Former USC fullback Sam 'Bam' Cunningham dies at 71

Sam “Bam” Cunningham, former USC Trojans fullback and college football Hall of Famer, died on Tuesday in Inglewood, California. He was 71 years old.

Cunningham was a three-year letterman at USC, earning first team All-American honors in 1972 and leading the Trojans to claiming the 1972 national championship. In Cunningham’s sophomore season, 1970, he strung together a 135-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Trojans’ decisive, 42-21 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide in Birmingham, providing a catalyst for integration of college football in the south.

In the 1973 Rose Bowl, en route to the Trojans’ national championship, Cunningham put together a historic four-touchdown performance and earned Player of the Game honors. He was the Trojans’ best running back in 1972, and in his college career rushed for 1,579 yards and 23 touchdowns, while reeling in 34 receptions for 293 yards and two touchdowns.

Cunningham in 2001 was inducted into the USC Ahletic Hall of Fame, and in 2010 he received national recognition, being enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Following a successful USC career, Cunningham was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round, with the 11th overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft. It took a mere two seasons to burst onto the scene in the NFL, as Cunningham in his second NFL season gained 811 yards and nine touchdowns, among the NFL’s top fullbacks.

While in New England, he became the Patriots’ all-time leading rusher, notching 5,453 yards, catching 210 passes and taking them for 1,905 receiving yards. He scored 49 touchdowns with the Patriots, and he was an AFC Pro Bowl selection in 1978. That same season, in 1978, the Patriots set the NFL record for rushing yards as a team with 3,165, thanks in large part to Cunningham’s contributions. The record stood for more than 40 years until it was broken by the 2019 Baltimore Ravens.

In 2010, Cunningham was enshrined in the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.

Cunningham is the older brother of former UNLV and NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham. He is survived by his wife, Cine, and daughter, Samahndi, a USC graduate, as well as brothers Randall, Bruce and Anthony.