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Report: Longtime NFL coach Gunther Cunningham dies at 72
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Longtime NFL assistant coach Gunther Cunningham has died at the age of 72, according to multiple reports. He passed away following a battle with cancer.
USA TODAY was one of many news outlets to report on Cunningham’s passing.
Cunningham spent nearly 50 years coaching football at some level, starting at the college level before becoming a fixture in the NFL. He got his start at the University of Oregon, where he served as the defensive line coach from 1969-71. He then had stops at Arkansas, Stanford and Cal in various roles before jumping to the NFL.
For over 30 years, Cunningham coached in some defensive capacity at the NFL level. Most recently, he worked with the Detroit Lions. He was the defensive coordinator from 2009-13 and was a senior coaching assistant from 2014-16.
Cunningham also spent two years as a head coach in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs (1999-2000). He totaled a 16-16 record in two seasons.
In addition to those roles, Cunningham had stops with the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Raiders and Tennessee Titans.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB