Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Pretty darn safe. This is where we get into sword-and-stone mythology. For his college career he averaged 24.8 points per game and set a school record with 1,062 rebounds. Very easily.. Born: June 3, 1943 in Brooklyn, New York us College: UNC High School: Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, New York Draft: Philadelphia 76ers, 1st round (7th pick, 7th overall), 1965 NBA Draft Some nights, when your legs were really there and you had total command, you felt nobody was going to get any higher than you were. American basketball player The Grizzlies say their star guard will be away from the team for 'at least' the next 2 games. He was in the gym in Mesa one afternoon, in street clothes and basketball shoes. This guy couldshoot AND dunk. star and now the leagues vice president of operations. He would replace the injured and aging Luke Jackson as the starting power forward of the team, and averaged 24.8 points per game and 12.8 rebounds per game during the 196869 season while leading the 76ers to 55 wins. Cunningham also set a single-game North Carolina record with 48 points against Tulane on December 10, 1964. Professional basketball player Dolph Schayes is an icon in Philadelphia 76ers lore and was one of the NBA's first stars as well. You cant accomplish that feat unless youve got some serious springs in your heels! It takes a lot more to get people excited now, said Chris Wallace, editor of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. People think, mistakenly in most cases, that they could hit a baseball, Costas says. for once. Find Billy Cunningham 76ers stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Dunk is cheap. After the 19711972 season, Cunningham left Philadelphia and the NBA for the rival American Basketball Association (ABA), signing on with the (North) Carolina Cougars. The Cougars' attempt to file an injunction against him was denied in United States District Court on September 24, 1971. I told him Id read he had a 44. Known as "The Kangaroo Kid," he won an NBA Championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1967, then coached the team to another championship in 1983. My mother has a bar here in southern Idaho, and shes got a nail where Joey touched, at 11-9 1/2.. The next year he exploded for 24.8 points per game and 12.8 rebounds and he was named a first-team All-Star. 1964 UNC at Duke, tip-off.jpg 1,454 1,750; 377 KB. Although he had never coached, he was popular in Philadelphia, and his competitiveness, toughness and intelligence seemed right for the job. When Joey was a high school senior, Clarke took his Watts Magicians to Mesa, Ariz., for a prep tournament. His entire head and neck were above the rim. Jerry West could get up. The NBA had no such contest at the time, considering such frivolity to be beneath the senior leagues dignity. snoop dogg zodiac chart New Lab; kaplan children's furniture; is there quicksand in georgia; He would perform a reverse dunk-dunk with two balls. Many have speculated about the reasons behind this phenomenon. Eight players dunked in triple figures: Barkley of Philadelphia, 188; Jordan of Chicago, 156; Otis Thorpe of Golden State, 150; Pat Ewing of the Knicks, 146; Karl Malone of Utah, 142; Drexler of Portland, 130; Wilkins of Atlanta, 126, and Olajuwon of Houston, 118. At six feet, seven inches tall and 220 pounds, Cunningham was a consistent scorer and fierce rebounder. A fabulous collegian and pro player Cunningham shot to stardom when he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1966. After this historic 2015 event, Twitter lit up with the hashtag #WhiteMenCanJump (the up in lit up is so well placed, right?). Judging by a still shot the DukeMBB videographer took during the testing, Williamson cleared a vertical leap mark of 40 inches. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Another oft-told legend has Jackie on defense. I loved it instantly.. By word of mouth, you would get to know who the best dunkers were, and by the end of the season it was pretty much agreed the best two were a Portland guy named Claude English and me. June 12, 2022 . My sergeant was higher than Jordans. One expert, Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers assistant general manager, was asked to name the games bona fide super leapers. In his UNC career, he scored 1,709 points (24.8 points per game), and grabbed 1,062 rebounds (15.4 rebounds per game). As a sophomore, with as little work, he improved to 7-5 7/8. