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salaam. a brief tribute.

Liver

Liver

modded mod
Club Member
Junta Member
When Mac pulled RS out of a lower level non-football power in SD, a whole bunch of the hardcore were freaking out. we didn't have recruiting sites or stars or all the review that happens now, but we did have a handful of magazines and personal networks and depending on where we were living, some understanding of recruiting in the region. and who offered who...

RS was not on the radar in the analog days. but, he must have been really ****ing good to get on Mac's radar. back then, i knew a lot of coaches directly involved in socal hight school football. and i had a pretty good idea of who was being chased by the powers (including us at the time) and who was not. RS was not on the tier 1 list.

RS was special. it was far more than his athletic ability. he was a kind and gentle soul. and he probably was far too tuned into the real world to be a great football player. and, his mom is/was a bad ass. she called things accurately and really quite presciently long before small town white boys like me could have ever thought along those lines.

he had offers, dont get me wrong on that. but he wasn't THE GUY on the list of the programs that mattered at the time.

yet, he came here. and damn he was good. we had this o line built for him. and an offense that could take the heat off of him when it needed to, and he became the superstar HEISMAN player we all wanted.

he was a super hero.

succeeding in the nfl was something that was "expected" i guess. hagan didn't and jj didn't and a whole bunch of other Buffs who blessed us with their careers here also didn't. but, carrying that Heisman label clearly weighed on him.

i wish things turned out differently. i wonder if things had turned out differently.

so, when some of you folks bang on hagan and talk about how he needs to not be a coach, please do remember this... some of these guys gave everything for us, for CU, and they were truly great at it.

that means a whole lot to me.
 
Sadly due to CTE or whatever Rashaan was not the same guy by the time he hit the pros, even then he was easily a 1000 yard rushing in his rookie year on a bad team.

As you said he was a kind and caring individual. Introspective and intelligent but not prone to drawing a lot of attention to himself off the field.

He is a perfect example of why we need to get better at identifying problems with mental and emotional health and dealing with them.

The world is missing something without RS in it, completely aside from his football talents.
 
Very nice tribute, but I do have to quibble with your recollection of one thing. While there was no internet back then, there were a handful of prominent recruiting analysts as you know. Tom Lemming was probably the best known. I still have my 1992 Athlon preview magazine. Here are Lemming's recruit rankings from that class. He had Salaam as the #17 overall recruit. I would think that everyone was after him even though he played 8-man football.

(We had the #3 class with Greg Jones at #20 overall, Chris Naole at #44, Koy Detmer at #92, and Thad Swazer at #94. Nathan Campbell, Heath Irwin, Kyle Smith, Matt Russell and Maurice Henriques were also in Lemming's top 300.)

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Tatanka™ said:
Very nice tribute, but I do have to quibble with your recollection of one thing. While there was no internet back then, there were a handful of prominent recruiting analysts as you know. Tom Lemming was probably the best known. I still have my 1992 Athlon preview magazine. Here are Lemming's recruit rankings from that class. He had Salaam as the #17 overall recruit. I would think that everyone was after him even though he played 8-man football.

(We had the #3 class with Greg Jones at #20 overall, Chris Naole at #44, Key Detmer at #92, and Thad Swazer at #94. Nathan Campbell, Heath Irwin, Kyle Smith, Matt Russell and Maurice Henriques were also in Lemming's top 300.)

O2kzR8J.jpg


Iy0eXMx.jpg


Pu4fuSo.jpg


lLBayTr.jpg

z3VcP5X.jpg


HgApca1.jpg
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That is so cool!!

Look at #3. I wish we would have taken him instead of #92.

Can you imagine Tommy Frazier and Rahsaan Salaam in the same backfield?
 
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For all of our arguments on this site about politics and religion, we all share a love for the Buffs.

I was not alive when RS ran for 2000, but the radio call will forever be ingrained in my brain. For a moment like the CU Iowa state game in 94 to have such a spot in ones Mind, is truly something.

RS is the definition of greatness. It’s sickening that he was never given his flowers by Boulder and the university (no statue), it was a tragedy in which the way he took his life and the place in which he did it, and the fact that CU-Boulder has yet to create a research school in his honor for mental health research is wild. Could be on the forefront of CTE research, we owe it too him.
 
