In the end, did Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam know how many people loved him?
“I called Rashaan three or four days ago. Hadn’t seen him in a while, and I just wanted to check how he was doing. Left him a message. And he never called me back,” former University of Colorado teammate John Hessler said Tuesday, when the shocking news of Salaam’s death at age 42 spread through the Buffs family like wildfire.
Police found his lifeless body in a Boulder park less than 2 miles from Folsom Field, where a quick, powerful running back created the impression he could outrun anybody and nothing could stop him as Salaam rushed for more than 2,000 yards in 1994.