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{{Short description|American football player (born 1963)}}
{{About||his son|Randall Cunningham II|former U.S. Representative Randall Cunningham|Duke Cunningham}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Randall Cunningham
| image = Randall Cunningham Pro Bowl.JPG
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Cunningham at the [[1999 Pro Bowl]]
| number = 12, 7, 1
| position = [[Quarterback]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1963|3|27}}
| birth_place = [[Santa Barbara, California]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lb = 215
| high_school = [[Santa Barbara High School|Santa Barbara]]
| college = [[UNLV Rebels football|UNLV]] (1981–1984)
| draftyear = 1985
| draftround = 2
| draftpick = 37
| pastteams =
* [[Philadelphia Eagles]] ({{NFL Year|1985|1995}})
* [[Minnesota Vikings]] ({{NFL Year|1997|1999}})
* [[Dallas Cowboys]] ({{NFL Year|2000}})
* [[Baltimore Ravens]] ({{NFL Year|2001}})
| highlights =
* [[PFWA NFL Most Valuable Player Award|PFWA NFL Most Valuable Player]] (1990)
* [[UPI NFC Offensive Player of the Year]] (1990)
* [[NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award|NFL Comeback Player of the Year]] (1992)
* 2× First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1990 All-Pro Team|1990]], [[1998 All-Pro Team|1998]])
* 2× Second-team All-Pro ([[1988 All-Pro Team|1988]], [[1992 All-Pro Team|1992]])
* 4× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1989 Pro Bowl|1988]]–[[1991 Pro Bowl|1990]], [[1999 Pro Bowl|1998]])
* [[List of NFL annual passer rating leaders|NFL passer rating leader]] (1998)
* [[Jim Thorpe Trophy]] (1998)
* 3× [[Bert Bell Award]] (1988, 1990, 1998)
* [[Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame]]
* 2× First-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1983 College Football All-America Team|1983]], [[1984 College Football All-America Team|1984]])
* 2× [[Big West Conference|PCAA]] Offensive Player of the Year (1983, 1984)
* 3× First-team All-PCAA (1982–1984)
* [[UNLV Rebels football#Retired numbers|UNLV Rebels No. 12]] retired
| statlabel1 = Passing attempts
| statvalue1 = 4,229
| statlabel2 = Passing completions
| statvalue2 = 2,429
| statlabel3 = Completion percentage
| statvalue3 = 56.6%
| statlabel4 = [[Touchdown|TD]]–[[Interception|INT]]
| statvalue4 = 207–134
| statlabel5 = Passing yards
| statvalue5 = 29,979
| statlabel6 = [[Passer rating]]
| statvalue6 = 81.5
| statlabel7 = Rushing yards
| statvalue7 = 4,928
| statlabel8 = Rushing touchdowns
| statvalue8 = 35
| pfr = CunnRa00
| CollegeHOF = 2394
}}
'''Randall Wade Cunningham Sr.''' (born March 27, 1963) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] [[quarterback]] who played in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) for 16 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] and is also known for his [[Minnesota Vikings]] tenure. A four-time [[Pro Bowl]] selection, Cunningham is fourth in NFL quarterback rushing yards, which he led at the time of his retirement.
Cunningham played [[college football]] for the [[UNLV Rebels football|UNLV Rebels]], earning first-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] honors in 1983 and 1984 as a [[Punter (gridiron football)|punter]]. He was selected in the second round of the [[1985 NFL draft]] by the Eagles, where he spent his first 11 seasons. He retired after the 1995 season, but returned a year later to join the Vikings. In 1998, he enjoyed the strongest season of his career and helped the team set the NFL record for the most regular season points scored en route to the [[1998 NFC Championship Game]] appearance. Cunningham lost his starting position during the 1999 season due to a performance decline and was released afterwards. In his final two seasons, he held a backup role with the [[Dallas Cowboys]] and [[Baltimore Ravens]].
Upon retiring a second and final time, Cunningham became an ordained [[Protestant]] minister and served as the team chaplain for the [[Las Vegas Raiders]] from 2020 to 2022. He was inducted to the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 2016.