Tatanka™ said:
Very nice tribute, but I do have to quibble with your recollection of one thing. While there was no internet back then, there were a handful of prominent recruiting analysts as you know. Tom Lemming was probably the best known. I still have my 1992 Athlon preview magazine. Here are Lemming's recruit rankings from that class. He had Salaam as the #17 overall recruit. I would think that everyone was after him even though he played 8-man football.

(We had the #3 class with Greg Jones at #20 overall, Chris Naole at #44, Koy Detmer at #92, and Thad Swazer at #94. Nathan Campbell, Heath Irwin, Kyle Smith, Matt Russell and Maurice Henriques were also in Lemming's top 300.)

O2kzR8J.jpg


Iy0eXMx.jpg


Pu4fuSo.jpg


lLBayTr.jpg

z3VcP5X.jpg


HgApca1.jpg
Click to expand...
Nostalgia! I miss those magazines.
 
Hagan is a CU legend. There's no doubt about that. However, I don't see anyone here saying he should not be at CU at all. He's shown he can't be a top tier running backs coach at the power 5 level. That's fine. He has shown he can be elite as a college option QB. Most people aren't elite at everything they try. I don't think it's rude or disrespectful to say he should have a non-coaching job in the AD where they can probably pay him a similar amount and also give him a less stressful/less time-consuming job.
 
Tatanka™ said:
Very nice tribute, but I do have to quibble with your recollection of one thing. While there was no internet back then, there were a handful of prominent recruiting analysts as you know. Tom Lemming was probably the best known. I still have my 1992 Athlon preview magazine. Here are Lemming's recruit rankings from that class. He had Salaam as the #17 overall recruit. I would think that everyone was after him even though he played 8-man football.

(We had the #3 class with Greg Jones at #20 overall, Chris Naole at #44, Koy Detmer at #92, and Thad Swazer at #94. Nathan Campbell, Heath Irwin, Kyle Smith, Matt Russell and Maurice Henriques were also in Lemming's top 300.)

O2kzR8J.jpg


Iy0eXMx.jpg


Pu4fuSo.jpg


lLBayTr.jpg

z3VcP5X.jpg


HgApca1.jpg
Click to expand...

If I recall correctly, wasn't RS committed to another school and then switched for some reason?
 
I had the privilege of witnessing, in person every home game of the '94 season including his 65 yard run to put him over 2,000. The single greatest sports moment I have seen.( I was at 62-36)

RS and the Buffs were a big part of my childhood growing up. I was devastated when RS passed. I only wish he was here to except this honor.
 
Pbuffdiddy said:
I had the privilege of witnessing, in person every home game of the '94 season including his 65 yard run to put him over 2,000. The single greatest sports moment I have seen.( I was at 62-36)

RS and the Buffs were a big part of my childhood growing up. I was devastated when RS passed. I only wish he was here to except this honor.
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Even though it was pretty much a guaranteed win and nothing was fully on the line that day bowl/NC wise, that game will be in my memory forever.

Marched the colors on the field that day as Color Guard OIC for the national anthem, and then had the anticipation of RS going over 2000 yds, which most media thought would cement the Heisman.

Get back in the stands after changing out of uniform as fast as i ever have and on his 2nd/3rd run, he breaks that 64-yarder around the right side and in the end zone to start the shellacking of the 'Clones.

Glorious day full of celebration and then listening to Zim on 850KOA while post-gaming on the top deck of the E-Center garage (wasnt in the normal Franklin spot due to snow earlier in the week) and McCartney comes on...
 
I was at that game as well. Electric when he broke that run. Was staying in the stands (section 109) celebrating for quite a while after the game. Fans that had stormed the field started carrying one of the goal posts up to the top of the south end zone stands. It looked like they might toss the goal posts over the south side. PA announcer came on and told them not to do something stupid (or such). Those carrying the goal posts reacted with a body language "oh, OK", then carried the post back down. Then got back in the car and heard the news on KOA about Coach Mac. Crazy day
I also remember Salaam being a Parade All American coming out of HS back then - Parade was a magazine insert in the Sunday paper (yes, before internet days) and published a list of around 50 top HS players every year.
 
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BuffsNYC said:
If I recall correctly, wasn't RS committed to another school and then switched for some reason?
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Hmmm. It’s possible, but I don’t recall that and I used to listen to John Riegal’s weekend sports talk show almost every week. He was a local guy who was a recruiting expert.
 
