He was a jewel in one of the greatest offenses in Bears history, and he could fly.
I was at Rashaan Salaam’s first game as a Chicago Bear. Soldier Field was electric. We carried the momentum of our postseason upset over the Minnesota Vikings the year before by pasting the Vikes again, 31-14. The rookie Salaam gained 47 yards on just 10 carries. He scored his first NFL touchdown.
By the time of that Vikings game, Salaam — who was found dead Monday night — was even more important than we thought he would be.