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers (nine as player, eight as coach), and two seasons as a player with the Carolina Cougars of the ABA. Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. Cunningham was subsequently replaced on CBS by Hubie Brown, but would return to CBS to help fill in during the 1990 NBA Playoffs, partnered with Verne Lundquist. The ABA folded after that season, but the slam-off was such a hit with the media that the concept was eventually ripped off by the NBA. I dont want anyone ripping rib-cage muscles or wrenching spinal disks. Send us your videotape. Also, his dunk on Dwight Howard during the 2008 Olympic finals was unreal. In the Division Finals, the Cougars lost a tight seven-game series to the Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3. The 6-2 product of the Harlem slums could dunk, catch the ball with his opposite hand and dunk it again, all in the same leap. Still, the thrill is not all gone. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Thats a mouthful. Can you do that? He led the Cougars to the best record in the league and was selected to the All-ABA First Team and was named the ABA MVP. When you think about Billys life, it is amazing, former Philadelphia 76er executive and then-Orlando Magic senior executive vice president Pat Williams told New Miami magazine in 1992. William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. He came up with four: Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Spud Webb and Clyde (the Glide) Drexler. Jackie stays in the air and the ref calls a three-second violation. Trenkle had heard of the Gus Johnson nail, so when the Southern Idaho team was passing through Moscow on a trip, he ordered the bus driver to stop outside the Corner Club, and he took Joey inside. Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? "It's a remarkable life.". Not only could he walk, but he was also an All-ACC selection three times and a two-time All-American. It was so much air that it tied young Pat for the spot of second-highest vertical leap recorded up to that point. The soaring flight of the great leaper is amazing, even to himself. Weary of the NBA lifestyle, Cunningham retired. They couldnt, of course, because those things are so much harder than they look. The future never came, but Dawkins broke new ground in power dunking, backboard shattering and dunknaming. . In Cunninghams debut year the team went 55-27 and won the Atlantic Division before losing to eventual-champion Washington in the Eastern Conference finals. 1924- Billy Cunningham tells broadcaster John Andariese about his early success with the 76ers. Terrell Owens Gets Into Fight Outside CVS. He was all but unknown at the University of Massachusetts, then played five seasons in the semi-secret ABA. They asked him to show how high he could jump, so with no warmup of any kind, in his school clothes, Joey stood there, jumped up and put his chin on the rim. Joey averaged 19.5 points at Southern Idaho and led the team to a national junior college title. Professional football player One dunking dinosaur who could fly and play was Gus Johnson, a 6-6 hipster-forward who had a gold star implanted in a front tooth. Jones, a noted defensive terror. Philadelphia fans showed surprisingly little bitterness toward Cunningham, who rewarded them with 19.5 ppg in 1974-75. He also had stellar 3-pointer abilities, but after that 1996 air show, most of his other accomplishments were left in the dust. Connie Hawkins, another of the elite leapers of that era, was blackballed from the NBA because of involvement with gamblers when he was in college. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. White, also known as the Elevator from Decatur, made the NBA all-time all-warmup team that one season. Wilt Chamberlain claims that his sergeant, during his prime, was 46 to 48 inches, easy. Of course, Wilt also claims he once averaged 50 points for an entire NBA season, so his credibility is suspect. