Little becomes just third Bronco to enter Hall of Fame

Floyd Little had to wait a long time for Saturday night.

Correcting what many said was a grave injustice for many years, the NFL got one right as they inducted the former Broncos running back into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Little, who last played in the NFL in 1975, was seventh in rushing yards all time at the time of his retirement.  All six in front Little are already in the Hall of Fame and only O.J. Simpson rushed for more yards during Little's career from 1967-75.

"There's no words to describe the joy of experiencing this final sports chapter in my life. This is obviously the highest honor any football player can garner," Little said in his speech.

Little was the first pro football star in Denver and may have saved a struggling team, being the first first-round pick to sign with the Broncos, who were still in the AFL when they drafted him out of Syracuse where he succeeded Jim Brown and Ernie Davis as star running backs.

His 6,323 rushing yards were a Broncos record until he was passed by Terrell Davis and he was the first Bronco to lead the NFL in rushing with 1,133 yards in 1971 in 14 games.

While Little was a bona fide star in Denver, he went relatively unnoticed on a national stage as he played on only two winning teams in nine seasons, never played with an all-pro or Hall of Fame player and never played in a playoff game.

That fact and the location of Denver are the main reasons Little had to wait 35 years after his retirement to be elected by the veterans committee where he now joins John Elway and Gary Zimmerman as Broncos in the Hall of Fame.

Little may not have been the biggest name inducted as NFL all-time leading receiver, Jerry Rice, and all -time NFL leading rusher, Emmitt Smith, were also voted in along with Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, John Randle and Dick Lebeau, but his speech may have been the most memorable.

"His speech had a lot of conviction," Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young told the Denver Post. "I really appreciated it. I also really appreciate the Hall for exposing the greatness of Floyd. You had to kind of find that. I can't imagine what he would have been able to do on a good team."

While it may be hard to fathom what Little could have done for a better team, it's impossible to think of where Denver Broncos football would be had Little not come to pick up a team in desperate need of a franchise face.