Friends, ex-teammates and former coaches remembered 1994 Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam as much more than a football star upon hearing of his death in a park not far from the University of Colorado, where he stamped his name as one of the greatest players in the programs history.This is a great loss to the lives he had touched, said former Buffaloes assistant coach Brian Cabral, who recruited Salaam to Boulder.Ex-teammate Kordell Stewart, who went on to achieve the kind of NFL success that eluded Salaam, said, This is a tough one. He was our jewel. He said Salaam never wanted to be celebrated, he just wanted to play football.He just wanted to be one of the guys, a big kid playing a childs game, and he won the biggest prize there is, Stewart said. Football wasnt who he was; it was just what he did. He didnt care about his accomplishments. He cared about the people around him.Salaam was found dead Monday night in Eben B. Fine Park in Boulder, less than 2 miles from Folsom Field, where he carved his name into the schools record book from 1992-94. Police said foul play wasnt suspected.Salaams mother, Khalada, told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday that police said they suspect he killed himself. They said they found a note and would share that with us when we get there, Salaams mother said.Dave Plati, associate athletic director at Colorado and a close friend of Salaams, said the former Buffaloes star never let on that he was hurting : When you were around him he was just the same old Rashaan. You know, effervescent, jolly-go-lucky, smiling all the time, doing things for other people.There was just no way to tell Salaam had these kind of demons inside him, Plati added. I was as close to him as anybody and loved the guy ... and wish I could have noticed or done something for him or wished that he would have called me.Salaams death stunned the Colorado football community, which this year celebrated a revival with the teams 10-3 record, an appearance in the Pac-12 championship game and the Buffaloes first bowl bid in almost 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, former Colorado coach Bill McCartney told The Associated Press.Salaam rushed for 2,055 yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior in 1994, leading the Buffaloes to an 11-1 record, a win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl and a No. 3 finish in the final polls.We are all hurting tremendously today, said former teammate Blake Anderson, who lauded Salaams work ethic, strength and dedication.Salaam was one of the nations most prized high-school recruits coming out of eight-man football at La Jolla Country Day, a private school in San Diego. His father played freshman football at CU in 1963 before transferring to San Diego State to be closer to home.When we recruited him and got him to commit, it was huge, McCartney said. We knew that he was going to distinguish himself. He was very highly recruited. I can remember how happy we were. He lived up to all our expectations.The Chicago Bears made Salaam a first-round draft pick in 1995, and he rushed for 1,074 yards and 10 touchdowns in winning NFC Rookie of the Year honors.Injuries cut short his career. He rushed for only three TDs over the next two years in Chicago and played his last NFL game with the Cleveland Browns in 1999. Salaam played for the Memphis Maniax of the defunct XFL and attempted one last comeback with the NFL before retiring.He was the only Heisman Trophy winner in the state of Colorado, Plati said. That could have been a burden in later years because he kind of felt he didnt have the great professional career that should have followed that. But that doesnt matter, its what you did to win the Heisman, and hes an icon in college football.Former teammate Matt Russell, now the Denver Broncos director of player personnel, said Salaam was a fiercely loyal friend, the ultimate teammate and the very definition of a winner.Rick Neuheisel, an assistant coach in Boulder when Salaam won the Heisman, said the play that epitomizes Salaam was the Miracle at Michigan, when Stewarts 64-yard Hail Mary pass to Michael Westbrook on the final play beat the Wolverines 27-26 on Sept. 24, 1994.All he did was create time for Kordell Stewart to get that play off, Neuheisel said. And if you ever see that play, Rashaan Salaam had one blocking assignment and then came back and got another blocking assignment, which allowed Kordell to kind of crow-hop up in the pocket and make the throw that well all remember for a lifetime.But there was the Heisman Trophy winner. He wasnt just about getting the ball or catching the ball. He was about, what do I need to do for my guys so that we can have the best possible chance for success? And whether he had the ball or didnt, it didnt matter, he was going to go all-out, Neuheisel said.And its a very tough time because hes too young. ... I think all of us that had that special time with him all wish we would have known what was going on in his life. And Im not sure we ever will. But we will know that the time we spent with Salaam was really cool.