When it comes to never-ending sports debates, the No. 1 most hotly contested topic was, is and always will be a generational one — how would a player or team from one era fare in another era?
When it comes to former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham, it’s hard to imagine a virtually unstoppable dual threat quarterback who is 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds being treated like anything but a Golden God of Rock and Roll in today’s NFL.
Cunningham opened up to The Athletic’s Zak Keefer in a wide-ranging feature story on May 5 in which the 62-year-old church pastor did not hold back his thoughts on current Eagles quarterback and reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts.
“(Hurts) is a thinker,” Cunningham told Keefer. “He’s intelligent. He’s not fake and phony, and he’s in the minority on that. The thing I appreciate most about Jalen is that when I reach out, he always gets back to me, no matter how busy he is.”
Hurts gave a tip of the hat by placing the famous “HE’S BACK SCRAMBLING!” hat in his locker at one point — the same hat worn by Cunningham during his playing days as a dig at former Eagles offensive coordinator and head coach Rick Kotite’s distaste for Cunningham’s ability to make plays outside the pocket.
Kotite had a 40-56 record in 6 seasons as an NFL coach with the Eagles and New York Jets, including a 1-15 season in New York in 1996.
Cunningham Definition of ‘Before His Time’ Player
In the pantheon of players who arrived “before their time” Cunningham is close to the very top of the list. The UNLV product was a second round pick (No. 37 overall) in the 1985 NFL draft. Cunningham, who was also a 2-time All-American punter, is the only UNLV player in the College Football Hall of Fame.
In the NFL, Cunningham made 3 of his 4 career Pro Bowls in his first 4 seasons as a full time starter. In 1990, he was the NFL MVP runner-up after finishing in the Top 10 in the NFL in passing and rushing.
After retiring for one season in 1996, Cunningham returned to the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings in 1997 and earned NFL All-Pro honors in 1998 after leading his team to a 15-1 regular season record.
Cunningham played 16 seasons in the NFL for 4 different teams, finishing his career as a backup with the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens.
On Hand to Watch Super Bowl LIX Victory
Cunningham was in attendance at Super Bowl LIX to watch Hurts put on a virtuoso performance in a 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. and was able to embrace the moment as a fan for the first time.
In the past, Cunningham described trying to hide his appearance with hoodies, hats and sunglasses when he went to games so no one would recognize him — such was his anxiety over the treatment he got from fans during his playing days when things went bad.
“Then, at February’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, he ditched the disguise,” Keefer wrote. “No suite. No hoodie. No sunglasses. Instead, the 62-year-old wore a head-to-toe Eagles ‘Flysuit’ with his name and number on the back. For three hours, Randall Cunningham cheered like a Philly diehard while his old team thumped the Chiefs for the franchise’s second Super Bowl.”
