Heisman-Winning Ex-RB Rashaan Salaam Found Dead At 42 In Colorado Park

Former Colorado Buffaloes running back and Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam was found dead Monday night in a park in Boulder, Colorado. He was 42.

Rashaan Salaam Found Dead At 42 In Colorado Park

The Boulder County coroner’s office was still investigating the cause of death of Salaam, who won the Heisman in 1994. According to a release from Colorado’s athletic website, police said there were no signs of foul play.

The former player’s mother, Khaleeda Salaam, told USA Today that “they found a note,” and police told her it was a suspected suicide.

At the time he won the Heisman– Colorado’s first player to win the award– Salaam was only the fourth player in college football history to eclipse the 2,000-yard rushing mark with 2,055 rushing yards. It was also a breakout season for Salaam, who totaled 3,057 yards and 33 touchdowns on the ground throughout his career. He also won the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation’s top running back.

“The Buff Family has lost an outstanding young man and a great Buff today,” Colorado athletic director Rick George said in a statement. “We are heartbroken for Rashaan and his family and our thoughts and prayers are with them at this very difficult time.”

This year, Colorado celebrated a resurgence of its football program with a 10-3 record, an appearance in the Pac-12 Championship game and the Buffaloes’ first bowl bid in nearly 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 also remembered Salaam as a natural leader, and for his “warm,” “genuine,” and “infectious” personality.

Former teammate Matt Russell, now the Denver Broncos director of player personnel, said Salaam was a “fierce, 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 was selected in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears and won NFC Rookie of the Year honors that same year when he ran for 1,074 yards and 10 touchdowns. He played three years with the Bears, plus two games with the expansion Cleveland Browns in 1999, and finished with 1,684 career yards rushing. Salaam then continued his football-playing career in the short-lived XFL and CFL.

He was also added to the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2011, he auctioned his Heisman ring following a series of financial troubles.

KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 9: The Kansas City Chiefs defense brings down running back Rashaan Salaam #21 of the San Francisco 49ers at Arrowhead Stadium on August 9, 2003 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 49ers defeated the Chiefs 24-6. (Photo by Dave Kaup/Getty Images)