Randall Cunningham facts for kids
Cunningham at the 1999 Pro Bowl
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| No. 12, 7, 1 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | March 27, 1963 Santa Barbara, California, U.S. |
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| 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 / Round: 2 / Pick: 37 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||||
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College Football Hall of Fame
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Randall Wade Cunningham Sr. (born March 27, 1963) is a former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He spent most of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles and also played for the Minnesota Vikings. Cunningham was chosen for the Pro Bowl four times. When he retired, he was fourth in NFL history for rushing yards by a quarterback.
Cunningham played college football for the UNLV Rebels. He was named a first-team All-American in 1983 and 1984, also as a punter. The Eagles picked him in the second round of the 1985 NFL draft. He played his first 11 seasons with them. He retired after the 1995 season but came back a year later to join the Vikings. In 1998, he had his best season, helping the team set an NFL record for points scored. They reached the 1998 NFC Championship Game. Cunningham lost his starting spot in 1999 and was released. In his last two seasons, he was a backup for the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens.
After retiring for good, Cunningham became a Protestant minister. He served as the team chaplain for the Las Vegas Raiders from 2020 to 2022. He was added to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
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Early Life and College Football Journey
Cunningham was born in Santa Barbara, California, in 1963. His older brother, Sam Cunningham, also became an NFL player. Randall went to Santa Barbara High School and graduated in 1981. As a senior, he led his team to a League title and the CIF Finals. He also competed in track and field in high jump.
He then attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He was chosen as an All-American punter in 1983 and 1984. In 1984, his senior year, he helped the UNLV Rebels achieve an 11–2 season. However, this record was later changed to 0–13 because some players were found to be ineligible.
Professional Football Career Highlights
Playing for the Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles picked Cunningham in the second round of the 1985 NFL draft. He was the first quarterback chosen that year. In his first season, he played as a backup. He showed amazing scrambling skills, even though he completed few passes. In 1986, new coach Buddy Ryan made Cunningham the starter after an injury to the main quarterback. That season, he was sacked 72 times, which was an NFL record at the time.
Cunningham became the full-time starter for the Eagles in 1987. In 1988, he became an "elite" player. He was the first black quarterback to be chosen as a starter for the Pro Bowl by other players. That year, he and Reggie White led the Eagles to win the NFC Eastern Division Championship. In a playoff game called the "Fog Bowl", Cunningham threw for 407 yards. A few weeks later, he was named the MVP of the Pro Bowl.
In 1989, Cunningham set a team record with 62 pass attempts in one game. He was also a punter in college and showed off his punting skills in the NFL. He had a 91-yard punt against the New York Giants, which is the longest in Eagles history.
In 1990, Cunningham made a famous play against the Buffalo Bills. He avoided a sack and threw a 60-yard pass for a 95-yard touchdown. That same year, he rushed for 942 yards. This was the second-most rushing yards ever for a quarterback at the time. He averaged 8.0 yards per rush, which is an Eagles record for any player with 100 attempts.
In 1991, Cunningham's season ended early due to a knee injury. He returned in 1992 and led the team to their first playoff win in 12 years. However, the injury affected his speed. The 1993 and 1994 seasons were tough with more injuries. He eventually became a backup. Feeling unappreciated, Cunningham retired from football after the 1995 season.
He left Philadelphia as one of the top rushers and passers in Eagles history. He still holds the Eagles record for yards per rush attempt and sacks taken.
Time with the Minnesota Vikings
Cunningham joined the Vikings in 1997 after taking a year off from football. He reunited with his former Eagles teammate, Cris Carter. In his first year with the Vikings, he led two late scoring drives to win a playoff game against the New York Giants.
Cunningham had his best season in 1998 with the Vikings. He led them to a 15–1 regular season record. He threw 34 touchdown passes and only 10 interceptions, with 3,704 passing yards. He had great teammates like Cris Carter, Randy Moss, and Jake Reed. Cunningham led the league with a 106.0 passer rating. The Vikings scored an NFL record 556 points that season. Cunningham said a 37–24 win over the Green Bay Packers was "the greatest night of my football career." He threw for 442 yards and four touchdowns in that game. However, the Vikings lost in the 1998 NFC Championship Game to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime.
In 1999, Cunningham was benched after throwing nine interceptions in six games. The team decided to start Daunte Culpepper in 2000, and Cunningham was released.
Playing for the Dallas Cowboys
Before the 2000 season, Cunningham signed with the Dallas Cowboys to be a backup. He became the starter after Troy Aikman suffered injuries. He had a 1–2 record as a starter but threw for 849 yards with 6 touchdowns. He returned to Philadelphia to play against his old team and the new Eagles quarterback, Donovan McNabb. The Eagles won in overtime. Cunningham received a mixed reaction from the fans. He was not re-signed by the Cowboys.
Final Season with the Baltimore Ravens
On May 29, 2001, Cunningham signed with the Baltimore Ravens. He was meant to be the third-string quarterback but became the backup. He won both games he started. He was not re-signed after the season. On August 15, 2002, Cunningham signed a one-day contract with the Philadelphia Eagles to officially announce his retirement.
In his 16-year career, Cunningham completed 2,429 passes for 29,979 yards and 207 touchdowns. He also rushed for 4,928 yards and 35 touchdowns. When he retired, he was the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards for a quarterback. This record was broken in 2011 by Michael Vick.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
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| NFL record | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular Season Performance
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
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| 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 | |
Life After Football: Ministry and Coaching
After retiring from football, Cunningham went back to UNLV to finish his college degree. He also became involved in Gospel music. He opened a recording studio and produced Christian worship music. Cunningham is a born again Christian. He became an ordained Protestant minister and started a church called Remnant Ministries in Las Vegas in 2004. In 2020, Cunningham became the team chaplain for the Las Vegas Raiders.
In December 2009, Cunningham was hired as the offensive coordinator for the varsity and junior varsity football teams at Silverado High School in Henderson, Nevada. His son, Randall Cunningham II, was a freshman quarterback on the team.
In August 2011, Cunningham resigned from his coaching position at Silverado High School. His son, Randall Jr., then moved to Bishop Gorman High School.
In July 2012, Football Nation ranked Cunningham as the 23rd greatest quarterback of the NFL's post-merger era.
In March 2013, Cunningham wrote a book called Lay It Down: How Letting Go Brings Out Your Best. The book shares how letting go can help people in all parts of their lives.
In December 2014, Cunningham became the head coach at Silverado High School. In his first season, he helped turn the team around from a 3–7 record to a 7–4 record in 2015. The team also won its first playoff game since 2007. He coached two players who were chosen as National All-Americans. Cunningham was not kept as coach at Silverado High School after two seasons in April 2017.
Cunningham's #12 Eagles jersey is part of a costume for a character by YouTube comedian Ed Bassmaster.
His daughter, Vashti Cunningham, is a track and field athlete. She competed in the high jump at the 2020 Summer Olympics, where she placed sixth.
See also
- List of athletes who came out of retirement
- Racial issues faced by black quarterbacks
