Posted on 06/27/2002 7:47:10 PM PDT by Shermy
When he entered the NFL in 1985, Randall Cunningham hoped he would make it through seven seasons.
He made it through many more than that.
Finally, the official end of an often brilliant career came Wednesday, but in his heart, Cunningham figured his 16-year run was finished months ago.
"I think I realized at this stage in my life I could continue to play another two years, but I wanted to do what was best for my life," said Cunningham, arguably the greatest player in UNLV history. "My wife is supposed to have a baby in October. I want to do a lot of things and go forward with things and get serious after putting them off because of football."
Cunningham, 39, spoke from his Las Vegas recording studio, which is a venture he said he wants to devote more time to. His studio specializes in gospel music.
"I've been writing for about five years," Cunningham said. "I'm not one of those egotistical people who will try to sing or play music. I'm the person who's the visionary to put other people forward.
"It's a different style (of music), but all with a positive message. There won't be any songs about booties or 20-inch rims. It's about helping people."
He said he wanted to become more active in faith-based initiatives, and cited a recent effort in his native Santa Barbara, Calif.
"We fed 2,500," Cunningham said. "We gave away two cars. Those are the kind of things I plan to do here in Las Vegas."
He became associated with Las Vegas when he played quarterback and punter at UNLV from 1981 to 1984. Cunningham is the Rebels' record holder with 8,020 career yards passing. He also is the school's punting leader with a 45.6-yard average.
But it was in the NFL where Cunningham became a household name.
While playing for Philadelphia, Minnesota, Dallas and Baltimore, he passed for 29,979 yards and rushed for 4,928. Cunningham was named NFL Player of the Year in 1998 when he threw for 3,704 yards and 34 touchdowns and led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game.
Now he awaits to see if the Pro Football Hall of Fame is in his future, but he said falling short of a couple of magical numbers made his enshrinement less of a sure thing.
"One more game, and I would've had 5,000 rushing yards and 30,000 passing," Cunningham said. "I'm not going to please my ego and go back and do that."
At 6 feet 4 inches, 215 pounds, Cunningham was considered the wave of the future, a big, mobile quarterback who could beat opponents through the air or on the ground. In one game, he was hit at the knees and nearly fell, but kept his balance and threw a touchdown pass for one of the most memorable plays in Monday Night Football history.
Sports Illustrated's NFL preview issue on Sept. 11, 1989, featured Cunningham on the cover and declared him "The Ultimate Weapon" and "The quarterback for the '90s."
While injuries helped cut into that bold prediction, the magazine's assertion that Cunningham was the beginning of the wave of the future quarterback turned out to be true. Now, not having a big, mobile quarterback is considered a detriment.
"I look back at the late '80s and the early '90s and everybody's just about gone," Cunningham said.
Surely one of the good guys. The troubled, wicked sports stars get all the press, but the remainder of them tend to be decent, and a number of them are outstanding role models and citizens.
Randall is one such. His exit from football is timely, and he will continue to influence for the good long after the press clippings have faded.
Back in the day, this cat was something to see.
One play, with Randall scrambling for dear life around his own end zone, he jukes Bruce Smith and Cornelius Bennett (two monsters, in their prime) out of their shoes and throws a ball 80 yards across the sky... a perfect stike to Ankansas Freddie for a 105 yard TD pass. Greatest play I've ever seen. Still get chills thinking about it...
The NFL just got poorer.....
Cheers to Randall Cunningham. He was a player and a half. He'll be missed.
Romanowski has been one of my favorites ever since he spat in J.J. Stokes' face (after Stokes got in Romanowski's face with a load of trash talk). Talk about your non-spoken answer to verbal abuse! He'll go to the Hall of Fame sure as hell. Romanowski and Alstott (TB) missed their era, the early days of the NFL.
You bet he will. So will Randall Cunningham.
But boy, until you've been hit by Romanowski, you haven't been hit.
Don't forget Pat Tillman, who left the NFL to join the Army, just as he was about to get a mega buck$ free agent contract. You can't ask for a better role model than that.
I saw his house once in Suburban NJ when he played for the Eagles--very nice place.
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