==Early life and college==
Cunningham was born in [[Santa Barbara, California]], in 1963. His older brother [[Sam Cunningham|Sam]] would also become a future NFL player. He attended [[Santa Barbara High School]], and was a graduate of the class of 1981.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sbhsdons.org/about_sbhs/history.php|title=Santa Barbara High School|access-date=November 17, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070915052903/http://www.sbhsdons.org/about_sbhs/history.php <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = September 15, 2007}}</ref> As a senior, he led his team to a League title and the CIF Finals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.keyt.com/news/sports/local/9364466.html |title=Randall Cunningham practices with Santa Barbara High |access-date=November 17, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908010639/http://www.keyt.com/news/sports/local/9364466.html |archive-date=September 8, 2008 }}</ref> He also competed in [[track and field]] at SBHS in the high jump; his elder brother Frank was the [[CIF California State Meet|state]] champion in the [[shot put]].<ref>[http://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/stateres.htm California State Meet Results - 1915 to present]</ref>
He then went on to attend the [[University of Nevada, Las Vegas]] (UNLV). He was a [[1983 College Football All-America Team|1983]] and [[1984 College Football All-America Team]] selection as a [[Punter (football)|punter]]. In 1984, his senior year, he led the [[UNLV Rebels football|UNLV Rebels]] to an 11–2 season—however this was adjusted to 0–13 when it was found out several players were ineligible.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/oct/19/marking-unlvs-glory-year/ |title=Members of UNLV's 1984 football team converge for reunion|date=October 19, 2009 |access-date=August 30, 2014}}</ref>
==Professional career==
===Philadelphia Eagles===
Cunningham was the Eagles' second-round pick, and the first quarterback selected in the [[1985 NFL draft]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1985 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1985/draft.htm |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Cunningham was also sought by the [[United States Football League]]'s [[Tampa Bay Bandits]] that same year. Eagles owner [[Norman Braman]] refused to negotiate with Cunningham if he accepted offers from the Bandits. Ultimately, the USFL folded, thus ending that issue. In his rookie season he played sparingly as a backup to veteran [[Ron Jaworski]] but made a big 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, mostly due to his defensive-minded philosophy. At the quarterback position, Ryan designated 35-year-old Ron Jaworski the starter but would replace the veteran with the fleet-footed Cunningham in third-and-long situations where the latter'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. Despite his limited service and speed, the Eagles' porous offensive line allowed him to be sacked a franchise record (and NFL record at the time) 72 times that season. Cunningham was permanently handed the Eagles' starting job for the 1987 season. Cunningham was said to have reached "elite" status during the 1988 season, as he was elected by league players as the NFC starting quarterback for the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl (the first black quarterback to ever be elected a starter). That same year, he combined with fellow Eagle Pro Bowler [[Reggie White]] to lead the Eagles to the NFC Eastern Division Championship. In the 1988 Divisional Playoffs, Cunningham threw 54 passes for 407 yards during the "[[Fog Bowl (American football)|Fog Bowl]]" 20–12 loss against the [[Chicago Bears]], both of which remain playoff franchise records. He also shares the franchise record with 3 interceptions in that same game.{{efn|Three interceptions in a single playoff game, record shared with [[Ron Jaworski]] and [[Donovan McNabb]] (who did it twice).}} In the subsequent Pro Bowl a few weeks later, Cunningham was named game MVP as the NFC defeated the AFC, 28–3.
