Heisman winner found dead

Photo: The Canadian Press

Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam was found dead Monday night in a Boulder park less than two miles from Folsom Field, where he carved his name into the University of Colorado record books as one of the greatest players in the program's history.

The Boulder County coroner's office was still investigating the cause of the death of the 42-year-old Salaam, who won the Heisman in 1994. The body of the one-time running back was found at Eben G. Fine Park in Boulder. Police say foul play was not suspected.

Salaam's death stunned the Colorado football community which this year celebrated a revival with a 10-3 record, an appearance in the Pac-12 championship game and the Buffaloes' first bowl bid in almost a decade.

"You talk about a young man who was smart, handsome, talented. He was very, very gifted. He was humble. He was a team guy," Bill McCartney, who coached Salaam from 1992-94, told The Associated Press.

McCartney remembered Salaam as a natural leader.

"His personality was infectious. He just had a warmth about him, a genuineness about him that was really contagious," McCartney said. "On the surface, he had everything. We thought he was a cut above, and he turned out to be."

Former teammate Matt Russell, now the Denver Broncos director of player personnel, said Salaam was a "fiercely loyal friend," the "ultimate teammate" and the very "definition of a winner."

"He practiced hard, he played hard and he made our teams better," Russell said. "... My heart goes out to Rashaan's mother and his family. They have a lot to be proud of with the person that Rashaan was, the way he treated people and the friend he was to everyone he came across. He will be missed by so many."

Salaam rushed for 2,055 yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior in 1994, leading the Buffaloes to an 11-1 record, a win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl and a No. 3 finish in the final polls. He won the Heisman in a runaway.