---AP College Football Writer Ralph Russo, Associated Press writer Sadie Gurman, Associated Press videographer Peter Banda and Associated Press photographer Brennan Linsey contributed to this story.---More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org http://www.broncosrookiestore.com/Broncos-Devontae-Booker-Jersey/ . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. http://www.broncosrookiestore.com/Broncos-Ronald-Leary-Jersey/ . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. http://www.broncosrookiestore.com/Broncos-Todd-Davis-Jersey/ . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. http://www.broncosrookiestore.com/Broncos-Andy-Janovich-Jersey/ . Soukalova missed only one target and completed the 15-kilometre course in 40 minutes, 32.6 seconds for both victories in this seasons individual discipline. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was second, 34. http://www.broncosrookiestore.com/Broncos-Dennis-Smith-Jersey/ . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah has three players that hail from the state of Michigan and the trio made all the difference against UC Riverside.We just have a little grit to ourselves and we always try and play hard. We get after it, Kyle Kuzma (Flint, Michigan) said.Lorenzo Bonam (Inkster, Michigan) scored a career-high 21 points and Kuzma added 18 to help Utah run past the Highlanders 85-67 on Friday night.Even freshman wing Devon Daniels (Battle Creek, Michigan) got into the act with 14 points and 11 rebounds and sneaked a dig on Kuzma during the post-game press conference.Yep, me and `Zo are pretty tough but I dont know about Koozy, Daniels said with a laugh.Freshman center Jayce Johnson scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Utes, who had a 32-point advantage in points scored in the paint.Chance Murray had 17 points and backcourt mate Dikymbe Martin added 15 for the Highlanders (1-3), who were tied with the Utes at 21 midway through the first half. The Highlanders converted 10 of their 21 3-point attempts.Our guards played incredible but Utahs length just really bothered us at the rim, UCR coach Dennis Cutts said.JoJo Zamora hit a 3-pointer to start an 11-0 run that ended shortly before halftime -- the Highlanders struggled to find the lanes that had been available earlier in the game while the Utes started following any misses with putbacks.We just got stops, that was the biggest thing, Kuzma said. Because then we can run and score in transition. That was our mindset for the rest of the game.Utah (4-0) used a 10-0 run that bridged the halves to extend its advantage to 54-34 and coasted from there. To cap the surge, Daniels took a pass from Parker Van Dyke and made a layup with 17:08 to play.Thats how I play. I just attack my opponent . I go hard tto the rim, Daniels said.ddddddddddddhough the Highlanders couldnt get closer than 15 points down the stretch, they kept Utahs starters in the game until the final minutes, much longer than they played previously this season.BIG PICTUREUC Riverside: Before the game, Cutts said he hopes these tough early games pay dividends in Big West Conference play, where the Highlanders are picked to finish seventh. Despite the lopsided results, he said his players are a confident bunch and are learning game by game.Utah: After the Utes won their first three games by an average of 43 points, the Highlanders provided more resistance and presented a bit more size. With just two returners with significant experience -- Kuzma and Bonam -- the Utes scheduled to avoid any heavyweights before facing Butler next Monday. Thats when Utah will test just how well its young team has gelled.STAT OF THE NIGHTThe Utes dominated the rebounding tally 49-32, including 17 offensive boards. Bonam had a career-best 10 rebounds.REFERENCE POINTTwo years ago, the Highlanders lost to Utah 88-42. We use this game as a reference point of how hard to play and how to play the right way. Well refer to this all year long, Cutts said.Murray added, We came with the right mindset and we played hard. Wed like to have played a bit better but I like the direction were headed.UP NEXTUC Riverside continues its road-heavy start to the season with a trip to UCLA on Wednesday.Utah will host Butler on Monday, essentially the Utes first formidable opponent of the season. The Bulldogs have won their first six games, including a 69-65 win over No. 8 Arizona on a neutral court Friday night. Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys White Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo Wholesale Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Outlet Cheap Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Hoodies Camo China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo NFL Jerseys China ' ' '