Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2016
- Class:
- 1996
Melvin Cunningham was a two-time All-American and All-Southern Conference cornerback for the Thundering Herd. He was also a member of two Southern Conference championship teams (1994 and ‘96) and two national championship teams (1992 and ‘96), serving as team captain on the latter. That season, he led the team with three interceptions and ended his career with 12 picks, fifth all-time in school history.
A native of Red Jacket, W.Va., and product of Matewan High School, where he rushed for more than 2,000 yards in his senior season, Cunningham was named the West Virginia High School Player of the Year by the Associated Press. After working as a wide receiver during a redshirt season in 1992, Cunningham moved to cornerback for the 1993 season and became an immediate impact player. He scored his first Marshall touchdown in his first collegiate game when he returned a punt 49 yards for a score in the 1993 season opening victory over Morehead State.
During his four years at Marshall, Cunningham notched 186 career tackles, 140 of those solo. In 1994, he tied a school record with a 100-yard return of an interception versus James Madison and grabbed a career-best four interceptions that season. After Marshall, he signed with the Miami Dolphins in 1997 and joined the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League later that year. He played with the Storm until 2003.
Cunningham is currently the head football coach at Fairland High School in Proctorville, Ohio. He was inducted into the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
