 Later that season, Little made what some Syracuse
fans still call, in hushed tones, "The Run." It came against Oregon State. Wally
Mahle, the Syracuse quarterback, took the snap, straightened up, and lobbed a pass about
five yards over the middle to Little. Both sides of the Oregon State defense collapsed on
Little as he cut down the center of the field. The run was restricted to a path no more
than ten yards between the waves of tacklers. It looked like the wagon train boss running
a Sioux gauntlet in a John Wayne western. The Beaver safeties appeared to close the gap at
the 20-yard line. But then came that fantastic Little acceleration, and Floyd raced into
the end zone.
 The crowd sat in stunned silence. They realized they had seen a
once-in-a-lifetime run. Afterward, someone asked Little about his ability to accelerate
like a giant jet leaving the runway. "It's just a gift," he said. "I have
three different speeds and premeditated moves. I like to get close to a defender, at arm's
length, then make my cut at a 45-degree angle. I can do it at top speed. The idea is to
try to lock into the defender's eyes to see if he'll flinch, then juke [fake] him. If you
watch his eyes, you'll know if there's enough time to cut.
"Some are
faster, but I can run as fast sideways as I can straight ahead, which few can. I can
accelerate fast and shift speeds smoothly. I'm small, but that helps me to hide. I mean
it. I'm hard to spot behind big linemen. Also it's hard to get down to my legs, which is
the only place to bring me down. I'm strong, I have good balance, and I make good use of
my arms, which I swing to break tackles. I run skittery, like a mouse eluding a cat. I
can't explain my moves. I don't think any good runner can. I can't copy anyone. I don't
know what I'm doing until I do it, then I can never repeat it. It's some kind of instinct.
I look at me on films and say, 'Jeez, that guy made a helluva move. What was that?'"In addition to
perfecting his football skills, Floyd matured greatly as a person at Syracuse. He became a
team leader and at least a respectable student. In his freshman year Little had met a coed
from St. Alban's, New York, named Joyce Green. A part-time model and an honor student,
Joyce was the daughter of two schoolteachers. She and Floyd began to date, and they were
married when he graduated in 1967. |
· Floyd Little ·