He finished second in 2011 and 2012 in the Xfinity

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.org Jay Novacek Jersey . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. 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SPARTA, Ky. -- Elliott Sadler took the lead with four laps remaining and held off Daniel Suarez by 0.246 seconds to win the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series Chase race Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway.Sadler pushed his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevy Camaro from 15th with 50 laps remaining for his third series victory this season and the first spot in the eight-driver second round that begins at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 15.Sadler previously competed in the inaugural Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2004, finishing ninth.He finished second in 2011 and 2012 in the Xfinity Series. Sadler is seeking his first title. He has 13 career series wins.We fought through a lot tonight, Sadler said. We had a 10th- or 15th-place car, at best. We decided to come in, really take our time and work on it. We had good calls by [crew chief] Kevin [Meendering] and the guys to get us in position.This team has no quit in it; we just fight to the end. This is a great way to start the Chase.Sadler dedicated his victory to his mother, nicknamed Mama Belle, who is battling an illness and has undergone two surgeries this week.Suarez struggled with a tight condition all night but was best at the end of the race.Right at the end, we were pretty good, maybe just a little tigght, but we were strong, Saurez said.dddddddddddd I feel like we were the fastest car out there at the end. I just needed one or two laps more to get the win.Ryan Blaney was third, followed by Sam Hornish Jr.?and Matt Tifft.Erik Jones, who entered the race with the championship lead, was denied a series win at Kentucky for the second time this season, despite leading the 300-mile event five times for 100 laps.Jones chance for victory was derailed with 13 laps remaining, when his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was knocked out of contention after tangling with Ty Dillons No. 3 Chevy at the exit of Turn 4.I just got sucked around, Jones said. I tried to slow down, but Ty was holding me down there pretty tight on the restart, slamming doors through 1 and 2. It was my fault, but its a pretty tough aero situation to be in.I just couldnt hang on to it. I tried to slow down, but he kept slamming down on my door, and I did all I could to hang on to it. It definitely looks like were going to have to run really well at Dover and Charlotte or even win.Jones finished 28th, one spot behind fellow Chase contender Dillon. ' ' '