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.orgCheap Hydro Flask .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. 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Now that Manny Pacquiao plans to do what we all figured he would do eventually -- come out of a brief retirement -- the question is: Who should the all-time great fight?Although he is 37, Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs) looked superb in his last outing, a unanimous decision against Timothy Bradley Jr. in their entirely unnecessary third meeting on April 9. Top Rank chairman Bob Arum admittedly lost a ton of money on the fight (perhaps upwards of $10 million) because very few wanted to see it for a third time; it tanked on HBO PPV relative to what it cost to put on.According to Arum and Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz, boxings only eight-division titleholder will make his likely comeback on Oct. 29 or Nov. 5 (HBO PPV) in Las Vegas as he juggles boxing and his duties as a newly elected senator in the Philippines. There are several potential opponents, several of which would be interesting, especially since Arum insists he and longtime enemy Al Haymon are willing to make fights together in the wake of the recent settlement of the $100 million lawsuit Arum brought against him last year.Before I get to my wish list of Pacquiao opponents, a few things:Arum better not make a fourth fight with Bradley or he might have to fight me on the undercard!OK, I know he wont do that because I am quite certain he is not in the mood to lose another fortune.I am ruling out a fifth fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, who has said repeatedly he is not interested and he also might wind up facing Miguel Cotto this fall anyway.I am also not including Floyd Mayweather because even if a rematch of the richest fight in history happens someday, there is virtually zero chance it will be this year.So heres my Pacman wish list for this falls probable fight:1. Keith Thurman (27-0, 22 KOs): This would be a great fight and a serious challenge for Pacquiao. Thurman is young, powerful and filled with confidence after his rousing fight of the year contender, a decision win to retain his welterweight belt against Shawn Porter on June 25. Thurmans profile, while not huge yet, is as big as it has ever been after the Porter fight brought in a good audience on CBS in prime time. This is a fight that would require Arum and Haymon to work together, but Arum says its possible. If so, this match would be an outstanding place to start. I love this fight.2. Terence Crawford (28-0, 20 KOs): Crawford, a junior welterweight titleholder, was one of the finalists to land the April fight with Pacquiao that went to Bradleey.dddddddddddd Crawford is skilled, tenacious and an underrated puncher. I think this would be a fascinating fight and one that perhaps could signal a changing of the guard within Top Rank from its old star Pacquiao to its young one in Crawford. Arum mentioned to me that if he did make this fight, its possible that Pacquiao would drop from welterweight to junior welterweight to challenge for Crawfords title. Of course, for there to be a prayer of this happening, Crawford will have to defeat Viktor Postol in their unification fight on July 23 (HBO PPV) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.3. Danny Garcia (32-0, 18 KOs): He could use a big-name opponent, for a change, and this would fit the bill. Garcia won a vacant welterweight belt in January, so Pacquiao would have a chance for yet another title. More important, I think this would be a terrific fight stylistically. Garcia would be the big underdog but he has been an underdog many times yet always has found a way to win. This is another fight that would require Arum and Haymon to work together.4. Adrien Broner (32-2, 24 KOs): This was the fight Arum said he and Haymon were working on until Broner, a former four-division titlist, priced himself out of the fight. Im told Broner was seeking at least $6 million, so Arum ended the talks. Broner then lashed out at Arum on social media with a few choice words we cant print on this website. However, perhaps Broner will come to his senses and they can work out the money. Love him or hate him, Broner would bring spice to a promotion as the villain in this fight. In the ring, it could also be a fun one.5. Jessie Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs): Vargas was supposed to face Kell Brook in a welterweight title unification fight in September, but the deal fell apart. Brook will instead move up to challenge middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin, and Vargas was left out in the cold. But Arum said he would find something for his young titleholder, who fought the best fight of his life on March 5 when he knocked out Sadam Ali in the ninth round to claim a vacant belt. A Pacquiao fight might just fit the bill. Vargas does not have the public profile of the others but he is a good fighter and could make things interesting. That said, I think this fight on pay-per-view would be a commercial disaster and I dont think Arum has the stomach for another big money loser. ' ' '