Colorado University Athletics
Salaam Voted Into Colorado Sports Hall Of Fame
October 10, 2017 | Football, Alumni C Club, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Rashaan Salaam, Colorado's 1994 Heisman Trophy winner and the only Heisman winner ever from a Colorado school, has been voted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.
The announcement was made Tuesday.
Salaam, who died Dec. 5, 2016, at the age of 42, will be joined in the latest class by former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, as well as Joe Glenn, Sam Pagano, Tracy Hill and the late Alex Burl. The group, along with the 2017 Athletes of the Year (to be selected in January 2018) will be officially inducted at an April 18, 2018, banquet in Denver.
Salaam is considered to be among the most dominant running backs ever in CU's history. As a junior, he led Bill McCartney's 1994 Buffaloes to one of the best seasons in CU history, an 11-1 finish that included a 41-24 win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl and a No. 3 ranking in the final polls — still the second-best finish ever by a CU team.
Salaam was a runaway winner in the 1994 Heisman voting after rushing for 2,055 yards to become just the fourth player in college football history at the time to surpass the 2,000-yard mark. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry that season and had 10 100-yard-plus rushing games.
Salaam won the Heisman by 248 votes and 842 points and was also a landslide winner in the voting for the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation's top running back. He also became the fifth player in CU history to earn unanimous All-America honors.
Salaam's final season at CU produced a long list of records. He set the school scoring mark that season with 24 touchdowns and 144 total points; had nine consecutive 100-yard games, including a pair of 200-plus games; and his 317-yard effort in a 34-31 win over Texas is still the second-highest single-game total in CU history. Salaam also had 45 yards receiving in the game, giving him a CU-record 362 yards from scrimmage.
Salaam announced his decision to turn pro after CU's Fiesta Bowl win and he became a first-round draft choice of the Chicago Bears (21st overall). He played three seasons for the Bears, winning NFC Rookie of the Year honors in 1995, when he ran for 1,074 yards and 10 touchdowns.
He finished with career numbers of 1,682 yards rushing, 120 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns for the Bears. He also played briefly with Cleveland and Green Bay in 1999, but was hampered by knee and ankle injuries for much of his pro career.
Salaam was inducted into CU's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012 and was on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame for the first time in 2014.
His No. 19 will be officially retired at the Oct. 28 Homecoming game against Cal.
Other inductees in the next class will include:
Peyton Manning, who joined the Broncos as a free agent on March 20, 2012, after spending the first 14 years of his professional career with the Indianapolis Colts. Manning is the only five-time Most Valuable Player in NFL history and he finished his career as the NFL's all-time record holder in career touchdown passes (539) and passing yards (71,940). He is the only quarterback in league history to lead two teams to a Super Bowl victory. He quarterbacked the Broncos to a win in Super Bowl 50 to end the 2015 season after earning his first world championship with the Colts in Super Bowl XLI following the 2006 season. During his four years in Denver, Manning helped the Broncos to the most wins (55) and highest winning percentage (.764) of any team in the NFL while becoming the first quarterback in team history to be part of four consecutive AFC West titles.
Joe Glenn was the head football coach at the University of Northern Colorado for 11 seasons beginning in 1989, with the Bears winning two NCAA Division II national titles during that span -- in 1996 and '97. Over his career at UNC, Glenn compiled a 98-35 record and won four Northern Central Conference titles. Glenn also has been a head coach at Doane College in Nebraska, where he took over at age 27 (1976-79); Montana (2000-02); Wyoming (2003-08); and at his alma mater, the University of South Dakota (2012-15). In addition to his two DII national titles at UNC, Glenn claimed a Division I-A national championship at Montana in 2001.
Sam Pagano was successful as a football coach at both the high school and professional levels, and also ran a very highly regarded football camp in Colorado. The Pueblo product, who was inducted into that city's Sports Hall of Fame in 1978, coached Fairview High School in Boulder for 26 years, starting in 1969. There, he led the Knights to three state high school titles in a decade as they prevailed in 1978, '79 and '87. Overall, Fairview went 164-58-4 with Pagano at the helm. After leaving the high school ranks, Pagano coached in Europe, specifically in Bergamo, Italy; Berlin and Paris. His Bergamo squad won the Euro Bowl in 2002, finishing the season 16-0. Pagano's son Chuck currently serves as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, while son John is the assistant head coach-defense with the Oakland Raiders.
Tracy Hill remains the most prolific scorer in the history of Colorado girls high school basketball as she racked up 2,934 points while at Ridgway High School in southwest Colorado from 1980 to '83. Hill averaged 44.6 points per game as a senior, 38.7 as a junior, 33.4 as a sophomore and 15.4 as a freshman. Following her senior season, she was named the state's player of the year and the Colorado Sportswoman of the Year. In 1983, she also earned the Fred Steinmark Award, given to one senior boy and girl each year for outstanding achievement in sports, school and the community. When Hill finished her career at Ridgway, she held 21 state high school records. She also lettered four years in volleyball and was a three-time state qualifier in track. In college, Hill played at Missouri, Central Wyoming and Montana State, receiving All-American honors at Central Wyoming. She competed professionally in Australia and was named Tasmanian Player of the Year in 1993. Hill has been inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame (2012) and the CHSAA Hall of Fame (1993).
Alex Burl, nicknamed "Bullet," was a standout as both a sprinter and a football player, and served as a trailblazer in several respects. Burl won the state 100-yard dash title in 10.0 seconds in 1949 while at Denver's Manual High School. He went on to compete in football and track at Colorado A&M (now Colorado State University) from 1951-54. At CSU, Burl won Skyline Conference titles in the 100- and 220-yard dashes and qualified for the 1952 Olympic Trials in the 100. That year, he placed fifth in the NCAA 100, becoming the first African-American to earn All-America honors. Burl was also the first African-American to compete in any NCAA championship event for Colorado A&M. In 1954, he placed third in the NCAA 100. Burl won the Nye Award, given to the outstanding student-athlete at Colorado A&M, in 1954. He also claimed the Rocky Mountain AAU 100 title three times. In 1956 while in the Army, Burl would run a career-best 9.3 100-yard dash. Burl also played running back and defensive back at Colorado A&M, starting for three years. He was picked for the College All-Star Game, which pitted the nation's top seniors against the NFL champions. Burl spent one season in the NFL, with the Chicago Cardinals, becoming the first black player from a Colorado college or university to compete in the NFL. After his competitive days were over, Burl coached football and track at Manual and Denver West. Burl has been inducted into the CHSAA Hall of Fame (1999) and the CSU Athletic Hall of Fame (2000). Grandsons Cameron and Davis played football at CSU. Burl died in 2009 at age 78.
Tickets for the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Banquet are $200 each and Sponsor tables start at $2,500. For additional ticket and table information, please phone the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (720-258-3535). The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame & Museum is located at Gate 1 on the west side of Sports Authority Field at Mile High at 1701 Bryant Street in Denver.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
