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Former Heisman Trophy-winning running back, Rashaan Salaam has died at the age of 43, his family confirmed.
Salaam was found dead Monday night in a park in Boulder, Colorado, where he played for the University of Colorado Buffaloes. Authorities said there was no sign of foul play; an autopsy is scheduled to be performed.
Salaam won the Heisman in 1994, after a season in which the Buffaloes finished No. 3 in the final AP poll. He beat out guys like Steve McNair, Warren Sapp, and Kerry Collins to win the award. He also won the Walter Camp Award that year, and the Doak Walker Award.
The football team at Colorado tweeted about the loss of a great former Buff.
“We’re minus one true Buffalo today.” Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam passes away at age 42. https://t.co/IsjgXPpPSo
— Colorado Buffaloes (@cubuffs) December 6, 2016
He was later drafted by the Bears in the 1st round of the 1995 NFL Draft. During his rookie season, he became the youngest player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards. He was 21 years, 77 days old. He also scored 10 touchdowns that year.
ESPN on his NFL career:
Plagued by injuries and fumbles with the Bears (he lost 14 in 31 games), he acknowledged, in 1999, that marijuana use contributed to his problems in Chicago. “It probably had me out there lackadaisical instead of going out there 100 percent,” he told ESPN in an interview then. “Everybody thinks getting high is cool, you can let it go when you want to let it go,” he said. “But it’s just as potent as cocaine.”
Salaam broke his leg in the third game of the 1997 season, after committing two costly fumbles, and said that injury increased his addiction.
Salaam told ESPN he told the Bears about his problem early in 1998 and entered a rehabilitation program, but the Bears later cut him, and he was out of football for a season.
He signed as a free agent with the Oakland Raiders in 1999, but was cut. He landed in Cleveland later that year and played two games for the Browns. He also was a member of the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad.
Salaam launched a comeback attempt in 2002 and was signed by the San Francisco 49ers in 2003, but he was released before the season.
Salaam went on to run an organization dedicated to helping underprivileged kids.
