RIP: The great Doug Cunningham (Class of '14)
Posted on: January 13,2015
Doug Cunningham, right, and Deuce McAllister at the announcement of the Class of 2014.
The great Doug Cunningham, inducted last summer into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, died this morning. He was 69. Cunningham, who played at Ole Miss and in the NFL, was one of the great open field runners in Mississippi football history. Said Deuce McAllister, who was inducted into the MSHoF with Cunningham, “What impressed me about Doug Cunningham so much was how humble he was. I saw his statistics at Ole Miss and in the NFL. I saw the film of him running. He was one of those guys who played decades ago who could still play today. He was that fast, that good. My condolences to his family. He was a special guy.”
Funeral arrangements are incomplete. What follows is the story that appeared in the 2014 MSHoF induction program.
Doug Cunningham and Steve Spurrier were rookie teammates together with the San Francisco 49ers. Spurrier, now known as “the ol’ ball coach,” remembers Cunningham fondly.
“When we all first saw Doug run, nobody on the team could believe how fast he was,” Spurrier said.
Doug Cunningham and wife, Allen, at his induction.
Cunningham used that blazing speed, coupled with shifty, open-field moves, to become one of the best running backs and kick returners in Ole Miss history.
In a brilliant three-year varsity career at Ole Miss as a wingback, tailback and kick returner, Cunningham averaged better than nine yards for every time he touched the ball.
He was a big play waiting to happen.
In 1966, Ole Miss trailed Southern Miss 7-0 in the fourth quarter. USM had never beaten Ole Miss but seemed well on its way. Then, USM made the mistake of punting to Cunningham. Years later, John Grisham wrote about Cunningham’s return:
…the Rebel return man, Doug Cunningham, No. 22, sprang from nowhere, took the ball, and was immediately surrounded by white jerseys. He was hit, broke a tackle, hit again, shook himself free, darted one way then the other, and suddently emerged from a pile of humanity with his legs pumping, his knees high in the air, his hips twisting, and two blockers in front of him. The crowd erupted.
Cunningham cut to the sideline… and hit the afterburners. For a few brief seconds, time that is still frozen in my memory, Doug Cunningham galloped toward the north end zone with unmatched speed, and crossed the goal line all alone. He circled by a fence, long since removed, and nonchalantly flipped the ball to the official. No bodily gyrations. No ripping off his helmet so the world could see him. No showy prayer. No struggling or somersaults. Just a casual little lateral of the ball, as if he had been in the end zone before.
Cunningham at Ole Miss.
Cunningham had, of course, been in the end zone many, many times before and would be many more times afterward. He starred first at Louisville High School in his hometown, then at Ole Miss and then with the 49ers.
He was a sixth round draft choice of the 49ers, and, as a rookie, was nicknamed “Goober” because his teammates thought he sounded like Goober in the Andy Griffith TV show.
Sports Illustrated’s Ron Fimrite, then a young San Francisco sports writer, described Cunningham’s performance in a game against the Minnesota Vikings in which Cunningham had a 64-yard run from scrimmage and a 57-yard punt return. Wrote Fimrite:
It was not just the length of these runs but the manner in which they were accomplished that endeared the little man to us all. Both were fraught with danger along the way. Cunningham spun, dodged, bounced off tacklers, then fled for his life… It was just damned good drama…
Cunningham was always as popular off the field as on it. He was elected Colonel Rebel, the equivalent of Mr. Ole Miss, as a senior.
Said Spurrier, “Doug is one of the really good ones. What a great guy!”
Doug Cunningham, in front of the Hall of Fame’s Wall of Memories.
I enjoyed watching Doug play in many Ole Miss and San Francisco games. It wasn’t until 1974 that I got to meet him, in Jackson, and talk for an afternoon. He was extremely friendly and quite in touch with the world.
When I was eight years old, my daddy took me to Memorial Stadium to watch Ole Miss play Vanderbilt on a rainy day in Jackson. I was hardly able to contain my excitement as my young eyes stayed focused on Number 22 for the Rebels. Late in the game, Vanderbilt was forced to punt, and that’s when the party started so to speak. Cousin Doug Cunningham fielded the punt and literally seconds later, the Ole Miss band were struggling to find their instruments to play beloved “Dixie”. It was that quick. Speed,shiftiness, and elusive, when he hit that sideline, I think the clock operator was already putting up the 6 points.
Flash forward 50 years. We lost a dear friend, a true Rebel, and just an all around good man on Tues. Jan 13. Doug, May you Rest in the Peace of our Maker, for I will never forget you and thank you for all the great memories over the years. You are and will always be My Hero. Bobby
Sorry it was longer than expected. Sometimes it’s hard to write such a vivid memory
Doug gave us all lots of great memories!
Soo sorry for your loss,Allen and sisters!!(specially my Lil’ Sis, Lisa!!) love you all for so long!!
Oh no. A Rebel great.A superb athlete and even better man.I will cherish the memories of sitting at Gridley’s and asking Doug to tell me about his days as a Rebel, a 49er and his friendship with Spurrier. A respectful “Hotty Toddy” to a stellar individual for a life well lived.
\
Wish I had known him, as he sounds like a really special guy. Condolences.