His performance in the game was reportedly a factor in convincing the University of Alabama and its fans to let Coach Bear Bryant integrate Southern football. He had a notable debut performance (135 yards, two touchdowns) against an all-white University of Alabama football team, as USC beat Alabama 42–21 in Birmingham on September 12, 1970. In 1970, he was part of USC's "all-black" backfield – the first one of its kind in Division I (NCAA) history – that included quarterback Jimmy Jones and running back Clarence Davis.
He was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1992 and into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He scored four touchdowns in the 1973 Rose Bowl, which is still the modern-day Rose Bowl record, and was named Player of the Game. He was named an All-American in 1972, and was a member of USC’s 1972 national championship team. The same year, he was also inducted to the Patriots Hall of Fame.Ĭunningham was a letterman for University of Southern California's football team from 1970 through 1972 where he played fullback. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. Selected in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the Patriots, Cunningham became the franchise's all-time leading rusher. He played college football at USC, where he was named a first-team All-American and received MVP honors in the 1973 Rose Bowl. Samuel Lewis Cunningham Jr (Aug– September 7, 2021), nicknamed " Bam", was an American professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons with the New England Patriots.
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