The Surprising Way Eagles Star Randall Cunningham Will Reunite With Jon Gruden
Randall Cunningham enjoyed a successful NFL career as a quarterback. Though he did not win a Super Bowl, he received many awards for his accomplishments on the field. He played for four different teams during his career.
Cunningham spent most of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was introduced to Jon Gruden during his time in Philadelphia. Now the two will be reunited in a much different way.
Looking back at Randall Cunningham’s NFL career
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Cunningham in the second round of the 1985 NFL draft. He became the team’s starting quarterback during the 1987 season. That season Cunningham threw for 2,786 yards with 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Cunningham had problems in the backfield as he led the league in getting sacked. He was sacked 54 times during the season, and there was a stretch where he led the league in that stat for three consecutive seasons. During the 1988 season, he was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time. That season he threw for 3,808 yards with 24 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, and he rushed for six touchdowns.
Over the next few seasons, Cunningham continued to play at a high level. In 1990 he was named the Pro Football Writers Association NFL MVP. Cunningham was ready to have another successful year during the 1991 season, but that did not go as planned. In the first game of the season, he tore his ACL and was out for the season. The following season he made a full recovery and led the Eagles to its first playoff victory in 12 years. He won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 1992. Cunningham spent his first 11 seasons playing for the Eagles.
After not playing in 1996, Cunningham joined the Minnesota Vikings for the 1997 season. Cunningham only saw action in six games during his first year in Minnesota. The 1998 season was Cunningham’s best season of his career. He led the Vikings to a 15-1 record throwing for 3,704 yards with 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. That season the Vikings fell short, making it to the Super Bowl losing to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game. After three years in Minnesota, Cunningham finished his final two seasons playing for the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. He finished his career throwing for 29,979 yards with 207 touchdowns and rushing for 4,928 yards with 35 touchdowns.
Randall Cunningham’s life after football
Cunningham became an ordained Protestant minister and founded a church called Remnant Ministries in Las Vegas in 2004. Cunningham also got involved in football again as a coach. In 2009 he became the offensive coordinator for the varsity and junior varsity program at Silverado High School in Henderson, Nevada. After spending a few years at Silverado, he resigned from the coaching position. In 2014, he became the head coach at Silverado.
In his first year as head coach, he turned the program around. The team went from having a 3-7 record to finishing with a 7-4 record in 2015, and the team recorded its first playoff win since 2007. His career as a head coach ended after two seasons. But now, Cunningham will be involved in the NFL differently.
Randall Cunningham reunites with Jon Gruden in Las Vegas
Recently, the former NFL MVP joined the Las Vegas Raiders as the team’s chaplain. This brings Cunningham and Gruden together again. While Cunningham was playing in Philadelphia, Gruden became the offensive coordinator in 1995, which was Cunningham’s last season in Philadelphia. Cunningham looks forward to spending time with the players when it’s safe to be together.
In an ESPN article, Cunningham said Gruden asked him to be the team chaplain. “I have a responsibility to look after these guys in this town. And I accept that responsibility,” he said in the article. With his religious background, Cunningham will make sure to be there for the players in every possible way.
