Former USC and New England Patriots fullback Sam "Baum" Cunningham died Tuesday at his home in Inglewood, California, according to USC. He was 71 years old.
The cause of death was yet to be ascertained.
Cunningham, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992, is widely recognized for helping to speed up the process of integration into football programs throughout the South. Cunningham ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns as USC defeated an all-white Alabama team to open the 1970 season. That performance, along with his black teammates, was instrumental in Alabama coach Bayer Bryant's decision to recruit black players.
"What he saw was the future," Cunningham told ESPN in 2016. "His team was going to integrate eventually."
In 1971, Alabama had black players on scholarship for the first time and played for the national title. However, the Crimson Tide was defeated 38–6 by Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. But the decade turned out to be an extraordinary era for Bryant and the Crimson Tide as they won three national championships.
Bryant's former assistant Jerry Claiborne famously said, "Sam Cunningham did more to unify Alabama in 60 minutes than Martin Luther King did in 20 years."
Lynn Swan, Cunningham's teammate at USC, said, "The entire SEC, especially Alabama, owes Sam Cunningham a tremendous debt of thanks and appreciation for his sport that opened the door to Black athletes in 1970.
“There are a lot of athletes who have done their part and much more to end discrimination in many ways. But Sam opened a bigger door to the South and to a convention that offered more opportunities for minorities and young black men. Play in the SEC and get educated."
Cunningham earned All-American honors in 1972, when he captained the Trojans to a national championship. One of his best college performances came against Ohio State at the 1973 Rose Bowl, when he ran for four touchdowns, earning MVP honors in a 42–17 victory.
He ran for 1,579 yards and 23 touchdowns in his USC career, which included 13 TDs in 1972. The Trojans had a 24-8-2 record during their three years when Cunningham earned the nickname "Bam" for his round-the-clock dive. .
"It became a legend with Sam moving to the top of the offensive line," Swann said. "No one could stop him."
Cunningham was selected 11th overall by the Patriots in the 1973 NFL draft and played nine seasons for the team, becoming the franchise's all-time leading Rush.
He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1978, when the Patriots set an NFL record for running as a team with 3,165. This mark remained until 2019, when it was broken by the Baltimore Ravens.
Cunningham finished his NFL career with 5,453 rushing yards and 49 touchdowns before retiring after the 1982 season.
He was later inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame (1992), the USC Athletics Hall of Fame (2001) and the Patriots Half of Fame (2010).
"Sam 'Bum' Cunningham was one of my favorite players in the '70s and my sons all loved him," Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. "When I bought the team in 1994, it was an honor to welcome him back to the team on several occasions, to recognize him as a 50th anniversary member of the team, and to be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame again.
“As much as I admired him as a player, my affection for him only grew after spending time with him and getting to know more about him as a person. He made a tremendous impact both on and off the field, and his Beloved by peers as the Patriots Hall of Famer, Sam's legacy and contributions will forever be preserved and celebrated, but today his loss is felt with a heavy heart."
After his playing career, Cunningham worked as a landscape contractor in California. He was born and raised in Santa Barbara.
Cunningham's family includes his wife, Caine, daughter Samhandi, brothers Bruce, Anthony and Randall, who starred as quarterback in the NFL for 16 years, niece Vashti Cunningham, a world champion high jumper, and nephew Randall II.