 Cunningham at the1999 Pro Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12, 7, 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Positions | Quarterback,punter | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1963-03-27)March 27, 1963 (age 62) Santa Barbara, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Santa Barbara | ||||||||||||||||||
| College | UNLV (1981–1984) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1985: 2nd round, 37th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
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Randall Wade Cunningham Sr. (born March 27, 1963) is an American former professionalfootballquarterback who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with thePhiladelphia Eagles and is also known for hisMinnesota Vikings tenure. A four-timePro Bowl selection, Cunningham is fourth in NFL quarterback rushing yards, which he led at the time of his retirement.
Cunningham playedcollege football for theUNLV Rebels, earning first-teamAll-American honors in 1983 and 1984 as apunter. He was selected in the second round of the1985 NFL draft by the Eagles, where he spent his first 11 seasons. He retired after the 1995 season, but returned a year later to join the Vikings. In 1998, he enjoyed the strongest season of his career and helped the team set the NFL record for the most regular season points scored en route to anNFC Championship Game appearance. Cunningham lost his starting position during the 1999 season due to a performance decline and was released afterwards. In his final two seasons, he held a backup role with theDallas Cowboys andBaltimore Ravens.
Upon retiring a second and final time, Cunningham became an ordainedProtestant minister and served as the team chaplain for theLas Vegas Raiders from 2020 to 2022. He was inducted to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
Cunningham was born inSanta Barbara, California, in 1963. His older brotherSam would also become a future NFL player. He attendedSanta Barbara High School, and was a graduate of the class of 1981.[1] As a senior, he led his team to a League title and the CIF Finals.[2] He also competed intrack and field at SBHS in the high jump; his elder brother Frank was thestate champion in theshot put.[3]
He then went on to attend theUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He was a1983 and1984 College Football All-America Team selection as apunter. In 1984, his senior year, he led theUNLV Rebels to an 11–2 season—however this was adjusted to 0–13 when it was found out several players were ineligible.[4]
Cunningham was the Eagles' second-round pick, and the first quarterback selected in the1985 NFL draft.[5] Cunningham was also sought by theUnited States Football League'sTampa Bay Bandits that same year. Eagles ownerNorman Braman refused to negotiate with Cunningham if he accepted offers from the Bandits. Ultimately, the USFL folded, thus ending that issue. In his rookie season he played sparingly as a backup to veteranRon Jaworski but made a big splash with his uncanny scrambling ability, though he completed just 34 percent of his passes and threw just one touchdown against eight interceptions. In 1986, new head coachBuddy Ryan arrived in Philadelphia and made wholesale changes, many of them unorthodox, mostly due to his defensive-minded philosophy. At the quarterback position, Ryan designated 35-year-old Ron Jaworski the starter but would replace the veteran with the fleet-footed Cunningham in third-and-long situations where the latter's scrambling would presumably put the defense on its heels. After a hand injury to Jaworski in week 10, Cunningham would replace him as the Eagles' starter. Despite his limited service and speed, the Eagles' porous offensive line allowed him to be sacked a franchise record (and NFL record at the time) 72 times that season. Cunningham was permanently handed the Eagles' starting job for the 1987 season. Cunningham was said to have reached "elite" status during the 1988 season, as he was elected by league players as the NFC starting quarterback for the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl (the first black quarterback to ever be elected a starter). That same year, he combined with fellow Eagle Pro BowlerReggie White to lead the Eagles to the NFC Eastern Division Championship. In the 1988 Divisional Playoffs, Cunningham threw 54 passes for 407 yards during the "Fog Bowl" 20–12 loss against theChicago Bears, both of which remain playoff franchise records. He also shares the franchise record with 3 interceptions in that same game.[a] In the subsequent Pro Bowl a few weeks later, Cunningham was named game MVP as the NFC defeated the AFC, 28–3.
