The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
New Haven legend Little enters hospice
New Haven football legend Floyd Little has entered hospice, according to a poem penned by his friend Patrick Killorin.
“Today we are going to talk about a new phase in Floyd’s journey. Hospice. Floyd’s courageous battle with a difficult disease (cancer) is now at a critical stage in his life. This is a time when a husband and his wife must make important decisions regarding potential end of life decisions. In the many years I have had the honor to be a family caregiver for Hospice. I have seen the mental strain, tearful decisionmaking process, and frustration of two people in love asking the Lord to take their hand and guide them to make the right decision for their loved one. So much is discussed that is heartbreaking, however necessary for peace of mind. Hospice provides a chaplain to help hospice patients as they struggle through this process.”
It was Killorin who created the “Friends of Floyd” GoFundMe page for Little and his wife DeBorah in May as his battle with stage 2 cancer went public.
Little ran for 6,323 yards and 43 touchdowns in nine seasons with the Denver Broncos after being the sixth overall selection in 1967. He recorded his lone 1,000-yard season in 1971 when he was the NFL rushing champion with 1,133 yards in 14 games. He led the AFL in all-purpose yards in 1967 and 1968 and led the AFL and NFL in rushing yards per game during the 1969 and 1971 seasons.
After a remarkable career at Hillhouse, Little earned AllAmerican honors at Syracuse from 1964-66 and graduated with a program record 2,704 yards. He broke Jim Brown’s Syracuse record with 1,681 all-purpose yards in 1964 and broke that mark with 1,990 yards in 1965.
Little was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
“Floyd is a very special name, a gift from God to all those who know him,” Killorin said. “To