In 1989, on October 2 Cunningham also set the regular season franchise record with 62 pass attempts (now shared with [[Nick Foles]]), also against the Chicago Bears. He had been an all-conference quarterback and punter while at [[UNLV Rebels|UNLV]], and unleashed a 91-yard punt against the [[New York Giants|Giants]] on December 3, the longest in Eagles history (and the fourth-longest ever).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=8161|title=Where are they now? Randall Cunningham|access-date=December 17, 2008|archive-date=September 16, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916210337/http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=8161|url-status=dead}}</ref> He had 20 punts during his career, with an average of 44.7 yards per punt.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/players/randallcunningham/careerstats?id=CUN664464|title=Career Stats-NFL.com|website=[[NFL.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2008}}</ref>
In a 1990 game against the [[Buffalo Bills]], Cunningham, throwing from his end zone, was about to be sacked by [[Bruce Smith (defensive end)|Bruce Smith]] from his blind side. Cunningham ducked and threw a pass 60 yards to wide receiver [[Fred Barnett]], resulting in a 95-yard touchdown. That same year, Cunningham finished with 942 rushing yards, the 2nd most ever for a quarterback at the time (just 26 yards short of the all-time record, set by [[Bobby Douglass]] in 1972) and 10th best in the league. He averaged 8.0 yards per rush, the most ever by an Eagle of any position with 100 attempts on the season, and third most in NFL history.{{efn|Third to [[Michael Vick]]'s 8.45 yards/rush in 2006, and [[Beattie Feathers]]' 8.44 in 1934. [[Jim Brown]] holds the record for rushers with over 200 carries in a season, with 6.40 in 1963.}}
In 1991, Cunningham's season came to an abrupt end when he was tackled by [[Bryce Paup]] of the [[Green Bay Packers]] and tore his [[anterior cruciate ligament]] in the first game of the season.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Larimer |first=Terry |date=1991-09-03 |title=Cunningham Is an Eagle With a Nightmare |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-09-03-sp-2002-story.html |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> He would return to the Eagles completely healed the following season, and led the team to its first playoff victory in 12 years. However, it was evident that the injury he suffered took away much of his speed and athleticism. The 1993 and 1994 seasons would be riddled by a series of nagging injuries and a transition to the West Coast Offense that eventually led to his benching in favor of veteran [[Rodney Peete]]. Feeling as if the fans and organization did not fully appreciate his contributions to the team's success, as well as being unhappy with his role as a back-up, Cunningham retired from football after the 1995 season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cunningham Retires To Broadcast Booth {{!}} The Spokesman-Review |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/aug/30/cunningham-retires-to-broadcast-booth/ |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=www.spokesman.com}}</ref>
He left Philadelphia with the third-most rushing yards in Eagles history (4,482), trailing Hall of Famer [[Steve Van Buren]] and [[Wilbert Montgomery]], but has since fallen to sixth after [[Duce Staley]], [[Brian Westbrook]], and [[LeSean McCoy]] all surpassed him. He also left second only to [[Ron Jaworski]] in passing yards, with 22,877, though both were later surpassed by [[Donovan McNabb]]. He still holds the Eagles record with 6.62 yards per rush attempt, 422 sacks taken, and 6.5 yards per pass attempt in playoff games.
===Minnesota Vikings===
Cunningham joined the Vikings in 1997 after being out of football in 1996. Vikings' coach [[Dennis Green]] called him when he was on a job site for his granite business.<ref name="f978">{{cite web | last=Murphy | first=Austin | title=Second Coming Rejuvenated after a year in retirement, Randall Cunningham is setting the league on its ear and leading the Vikings to new heights | website=Sports Illustrated Vault | date=1998-12-07 | url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1998/12/07/second-coming-rejuvenated-after-a-year-in-retirement-randall-cunningham-is-setting-the-league-on-its-ear-and-leading-the-vikings-to-new-heights | access-date=2024-10-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cunningham Returns, Signs One-Year Deal With Minnesota {{!}} The Spokesman-Review |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/apr/12/cunningham-returns-signs-one-year-deal-with/ |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=www.spokesman.com}}</ref> There he reunited with former Eagles wide receiver [[Cris Carter]]. In his first year with the Vikings, he orchestrated two late scoring drives to bring them back from a 9-point deficit to defeat the [[New York Giants]] in an [[1997–98 NFL playoffs|NFC Wild Card game]] at [[Giants Stadium]], 23–22. However, the Vikings lost in the Divisional Round to [[Steve Young (American football)|Steve Young]] and the [[San Francisco 49ers]].
Cunningham enjoyed the greatest season of his career in Minnesota [[1998 Minnesota Vikings season|during the 1998 campaign]] when he guided the Vikings to a 15–1 regular season record with 34 touchdown passes, only 10 interceptions, and 3,704 passing yards. Cunningham had a good supporting cast that year with [[Cris Carter]], rookie [[Randy Moss]], and [[Jake Reed (American football)|Jake Reed]] at wide receiver and [[Robert Smith (running back)|Robert Smith]] and [[Leroy Hoard]] at running back. Cunningham led the league with a 106.0 passer rating while the Vikings scored a then-NFL record 556 points during the 1998 season, making him the first black quarterback to lead the league in that category. Cunningham claimed the Vikings' Monday night 37–24 victory over the [[Green Bay Packers]] was "the greatest night of my football career".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Freeman|first1=Mike|title=PRO FOOTBALL; Big Plays, Big Victory For Vikings|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/06/sports/pro-football-big-plays-big-victory-for-vikings.html|access-date=February 20, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=October 6, 1998}}</ref> He threw for 442 yards and four touchdowns. However, the Vikings ended up being the first 15–1 team to fall short of the Super Bowl, losing to the underdog [[Atlanta Falcons]] in the [[1998 NFC Championship Game|NFC Championship Game]] by a field goal in overtime.
