Which was fitting.

Because MacPherson was there when it all began.

Coach Mac was a Denver assistant when the Broncos drafted Little sixth overall in 1967, in the first common AFL-NFL draft. MacPherson saw firsthand how one man can rescue a franchise, change a city’s fortunes.

“He did a great public relations job, got us a new stadium,” recalled MacPherson, who would go on to coach Little’s alma mater, Syracuse.

“When we went there, [head coach] Lou Saban told us one night at dinner, ‘Don’t anybody buy a home.’”

The Broncos were rumored to be moving to Birmingham, Chicago, or elsewhere. Playing with unrivaled passion – he was the smallest back to lead the league in rushing since before World War II – Little attracted legions of fans who eventually approved the expansion of Mile High Stadium.

“Being from New Haven, he was dreaming of going to the New York Jets. Then he has to go to Denver, which is the pits of the AFL at the time,” MacPherson said. “We played in a minor-league baseball park. The coaches were in a quonset hut for an office. That’s the kind of shape we were in.

“But from the moment he got there, he became a salesman. We were able to take good care of Floyd, and he paid us back in spades.

“He saved the franchise and look what happened to it,” MacPherson added, referring to a string of sellouts that continues today. “It’s a great story. It’s a Floyd Little story. To his death, Lou Saban would say, ‘He’s the guy who made the difference.’”

Like many, MacPherson can’t fathom why it took 35 years for Little to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Little retired in 1975 as the 7^th-leading rusher in NFL history. He also was an outstanding receiver, kick returner and blocker. Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Ham called Little “the most complete back I ever played against.”

“The mystery was why he wasn’t in before,” MacPherson said.

Their relationship grew stronger in 1981 when MacPherson took over at Syracuse. MacPherson suspects Little helped get him the job. Coach “Mac” was a Cleveland Browns assistant when he got the offer.

“There was no application – they called me,” said MacPherson, a Maine native who jumped at the opportunity.

In leading the Orangemen to a 66-46-4 mark, including 11-0-1 in 1987, MacPherson relied heavily on the tradition established by Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, and Little, a three-time All-American.

“I had Floyd talk to my team five times, whenever he came in,” MacPherson said. “He was there whenever we needed anything. He loved Syracuse for what it did for him. Plus his daughter came to school there, and I was looking out for her.

“That was the nice thing about the Hall of Fame ceremony. There were people from [his childhood in] Connecticut, Denver Broncos people, Syracuse people.

“Once you meet Floyd Little, it’s amazing how he makes you feel like you’ve always known him. That’s a very special guy.”