Jim Cunningham (basketball)

James W. Cunningham (November 14, 1935 – December 17, 1991) was an American standout basketball player at Fordham University in the 1950s.

Jim Cunningham

Personal information
Born	(1935-11-14)November 14, 1935 Buffalo, New York
Died	December 17, 1991(1991-12-17) (aged 56)
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school	Canisius (Buffalo, New York)
College	Fordham (1955–1958)
NBA draft	1958 / Round: 3 / Pick: 23rd overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Position	Shooting guard
Career highlights and awards
Haggerty Award winner (1958) Fordham Hall of Fame (1976)

A native of Buffalo, New York, Cunningham starred in both football and basketball at Canisius High School from 1950 to 1954.[1] He enrolled at Fordham where he played for head coach Johnny Bach between 1955 and 1958 because college freshmen were ineligible to play varsity sports during this era.[2] Standing 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) and weighing 190 lb (86 kg), Cunningham played the shooting guard position. In just three varsity seasons he scored a then-school record 1,744 points.[3] In his senior season of 1957–58, Cunningham led the Rams to a berth in the National Invitation Tournament, where they advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to Dayton. Upon the conclusion of the season he was named an All-American as well as the recipient of the Haggerty Award.[1][3] The Haggerty Award is presented to the best male collegiate basketball player in the greater New York city area every year since 1935–36, and Cunningham was only Fordham's second-ever recipient.[4] For his career at Fordham, he averaged 22.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in 76 games played.[2]

The NBA's Boston Celtics selected Cunningham in the 1958 NBA Draft.[5] He was taken in the third round (23rd overall) but ultimately never played in the league.[5] In his later life he coached high school basketball.[1]