In 1989, on October 2 Cunningham also set the regular season franchise record with 62 pass attempts (now shared withNick Foles), also against the Chicago Bears. He had been an all-conference quarterback and punter while atUNLV, and unleashed a 91-yard punt against theGiants on December 3, the longest in Eagles history (and the fourth-longest ever).[6] He had 20 punts during his career, with an average of 44.7 yards per punt.[7]
In a 1990 game against theBuffalo Bills, Cunningham, throwing from his end zone, was about to be sacked byBruce Smith from his blind side. Cunningham ducked and threw a pass 60 yards to wide receiverFred Barnett, resulting in a 95-yard touchdown. That same year, Cunningham finished with 942 rushing yards, the 2nd most ever for a quarterback at the time (just 26 yards short of the all-time record, set byBobby Douglass in 1972) and 10th best in the league. He averaged 8.0 yards per rush, the most ever by an Eagle of any position with 100 attempts on the season, and third most in NFL history.[b]
In 1991, Cunningham's season came to an abrupt end when he was tackled byBryce Paup of theGreen Bay Packers and tore hisanterior cruciate ligament in the first game of the season.[8] He would return to the Eagles completely healed the following season, and led the team to its first playoff victory in 12 years. However, it was evident that the injury he suffered took away much of his speed and athleticism. The 1993 and 1994 seasons would be riddled by a series of nagging injuries and a transition to the West Coast Offense that eventually led to his benching in favor of veteranRodney Peete. Feeling as if the fans and organization did not fully appreciate his contributions to the team's success, as well as being unhappy with his role as a back-up, Cunningham retired from football after the 1995 season.[9]
He left Philadelphia with the third-most rushing yards in Eagles history (4,482), trailing Hall of FamerSteve Van Buren andWilbert Montgomery, but has since fallen to sixth afterDuce Staley,Brian Westbrook, andLeSean McCoy all surpassed him. He also left second only toRon Jaworski in passing yards, with 22,877, though both were later surpassed byDonovan McNabb. He still holds the Eagles record with 6.62 yards per rush attempt, 422 sacks taken, and 6.5 yards per pass attempt in playoff games.
Cunningham joined the Vikings in 1997 after being out of football in 1996. Vikings' coachDennis Green called him when he was on a job site for his granite business.[10][11] There he reunited with former Eagles wide receiverCris Carter. In his first year with the Vikings, he orchestrated two late scoring drives to bring them back from a 9-point deficit to defeat theNew York Giants in anNFC Wild Card game atGiants Stadium, 23–22. However, the Vikings lost in the Divisional Round toSteve Young and theSan Francisco 49ers.
Cunningham enjoyed the greatest season of his career in Minnesotaduring the 1998 campaign when he guided the Vikings to a 15–1 regular season record with 34 touchdown passes, only 10 interceptions, and 3,704 passing yards. Cunningham had a good supporting cast that year withCris Carter, rookieRandy Moss, andJake Reed at wide receiver andRobert Smith andLeroy Hoard at running back. Cunningham led the league with a 106.0 passer rating while the Vikings scored a then-NFL record 556 points during the 1998 season, making him the first black quarterback to lead the league in that category. Cunningham claimed the Vikings' Monday night 37–24 victory over theGreen Bay Packers was "the greatest night of my football career".[12] He threw for 442 yards and four touchdowns. However, the Vikings ended up being the first 15–1 team to fall short of the Super Bowl, losing to the underdogAtlanta Falcons in theNFC Championship Game by a field goal in overtime.
During the early stages of the 1999 season, after throwing nine interceptions in just six games, Cunningham was benched again, this time in favor ofJeff George.[13] After the team announced that second-year quarterbackDaunte Culpepper would be the starter prior to the 2000 season, Cunningham was released.[14]
Shortly before the 2000 season, Cunningham signed with theDallas Cowboys to serve as backup toTroy Aikman.[15] After a series of concussions ended Aikman's season, and ultimately his career, Cunningham again took the helm at quarterback. Despite posting a 1–2 record as a starter, he put up respectable numbers (849 yards passing with 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions). One notable occurrence during his time with the Cowboys was a return to Philadelphia. Cunningham started the game and dueled the new Eagles quarterback,Donovan McNabb. The game was decided inovertime, with an Eagles field goal giving them the 16–13 victory. He received a mixed reception of cheers and boos upon his return to Philadelphia. A 5–11 subpar year for the Cowboys led to major roster changes, and Cunningham was one of the many changes. At the end of the season, he reached incentive clauses that voided his contract and made him an unrestricted free agent. He was not re-signed, after the Cowboys signed quarterbackTony Banks instead.