During the early stages of the 1999 season, after throwing nine interceptions in just six games, Cunningham was benched again, this time in favor of [[Jeff George]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Freeman |first=Mike |date=1999-10-31 |title=PRO FOOTBALL: NOTEBOOK; From All-Pro to All-Clipboard for Cunningham |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/31/sports/pro-football-notebook-from-all-pro-to-all-clipboard-for-cunningham.html |access-date=2023-10-27 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> After the team announced that second-year quarterback [[Daunte Culpepper]] would be the starter prior to the 2000 season, Cunningham was released.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vikings release Randall Cunningham - UPI Archives |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/2000/06/02/Vikings-release-Randall-Cunningham/3151959918400/ |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=UPI |language=en}}</ref>
===Dallas Cowboys===
Shortly before the 2000 season, Cunningham signed with the [[Dallas Cowboys]] to serve as backup to [[Troy Aikman]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=1998-12-24 |title=Cowboys Sign QB Cunningham - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cowboys-sign-qb-cunningham/ |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> After a series of concussions ended Aikman's season, and ultimately his career, Cunningham again took the helm at quarterback. Despite posting a 1–2 record as a starter, he put up respectable numbers (849 yards passing with 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions). One notable occurrence during his time with the Cowboys was a return to Philadelphia. Cunningham started the game and dueled the new Eagles quarterback, [[Donovan McNabb]]. The game was decided in [[Overtime (sports)|overtime]], with an Eagles field goal giving them the 16–13 victory. He received a mixed reception of cheers and boos upon his return to Philadelphia. A 5–11 subpar year for the Cowboys led to major roster changes, and Cunningham was one of the many changes. At the end of the season, he reached incentive clauses that voided his contract and made him an unrestricted free agent. He was not re-signed, after the Cowboys signed quarterback [[Tony Banks (American football)|Tony Banks]] instead.
===Baltimore Ravens===
On May 29, 2001, he was signed by the [[Baltimore Ravens]], reuniting with head coach [[Brian Billick]], who was his offensive coordinator with the [[Minnesota Vikings]].<ref name="c046">{{cite web | last=Orton | first=Kathy | title=Cunningham to Join Ravens | website=Washington Post | date=2001-05-30 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2001/05/30/cunningham-to-join-ravens/64179b04-1157-45a7-a5aa-199b68401ea7/ | access-date=2024-10-07}}</ref> Cunningham was originally intended to serve as the third-string quarterback, but he was named the backup behind [[Elvis Grbac]] after performing better than [[Chris Redman]]. He went 2–0 as a starter. He was not re-signed, after the Ravens signed quarterback [[Jeff Blake]] instead. On August 15, 2002, Cunningham signed a one-day contract with the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] to officially announce his retirement.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2002-08-16 |title=Randall Cunningham will re-sign with Eagles and then retire |url=https://www.mcall.com/2002/08/16/randall-cunningham-will-re-sign-with-eagles-and-then-retire/ |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=The Morning Call |language=en-US}}</ref>
In his final 10 NFL seasons, Cunningham played in only 80 games, but finished his 16-year career completing 2,429 of his 4,289 attempts for 29,979 yards and 207 touchdowns, with 134 interceptions. He was sacked 484 times, third-most all time behind (2nd) [[John Elway]] with 516 sacks, and (1st) [[Brett Favre]] with 525 sacks. Cunningham also rushed for 4,928 yards on 775 carries and 35 touchdowns. He retired after the 2001 season as the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards and carries for the quarterback position, (a record broken in 2011 by [[Michael Vick]]), and tied for fourth with [[Steve Grogan]] in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. Cunningham also averaged 30.6 rushing yards per game during his career—second most all-time for quarterbacks, behind Michael Vick.
