Gunther Cunningham obit

Gunther Cunningham, former Chiefs head coach and longtime NFL assistant, dies at 72

Cunningham coached in the NFL from 1982 through 2016

 

 He was not on the list.

Gunther Cunningham, a longtime NFL assistant coach who also served as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs from 1999 to 2000, has died at the age of 72.

Cunningham died Saturday after battling a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, René, his children Adam and Natalie, and one grandson.

Cunningham began his coaching career at the University of Oregon in 1969. He spent 12 years coaching in the collegiate ranks before moving to the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1981, and then finally made the leap to the NFL in 1982. From then through 2016, Cunningham was employed as an assistant or head coach in the NFL every single season.

Cunningham coached the defensive line and linebackers for the Colts and Chargers through most of the 1980s, then moved on to the Raiders in 1991. He was elevated to the defensive coordinator role for the first time in 1992, and coached the Raiders' defense for the '92 and '93 seasons.

He was eventually the defensive coordinator for the Chiefs for the 1995 through 1998 seasons, and he then succeeded Marty Schottenheimer as the team's head coach, serving in that role for two years and compiling a 16-16 record. Cunningham then moved on to a job with the Tennessee Titans for three years before returning to Kansas City as defensive coordinator from 2004 through 2008, and finally coaching out the last days of his career (2009 through 2016) with the Detroit Lions.

The Lions organization released a statement on Cunningham's death.

During his original tenure as defensive coordinator, Cunningham's defenses allowed an average of only 16.4 points per game, the best mark in the NFL and had a turnover margin of +30, tops in the AFC. Under his lead, a number of players excelled, including stars such as Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith, James Hasty, and Dale Carter. Cunningham's defenses led Kansas City to an overall record of 42-22.

After the Chiefs missed the playoffs in 1998, head coach Marty Schottenheimer resigned, opening the door for Cunningham's promotion to the head coach position. In his first season, the Chiefs finished 9-7, but were eliminated from playoff contention on the final day of the season when the Oakland Raiders's Joe Nedney kicked a field goal as time expired. After the Chiefs regressed to 7-9 a year later, Cunningham was fired and replaced by Dick Vermeil. The move was controversial at the time as Cunningham claimed he was never informed by management that he was to be fired and only found out about it after discovering the article regarding his termination on the Chiefs website after he showed up to work one morning. Cunningham went on to become a successful linebackers coach for the Tennessee Titans. Under Vermeil, the Chiefs' offense exploded, but its defense struggled, resulting in the firing of Vermeil's choice of defensive coordinator, Greg Robinson. Cunningham was hired again to revitalize a defense that had finished near or at the bottom of the overall rankings since Schottenheimer and Cunningham departed.

For the 2008 season, Cunningham coached the Chiefs' linebackers as well as serving as the defensive coordinator.

Cunningham was hired as the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator on January 21, 2009, about a week after the Lions hired new head coach Jim Schwartz, who he worked with on the Titans from 2001–2003

Career history

As a coach:

 

    Oregon (1969–1971)

    Defensive line coach

    Arkansas (1972)

    Defensive line coach

    Stanford (1973)

    Assistant offensive line & freshman coach

    Stanford (1974–1976)

    Defensive line coach

    California (1977)

    Defensive backs coach

    California (1978)

    Linebackers coach

    California (1979–1980)

    Defensive coordinator & defensive line coach

    Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1981)

    Defensive line coach & linebackers coach

    Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts (1982–1984)

    Defensive line coach & linebackers coach

    San Diego Chargers (1985–1990)

    Defensive line coach

    Los Angeles Raiders (1991)

    Linebackers coach

    Los Angeles Raiders (1992–1993)

    Defensive coordinator

    Los Angeles Raiders (1994)

    Defensive line coach

    Kansas City Chiefs (1995–1998)

    Defensive coordinator

    Kansas City Chiefs (1999–2000)

    Head coach

    Tennessee Titans (2001–2003)

    Assistant head coach & linebackers coach

    Kansas City Chiefs (2004–2008)

    Defensive coordinator

    Detroit Lions (2009–2013)

    Defensive coordinator

    Detroit Lions (2014–2016)

    Senior coaching assistant