Ex-Rebel Randall Cunningham calls College Hall induction his crowning achievement

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Former UNLV great Randall Cunningham, who played 16 seasons in the NFL, called being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame the crowning achievement of his career.

"You set goals in life, and I know that I set many goals, wanted to be in the NFL," he said at Friday's announcement. "But to be able to have the icing on the cake, this is the greatest thing that's happened to me in sports. I'm very, very honored."

Cunningham, who coaches at Silverado High School and is a Las Vegas pastor, is one of 14 players in this year's class. Two coaches also will be inducted Dec. 6 in New York.

This announcement was part of the lead-up to Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship between No. 1 Clemson and No. 2 Alabama in Glendale, Ariz.

Cunningham played quarterback and punter at UNLV from 1982 to 1984, and he still holds the school career records for passing yards (8,020), passing touchdowns (59) and punting average (45.6). He set 18 school records overall and led UNLV to its first bowl, a 30-13 victory over Toledo in the 1984 California Bowl.

From there, Cunningham played 11 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, who drafted him in the second round in 1985. He played another five seasons after leaving Philadelphia, finishing with 29,979 yards passing and 207 touchdowns as well as 4,928 yards rushing and 35 TDs.

Cunningham is the first UNLV player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. John Robinson, who coached the Rebels from 1999 to 2004, was inducted in 2009, mostly for his work at Southern California.

But Cunningham is not the first person from his own family to receive college football's highest honor. His brother Sam, a former running back at USC, was inducted in 2010.

"I feel so good about it because we both went to two different colleges," Cunningham said. "Came from the same high school, of course, Santa Barbara (Calif.) High School. And to be able to just see two in the same family is truly an honor."

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65. He also is a voter for the College Football Hall of Fame.