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. A lot of young men soar into the NBA but are quickly weighted down by injuries and the 82-game grind, such as Darrell (Dr. Dunkenstein) Griffith of the Utah Jazz. He would find a way to beat you., Billy Cunningham discovered the game after receiving a basketball for his fifth birthday. At the 1991 Slam Dunk Competition he came in third. In the 197374 season, Cunningham and the Cougars finished third in the Eastern Division and lost again to the Kentucky Colonels in the Eastern Division semifinals. He was elected to the Hall of Fame the following year. I loved it instantly." And there was a dog. He recorded 14 triple doubles in the NBA and 5 in the ABA, good for 43rd all-time in the NBA and 5th in the ABA. It was an effort, but I could do it., There is no documented proof of a man ever taking off from behind the free-throw line, 15 feet from the backboard, and dunking. Wed been on the bus eight hours by then, Trenkle said. Well find out next season. The white guys listed below are heroes of the basketball world. The 1996 dunk competition boasted great ballers like the 76ers Jerry Stackhouse and the Suns Michael Finley, and nobody really expected the Lakers guard to triumph. You dont play with a red, white and blue ball if youre into dignity. Cunningham has been on 50,000-watt radio station 700 WLW for over 30 years, beginning in 1983. Billy Cunningham wasn't nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid because he had a pouch. billy cunningham vertical jump - a portrait of the artist as filipino - a portrait of the artist as filipino - June 3, billy cunningham vertical jump. In 1972-73, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the American Basketball Association and he scored 18 points in the ABA All-Star Game. I dont believe anyone has ever done it. He became a three-time NBA champion, three-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP, 12-time All-Star, All-Star Game MVP, NBA Rookie of the Year, three-time Three-Point Shootout Champion, and two-time member of the 50-40-90 club. See, for example, Jan Hubbard, ed., The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia, 3d ed. Upload media Wikipedia. Were playing in Philadelphia, against Wilt, Hawkins relates. Even so, Erving was the NBAs most dazzling aerial star until he retired in 1987 and passed the title to Michael Jordan. So maybe his African American genes are a little stronger than his Caucasian ones after all? Wilt mentioned a few names, then said, You know, there was a white boy who played for Atlanta around 1970. He came on back to Harlem. The 76ers lost to the Lakers in 1980 and 1982, but after acquiring Moses Malone, they finally got past the Lakers in 1983, winning the franchise's third (and most recent) NBA Championship as part of a 121 playoff run. Airy, Maryland. Cunningham hit for 18.9 ppg and 7.6 rpg. At Carolina, he was reunited with the coach Larry Brown, who had been a UNC teammate. He spent several years as one of the owners of the Miami Heat and the team quickly became a contender. CUNNINGHAM, William John ("Billy") ( b. Cade Cunningham Vertical Jump Height. His performance in the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest was nothing less than stellar, and some say he was robbed of the chance to move to the next round. Do you have a sports website? The team finished 42-40 and was bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks. This story is not that important. Billy Cunningham was born in New York on June 3, 1943. Its even been called hellicious.. There are two other pure measurements of leap--the dunk and the top of the money exchange. And after all, The sun even shines on a dog's a** some days. No discussion of legendary leapers is complete without heated debate. There was a Philadelphia boy, Sonny Hill, about 5-10 (actually 5-9), he was the first guy that size I ever saw dunk. Some may say that getting off the ground quickly is more important than how much height you get, but its a safe bet that these same people cant match Alexanders pre-draft 38.5 inch max vertical. We present them here for purely educational purposes. And he made it to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with a career that reads like a how-to book for legends. His shooting skills may be what he is best remembered for, but his vertical leaps were nothing to sneeze at: he made 28 inches on more than one occasion. Its a feeling of power and freedom Ive never gotten from anything else. The Philadelphia 76ers selected Cunningham in the first round of the 1965 NBA Draft, figuring the 6-foot-6 bony and mobile player would be a guard. The most frequent flyers? Its almost like burlesque dancing. Dawkins claimed to have come from the planet Lovetron, he called himself Chocolate Thunder and Zandokan the Mad Dunker, and he named his dunks. The Hawks favorite flight story, like many stories of that era, features Chamberlain as a foil. As Cunningham was adjusting to the professional game, the 76ers were becoming a powerhouse. Cunningham became a top analyst for CBSs broadcasts of NBA games. After that season, Cunningham jumped from the NBA to the ABA with the Carolina Cougars. The Philadelphia 76ers star was a consistent scorer throughout his heyday in the 1960s and '70s. Watch even half of any of his highlight reels and youll understand why he made this list. Sunday Nights with Bill Cunningham can be heard every Sunday on over 300 radio stations across the United States. The greatest nicknames in basketball are reserved for those who attain the greatest altitude. In Madison Square Garden, he got a standing ovation for his warmup dunks. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. I was a good free throw shooter in college.. Cade Cunningham has a vertical jump of 41 inches. After acquiring the talented Moses Malone for the 19821983 season, Philadelphia won sixty-five regular season games and then the league championship, losing one of thirteen play-off games. David came the closest, Kupchak said. Seniors Are Getting Freaking And A New Loofah Code Lets Everyone Know. Joey made the trip but was nursing a hip pointer, so he couldnt suit up. Known as "The Kangaroo Kid," Billy Cunningham was a high-flying scorer who won an NBA title as a player and coach with the 76ers. Jay Norman, an outstanding defensive player, went into his defensive stance at the foul line. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny OFFICIAL TRAILER! Billy Cunningham found success as a coach in the NBA after his playing days were through. home/away, monthly, etc More Billy Cunningham Basketball Reference pages, Compare Billy Cunningham to other players. He had tested thousands of Navy pilots during the war, and he said Griffiths was the highest he ever measured.. . "Shue Ousted, Cunningham Named; N.B.A. The next season, Phily finished 47-35, but lost to the Spurs in the conference semis. He was named Most Valuable Player in the ABA. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Soon Greer would be alone. One explanation for the reverence accorded the big jumpers is offered by psychologist-sportscaster Bob Costas, who once did play-by-play for the Spirit of St. Louis, a team in the now-defunct American Basketball Assn., where every game was a jam-boree. In 1976-77, the season before Cunningham took the helm, the Sixers reached The Finals, only to fall to the Portland Trail Blazers. Most of these leapers are black, and in the late 50s and early 60s, the NBA still had unofficial quotas, and only eight or nine teams. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Billy Cunningham was born on June 3, 1943. But he was over by a good six to eight inches. He averaged 24.1 ppg (fourth best in the league) and 6.3 apg (fifth best), leading the Cougars to a 57-27 record, tops in the ABAs Eastern Division. It was legendary, however, and cemented young Majerle as one of the best white dunkers of all time. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Position: Detroits Adrian Dantley, 6-foot-4, and Clevelands Phil Hubbard, 6-8, were the only front-court starters to go through the season dunkless. In warmups, we would always check out the other team and get into little contests with their guys. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. He was a No. Top 15 NBA Players Who Prove That White Men CAN Jump, The sun even shines on a dog's a** some days. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. If the Land of Leap had a national holiday, it would be Feb. 8, the anniversary of the legendary 1976 ABA All-Star games first--and last--slam dunk contest. Hes set records for leading the NBA in dunks during his very first year playing pro. You get it. I lived there that summer, he later recalled. Joey didnt even have his shoes laced, Clarke said. Cunningham was part of a group that helped to secure an NBA franchise for Miami in the late 1980s. How in the world can this kid play ball? The other measurement of leap is the money exchange at the top of the backboard, which is exactly 13 feet above the floor and three feet above the rim. We ask the player to stand next to a wall, flat-footed, one arm stretched to its maximum, and mark the apex of his fingers. This guy wasnt a leaper, but it will show you what I mean. In the 19701971 season he again was an All-Star starter and finished ninth in the NBA with 23.0 points per game. Chess Robot Grabs And Breaks Finger Of Seven-Year . 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. I won the unofficial NBA slam dunk title that season, said White, who now sells heavy equipment in Georgia. