Cunningham, Randall
Football
b. March 27, 1963, Santa Barbara, CA
One of the best athletes ever to play quarterback in the NFL, Cunningham was chosen out of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in the second round of the 1985 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
After playing as a backup in 1985, he became the starter in his second season. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Cunningham was a dangerous runner, the all-time leading ground gainer among quarterbacks, and a dangerous passer when scrambling out of the pocket, but he was criticized at times for being to willing to run.
Cunningham passed for 3,400 or more yards in three straight seasons, 1988 through 1990, and had high touchdown to interception ratios all three years. He suffered a serious knee injury in the first 1991 regular season game and missed the rest of the season, and in 1992 he was benched for a game after a period of ineffectiveness, though he ended up completing more than 60 percent of his passes for the season.
After leading the Eagles to victories in their first four games of 1993, Cunningham broke his left leg early in the fifth game and missed the rest of the season. He came back to start 14 games in 1994 but was replaced as the Eagles' starter after the team lost three of its four games in 1995.
Cunningham announced his retirement after the season and spent a year out of football. However, he was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as a backup in 1997 and he took over as the starter in his second year with the team. Cunningham responded with a sensational season, completing 60.9 percent of his passes and throwing 34 touchdowns to only 10 interceptions. He led the league with a 106.0 passer rating as the Vikings set a new NFL record by scoring 556 points.
In 1999, Cunningham got off to a fairly good start but suffered hand and shoulder injuries and was replaced by Brad Johnson. The Vikings let him go to free agency after the season. He finished his NFL career as a backup with the Dallas Cowboys in 2000 and the Baltimore Ravens in 2001.
Cunningham and Johnny Unitas are the only three-time winners of the Maxwell Football Club's Professional Player of the Year award. Cunningham won the trophy in 1988 and 1990, when he was with the Eagles, and in 1999 as a Viking.