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The Long, Lonely Fall of a Heisman Trophy Winner

BOULDER, Colo. — Through the darkness, Rashaan Salaam drove his run-down Suzuki sedan. He was, as usual, alone.

For months, friends said, Salaam had been a recluse who left his rented condo in a Denver suburb only occasionally, to buy groceries and, even more rarely, for a solitary morning walk. Now and then he went to a bar for drinks and a steak, sitting by himself.

But on this Monday night, Dec. 5, Salaam, a former football standout, was headed for the site of his greatest triumph.

From his home, it was eight miles to the University of Colorado in Boulder, where Salaam was a running back who won the Heisman Trophy in 1994.