Ultimate Buffalo Tournament: Rashaan Salaam vs. Chauncey Billups

The case for Rashaan Salaam

Well, this tournament has been very fun to write about up to this point. But now, I’m forced to choose between Chauncey Billups and Rashaan Salaam and stake my case for one. Which means I’m actively rooting against the other. So, because the editor said I couldn’t recuse myself, here we are. And I believe that Rashaan Salaam should advance to the championship.

Number one, he has the most impressive hardware in the entire history of CU athletics. No other player has won a Heisman or equivalent player of the award in football or basketball. Salaam stands alone atop the mountain. His 1994 season is quite possibly the greatest statistical season of any CU football or basketball player. His 2,000 yard threshold had only been broken four times in the history of college football, which means that Salaam’s name is permanently etched next to Barry Sanders, Tony Dorsett, and Marcus Allen. That season, he was utterly dominant. 1994 was a great year for the Buffs, and truly a great year for Salaam.

He also had a very successful career in whole. Despite only playing three years, he had 33 touchdowns and over 3,000 yards. They only lost 6 games in his three years at Colorado, with his last year being the best year. In short, during his career at Colorado, his highest point in his career was the highest of any CU athlete, and his career is more successful than Billups’, for himself and the team.

-Jack Barsch

The case for Chauncey Billups

I don’t even know if it’s possible to argue against Rashaan Salaam, but because the editor owns my soul through the fine print in my contract, I’m required to formulate some kind of argument against Colorado’s only Heisman winner.

Luckily for me (and luckily for us all), Chauncey Billups is a fucking superhero. Never before has a Buffalo dominated on the hardware like him. Considering players of his quality don’t exactly grow on Aspen trees, he’s likely the best we’ll ever see in Boulder.

Billups only payed two seasons at Colorado before declaring for the NBA Draft — where he was selected third overall, the best ever for a CU player — and enjoying a borderline Hall of Fame career. In those two seasons in Boulder, Billups averaged 18.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists, all while being Colorado’s only conceivable offensive option. He was also one of the premier perimeters defenders, because why not.

Chauncey played his final game at CU a week before I was born, so I never got to see him play, but I do know his impact on Colorado basketball. He was the first (and only) basketball megastar from the state and in choosing to play for the Buffs, he helped legitimize CU basketball. There’s certainly a reason his No. 4 is in the rafters, his image is plastered in the Coors Events Center opposite the 2012 Pac-12 Champions, and why he’s won every matchup of this tournament with at least 90% of the vote.

Chauncey Billups is the GOAT of Colorado basketball, unequivocally. In my opinion, he’s also the GOAT of all of Colorado athletics. Vote for Billups if you agree he’s the GOAT, or vote for him if you like basketball more than football.

-Sam Metivier