==NFL career statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2"| Legend
|-
| style="background:#e0cef2; width:3em;"|
| NFL record
|-
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the league
|-
| '''Bold'''
| Career high
|}
===Regular season===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="3"| Games
! colspan="8"| Passing
! colspan="4"| Rushing
! colspan="2"| Sacks
! colspan="2"| Fumbles
|-
! GP !! GS !! Record !! Cmp !! Att !! Pct !! Yds !! Avg !! TD !! Int !! Rtg !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! TD !! Sck !! SckY !! Fum !! Lost
|-
! [[1985 NFL season|1985]] !! [[1985 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 6 || 4 || 1−3 || 34 || 81 || 42.0 || 548 || 6.8 || 1 || 8 || 29.8 || 29 || 205 || 7.1 || 0 || 20 || 150 || — || —
|-
! [[1986 NFL season|1986]] !! [[1986 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 15 || 5 || 1−3−1 || 111 || 209 || 53.1 || 1,391 || 6.7 || 8 || 7 || 72.9 || 66 || 540 || '''8.2''' || 5 || style="background:#cfecec;"| '''72''' || style="background:#e0cef2;"| '''489''' || — || —
|-
! [[1987 NFL season|1987]] !! [[1987 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 12 || 12 || 7−5 || 223 || 406 || 54.9 || 2,786 || 6.9 || 23 || 12 || 83.0 || 76 || 505 || 6.6 || 3 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 54 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 380 || — || —
|-
! [[1988 NFL season|1988]] !! [[1988 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 16 || 16 || 10−6 || '''301''' || '''560''' || 53.8 || '''3,808''' || 6.8 || 24 || '''16''' || 77.6 || 93 || 624 || 6.7 || '''6''' || style="background:#cfecec;"| 57 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 442 || — || —
|-
! [[1989 NFL season|1989]] !! [[1989 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 16 || 16 || 11−5 || 290 || 532 || 54.5 || 3,400 || 6.4 || 21 || 15 || 75.5 || 104 || 621 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 6.0 || 4 || 45 || 343 || — || —
|-
! [[1990 NFL season|1990]] !! [[1990 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 16 || 16 || 10−6 || 271 || 465 || 58.3 || 3,466 || 7.5 || 30 || 13 || 91.6 || '''118''' || '''942''' || style="background:#cfecec;"| 8.0 || 5 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 49 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 431 || — || —
|-
! [[1991 NFL season|1991]] !! [[1991 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 1 || 1 || 1−0 || 1 || 4 || 25.0 || 19 || 4.8 || 0 || 0 || 46.9 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 16 || — || —
|-
! [[1992 NFL season|1992]] !! [[1992 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 15 || 15 || 10−5 || 233 || 384 || 60.7 || 2,775 || 7.2 || 19 ||| 11 || 87.3 || 87 || 594 || 6.3 || 5 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 60 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 437 || style="background:#cfecec;"| '''13''' || 8
|-
! [[1993 NFL season|1993]] !! [[1993 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 4 || 4 || 4−0 || 76 || 110 || 69.1 || 850 || 7.7 || 5 || 5 || 88.1 || 18 || 110 || 6.1 || 1 || 7 || 33 || 3 || 2
|-
! [[1994 NFL season|1994]] !! [[1994 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 14 || 14 || 7−7 || 265 || 490 || 54.1 || 3,229 || 6.6 || 16 || 13 || 74.4 || 65 || 288 || 4.4 || 3 || 43 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 333 || 10 || 3
|-
! [[1995 NFL season|1995]] !! [[1995 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 7 || 4 || 1−3 || 69 || 121 || 57.0 || 605 || 5.0 || 3 ||| 5 || 61.5 || 21 || 98 || 4.7 || 0 || 13 || 79 || 3 || 2
|-
! [[1997 NFL season|1997]] !! [[1997 Minnesota Vikings season|MIN]]
| 6 || 3 || 1−2 || 44 || 88 || 50.0 || 501 || 5.7 || 6 || 4 || 71.3 || 19 || 127 || 6.7 || 0 || 7 || 60 || 4 || 1
|-
! [[1998 NFL season|1998]] !! [[1998 Minnesota Vikings season|MIN]]
| 15 || 14 || '''13−1''' || 259 || 425 || 60.9 || 3,704 || '''8.7''' || '''34''' || 10 || style="background:#cfecec;"| '''106.0''' || 32 || 132 || 4.1 || 1 || 20 || 132 || 2 || 1
|-
! [[1999 NFL season|1999]] !! [[1999 Minnesota Vikings season|MIN]]