Agent Dave Kujan said:
That is so cool!!

Look at #3. I wish we would have taken him instead of #92.

Can you imagine Tommy Frazier and Rahsaan Salaam in the same backfield?
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Tommy Frazier was going to be a Buff until Coach Mac decided to dump the I-Bone offense. The entire history of ‘90s college football would have been different. It would have been very interesting to see Kordell and TF battle for QB1 in that offense.
 
85alum said:
I was at that game as well. Electric when he broke that run. Was staying in the stands (section 109) celebrating for quite a while after the game. Fans that had stormed the field started carrying one of the goal posts up to the top of the south end zone stands. It looked like they might toss the goal posts over the south side. PA announcer came on and told them not to do something stupid (or such). Those carrying the goal posts reacted with a body language "oh, OK", then carried the post back down. Then got back in the car and heard the news on KOA about Coach Mac. Crazy day
I also remember Salaam being a Parade All American coming out of HS back then - Parade was a magazine insert in the Sunday paper (yes, before internet days) and published a list of around 50 top HS players every year.
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I totally forgot about the goal post incident! 😂
 
Tatanka™ said:
Tommy Frazier was going to be a Buff until Coach Mac decided to dump the I-Bone offense. The entire history of ‘90s college football would have been different. It would have been very interesting to see Kordell and TF battle for QB1 in that offense.
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I know it. There is no telling how good we would have been.
Coach Mac never beat Tommy Frazier’s Nub teams
 
85alum said:
I was at that game as well. Electric when he broke that run. Was staying in the stands (section 109) celebrating for quite a while after the game. Fans that had stormed the field started carrying one of the goal posts up to the top of the south end zone stands. It looked like they might toss the goal posts over the south side. PA announcer came on and told them not to do something stupid (or such). Those carrying the goal posts reacted with a body language "oh, OK", then carried the post back down. Then got back in the car and heard the news on KOA about Coach Mac. Crazy day
I also remember Salaam being a Parade All American coming out of HS back then - Parade was a magazine insert in the Sunday paper (yes, before internet days) and published a list of around 50 top HS players every year.
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Found the Parade list.

Dec 22, 1991, page 169 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from St. Louis Post-Dispatch dated Dec 22, 1991, page 169.
www.newspapers.com www.newspapers.com

9660ED55-1DC5-4F86-8766-1094996F9252.jpeg
 
66BUFF said:
Never saw Barry Sanders when he was at Okie state?
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Never saw Barry in person. Had an uncle who coached HS in Oklahoma and Texas (and is in the OK High School Coaches Hall of Fame).....raved about Sanders as a HS player...."gonna be really good".

lists above.....Rockie Todd Helton at #60 and Luke Fickell in one of the TE lists, FWIW.
 
Mick Ronson said:
Never saw Barry in person. Had an uncle who coached HS in Oklahoma and Texas (and is in the OK High School Coaches Hall of Fame).....raved about Sanders as a HS player...."gonna be really good".

lists above.....Rockie Todd Helton at #60 and Luke Fickell in one of the TE lists, FWIW.
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Saw him in Boulder in 1988. Saw Sims in Boulder in 1978.
 
85alum said:
I was at that game as well. Electric when he broke that run. Was staying in the stands (section 109) celebrating for quite a while after the game. Fans that had stormed the field started carrying one of the goal posts up to the top of the south end zone stands. It looked like they might toss the goal posts over the south side. PA announcer came on and told them not to do something stupid (or such). Those carrying the goal posts reacted with a body language "oh, OK", then carried the post back down. Then got back in the car and heard the news on KOA about Coach Mac. Crazy day
I also remember Salaam being a Parade All American coming out of HS back then - Parade was a magazine insert in the Sunday paper (yes, before internet days) and published a list of around 50 top HS players every year.
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I was one of the aforementioned knuckleheads carrying the goal post. "Please don't throw the goal post out of the stadium".
 
Tamarick Vanover .... FSU guy and NFL.... prob knows COACH PRIME!
 
I am still so happy and CAN'T BELIEVE WE HAVE COACH PRIME!!!!!!

I CAN'T believe that he was my second choice. Coach Prime converted me once I saw him speak at his presser. We will be relevant the next time we play.
 
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