Op-Ed: When Heisman is brought up at Colorado this year, don't forget who came first

Rashaan Salaam might be gone but his accomplishment should live on forever

RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

The conversation surrounding the Colorado Buffaloes Football program going into the 2024 season gives way to the mention of a few Heisman hopefuls currently in Boulder. But one name that has won the award name is never discussed or mentioned often. The stories we would hear about how these athletes were treated before the NIL era were terrible. It was often the coaches and universities they helped that raked in millions of dollars. The late Rashaan Salaam was no exception.

Some former players who wanted the opportunity to get into the college coaching profession as a graduate assistant were overlooked because their former coaches would rather move on from former athletes, wishing to have nothing to do with them being involved with the program. How would that look if that happened to the one and only Heisman trophy winner for your program since the award was first presented in 1935? The phrase that “time heals all wounds” doesn’t hold true in this instance, because CU’s lone Heisman winner was given the cold shoulder. We know there were dark periods in Salaam’s life and they’re well-documented. However, his desire to give knowledge was immense.

When the next Heisman trophy winner is announced in December, it will have been 30 years since Salaam graced the stage in Lower Manhattan. Why hasn’t there been a peep about Salaam since former player Michael Westbrook mentioned him while being inducted into the college football hall of fame in 2020?

Deion Sanders was the subject of congressional inquiry before the 1989 NFL Draft

The Heisman race back in 1994 was littered with some serious competition. Between three quarterbacks, two running backs and one defensive player. Quarterback Steve McNair from Alcorn State University who played in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) set records for the most offensive yards in a season with 5,799 total yards, 4,863 yards passing and 936 yards rushing which was a FCS record. Penn State quarterback Kerry Collins led an offense that average 47.8 points per game and 520.2 yards and played alongside running back Ki-Jana Carter. Jay Barker quarterback for Alabama, who led the Crimson Tide to a National Championship in 1992. Current grad assistant coach for the Colorado Buffaloes football team, Warren Sapp, who won the National Championship with Miami and went on to with a Super Bowl for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The winner of the Heisman trophy in 1994 came down to the two running backs. Carter rushed the ball 1,539 yards for the season, averaging 7.8 yards per carry to go along with 23 touchdowns. Colorado’s exceptional talent rushed for 2,055 yards and 24 touchdowns averaging 7.61 yards per carry. Not to mention Salaam was the fourth player in college football history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season.

In 1994, Salaam was named the Heisman trophy winner, and since then, not a single CU player has been in any type of Heisman hopeful conversation until now. Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter could make a case for the award later this year. Deion Sanders has mentioned the word inclusive and has been on campus for over a year now. Yet, there has been no mention of Salaam or his family.

Many wonder if the inclusion is with the Buffs players, students and the Alumni, why haven’t Salaam been included in any type of conversation to keep his legacy alive? It would be a better way to keep his memory alive, instead of promoting photo ops with the Heisman trophy he won from his hard work, dedication, blood, sweat and tears.