Colorado football: All-time top 10 rushing leaders in Buffaloes history
By Josh Yourish
Colorado football career rushing leader No. 5: Rashaan Salaam 1992-1994
- 3,057 rushing yards
- 33 rushing touchdowns
- 6.3 yards per rush
Arriving in 1992, Salaam needed one season to get his feet wet in college football, but in his second year, he quickly cut into the workload of Lamont Warren, who is 13th on this list. In 1993, Salaam ran for 844 yards and 13 touchdowns on 161 attempts. Warren ran for 900 yards and seven touchdowns on 183 carries.
Then in 1994, with Warren gone, Salaam exploded for 2,055 yards on 298 carries, an average of 6.9 yards per carry. He reached the end zone 24 times and also caught 24 passes for 294 yards.
He was first in the country in rushing yards making him a Consensus All-American, the Doak Walker Award winner, and most importantly the Heisman Trophy winner. Colorado went 11-1 that season and finished third in the country following a Fiesta Bowl win.
Salaam was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the Bears and played in the NFL for four seasons. Tragically, Salaam committed suicide in 2016.