| 6 || 6 || 2−4 || 124 || 200 || '''62.0''' || 1,475 || 7.4 || 8 || 9 || 79.6 || 10 || 58 || 5.8 || 0 || 15 || 101 || 2 || 2
|-
! [[2000 NFL season|2000]] !! [[2000 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
| 6 || 3 || 1−2 || 74 || 125 || 59.2 || 849 || 6.8 || 6 || 4 || 82.4 || 23 || 89 || 3.9 || 1 || 8 || 45 || 4 || 1
|-
! [[2001 NFL season|2001]] !! [[2001 Baltimore Ravens season|BAL]]
| 6 || 2 || 2−0 || 54 || 89 || 60.7 || 573 || 6.4 || 3 || 2 || 81.3 || 14 || 40 || 2.9 || 1 || 12 || 66 || 4 || 0
|-
! colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CunnRa00.htm Career] !! 161 !! 135 !! 82−52−1 !! 2,429 !! 4,289 !! 56.6 !! 29,979 !! 7.0 !! 207 !! 134 !! 81.5 !! 775 !! 4,928 !! 6.4 !! 35 !! 484 !! 3,537 !! 45 !! 20
|}
==After retiring==
After retiring from football, Cunningham returned to UNLV to finish his college degree in Leisure Studies. Cunningham has also been active in the Gospel music business since his retirement from the NFL by opening a recording studio and producing Christian worship music. Cunningham, a [[born again Christian]], became an ordained [[Protestant]] [[Religious minister|minister]] and founded a church called Remnant Ministries in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2006/11/16/feature2.html |title=Las Vegas Weekly |access-date=November 28, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306184725/http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2006/11/16/feature2.html |archive-date=March 6, 2007 }}</ref> In 2020, Cunningham became the team chaplain for the [[Las Vegas Raiders]], replacing former team chaplain [[Napoleon Kaufman]], who stayed in Oakland [[Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas|when the team moved to Las Vegas]].<ref name="g271">{{cite web | last=Gutierrez | first=Paul | title=Ex-MVP Cunningham joins Raiders as chaplain | website=ESPN.com | date=2020-07-10 | url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29442013/randall-cunningham-joins-las-vegas-raiders-team-chaplain | access-date=2024-10-07}}</ref>
In December 2009, Cunningham was hired by [[Silverado High School (Las Vegas)|Silverado High School]] in [[Henderson, Nevada]] as the [[offensive coordinator]] of the school's varsity and junior varsity football team. His son, [[Randall Cunningham II]], was a freshman quarterback for the Skyhawks.<ref>{{cite web |last=Keefer |first=Case |title=Silverado hires Randall Cunningham as offensive coordinator |publisher=[[Las Vegas Sun]] |date=December 14, 2009 |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/dec/14/silverado-hires-cunningham-offensive-coordinator/ |access-date=December 15, 2009}}</ref>
On June 29, 2010, one of Cunningham's children, two-year-old son Christian, drowned in a [[hot tub]] while unattended at the family home in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/06/randall-cunninghams-son-dies-in-hot-tub-accident/1 | work=USA Today | title=Randall Cunningham's son dies in hot tub accident | date=June 30, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://blogs.suntimes.com/sportsprose/2010/06/randall_cunninghams_2-year-old.html | work=Chicago Sun-Times | title=Randall Cunningham's 2-year-old son drowns in hot tub | first=Kyle | last=Koster | date=June 30, 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703114249/http://blogs.suntimes.com/sportsprose/2010/06/randall_cunninghams_2-year-old.html | archive-date=July 3, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.lvrj.com/sports/son-of-ex-rebel-drowns-97458929.html | work=Las Vegas Review-Journal| title=Son of ex-Rebel Cunningham drowns| first=Mark | last=Anderson | date=June 30, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703035734/http://www.lvrj.com/sports/son-of-ex-rebel-drowns-97458929.html| archive-date=July 3, 2010 }}</ref>
In August 2011, following a rumored spat with Silverado's head coach, Cunningham resigned his coaching position at SHS. His son, Randall Jr, withdrew from SHS and registered the same day at [[Bishop Gorman High School]], a private Roman Catholic school in Las Vegas.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nevadapreps.com/boys/football/stories/Cunningham_resigns_as_Silverado_aide_127982358.html | work=Nevada Preps | title=Cunningham resigns as Silverado aide | date=August 17, 2011}}</ref>