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Now an NBA journeyman, Dawkins came into the NBA in 1975, straight out of high school, billed as the center of the future. Hes also not 100% African American, though, which means he doesnt automatically have insane jumping genes. In 1996 he was voted one of the top fifty players at the NBA's fiftieth anniversary. Many of the great leapers of that era inhabited the fringes of reality as we know it. Stand underneath a basketball hoop, a regulation 10-footer. Celtics legend Larry Bird might just be the most famous white guy in basketball. We should be glad he doesnt demand his own useum. Okay, so LaVine is technically not 100% Caucasian. Rosters Cut,", "1978 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals - New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers", Goldaper, Sam. A commitment to the basic fundamentals of any game lead to progress, growth, and success. He was about a foot from the top.. I asked Kareem if he ever did, and he could jump a little bit. Now thats something to brag about at Sunday family dinners. Averaging 14.3 points per game, Cunningham was named to the league's All-Rookie team. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Ive heard stories about Jackie Jackson doing it, but Ive never seen anyone (but himself) come close., Sonny Hill, a Philadelphia leaping legend of the 60s, backs Wilt, saying, The only man thats been to the top, thats Wilt. Nobody ever played the game could rise any better than Jackie. That Sixers team has since been hailed as the greatest ever assembled. He had wide shoulders--he was built like Orlando (Woolridge), 6-7 or 6-8. Every time Gus slam-dunked at home, the recorded sound of a rifle shot would whistle through the arena. He once grabbed a record 27 rebounds in a game vs. Clemson on February 16, 1963. As if this wasnt impressive enough, it was during a practice with the LA Lakers about a month after the Combine that he flew up 46 inches, creating a new pre-draft record. In todays semifinals, folks, well see Gary (Up in the Airy) Coleman vs. Bea (the Flea) Arthur, and Jumpin Johnny Carson vs. Pogo Stick Peter Jennings. My perception is, with players that rely on their jumping ability, they reach a certain level of competition where their fundamental skills have to kick in, they have to become a basketball player, he said. Philadelphia 76ers, 1st round (7th pick, 7th overall), 1965 NBA Draft, NBA Debut: October 16, 1965▪ABA Debut: October 12, 1972, Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1986 (Full List), More Billy Cunningham pages at Sports Reference. Cunningham left CBS Sports the following season to join the Miami Heat expansion franchise as a minority owner; he ultimately sold his interest of the Heat on August 12, 1994. [CDATA[ Join our linker program. He was discovered. Joey is 6-3, with average-length arms and legs, and incredibly unaverage spring. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. High School and became known as the Kangaroo Kid for his impressive jumping ability. Tom Nissalke, an assistant coach at Milwaukee when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came into the league, and later head coach of the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets, says he always had his players measured, and the best sergeant he ever saw was a 35, by Darrell Griffith as a rookie. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. We played Portland in the last game of the season. Cunningham could not even crack the starting lineupwhich . Mitch Kupchak witnessed a similar jump-off among 6-4 David Thompson, 6-9 Marvin Barnes and 7-4 Tom Burleson. Herb was not drafted, but was invited to Hawks camp after his senior year and made the 1970-71 team as a point-guard backup and road roommate of another rookie, Pete Maravich. [1] His first regular show on the station was at night, generally from 9:00 p.m. until midnight. I see kids in the eighth grade, kids 5-11, dunking behind their heads, said Rod Thorn, former National Basketball Assn. Look up. Current Grand Canyon Antelopes coach and the Phoenix Suns favourite former shooting guard/small forward is an NBA All Star, an Olympian, and World Team member. Learn more and register, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. He and Hal Greer were the only key players from the 1967 championship team still playing vital roles. Most of these leapers were from the inner city, where they suffered from overexposure to drugs and underexposure to formal education. In 1987, the NBA Board of Governors awarded the group an expansion franchise to begin play in 1988-89 and thus the Miami Heat was born. His jump was absolutely awesome. After three days, Rabbit said to Red, One of us is gonna have to go., Red said, What do you mean? Rabbit said, Either get rid of Bob Cousy or get rid of