American football player (1972–2019)
American football player
Anthony "T. J." Cunningham Jr. (October 24, 1972 – February 18, 2019) was a safety in the National Football League (NFL), playing for the Seattle Seahawks in 1996. Cunningham decided to retire after only one season. He played college football for Colorado .
Early life and education
Cunningham was born in Aurora, Colorado . He graduated from Overland High School .[1]
After his star football career in high school, Cunningham attended college at the University of Colorado Boulder , playing football there as well.
Career
Athletic career
Cunningham was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round (209th overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft .[2] [3] That year, Cunningham played in nine games before injuring his knee against the Oakland Raiders . He was released on August 25, 1997 after being placed on the physically unable to perform list a week prior.[4] [5]
After his playing career, Cunningham returned to his hometown and worked at William C. Hinkley High School , part of Aurora Public Schools , as its assistant principal.[6]
Death
On February 17, 2019, Cunningham was shot at Eaglecrest High School in Arapahoe County by a neighbor following an ongoing dispute over a parking space.[6] He had met with the suspect, Marcus Johnson, at the parking lot to "box it out", when Johnson shot him three times.[7] He died the following day as a result of his injuries.[8] Johnson is being charged with first-degree murder.[9]
References
^ "T.J. Cunningham" . databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2012 .
^ "1996 NFL Draft Listing" . Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved March 30, 2023 .
^ "T.J. Cunningham" . Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 21, 2012 .
^ Cour, Jim (August 19, 1997). "Seahawks cut 6, put 6 on injured lists" . Albany Democrat-Herald . Associated Press . Retrieved February 18, 2019 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Injured ex-Seahawk must wait" . Albany Democrat-Herald . Associated Press. August 25, 1997. Retrieved February 18, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ a b "Former Colorado football player T.J. Cunningham fatally shot in dispute" . USA Today . Associated Press. February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019 .
^ Hickey, Chuck (February 19, 2019). "Affidavit: T.J. Cunningham went to 'box it out' with neighbor before shooting" . KDVR . Retrieved February 19, 2019 .
^ Snowdon, Quincy; Writer, Staff (August 13, 2019). "Man accused of murdering Hinkley High assistant principal pleads not guilty | Sentinel Colorado" . Retrieved August 13, 2019 .
^ " "He brought a gun to a fistfight": Prosecutors detail how long-running neighbor dispute ended in T.J. Cunningham's death" . May 24, 2019.
External links