Rashaan Iman Salaam (October 8, 1974 – December 5, 2016) was an American college and professional football player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for four seasons during the 1990s. Salaam played college football for the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

and won the 1994 Heisman Trophy. He was picked by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the Bears and

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

of the NFL. Salaam died by suicide on December 5, 2016.

Early years

Salaam was born in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

,National Football League, Historical Players
Rashaan Salaam
Retrieved February 5, 2012. the son of former Cincinnati Bengals running back Teddy Washington (later Sulton Salaam, after converting to Islam). He was a practicing Muslim. He attended

La Jolla Country Day School La Jolla Country Day School (known informally as "Country Day" or "LJCDS") is an independent school in University City, a community of San Diego, California. The school contains a lower school (consisting of nursery through fourth grade), a m ...

in suburban San Diego,databaseFootball.com, Players
Rashaan Salaam
. Retrieved February 5, 2012. and played

eight-man football Eight-man football is a form of gridiron football, generally played by high schools with smaller enrollments. Eight-man football differs from the traditional 11-man game with the reduction of three players on each side of the ball and a field wi ...

. He ran for over 100 yards in every game except against Christian High of El Cajon coached by Dale Peterson. And was recognized as a high school

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n. He was later inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame.

College career

Salaam attended the

, where he played for the Colorado Buffaloes football team from 1992 to 1994. As a junior in 1994, Salaam had one of the best individual seasons in college football history, rushing for a school-record 2,055 yards and becoming only the fourth college running back to run for more than 2,000 yards in a season. He also amassed 24 touchdowns and helped lead Colorado to an 11–1 record, including a 41–24 win over the

Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

in the 1995 Fiesta Bowl, and a No. 3 finish in the final Associated Press Poll. The Buffaloes' only loss of the season was to the Big Eight Conference rival Nebraska Cornhuskers, which finished undefeated and ranked No. 1 in both the Associated Press and United Press International polls at season's end. Salaam had four consecutive 200-yard rushing games during the season, his best effort coming against the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...

, when he set a school record with 362 yards total offense in a 34–31 Colorado win in Austin. He was a unanimous first-team All-American and winner of the Heisman Trophy in December, beating out running back

Ki-Jana Carter Kenneth Leonard "Ki-Jana" Carter (; born September 12, 1973) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football at Penn State, where he earned consensus All ...

of Penn State and quarterbacks

Steve McNair Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),Steve McNair Found Dead
...

of Alcorn State and

Kerry Collins Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, ...

of Penn State. Salaam also won the

Walter Camp Award The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football player of the year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS head coaches and sports information directo ...

and

Doak Walker Award Since 1990 the Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. It is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Football Le ...

Professional career

The Chicago Bears selected Salaam in the first round, with the 21st overall selection, of the 1995 NFL Draft. He played for the Bears from to . As a rookie, he rushed for 1,074 yards and scored 10 touchdowns.Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players
Rashaan Salaam
He was also UPI NFC Rookie of the year.Retrieved February 5, 2012. However, he also lost 9 fumbles and averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. Problems with injuries, fumbles, and marijuana use led him to spend only three years with the Bears. During his two final years with Chicago, Salaam mustered only 608 combined yards. The Bears traded Salaam to the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

before the 1998 season, but the trade was undone when Salaam failed a physical examination with Miami. Salaam spent 1999 with the

and the Green Bay Packers, but only played in two games for the Browns that year. Salaam briefly played in the XFL for the

Memphis Maniax The Memphis Maniax were an American football team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The team was part of the XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. Home games were playe ...

in 2001, but injury cut his season short and the league folded after one season. He finished the year with 528 yards gained. Salaam launched what appeared to be a final attempt at an NFL career in , beginning with a much publicized training at the

Cris Carter Graduel Christopher Darin Carter (born November 25, 1965) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles (1987–1989), the Minnesota Vikings (1990–2001) and the Mia ...

Speed School. He was picked up by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

in but subsequently let go in August, in the second-to-last round of cuts, despite receiving accolades from then 49ers head coach

Dennis Erickson Dennis Brian Erickson (born March 24, 1947) is an American football coach who most recently served as the head coach for the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football league. He was also the head coach at the University of Idaho ...

. Salaam was signed by the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL) on February 20, 2004. He was then suspended by the Argos in May, effectively ending his career.

Death

Salaam was found dead on December 5, 2016, in a park in Boulder, Colorado. An autopsy was performed because authorities found a note near the body and were investigating it as a possible suicide. On December 29, it was confirmed that the manner of death was suicide, specifically a gunshot wound to the head, in a report released by the Boulder County coroner's office. Salaam's

blood-alcohol content Blood alcohol content (BAC), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level, is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes; it is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume or mass of blood. For example ...

was reportedly three times the legal driving limit and he had

THC Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis and one of at least 113 total cannabinoids identified on the plant. Although the chemical formula for THC (C21H30O2) describes multiple isomers, the term ''THC' ...

in his system. Salaam's family did not consent to neuropathological tests that would have revealed whether he had previously sustained chronic head trauma, such as

chronic traumatic encephalopathy Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets worse ...

. They declined to have his brain tested to determine whether his depression had been linked to such injuries from his days as a player.

NFL records

* Youngest player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Salaam, Rashaan 1974 births 2016 deaths African-American Muslims American Muslims African-American players of American football All-American college football players American football running backs Chicago Bears players Cleveland Browns players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Colorado Buffaloes football players Heisman Trophy winners Memphis Maniax players Players of American football from San Diego Players of Canadian football from San Diego Suicides by firearm in Colorado 2016 suicides 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportspeople Brian Piccolo Award winners