Professional football hall of famer, SU superstar Floyd Little to speak at Morrisville State College

Professional football hall of famer and Syracuse University superstar Floyd Little will give a presentation at Morrisville State College Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. in the STUAC theatre. His speech is free and open to the public.



A three-time All-American and 1966 ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) Player of the Year at Syracuse University, Little was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 2010 along with Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Russ Grimm, John Randle, Rickey Jackson and Dick LeBeau.



A star tailback and kick returner, Little holds Syracuse records for career touchdowns (46) and career punts returned for touchdowns (six). He finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting in both his junior and senior years before going on to star with the Denver Broncos.



The sixth player selected overall in the 1967 NFL draft, Little became the first player in Broncos history to rush for 1,000 yards when he won the NFL's rushing crown with 1,133 in 1971. He amassed more than 12,000 all-purpose yards during a nine-year career.



The recipient of more than 18 professional athlete achievement awards and more than 30 distinguished community service awards throughout his career, Little is enshrined in seven Halls of Fame.



In 1974 alone, he received three of the most prestigious community service awards: the YMCA Brian Piccolo Award; The Distinguished American Award for Community Service presented by the Connecticut Hall of Fame; and the American Jewish Community Appeal for Human Relations Citation in recognition of the outstanding contributions he made toward the betterment of man and his community. In September 2011, the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) renamed the New Haven Athletic Center the Floyd Little Athletic Center in honor of the city native and Hillhouse High School football standout.



In addition to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, Little has been honored as a Syracuse University Letter Winner of Distinction and recognized by the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame, the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame, and the African American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame. In 1992, Little was recognized with the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award.



The 5-foot-10, 190-pound athletic dynamo grew up in New Haven, Conn., and played at James Hillhouse High School, in New Haven, Conn., for three years, then played two years (1962 and 1963) for Bordentown Military Institute (BMI), in Bordentown, N.J., a prominent prep school sought out by elite football players, which later shut down in 1972. He signed with the Orange in 1964.



Little graduated from the University of Denver's College of Law in 1975 with a master's degree in legal administration and in 1979, completed the Ford Motor Executive Management Training Program and became a Ford dealer. He is the former president and owner of Pacific Coast Ford, which became a private capital dealership in 1996, and owned several automobile dealerships before retiring in 2009.



Little has made appearances for the NFL and Hall of Fame events and has been a popular and sought after speaker for Touchdown Presentations, LLC. He also participates in and supports numerous charitable events around the country.



The three-time All-American and five-time Pro Bowl selection now works as the special assistant to the athletics director at Syracuse University.



Little's presentation, the first Pyramid Brokerage Lecture of the 2011-2012 academic year, will touch on outlook, business and sports experience.