Sam "Bam" Cunningham

Discussion in 'National Football League' started by westiedog1, Sep 8, 2021.

  1. westiedog1

    westiedog1 Well-Known Member

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    Former USC RB great and NE Patriots player passed away at age 71. He played 9 seasons with NE but he is probably best remembered as a key member of the USC squad that played Alabama in 1970, the first integrated team to play there. USC won that game in a rout 42-21. Cunningham rushed for 139 yards and 2 TDs. The game was considered a milestone for the integration of SE Conference teams and was the subject of the documentary "Against The Tide." He is the older brother of Randall Cunningham, former Eagles QB. Jerry Claiborne, an assistant coach to Bear Bryant, said Cunningham "did more to integrate football in 60 minutes than Martin Luther King did in 20 years."
     
  2. LogeSection2RowJ

    LogeSection2RowJ Well-Known Member

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    Great nickname too! Sports nicknaming is a lost art. Look back in time, and you'll see that most players had one, and "Sam Bam" was one of the best. Hell, even pro TEAMS had nicknames. In fact, you might not have known "Yanks" was the nickname of the Highlanders before they adopted it permanently. In the early days of the American League, most teams were placed in NL cities to compete with them for fans. Sportswriters referred to the new AL teams as "(fill in the city) Americans" for "American Leaguers". In NY that new team the Highlanders got nicknamed to "Yanks" or "Yankees" rather than Americans. That name became more popular than Highlanders, so when the team left Hilltop Park for the Polo Grounds there was no real reason to be the Highlanders at all. Yankees stuck.

    RIP Sam Bam Cunningham
     
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  3. IDFjet

    IDFjet Well-Known Member

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    One of the first RB's to go airborne over the goal line as I recall. Thanks for the memories Mr. Cunningham.
     
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  4. papapump

    papapump Well-Known Member

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    RIP Sam the Bam Cunningham. Condolences to your family.
     
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  5. NCJetsfan

    NCJetsfan Well-Known Member

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    I remember him well. I never knew that he was the older brother of Randall Cunningham, however. RIP
     
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  6. westiedog1

    westiedog1 Well-Known Member

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    Neither did I. Read it in the obit. If you haven't seen the documentary "Against the Tide," I recommend it highly.
     
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