Little had given up hope for Hall of Fame

[August 27, 2009]  ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) --  Former Broncos running back Floyd Little says he had given up hope of ever making it on the Pro Football Hall of Fame ballot.

Little told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from his home in Seattle on Wednesday that after 30 years of hoping and praying he figured that his final football dream would go unfulfilled.

The hall's senior committee, however, chose the 67-year-old Little, who gained more than 12,000 total yards in the NFL, and Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, a star defensive back before becoming a coach, as finalists for the Hall on Tuesday.

They will join 15 modern-era candidates on the complete list of finalists for the 2010 class, which will be voted on Feb. 6 at the Super Bowl in Miami.

[Associated Press; By ARNIE STAPLETON]

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