PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football mourns the passing of letterwinner Brad Cunningham. A member of head coach Greg Schiano‘s first recruiting class in 2001, Cunningham was one of six individuals – along with Hudson Catholic head coach Lamar McKnight – who passed away on Dec. 6 following a motor vehicle accident.
“We are saddened to hear of an accident involving Brad Cunningham, Coach McKnight and four others,” Schiano said. “Brad Cunningham, member of our first recruiting class, laid the foundation of the Rutgers football program. Our thoughts and prayers are with Brad’s family and the entire Hudson Catholic football family.”
A Jersey City native, Cunningham appeared in 31 career games at linebacker for the Scarlet Knights from 2001-05. During his time “On the Banks,” Cunningham totaled 98 tackles, 11.5 tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. His career-high 14 stops and three tackles-for-loss as a true freshman helped RU to a 23-17 victory over Navy on Oct. 20, 2001 in Piscataway.
During his final collegiate season, Cunningham helped Rutgers to its second bowl game in program history when it faced Arizona State in the 2005 Insight Bowl in Phoenix. That year, Cunningham was presented with the Kevin and Helen Collins Academic Improvement Award, given to the student-athlete on the football team who has shown the greatest academic improvement.
Cunningham was a standout athlete at Hudson Catholic, where he earned first team all-county laurels at both linebacker and running back as a senior in 2000. Cunningham was named the HCIAA American Conference Back of the Year after he ran for 1,047 yards and 13 touchdowns during his final scholastic season.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Rutgers University Athletics…