Sam Cunningham

Samuel Lewis Cunningham Jr (August 15, 1950 – September 7, 2021), nicknamed "Bam", was an American professional football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the USC Trojans, where he earned first-team All-American honors and was the Most Valuable Player of the 1973 Rose Bowl. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. Before that, Cunningham was a high school All-American at Santa Barbara High School, playing both fullback and linebacker; and was a high school state champion in the shot put. Selected in the first round of the 1973 NFL draft by the Patriots, Cunningham became the franchise's all-time leading rusher. He led the Patriots in rushing five consecutive seasons. In 2010, he was inducted to the Patriots Hall of Fame. Cunningham was selected as a member of the 35th and 50th Anniversary Patriots All-Time Teams. At every level as a player, he was highly regarded for the quality of his character as a person and teammate.