AP Photo/Ron Schwane

By Euclid 419er

Forget Jerry and Emmitt, the star of this weekend’s Hall of Fame induction ceremonies was Syracuse alum, Floyd Little.  His induction speech was passionate to say the least and heavy on the Syracuse, including shout outs to Ernie Davis, Jim Brown, John Mackey and Coach Ben Schwartzwalder.  He also thanked his “Syracuse family” including Dr. Nancy Kantor, Dr. Darryl Gross and of course, Vice President Joe Biden.   

As Little spoke, highlight footage of his days in Denver played behind him.  There was #44, breaking tackles and outrunning defenses.  And as great a moment as it was for Little, it was bittersweet for Syracuse fans.  Allow me to associate myself with the sentiments of Sean Keeley:

And yet, as a Syracuse fan, you can’t help but be disappointed.  Disappointed that the #44 remains retired.  That no future Syracuse football player will carry the torch that Jim, Ernie and Floyd created.  That there will never be another Hall of Fame speech given by a player who wore #44 for the Syracuse football team. 

But I digress.  This moment is for Floyd Little and his remarkable career.

Read Little’s speech here or watch the video here.