POMONA, Calif. -- Some teammates warmly remembered Rashidi
Wheeler as the kind of prankster who'd never make you mad. His
coach recalled him as a hero.
In a 3½-hour memorial service Monday at First Baptist Church,
about 350 family members, friends and teammates paid tribute to the
former Northwestern football player with songs, flowers,
photographs, funny stories and poetry he wrote.
Afterward, Wheeler was buried at Forest Lawn Covina Hills.
The 22-year-old safety, a chronic asthmatic, died Aug. 3 after
collapsing during practice.
"Even when things were hard he was always the one with the
smile on his face," said Northwestern teammate Billy Silva.
Another teammate said that although he was a bit of a trickster
-- Wheeler had earned the nickname "Bogusman" -- his upbeat
attitude won everyone over.
Kevin Bentley said Wheeler once kicked him out of his dorm room
and made him go to an ATM at 10 p.m. to pay him back $2. But,
Bentley said, "he had that big Kool-Aid smile, so you can't get
mad at him."
Northwestern coach Randy Walker said simply: "Rashidi was my
hero."
Although the senior struggled early in his college career,
Walker recalled, he worked hard every day, earning a starting
position in all 12 of the Wildcats games last year.
"He learned early and successfully in life that to be
successful, he had to get a little better every day."
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who also spoke at the memorial,
suggested Wheeler's death could bring changes to college football
that will save lives for years to come.
"He's going to save thousands of young athletes," said
Jackson, who is helping Wheeler's family conduct an investigation
into his death. He added that a legal team including former O.J.
Simpson attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr. will represent the family.
"People are asking questions about pre-practice practices
because of Rashidi, they're asking about unauthorized practices
because of Rashidi, they're asking about Ultimate Orange because of
Rashidi," Jackson said.
Although a medical examiner ruled in a preliminary report that
the cause of death was bronchial asthma, it is still under
investigation. Northwestern is also investigating reports that
Wheeler and some of his teammates may have taken a popular dietary
supplement called Ultimate Orange to increase their strength.
The substance, popular with athletes, contains ephedrine, which
is banned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
A toxicology report, which will test for ephedrine, will not be
completed for several weeks.
Wheeler's family said it wants to ensure the university focuses
on the chaotic atmosphere that was said to ensue after Wheeler and
others collapsed during a grueling summer conditioning drill.
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