In July 2012, Cunningham was named the 23rd greatest quarterback of the NFL's post-merger era, according to Football Nation.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.footballnation.com/content/top-100-qbs-since-the-merger-40-21/15546/ | work=Football Nation | title=Top 100 Modern Quarterbacks: 40-21 | date=July 26, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030200111/http://www.footballnation.com/content/top-100-qbs-since-the-merger-40-21/15546/ | archive-date=October 30, 2012 }}</ref>
In March 2013, Cunningham authored ''Lay It Down: How Letting Go Brings Out Your Best'' (Worthy Publishing, {{ISBN|9781617951275}}). The book shows readers how to work out the “lay it down” principle in all phases of life.
In December 2014, Cunningham was named head coach at Silverado High School.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2014/dec/29/nfl-great-randall-cunningham-high-silv/|title=Silverado High hires NFL great Randall Cunningham|author=Ray Brewer|date=December 29, 2014|newspaper=Las Vegas Sun}}</ref> In his rookie season as head coach, he and his staff turned the football program around from a previous record of 3–7 to a 2015 record of 7–4. The team recorded its first playoff victory since the year 2007. He helped coach two National All-Americans who were chosen to participate in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl games.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brewer |first1=Ray |title=More than a sprinter: Silverado's Clayton goes from track prospect to football recruit |url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2015/dec/25/more-than-a-sprinter-silverados-clayton-goes-from/ |access-date=1 June 2024 |work=Las Vegas Sun |date=25 December 2015 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jeremiah Pritchard - Football |url=https://hawaiiathletics.com/sports/football/roster/jeremiah--pritchard/19390 |website=University of Hawai'i at Manoa Athletics |access-date=1 June 2024 |language=en}}</ref> Cunningham was not retained as coach at Silverado High School after two seasons in April 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://usatodayhss.com/2017/randall-cunningham-coach-silverado-high-school-out|title=Randall Cunningham not retained as coach by Las Vegas high school|author=J.A. Barnett|date=April 21, 2017|newspaper=USA Today}}</ref>
Cunningham's #12 Eagles jersey is part of the costume for the Always Teste character of YouTube comedian [[Ed Bassmaster]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Epstein |first1=Adam |title=The Philadelphia man who beheaded a Canadian hitchhiking robot was caught on video |url=https://qz.com/470794/the-philadelphia-man-who-beheaded-a-canadian-hitchhiking-robot-was-caught-on-video |access-date=1 June 2024 |work=Quartz |date=3 August 2015 |language=en}}</ref>
His daughter, [[Vashti Cunningham]], is a [[track and field]] athlete who competed in the [[Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's high jump|high jump]] at the [[2020 Summer Olympics]], placing sixth overall.<ref name="Review Journal">{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Mark |title=Vashti Cunningham only US hope in Olympic high jump |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/olympics/vashti-cunningham-only-us-hope-in-olympic-high-jump-2414333/ |access-date=8 August 2021 |agency=Las Vegas Review-Journal |date=5 August 2021}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[List of athletes who came out of retirement]]
* [[Racial issues faced by black quarterbacks]]
==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==
*{{Cite news |last=Keefer |first=Zak |date=2025-05-05 |title=Randall Cunningham’s not scrambling anymore: How the ‘Ultimate Weapon’ found peace |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6329652/2025/05/05/randall-cunningham-minister-eagles-football-peace/ |access-date=2025-06-17 |work=The Athletic |language=en-US }}
==External links==
* {{Footballstats |nfl=randall-cunningham |espn=8 |cbs= |yahoo=66 |pfr=C/CunnRa00 |rotoworld= }}
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