Sam Cunningham

Rushing yards:	5,453
Rushing average:	3.9
Rushing touchdowns:	43
Receptions:	210
Receiving yards:	1,905
Receiving touchdowns:	6

Sam Cunningham
	Cunningham at his 2010 induction to the Patriots Hall of Fame
No. 39
Position:	Fullback
Personal information
Born:	August 15, 1950; Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Died:	September 7, 2021 (aged 71); Inglewood, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	226 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school:	Santa Barbara
College:	USC
NFL draft:	1973 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11
Career history
	New England Patriots (1973–1982);
Career highlights and awards
	Pro Bowl (1978); New England Patriots All-1970s Team; New England Patriots 35th Anniversary Team; New England Patriots 50th Anniversary Team; New England Patriots Hall of Fame; National champion (1972); First-team All-American (1972);
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:
Rushing yards:	5,453
Rushing average:	3.9
Rushing touchdowns:	43
Receptions:	210
Receiving yards:	1,905
Receiving touchdowns:	6
	Player stats at PFR
	College Football Hall of Fame

Samuel Lewis Cunningham Jr (August 15, 1950 – September 7, 2021), nicknamed "Bam",^[1] was an American professional football player who was a fullback for 10 seasons with the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL).^[2] He played college football for the USC Trojans, where he earned first-team All-American honors and was the MVP of the 1973 Rose Bowl.

Selected in the first round of the 1973 NFL draft by the Patriots, Cunningham became the franchise's all-time leading rusher. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. The same year, he was also inducted to the Patriots Hall of Fame.

College career

Cunningham was a letterman for University of Southern California's football team from 1970 through 1972 where he played fullback. He was named an All-American in 1972, and was a member of USC's 1972 national championship team. He scored four touchdowns in the 1973 Rose Bowl, which is still the modern-day Rose Bowl record, and was named Player of the Game. He was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1992^[3] and into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

In 1970, he was part of USC's "all-black" backfield – the first one of its kind in Division I (NCAA) history – that included quarterback Jimmy Jones and running back Clarence Davis. He had a notable debut^[4] performance (135 yards, two touchdowns) against an all-white University of Alabama football team, as USC beat Alabama 42–21 in Birmingham on September 12, 1970. His performance in the game was reportedly a factor in convincing the University of Alabama and its fans to let Coach Bear Bryant integrate Southern football. Jerry Claiborne, a former Bryant assistant, said, "Sam Cunningham did more to integrate Alabama in 60 minutes than Martin Luther King Jr. did in 20 years."^[5]^[6]

Professional career

In only his second year 1974, Cunningham gained 811 yards and nine touchdowns as he led the New England Patriots to a surprising 5–0 start before faltering to a 7–7 finish. In 1977, he gained a career-high 1,015 yards and scored four touchdowns, and also caught 42 receptions for 370 yards and a touchdown. He played his entire career (1973–1982) with the Patriots and was a 1978 Pro Bowl selection. Cunningham was an integral part of the 1978 Patriots, who set an NFL record for rushing yards as a team with 3,165. This record stood for more than forty years and was not broken until the 2019 Baltimore Ravens.^[7]

Cunningham finished his career with 5,453 rushing yards, 210 receptions for 1,905 yards, and 49 touchdowns. He was the older brother of former UNLV and NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham and uncle of Randall Cunningham II and world champion high jumper Vashti Cunningham.

Cunningham was the 2010 Inductee to the Patriots Hall of Fame.

NFL career statistics

Legend
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Year	Team	Games		Rushing						Receiving					Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	Y/G	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	FR
1973	NE	14	10	155	516	3.3	36.9	25	4	15	144	9.6	34	1	10	2
1974	NE	10	10	166	811	4.9	81.1	75	9	22	214	9.7	37	2	2	0
1975	NE	13	13	169	666	3.9	51.2	17	6	32	253	7.9	24	2	12	2
1976	NE	11	11	172	824	4.8	74.9	24	3	27	299	11.1	41	0	5	1
1977	NE	14	14	270	1,015	3.8	72.5	31	4	42	370	8.8	35	1	10	2
1978	NE	16	14	199	768	3.9	48.0	52	8	31	297	9.6	31	0	4	0
1979	NE	12	12	159	563	3.5	46.9	27	5	29	236	8.1	20	0	4	0
1980	NE	Missed season due to contract dispute
1981	NE	11	8	86	269	3.1	24.5	12	4	12	92	7.7	12	0	2	0
1982	NE	6	2	9	21	2.3	3.5	4	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Career		107	94	1,385	5,453	3.9	51.0	75	43	210	1,905	9.1	41	6	49	7