Sam Cunningham Football Card

This is a 1974 Topps football card #502 featuring New England Patriots running back Sam Cunningham. On the back of the card are Cunningham’s statistics. Cunningham would play professional football from 1973-1982, spending every season with the New England Patriots. While Cunningham was only selected to one Pro Bowl, he had a significant impact on the college game.

In 1970, Cunningham along with quarterback Jimmy Jones and running back Clarence Davis formed the first ever "all-black" backfield in Division I football while playing at the University of Southern California. Cunningham was a formidable force at fullback for USC, with one of his most notable performances coming in his debut game against the all-white University of Alabama. USC would defeat Alabama 42-21, with Cunningham accounting for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns. The dominance of USC and Cunningham's performance specifically, are credited as being a major factor in allowing Alabama's head Coach Bear Bryant to convince administration and fans to integrate southern football. One of Bryant's assistants, Jerry Claiborne, is reported to have said, "Sam Cunningham did more to integrate Alabama in 60 minutes than Martin Luther King did in 20 years."