USC football legend Sam ‘Bam’ Cunningham dies at 71

Former USC All-American fullback Sam “Bam” Cunningham died Tuesday successful Inglewood astatine the property of 71.

In a release, USC athletics said that the origin of decease is pending.

Cunningham played astatine USC from 1970-72. During the ’72 season, Cunningham earned All-American honors aft rushing for 13 touchdowns and helping to pb USC to a nationalist championship. In the 1973 Rose Bowl, Cunningham scored 4 touchdowns successful a triumph implicit Ohio State to gain MVP honors for the game.

In his three-year career, Cunningham rushed for 1,579 yards and 23 touchdowns. The Santa Barbara High postgraduate was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame successful 2010, 9 years aft helium was inducted into the USC Athletics Hall of Fame.

But his top interaction whitethorn person travel successful 1970, erstwhile helium was a subordinate of USC’s “all-Black” backfield alongside backmost Jimmy Jones and moving backmost Clarence Davis, the archetypal of its benignant successful Division I history. Cunningham’s 135-yard, two-touchdown show successful a roadworthy triumph implicit an all-white Alabama squad was often credited with spurring the integration of assemblage shot successful the South.

“Sam Cunningham did much to integrate Alabama successful 60 minutes than Martin Luther King did successful 20 years,” Jerry Claiborne, an Alabama adjunct coach, would aboriginal accidental of that performance.

Following his assemblage career, Cunningham was selected 11th wide successful the 1973 NFL draught by the New England Patriots. He played 9 seasons successful New England, and his 5,453 vocation rushing yards are inactive a franchise record. His 43 rushing touchdowns are 2nd successful the Patriots’ grounds books.

Following his playing career, Cunningham worked successful Southern California arsenic a landscaper.

Services are pending astatine this time.

More to travel connected this story.