Sam Cunningham

Sam Cunningham
	Cunningham at his 2010 induction to the Patriots Hall of Fame
No. 39
Position:	Fullback
Personal information
Born:	August 15, 1950; Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Died:	September 7, 2021 (aged 71); Inglewood, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	226 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school:	Santa Barbara
College:	USC
NFL draft:	1973 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11
Career history
	New England Patriots (1973–1982);
Career highlights and awards
	Pro Bowl (1978); New England Patriots All-1970s Team; New England Patriots 35th Anniversary Team; New England Patriots 50th Anniversary Team; New England Patriots Hall of Fame; National champion (1972); First-team All-American (1972);
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:
Rushing yards:	5,453
Rushing average:	3.9
Rushing touchdowns:	43
Receptions:	210
Receiving yards:	1,905
Receiving touchdowns:	6
	Player stats at NFL.com · PFR
	College Football Hall of Fame

Samuel Lewis Cunningham Jr (August 15, 1950 – September 7, 2021), nicknamed "Bam",^[1] was an American professional football player who was a fullback for 10 seasons with the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL).^[2] He played college football for the USC Trojans, where he earned first-team All-American honors and was the MVP of the 1973 Rose Bowl.

Selected in the first round of the 1973 NFL draft by the Patriots, Cunningham became the franchise's all-time leading rusher. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. The same year, he was also inducted to the Patriots Hall of Fame.

^ Chapin, Dwight - McKay's Message Puts the Bam Back in Sam. Los Angeles Times, October 15, 1971. "The name-Sam (Bam) Cunningham--makes you think of a big guy crunching through tacklers like a truck going through a plate glass window."
^ Ex-USC, New England Patriots Star Fullback Sam "Bam" Cunningham Dies At 71