me. Almost always the feat involves money--claims that the player could grab a dollar bill off the top of the board, or could pluck off a quarter and leave two dimes and a nickel change. I never had to agonize over that decision all athletes face.. Billy Cunningham of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots a jump shot against the Boston Celtics during a game played in 1968 at the Boston Garden in Boston,. Joey was a good player at Banning High in Wilmington and spent two years at the College of Southern Idaho, a junior college. In those eight seasons, the team posted a 454-196 record, reached three NBA Finals and captured a championship in 1983. We sure are glad he picked basketball! People swear he cleared it by a foot, said Fred Trenkle, Southern Idahos basketball coach. He is still the winningest coach in Sixers history. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Thats about half the height of Michael Jordan. Theres no greater feeling than going up in a crowd, over guys a foot taller., Tommy (the Hawk) Hawkins said: If you can think about Peter Pan, thats the feeling. With Malone in the middle, and Erving, Bobby Jones, Cheeks and Andrew Toney all playing key roles, the 76ers went 65-17 and blew through the Atlantic Division. So goes the popular assumption. These guys will never forget the blur of that mullet-ed head flying past them. "I can't put my finger on it exactly, but there was just something about the game. He may be the greatest leaper of all time. Who would he share a wing with? Whats unfortunate is that most people regard the great leapers as being only the short guys who could dunk, said the 7-1 1/16 Chamberlain. Joey, standing about eight feet from the shooter, leaped and slapped the shot away. He was never even charged with wrongdoing, but the NBA ban stuck until Connies lawyers broke it down in 1969, when the Hawk was 27 and well past his swooping prime. Brooks will serve his 1-game suspension Sunday when the Grizzlies visit the Clippers. [15], For other people named William Cunningham, see, Learn how and when to remove this template message, ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team, List of National Basketball Association single-game playoff scoring leaders, "The Rumble: AN OFF-THE-BALL LOOK AT YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS CELEBRITIES", "Philadelphia 76ers 134 - Portland Trail Blazers 132", Goldaper, Sam. Right now Johnson is red-shirting at ASU. In a way the injury made things easy for me, he added. A lot of great leapers dont bother to perfect those skills, because they are treated with such awe. So he tried it again, grabbed the nail and bent it straight down. That Feb. 8, the ABA trotted out its five best slammers. He was with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers for 17 years . The Smooth Criminal, as he was called when he played for Spain, didnt stick with the NBA for too long, but sure made an impact. It is. Billy Cunningham. A fairly average 65 Sura fit in among the other players on the court, but he set himself apart with his gorgeous dunking abilities. Back when he played for the Phillies, they had him dribbling alongside Wilt The Stilt Chamberlain for two seasons, and when Chamberlain left in 69, the 76ers had a Kangaroo as their star. Lets add Billy Hoyle as an honourary #16 to this list, shall we? RotoWire names five under-the-radar players who could add value to your rosters as we approach fantasy playoffs. But while Cunningham was reaching his peak, the 76ers were beginning to crumble. That swagger had to come from somewhere. Geraldo Rivera is standing by. This guy that was also selected for the MLB draft, spent time with the Orioles, and pitched an impressive 96 mph. At (one NBA tryout camp), where we had a strong cross section of draftees, the highest was 36 1/2 inches. In those days, didnt nobody dunk but Wilt Chamberlain, so Sonny was an absolute marvel.. Shoots: During his playing career, he was a 4-time All-Star and 3-time All-NBA First Team selection. Oh my God, Smith recalled thinking. Ridiculous, but it has been done, by a kid youve probably never heard of, unless you started reading this story at the end. Some are best at soaring up for a three-pointer, some rock at the jump shots, some can perform slam dunks like nobodys business, and they all work their butts off to prove that they belong in this black mans sport. (2000). Joey walked up to the wall, one foot planted, no rocking, jumped up and missed the nail. In the twentieth game of the 19751976 season, Cunningham's career suddenly and inexplicably ended.