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Friends Salute a Hall of Famer

Floyd Little's long-overdue induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past weekend was lauded by a legion of fans and former teammates. At least two members of this significant chunk of humanity have Fairfield roots.

Fran Lynch and me.

Lynch, who played both running back and safety on Roger Ludlowe High School's undefeated 1961 state championship football team, was Little's teammate for all nine of their seasons (1967-75) with the Denver Broncos. Floyd was the team's lone star, a bow-legged 5-foot-10 block of granite who ran through, around and over opposing defenses. He led the National Football League in rushing one year and the Broncos for seven straight seasons.

"With the offensive line we had, some of his best runs were getting back to the line of scrimmage," Lynch said in a telephone interview Tuesday. Funny line, but, unfortunately, all too true.

Lynch had just returned from the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio, and was home in Broomfield, Colo., a community located between Denver and Boulder. He was among some 15 retired Broncos who journeyed to Ohio to share this crowning moment with Little and the other inductees.

"Did you catch his speech? It was awesome. I knew he was going to blow them away," Lynch said. "I may not remember what I had for breakfast, but I knew where I was going to be on Aug. 7. There was a bond between us. We were roommates during training camp and on the road."

The Waterbury-born, New Haven-reared Little, he said, "had a style all his own. He was really quick. I don't think people realize the upper body strength he had."

Francis Xavier Lynch, now 64, was Little's backup at running back, and a special teams guy. He carved out a lengthy NFL career from equal parts perseverance, good luck, good health and comparatively modest talent. But don't sell him short. There was the Sunday at Shea Stadium when Lynch scored a pair of touchdowns against the New York Jets and Joe Namath, a game the Broncos won, 21-13, before 62,000. "That was the year they went to the Super Bowl," Lynch said.

Fran Lynch settled in Colorado during his playing days, and that was where he and his now former wife, Pat, raised their sons, Kevin, 40, and Scott, 35. Both played the game at Colorado State. Scott, said the proud dad, "was the strong safety when CSU was nationally ranked."

My memories of Floyd Little go back to his years at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, where he was an All-State running back. I was friends with a classmate, and got to see him play both football and basketball.

I would interview Floyd twice, once on the phone during his All-American career at Syracuse University and much later, in November of 1972, face to face at Yankee Stadium following the Broncos' 29-17 loss to the New York Giants. He ran for 124 yards that afternoon, 55 of which came on one scoring burst in the game's final quarter.

We spoke of his myriad accomplishments, on and off the field. He recalled his early years in Waterbury and shining shoes in the old Waterbury Republican-American building. "Do they still have the moosehead on the wall?"

I gathered that he was proudest of his growth as a man. "I had an IQ of 85 in high school. I was an idiot, an imbecile," he told me. "Now I'm going to the Denver University law school."

In his stirring Hall of Fame acceptance speech, Floyd summed up his triumphs thusly: "I want to encourage you, every student, every athlete, every person who will hear my voice, don't listen to the naysayer. I had plenty of those. Don't listen to those that will judge you for your rough edges. Don't focus on your weakness so you won't become a victim. Find the goodness in you that says, Yes, I can be a good student. Yes, I can be a good son and daughter. Yes, I can be a positive role model. Yes, I can, because the good in you is better than the worst in most. The choice is yours. Be the best that you can be."

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