Randall Cunningham inducted into College Football Hall of Fame

If not for his punting prowess, Randall Cunningham would not have become the first UNLV player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday night at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

Cunningham, a four-time NFL Pro Bowl quarterback, earned first team All-America honors as a punter for the Rebels in 1983, a requirement for eligibility in the Hall of Fame.

“In life you go through wonderful things, and I just happened to be that person that had a big foot. So I had a size 13 way back then. And so when the ball hit my foot, it was going somewhere,” Cunningham said Tuesday morning during a Hall of Fame news conference. “I didn’t know where it was going.”

Cunningham, Silverado High School’s football coach and a Las Vegas pastor, is the leading passer and punter in UNLV history. During his career from 1982 to 1984, he broke 18 school records, and 13 still stand, including passing yards (8,020) and touchdown passes (59).

He also holds the punting average marks for a game (58), season (47.5) and career (45.6).

“It gave me an avenue, by making it as a punter, with Kodak All-American. It was really a blessing to be able to just be around the top guys in the nation. And I really enjoyed that,” Cunningham said. “So being a punter did open some doors for me.”

Cunningham was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft and played 16 seasons for four teams (Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens). He threw for 29,979 yards and 207 touchdowns and boomed a 91-yard punt in 1989 that remains the fourth-longest in NFL history.

He led the Rebels to their first bowl — a 30-13 win over Toledo in the 1984 California Bowl — and is the second person with UNLV ties to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Cunningham joined John Robinson, who coached the Rebels from 1999 to 2004 after two successful stints at Southern California and was inducted in 2009.

Cunningham also will join his older brother Sam “Bam” Cunningham, a former USC running back, in the Hall of Fame. Sam, who was with Randall in New York, was inducted in 2010.

“It was a blessing. He came in this morning right about 7 o’clock and woke me up this morning. I’m happy that he’s here,” Randall said. “And it’s awesome, because when he came, I didn’t get the chance to come because I was so busy. But he came and supported me.”

Randall, whose No. 12 jersey was retired by UNLV at halftime of his final home game in 1984, was selected for induction in January on his 11th time as a finalist on the ballot and was honored by his alma mater on the field at Sam Boyd Stadium on Oct. 22 during UNLV’s game against Colorado State.

“Coach (Harvey) Hyde was really (lobbying) to get me in, and I always just kind of thought, ‘Well, if it happens, it happens.’ But when it happened, Oh, my God, I almost lost it,” the 53-year-old said at halftime. “Those are not the goals you set when you’re younger. You set a goal to win a state championship, to get a scholarship, then your focus is on just playing in the NFL. You want to make money. When I got the call, it was just like, ‘You’re kidding me.’

“You know, I had never thought about that, and these things that come along are just blessings.”

Cunningham was scheduled to speak on behalf of the 16-member 2016 class during the 59th National Football Foundation annual awards dinner.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.