On May 29, 2001, he was signed by theBaltimore Ravens, reuniting with head coachBrian Billick, who was his offensive coordinator with theMinnesota Vikings.[16] Cunningham was originally intended to serve as the third-string quarterback, but he was named the backup behindElvis Grbac after performing better thanChris Redman. He went 2–0 as a starter. He was not re-signed, after the Ravens signed quarterbackJeff Blake instead. On August 15, 2002, Cunningham signed a one-day contract with thePhiladelphia Eagles to officially announce his retirement.[17]
In his final 10 NFL seasons, Cunningham played in only 80 games, but finished his 16-year career completing 2,429 of his 4,289 attempts for 29,979 yards and 207 touchdowns, with 134 interceptions. He was sacked 484 times, third-most all time behind (2nd)John Elway with 516 sacks, and (1st)Brett Favre with 525 sacks. Cunningham also rushed for 4,928 yards on 775 carries and 35 touchdowns. He retired after the 2001 season as the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards and carries for the quarterback position, (a record broken in 2011 byMichael Vick), and tied for fourth withSteve Grogan in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. Cunningham also averaged 30.6 rushing yards per game during his career—second most all-time for quarterbacks, behind Michael Vick.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| NFL record | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Sck | SckY | Fum | Lost | ||
| 1985 | PHI | 6 | 4 | 1−3 | 34 | 81 | 42.0 | 548 | 6.8 | 1 | 8 | 29.8 | 29 | 205 | 7.1 | 0 | 20 | 150 | — | — |
| 1986 | PHI | 15 | 5 | 1−3−1 | 111 | 209 | 53.1 | 1,391 | 6.7 | 8 | 7 | 72.9 | 66 | 540 | 8.2 | 5 | 72 | 489 | — | — |
| 1987 | PHI | 12 | 12 | 7−5 | 223 | 406 | 54.9 | 2,786 | 6.9 | 23 | 12 | 83.0 | 76 | 505 | 6.6 | 3 | 54 | 380 | — | — |
| 1988 | PHI | 16 | 16 | 10−6 | 301 | 560 | 53.8 | 3,808 | 6.8 | 24 | 16 | 77.6 | 93 | 624 | 6.7 | 6 | 57 | 442 | — | — |
| 1989 | PHI | 16 | 16 | 11−5 | 290 | 532 | 54.5 | 3,400 | 6.4 | 21 | 15 | 75.5 | 104 | 621 | 6.0 | 4 | 45 | 343 | — | — |
| 1990 | PHI | 16 | 16 | 10−6 | 271 | 465 | 58.3 | 3,466 | 7.5 | 30 | 13 | 91.6 | 118 | 942 | 8.0 | 5 | 49 | 431 | — | — |
| 1991 | PHI | 1 | 1 | 1−0 | 1 | 4 | 25.0 | 19 | 4.8 | 0 | 0 | 46.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | — | — |
| 1992 | PHI | 15 | 15 | 10−5 | 233 | 384 | 60.7 | 2,775 | 7.2 | 19 | 11 | 87.3 | 87 | 594 | 6.3 | 5 | 60 | 437 | 13 | 8 |
| 1993 | PHI | 4 | 4 | 4−0 | 76 | 110 | 69.1 | 850 | 7.7 | 5 | 5 | 88.1 | 18 | 110 | 6.1 | 1 | 7 | 33 | 3 | 2 |
| 1994 | PHI | 14 | 14 | 7−7 | 265 | 490 | 54.1 | 3,229 | 6.6 | 16 | 13 | 74.4 | 65 | 288 | 4.4 | 3 | 43 | 333 | 10 | 3 |
| 1995 | PHI | 7 | 4 | 1−3 | 69 | 121 | 57.0 | 605 | 5.0 | 3 | 5 | 61.5 | 21 | 98 | 4.7 | 0 | 13 | 79 | 3 | 2 |
| 1997 | MIN | 6 | 3 | 1−2 | 44 | 88 | 50.0 | 501 | 5.7 | 6 | 4 | 71.3 | 19 | 127 | 6.7 | 0 | 7 | 60 | 4 | 1 |
