Little was born in Groveland, Georgia, on November 2, 1945, the second of six children. The family moved to Florida and he grew up in Miami.[1] His mother was his greatest influence.[2] As a child, his favorite team was the Baltimore Colts.[2] He attended Booker T. Washington Senior High School in Miami, where he played football as a two-way lineman.[3][4] He has been inducted into the Booker T. Washington High School Hall of Fame.[5] In 2023, he was inducted into the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.[4]
College career
Little played for the Bethune–Cookman Wildcats from 1964 to 1967 on the team's offensive and defensive lines at the respective tackle positions. He was a team captain, and a three-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) selection.[6][7] He was inducted into the Bethune-Cookman Hall of Fame in 2012.[8] Defensive line coach Tank Johnson was Little's favorite coach at any level.[2]
Professional career
Little went undrafted in 1967. After the draft, he received free agent offers from Miami, San Diego, and Baltimore. He signed as a free agent with the American Football League's San Diego Chargers because they offered him the largest signing bonus ($750).[9] After playing for San Diego in 1967 and 1968, coach Sid Gillman grew frustrated with Little's not controlling his weight. He was traded to the AFL's Miami Dolphins for cornerback Mack Lamb before the 1969 season,[10][6] when he was named an AFL All-Star.[11] "I didn't particularly like the trade," Little said in the January 1974 issue of SPORT.[12] "The Dolphins weren't much then."[13] In his first year with Miami, although an All-Star, the Dolphins' record was a poor 3-10-1.[10]
Future Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula became the Dolphins' head coach in 1970.[10] Among other things, he helped Little control his weight.[6][13] Of the 11 years he played for the Dolphins (1969-1980), Little played ten of them under Shula (1970-1980), missing only four games in 11 seasons, despite numerous injuries. He was considered an intimidating force run blocking and a superb pass blocker.[6]
Little was a key contributor to the success of the Dolphins' punishing running attack of the early and mid-1970s, which featured Larry Csonka, Mercury Morris, and Jim Kiick. Shula, a coach on the NFL 100th Anniversary All Time Team,[14] said Little played a major role in the Dolphins success as both a pass blocker and run blocker.[6] Little was a member of the 1972 Dolphins championship team that went 17-0, which established a record for team rushing yards at the time (2,960 yards in a 14 game season[15]). The Dolphins' rushing average per year in the 1970s (2,372 yards rushing per year) led the NFL in that decade.[6] Little played under offensive line coach Monte Clark, whom Little acknowledged at his Hall of Fame induction.[16][6]
In 1973, he became to first guard to be paid a $100,000 annual salary.[10]
On December 16, 1993, Little was added to the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll.[13] In 2011, Little was among the inaugural class entering the Miami Dolphins Walk of Fame.[24]
In 1999, he was ranked number 79 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.[25][26]
Miami's City Commission honored Little by naming a street after him.[27]
Personal life
During his playing career and after he had a boys camp for underprivileged children, the Gold Coast Summer Camp,[5][28] eventually backed by the United Way. He was also listed in Who's Who in Black America.[2][6]
