CFB RIP Sam 'Bam' Cunningham

[TemplarCane]

USC icon, Patriots HOFer Cunningham, 71, dies

USC football great Sam "Bam" Cunningham, who went on to become the New England Patriots' all-time leading rusher, died Tuesday in Inglewood, California. He was 71.

www.espn.com

Cunningham, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992, is widely recognized for helping speed up the process of integration in football programs across the south. Cunningham ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns as USC beat an all-white Alabama team to open the 1970 season. That performance, coupled with those of his Black teammates, was pivotal in Alabama coach Bear Bryant's decision to recruit Black players.

One of Cunningham's best performances for the Trojans came in the 1973 Rose Bowl, when he ran for four touchdowns, earning MVP honors, in a 42-17 win.

 

[SWFLHurricane]

USC icon, Patriots HOFer Cunningham, 71, dies

USC football great Sam "Bam" Cunningham, who went on to become the New England Patriots' all-time leading rusher, died Tuesday in Inglewood, California. He was 71.

www.espn.com

Cunningham, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992, is widely recognized for helping speed up the process of integration in football programs across the south. Cunningham ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns as USC beat an all-white Alabama team to open the 1970 season. That performance, coupled with those of his Black teammates, was pivotal in Alabama coach Bear Bryant's decision to recruit Black players.

One of Cunningham's best performances for the Trojans came in the 1973 Rose Bowl, when he ran for four touchdowns, earning MVP honors, in a 42-17 win.

Saw him play against the Fins twice at the OB

 

[TemplarCane]

Saw him play against the Fins twice at the OB

Nice.

Every year the media re-tells the story of USC‘s 3 TD win at Bama in 1970, a game credited with leading Bama to integrate their program. The story includes Bear Bryant asking John McKay if Cunningham could visit the Bama locker room post-game. Bryant introduced Sam as ‘a real football player‘. IIRC, Cunningham at some point denied the incident ever happened, a sports version of an urban legend.

Another story is Bryant wanted to integrate the team for some time, as they were the last $EC team to do. He wasn’t exactly too upset getting his butt kicked by the Trojans. The game result proved to the less-progressive they needed to integrate.