Richie Cunningham (football player)
Encyclopedia
Richard Anthony "Richie" Cunningham (born August 18, 1970 in Houma, Louisiana
) is a former All-Pro
National Football League
placekicker
who played for the Dallas Cowboys
, the Carolina Panthers
, and the Jacksonville Jaguars
during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He attended Terrebonne High School
and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Cunningham was an All-Pro kicker with the Cowboys in 1997, his first NFL season. In that season, he was 34 for 37 on his field goal
attempts. He led the NFL in field goals made, and was second in field goal percentage and points scored. He was also 24 for 24 on extra point
s.
He also played with the Cowboys during the 1998 season
, making 29 of his 35 field goal attempts. The Cowboys released him 12 games into the 1999 season
, after he slumped to 12 for 22 in his field goal attempts. He finished the 1999 season
playing in three games for the Carolina Panthers, replacing injured kicker John Kasay
. He appeared in four more games for the Panthers in 2000, and then finished his NFL career in 2002, appearing in one game for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Cunningham was 84 for 105 in career NFL field goal attempts. His 80 percent rate put him at 27th all-time for field goals after the 2008 season. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/cunniric01.htm
He also received some notoriety during his NFL career for sharing the same name of the Happy Days
television character played by Ron Howard
.
Houma, Louisiana
Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...
) is a former All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
who played for the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
, and the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He attended Terrebonne High School
Terrebonne High School
Terrebonne High School is a secondary school in Houma, Louisiana, United States.It is a part of the Terrebonne Parish School District.It has been in existence since 1908, and houses grades 10-12; freshmen attend Houma Junior High School. It is the second oldest accredited high school in the state...
and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Cunningham was an All-Pro kicker with the Cowboys in 1997, his first NFL season. In that season, he was 34 for 37 on his field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
attempts. He led the NFL in field goals made, and was second in field goal percentage and points scored. He was also 24 for 24 on extra point
Extra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
s.
He also played with the Cowboys during the 1998 season
1998 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1998 Dallas Cowboys season would mark their 39th in the NFL and team owner Jerry Jones would hire former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Chan Gailey to be the fourth head coach of the Dallas Cowboys franchise.-Regular season:...
, making 29 of his 35 field goal attempts. The Cowboys released him 12 games into the 1999 season
1999 Dallas Cowboys season
-Regular season:The season would begin at Washington with a dramatic come-from-behind victory over the hated division rival Washington Redskins. After trailing by three touchdowns in the second half, free agent acquisition Rocket Ismail would pay immediate dividends for the team by hauling in the...
, after he slumped to 12 for 22 in his field goal attempts. He finished the 1999 season
1999 Carolina Panthers season
-Schedule:-References:...
playing in three games for the Carolina Panthers, replacing injured kicker John Kasay
John Kasay
John David Kasay is an American football kicker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia...
. He appeared in four more games for the Panthers in 2000, and then finished his NFL career in 2002, appearing in one game for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Cunningham was 84 for 105 in career NFL field goal attempts. His 80 percent rate put him at 27th all-time for field goals after the 2008 season. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/cunniric01.htm
He also received some notoriety during his NFL career for sharing the same name of the Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
television character played by Ron Howard
Ron Howard
Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...
.