Randall Cunningham autograph football


Item Number: 119

Time Left: CLOSED

Value: $334

Online Close: Jul 27, 2007 12:00 PM EDT

Bid History: 1 bid - Item Sold!

Description

Randall Cunningham, from Nevada-Las Vegas, drafted 1985, round 2, by the Philadelphia Eagles. 4-time Pro Bowler: 1988, 1989, 1990 & 1998.
Teams:
1985-1995 Philadelphia Eagles
1997-1999 Minnesota Vikings
2000 Dallas Cowboys
2001 Baltimore Ravens
Randall Cunningham (born March 27, 1963 in Santa Barbara, California) is a former American football player, at the position of quarterback.

After attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he was selected in the second round of the 1985 draft by Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he remained through the 1995 season. During the latter years his relations with Ray Rhodes, then the Eagles' head coach, became strained, and he announced his retirement from football following the end of that season, taking a job as an analyst for TNT in 1996. The following year, however, he resumed his playing career, with the Minnesota Vikings from 1997 through 1999, the Dallas Cowboys in 2000, and the Baltimore Ravens in 2001 before retiring for good. He won the NFL MVP award in 1990, the height of the 'Ultimate Weapon' stories, and again after his comeback with Minnesota in 1998.
NFL career

Philadelphia Eagles
Cunningham was the Eagles second-round pick in 1985. In his rookie season he played sparingly as a backup to veteran Ron Jaworski but made a splash with his uncanny scrambling ability, though he completed just 34 percent of his passes and threw just one touchdown against eight interceptions. In 1986, new head coach Buddy Ryan arrived in Philadelphia and made wholesale changes, many of them unorthodox. At the quarterback position, Ryan designated 35-year-old Ron Jaworski the starter but would replace the aging veteran with the fleet-footed Cunningham in third-and-long situations where the youngster's scrambling would presumably put the defense on its heels. After a hand injury to Jaworski in week 10, Cunningham would replace him as the Eagles' starter. Cunningham was permanently handed the Eagles' starting job for the 1987 season.

Cunningham would occasionally exhibit sensational feats of athleticism, perhaps most notably in a 1988 game on Monday Night Football against the New York Giants. Linebacker Carl Banks torpedoed in and crunched the Eagles quarterback at the midriff for a seemingly sure tackle. Cunningham managed to twist his body in midair, put a hand down for balance while parallel to the ground, regain his footing, and pass to tight end Jimmie Giles for a touchdown. The following season, Cunningham uncorked a 91-yard, into-the-wind punt on third down to clinch a key game against the Giants. The Giants defense was unprepared for the punt, allowing it to bounce for more than 20 yards after it landed. As of 2006, it is the fourth-longest punt in NFL history.

Another highlight staple was in a 1990 game against the Buffalo Bills, when Cunningham, throwing from his end zone, was about to be engulfed from the blind side by Bruce Smith. Cunningham ducked under the flying tackle and heaved a pass 60 yards off his back foot to wide-receiver Fred Barnett, resulting in an unforgettable 95-yard touchdown. That same year, Cunningham finished with 942 rushing yards, 2nd most ever for a quarterback, 10th best in the league. This nearly made him the first quarterback to both run and pass for 1,000 yards in a season.

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Minnesota Vikings

1998 While with the Vikings, he orchestrated two late touchdown drives which enabled Minnesota to defeat the New York Giants in an NFC wild-card game in 1997, also on the road. The following year, he guided the Vikings to a 15-1 regular season record (tied for best ever since the 16-game NFL season was initiated) with 34 touchdown passes and only 10 interceptions. The Vikings set the single-season points record, as Randall threw for more than 3,700 yards and achieved an astounding 106 quarterback rating. Cunningham was voted to his fourth Pro Bowl, and Minnesota dominated the league, before falling to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game.

Cunningham finished his career in 2002 with 2,429 of 4,289 completions for 29,997 yards and 204 touchdowns, with 134 interceptions. He also rushed for 4,928 yards and 35 touchdowns. He retired as the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards for the quarterback position.

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After retirement
After retirement, Cunningham returned to UNLV to finish his college degree. Cunningham has also been active in the music business since his retirement from the NFL by opening a recording studio and producing a musical group. Cunningham, a born again Christian, became an ordained Protestant minister and founded a church called The Cupbearer in Las Vegas in 2004.

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Mark Warden