Sam Cunningham, a legendary sports figure at Santa Barbara High who went on to star in football at USC and played nine years in the NFL with the New England Patriots, passed away Tuesday at his home in Inglewood, according to USC.
He was 71. No cause of death has been has been reported.
Sam was the eldest of four brothers, including Anthony (AC), Bruce and Randall. The sons of Samuel and Mabel Cunningham grew up on Santa Barbara’s Eastside.
Sam celebrated his 71st birthday on Aug. 15.
The new Italian-made all-weather track at the renovated Peabody Stadium is named after the Cunningham family.
Sam was unable to join his brothers at July’s stadium dedication ceremony, and was represented by his daughter, Samahndi.
At the dedication, Santa Barbara Unified School District Board President Kate Ford recalled being lucky enough to be assigned a hall locker next to Sam Cunningham when they attended Santa Barbara High in the late 1960s.
“Not only was that locker area a hub of fabulous activity due to the popularity of Sam, but I, like so many of my classmates, really appreciated what he brought to the school,” she said. “We basked in the sunshine of his gifts, his great smile, great spirit, great talent and great heart.”
On the football field at SBHS, Cunningham was a bruising fullback and linebacker. In his junior year, he helped the Dons reach the CIF-Southern Section semifinals at the L.A. Coliseum.
He also excelled in track and field. He ran the 100-yard dash in 9.9 seconds on the grass at Peabody Stadium, as the straightaways on the old oval track were not long enough.
#FightOnForever, Sam “Bam” Cunningham.
The All-American fullback, Rose Bowl MVP and College Football Hall of Famer, whose performance in USC’s 1970 win at Alabama has often been credited with helping integrate Southern football, died on Tuesday in Inglewood. He was 71.
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 7, 2021
His overall strength made him a perfect fit as a shot putter. He won the CIF State Meet title in the event in 1969 with a mark of 64-9.
Craig Moropoulos, the SBCC football coach, was a kid when he watched Cunningham play for the Dons. His father, Mike Moropoulos, was the defensive coach for the football team under Sam Cathcart.
“It’s a shock, it’s a shock,” Craig Moropoulos told KEYT of his reaction to the news of Cunningham’s passing. “He was something special.
“He was my first hero. I was a kid probably 7 years old going to the Dons games and got to sit on the bench. He was my idol, and the great thing about Sam Cunningham is, as great a player that he was, he was an even better person, without a doubt one of the finest people ever on this earth.
Craig Moropoulos marveled at how Sam could play with such tremendous intensity and be a super friendly, charismatic person off the field.
“What I respected most about Sam was that he was such a nice person to people, but yet he played with a ferocity on the field. I respected that he was physical as all get-up. He played linebacker and running back in high school and, of course, in college and the pros he was one of the greatest running backs of all-time.
“Just a terrible loss, but we are all better people for having known Sam Cunningham.”
Longtime local coach Bill Oliphant said Sam Cunningham’s “claim to fame started while he was in grammar school at Franklin under the guidance of teacher/principal Bill Van Schaick. His brother, Frank was in the same position at Wilson School on the Westside and had many connections with his former student and legend at SBHS and USC by the name of Marv Goux.”
Goux went on to become a defensive coach with the football team at USC.
“Marv knew about Sam while he was in elementary school,” Oliphant said. “SBHS was a three-year high school when Sam attended. He was a man among boys to say least… a 6-foot-3, 210-pound sophomore to start as a fullback and linebacker.”
After graduating from SBHS, Sam received a scholarship to USC, where he would have a legendary football career and receive the nickname Sam “Bam” Cunningham.
He is remembered for what is considered a seminal moment in college football history. In a 1970 game in Birmingham, Alabama, the powerful Cunningham turned in a dominating performance (135 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 12 carries), leading an integrated USC team to a 42-21 win over coach Bear Bryant’s Crimson Tide.
It’s been said Cunningham’s performance in the blowout win helped integrate college football in the Deep South.
Looking back on that night, Cunningham said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times: “I’m just proud to be a part of it, because it was such a special game.”
A first-team All-American, Cunningham led USC to the 1972 national championship. He famously scored four second-half touchdown on dives over the line to help the top-ranked Trojans beat No. 3 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl to clinch the title.
He was named the game’s MVP and later was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.
He is also in the College Football and New England Patriots Halls of Fame.
He was taken by the Patriots as the 11th overall choice in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft.
In a nine-year NFL career, all with the Patriots, Cunningham became the team’s career-leading rusher with 5,453 yards. He scored 43 rushing TDs and had 49 overall.
He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1978, when the Patriots set an NFL record for team rushing yards at 3,165. The Baltimore Ravens broke the record in 2019.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft paid tribute to Cunningham, telling USA Today: “Sam ‘Bam’ Cunningham was one of my favorite players throughout the ’70s and my sons all loved him.
“As much as I admired him as a player, my affection for him only grew after spending time with him, and learning more about him as a person. He made a tremendous impact, both on and off the field, and was beloved by his teammates.”
Cunningham is survived by his wife, Cine; daughter Samahndi; and brothers, Bruce, Anthony and Randall, who followed his oldest brother in the NFL as a quarterback.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.