- Randall Cunningham
Infobox NFLretired
name=Randall Cunningham
caption=Randall Cunningham during his tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles.
position=Quarterback
number=1, 7, 12
birthdate=birth date and age|1963|3|27Santa Barbara, California
debutyear=1985
finalyear=2001
draftyear=1985
draftround=2
draftpick=37
college=UNLV
teams=
*Philadelphia Eagles (1985-1995)
*Minnesota Vikings (1997-1999)
*Dallas Cowboys (2000)
*Baltimore Ravens (2001)
stat1label=TD-INT
stat1value=207-134
stat2label=Yards
stat2value=29,979
stat3label=QB Rating
stat3value=81.47
nfl=CUN664464
highlights=
* 4xPro Bowl selection (1988, 1989, 1990, 1998)
* 4xAll-Pro selection (1989, 1990, 1992, 1998)
* 1990PFWA NFL MVP
* 1990UPI NFC Player of the Year
* 1988 Pro Bowl MVP
* 3xBert Bell Award winner (1998, 1990, 1988)
*Randall W. Cunningham (born
March 27 ,1963 inSanta Barbara, California ) is a formerAmerican football quarterback .After playing
college football at theUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas , he was selected in the second round of the1985 NFL Draft by thePhiladelphia Eagles , with whom he remained through the 1995 season. He announced his retirement from football following the end of that season, taking a job as an analyst for TNT in 1996 . The following year, however, he resumed his playing career. He played for theMinnesota Vikings (1997-1999), theDallas Cowboys (2000), and theBaltimore Ravens (2001). Cunningham then re-signed with thePhiladelphia Eagles and retired for good in 2002 . He won theBert Bell Award in 1990, the height of the 'Ultimate Weapon' stories. He is the younger brother of former college and professional football playerSam Cunningham who played for theNew England Patriots .High school and college
Cunningham attended
Santa Barbara High School inSanta Barbara, California , and was a graduate of the class of 1981. [cite web|url=http://www.sbhsdons.org/about_sbhs/history.php|title=Santa Barbara High School|accessdate=2007-11-17] As a senior, he led his team to a League title and the CIF Finals. [cite web|url=http://www.keyt.com/news/sports/local/9364466.html|title=Randall Cunningham practices with Santa Barbara High|accessdate=2007-11-17]NFL career
Philadelphia Eagles
Cunningham was the Eagles' second-round pick in the
1985 NFL Draft . Cunningham was also sought by theUSFL '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. At the quarterback position, Ryan designated 35-year-old Ron Jaworski the starter but would replace the aging veteran with the fleet-footed Cunningham in third-and-long situations where the youngster’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. Cunningham was permanently handed the Eagles' starting job for the 1987 season. Cunningham was said to have reached "elite" status during the 1988 season, when he threw for 407 yards during the "Fog Bowl" playoff game against theChicago Bears .In a 1990 game against the
Buffalo Bills , when Cunningham, throwing from his end zone, was about to be sacked byBruce Smith . Cunningham ducked and threw a pass 60 yards wide-receiverFred Barnett , resulting in a 95-yard touchdown. That same year, Cunningham finished with 942 rushing yards, 3rd most ever for a quarterback, 10th best in the league.Minnesota Vikings
Cunningham joined the Vikings in 1997 after being out of football in 1996. There he reunited with former Eagles wide receiver
Cris Carter . In his first year with the Vikings, he orchestrated two late touchdown drives to defeat theNew York Giants in an NFC Wild Card game atGiants Stadium .Cunningham enjoyed the greatest season of his career in Minnesota during the 1998 campaign when he guided the Vikings to a 15-1 regular season record with 34 touchdown passes and only 10 interceptions. Cunningham had a good supporting cast that year, with All-Pro veteran
Cris Carter and rookie sensationRandy Moss at receiver, and Robert Smith in the backfield. Cunningham led the league with a 106.0 passer rating while the Vikings posted a then-NFL record 556 points during the 1998 season. The Vikings cruised through the playoffs for the most part, and seemed a lock to end up in theSuper Bowl , until the NFC title game against theAtlanta Falcons , which they lost 30-27 in overtime.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 29,997 yards and 204 touchdowns, with 134 interceptions. He was sacked 484 times, second-most all time to
John Elway . 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 and tied for fourth withSteve Grogan in rushing touchdowns by a QB. Cunningham also averaged 30.6 rushing yards per game during his career -- second most all-time for quarterbacks, behindMichael Vick .After retirement
After retirement, Cunningham returned to UNLV to finish his college degree. Cunningham has also been active in the Gospel music business since his retirement from the NFL by opening a recording studio and producing a Christian rap group called "Humility". Their album "Our Purpose" have yet to be released in 2008 under Cunningham's label. Cunningham, a
born again Christian , became an ordainedProtestant minister and founded a church called Remnant Ministries in Las Vegas in 2004. [http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2006/11/16/feature2.html]Randall recently made an appearance on Pros vs Joes in 2008.
References
External links
* [http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=CUNNIRAN01 More Career Stats]
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