Sam Cunningham
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[edit] Biography
Sam Cunningham is a retired NFL fullback who played for the New England Patriots during the 1970s.
[edit] College career
He was a USC All-American fullback in the 1970's who convinced (through his play) Bear Bryant to integrate Southern football after USC soundly beat University of Alabama 42-21 on September 12, 1970 in a primetime matchup. Bear Bryant allegedly brought Cunningham into the all-white Alabama locker room after the game and said "This is what a football player looks like." The story has been well researched, however, and does not seem to be true. Cunningham himself has even stated publicly that he has no recollection of the event and that he only heard about the story second-hand. Even so, his performance in the game was incredible and it cannot be denied that his dominance against Alabama was an important moment. Jerry Claiborne, a Bryant assistant, said, "Sam Cunningham did more to integrate Alabama in 60 minutes than Martin Luther King did in 20 years."
[edit] Professional career
In only his second year 1974, he gained 811 yards and 9 touchdowns as he led the New England Patriots to a surprising 4-0 start before faltering to a 7-7 finish. In 1977 he gained a career high 1,015 yards and scored 4 touchdowns, and also caught 42 receptions for 370 yards and a touchdown. He played his entire career (1973 through 1982) with the Patriots and was a 1978 Pro Bowl selection.
Cunningham finished his career with 5,453 rushing yards, 210 receptions for 1,905 yards, and 49 touchdowns.
[edit] Personal
He was known as "Bam" because of his running style, and is the older brother of NFL star quarterback Randall Cunningham. Cunningham is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Most people believe that 1977 was Sam Cunningham's best year, as he ran for 1015 yards, ran in 4 TDs and hauled in 42 receptions.
[edit] Scouting Report
[edit] Statistics
[edit] Rushing Stats
| year | team | league | games | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | NWE | NFL | 14 | 155 | 516 | 3.3 | 4 | 25 |
| 1974 | NWE | NFL | 10 | 166 | 811 | 4.9 | 9 | 75t |
| 1975 | NWE | NFL | 13 | 169 | 666 | 3.9 | 6 | 17 |
| 1976 | NWE | NFL | 11 | 172 | 824 | 4.8 | 3 | 24 |
| 1977 | NWE | NFL | 14 | 270 | 1015 | 3.8 | 4 | 31t |
| 1978 | NWE | NFL | 16 | 199 | 768 | 3.9 | 8 | 52t |
| 1979 | NWE | NFL | 12 | 159 | 563 | 3.5 | 5 | 27 |
| 1981 | NWE | NFL | 11 | 86 | 269 | 3.1 | 4 | 12 |
| 1982 | NWE | NFL | 5 | 9 | 21 | 2.3 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 year NFL career | 106 | 1385 | 5453 | 3.9 | 43 | 0 | ||
[edit] Receiving Stats
| year | team | league | games | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | NWE | NFL | 14 | 15 | 144 | 9.6 | 1 | 34t |
| 1974 | NWE | NFL | 10 | 22 | 214 | 9.7 | 2 | 37 |
| 1975 | NWE | NFL | 13 | 32 | 253 | 7.9 | 2 | 24 |
| 1976 | NWE | NFL | 11 | 27 | 299 | 11.1 | 0 | 41 |
| 1977 | NWE | NFL | 14 | 42 | 370 | 8.8 | 1 | 35 |
| 1978 | NWE | NFL | 16 | 31 | 297 | 9.6 | 0 | 31 |
| 1979 | NWE | NFL | 12 | 29 | 236 | 8.1 | 0 | 20 |
| 1981 | NWE | NFL | 11 | 12 | 92 | 7.7 | 0 | 12 |
| 1982 | NWE | NFL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 year NFL career | 106 | 210 | 1905 | 9.1 | 6 | 0 | ||
[edit] Fumble Recovery Stats
| year | team | league | games | TOT | OWR | OPR | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | NWE | NFL | 14 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | NWE | NFL | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | NWE | NFL | 13 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | NWE | NFL | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | NWE | NFL | 14 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978 | NWE | NFL | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | NWE | NFL | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | NWE | NFL | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | NWE | NFL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 year NFL career | 106 | 49 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
