CU Buffs’ Rashaan Salaam, former Broncos CB Champ Bailey headline College Football Hall of Fame class

INDIANAPOLIS — Late Heisman Trophy victor Rashaan Salaam of Colorado and two-time Heisman runner-up Andrew Luck of Stanford header a database of 21 erstwhile players and coaches successful this year’s College Football Hall of Fame class.

The National Football Foundation announced the caller inductees Monday. The ceremonial is scheduled for Dec. 6.

Salaam starred astatine Colorado and won assemblage football’s astir prestigious grant successful 1994 aft rushing for a school-record 2,055 yards and 24 touchdowns. He played six NFL seasons and finished with 1,625 yards and 13 scores.

He died Dec. 5, 2016, successful what was ruled a suicide. He was 42.

Salaam’s decease enactment a absorption connected intelligence health, a connection that inactive reverberates today.

“Rashaan near 5 years ago, and it is inactive hard to woody with,” his mother, Khalada Salaam-Alaji, said successful a statement. “I privation Rashaan was inactive present truthful that helium could usage this fantastic designation to enactment intelligence and carnal wellness issues. His going into the College Hall of Fame is simply a bully thing, but determination is truthful overmuch superior societal enactment that has to beryllium done connected this broadside for our children and this planet. If Rashaan was here, I deliberation helium would bask this grant and solemnisation of him being inducted into the National Football College Football of Fame.”

Luck finished 2nd successful the Heisman voting 2010 and 2011 earlier the Indianapolis Colts selected him with the No. 1 wide prime successful the 2012 draft. Luck and Chuck Ealey of Toledo are the lone quarterbacks successful this year’s class.

They volition beryllium joined by Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington, who won the Butkus and Bednarik awards successful 1999, and Georgia antiaircraft backmost Champ Bailey, who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame successful 2019.

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Cornerback Champ Bailey (4) of the Georgia Bulldogs successful enactment during the crippled against the Florida Gators connected Oct. 31, 1998 astatine the Alltell Stadium successful Jacksonville, Fla. The Gators defeated the Bulldogs 38-7.

There besides was a dense accent connected violative and antiaircraft linemen. Alabama halfway Sylvester Croom, who aboriginal became the Southeastern Conference’s archetypal Black caput shot coach, led the list.

Illinois antiaircraft tackle Moe Gardner, Illinois State linebacker Boomer Grigsby, Michigan antiaircraft tackle Mark Messner, Alcorn State halfway Dennis Thomas and Nebraska violative lineman Zach Wiegert besides were selected for induction.

Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree, Ohio State information Mike Doss, LSU moving backmost Kevin Faulk, Oregon State receiver Mike Hass, Florida State linebacker Marvin Jones, Oklahoma State moving backmost Terry Miller, and Oklahoma antiaircraft backmost Roy Williams circular retired the database of players.

Three coaches — John Luckhardt of Washington & Jefferson (Pennsylvania), Billy Jack Murphy of Memphis and Gary Pinkel, who coached astatine Toledo and Missouri — besides volition beryllium honored successful December.

Salaam’s enactment volition specify this Hall of Fame class.

“The archetypal happening that ever comes to caput erstwhile reasoning of Rashaan is that helium was a implicit player,” erstwhile Colorado manager Bill McCartney said. “Thorough and fast, competitory tone disconnected the charts. He could tally inside, helium could tally outside, helium could drawback the ball, helium could artifact with the champion of them. When we recruited him, we knew that passim the process that if we could get him, we would get a diamond – idiosyncratic truly special.”