Hall of Fame
Position: Fullback
Years: 1970-1972
Place of Birth: Santa Barbara, CA
Date of Birth: Aug 15, 1950]
Place of Death: Inglewood, CA
Date of Death: Sept. 7, 2021
Jersey Number: 39
Height: 6-3
Weight: 212
High School: Santa Barbara HS (Santa Barbara, CA)
Sam Cunningham earned the nickname "Bam" for his bruising goal line dives throughout his career with the Trojans. During his three years at USC, the Trojans posted a 24-8-2 record while he became the university's greatest rushing fullback with 1,579 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Playing for College Football Hall of Fame coach John McKay, Cunningham rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries against Alabama as a rookie in his first game. His performance that day in 1970 against the Crimson Tide is credited for inspiring College Football Hall of Fame coach Paul "Bear" Bryant to integrate southern college football.
A member of the Trojans' 1972 national championship team, Cunningham was named the player of the game after scoring four touchdowns in the 1973 Rose Bowl against Ohio State – a modern-era Rose Bowl record. He was the team's Back of the Year and a team captain of that 1972 squad that many feel is among the greatest college teams of all-time and also featured Hall of Famers Anthony Davis, Lynn Swann, Richard Wood and Charles Young.
A 1972 First Team All-American, Cunningham played in the 1973 Hula Bowl, College All-Star Game and Coaches All-America Game. The Santa Barbara, California, native was inducted into the USC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1992.
Drafted 11th overall in the 1973 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, he played all nine seasons of his pro career with the franchise. He was named to the AFC Pro Bowl team in 1978, and he is a member of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.
Following his football career, Cunningham was active in raising money for cancer and worked as a landscape contractor in Inglewood, California.
When his brother Randall Cunningham (UNLV) was inducted in 2016, they became the eighth set of brothers to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