| 1998 | MIN | 15 | 14 | 13−1 | 259 | 425 | 60.9 | 3,704 | 8.7 | 34 | 10 | 106.0 | 32 | 132 | 4.1 | 1 | 20 | 132 | 2 | 1 |
| 1999 | MIN | 6 | 6 | 2−4 | 124 | 200 | 62.0 | 1,475 | 7.4 | 8 | 9 | 79.6 | 10 | 58 | 5.8 | 0 | 15 | 101 | 2 | 2 |
| 2000 | DAL | 6 | 3 | 1−2 | 74 | 125 | 59.2 | 849 | 6.8 | 6 | 4 | 82.4 | 23 | 89 | 3.9 | 1 | 8 | 45 | 4 | 1 |
| 2001 | BAL | 6 | 2 | 2−0 | 54 | 89 | 60.7 | 573 | 6.4 | 3 | 2 | 81.3 | 14 | 40 | 2.9 | 1 | 12 | 66 | 4 | 0 |
| Career | 161 | 135 | 82−52−1 | 2,429 | 4,289 | 56.6 | 29,979 | 7.0 | 207 | 134 | 81.5 | 775 | 4,928 | 6.4 | 35 | 484 | 3,537 | 45 | 20 | |
After retiring from football, Cunningham returned to UNLV to finish his college degree in Leisure Studies. Cunningham has also been active in the Gospel music business since his retirement from the NFL by opening a recording studio and producing Christian worship music. Cunningham, aborn again Christian, became an ordainedProtestantminister and founded a church called Remnant Ministries inLas Vegas in 2004.[18] In 2020, Cunningham became the team chaplain for theLas Vegas Raiders, replacing former team chaplainNapoleon Kaufman, who stayed in Oaklandwhen the team moved to Las Vegas.[19]
In December 2009, Cunningham was hired bySilverado High School inHenderson, Nevada as theoffensive coordinator of the school's varsity and junior varsity football team. His son,Randall Cunningham II, was a freshman quarterback for the Skyhawks.[20]
On June 29, 2010, one of Cunningham's children, two-year-old son Christian, drowned in ahot tub while unattended at the family home inLas Vegas.[21][22][23]
In August 2011, following a rumored spat with Silverado's head coach, Cunningham resigned his coaching position at SHS. His son, Randall Jr, withdrew from SHS and registered the same day atBishop Gorman High School, a private Roman Catholic school in Las Vegas.[24]
In July 2012, Cunningham was named the 23rd greatest quarterback of the NFL's post-merger era, according to Football Nation.[25]
In March 2013, Cunningham authoredLay It Down: How Letting Go Brings Out Your Best (Worthy Publishing,ISBN 9781617951275). The book shows readers how to work out the “lay it down” principle in all phases of life.
In December 2014, Cunningham was named head coach at Silverado High School.[26] In his rookie season as head coach, he and his staff turned the football program around from a previous record of 3–7 to a 2015 record of 7–4. The team recorded its first playoff victory since the year 2007. He helped coach two National All-Americans who were chosen to participate in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl games.[27][28] Cunningham was not retained as coach at Silverado High School after two seasons in April 2017.[29]
Cunningham's #12 Eagles jersey is part of the costume for the Always Teste character of YouTube comedianEd Bassmaster.[30]
His daughter,Vashti Cunningham, is atrack and field athlete who competed in thehigh jump at the2020 Summer Olympics, placing sixth overall.[31]