Ed Cunningham - The John Madden of the AFL
Tom Goodhines
Wednesday May 17, 2000
If you have been watching the games on TNN, you will know that I`m not that far off with that statement.
The Nashville Network`s Ed Cunningham has been one of the major improvements that the league has received in its national network broadcast coverage. Cunningham, who is a college football analyst for CBS during the fall, got his broadcast television break with the AFL in 1994, and he is now giving back to the league with some outstanding commentary. For the first time in a long time, national AFL viewers will get one of the more knowledgeable color commentators in the business - and as an extra bonus - he actually has a genuine respect for the league!
Like Warner, Cunningham`s climb to the national stage was unpredicted and his journey is still continuing. Cunningham, who was penciled in as a three-week stand-in until former NFL coach Sam Wyche cleared his throat problems, is now on staff indefinitely.
 Taking a page from Kurt Warner`s book could land Ed Cunningham in MNF booth. Image courtesy of TNN |
Cunningham lost touch with the AFL when he headed out west to play football at the University of Washington. The business finance major didn`t anticipate getting into broadcasting, but showed signs of his talents as the team`s captain and "spokesperson." After graduating from Washington with a 1991 National Championship under his belt, Cunningham joined the NFL ranks when the Phoenix Cardinals drafted him in 1992. The offensive lineman would go on to play four years (`92-`95) with the Cardinals and finished his career with Seattle in 1996.
During his stint in Arizona, Cunningham hosted his own show called "On The Line with Ed Cunningham" and a weekly Sunday night sports show on KTAR Radio in Phoenix. It was at this point that Cunningham`s interest turned back to the AFL.
An opportunity came his way in 1994 when a color commentator was needed for a game between the Massachusetts Marauders and the Arizona Rattlers for Sports Channel, New England. "I jumped at the chance," Cunningham said. "I knew that my playing career would only last so long and I saw it as an opportunity to get started in the [color commentary] business."
On that day, his broadcast partner was current Rattler play-by-play man Tom Leander. Cunningham said his performance was "shaky" but it was the beginning of a great career.
"It was a huge step for me," Cunningham said. "Tom [Leander] really helped me - as well as all the play-by-play guys I`ve worked with. Trey [Bender] was great to work with and Eli [Gold] and I have hit it off right from the beginning. The common thread that they all have is that they all do their homework. All of those guys are very knowledgeable about the game, the teams, and the match-ups. Working with guys like that makes it a lot easier on me - as well as teaching me what I need to do in order to be prepared."
Leander said that he was impressed with how quick Cunningham was able to grasp being an analyst for television. "He`s by far the best that I have worked with in any sport," Leander said. "He has an incredible knack for picking up on things during the course of a game. Early on, I think he had a problem because he was too fast. He would tell the viewers what was happening as soon as it happened and ended up repeating himself during the replays. He is a tremendous talent."
The experience with the Rattlers broadcasts led to Cunningham seeing time with ESPN and led him to his current positions with CBS and TNN.
"The Rattler organization was great to me. I gained a lot of experience in my years in Arizona," Cunningham said. "The Colangelos are tremendous owners, and Gene Nudo is one of the most knowledgeable guys in the league. Every aspect of this franchise is tremendous -- even the supporting staff. This is a model franchise."
"Ed has stepped in and raised the level of professionalism and our ability to educate our fans," said AFL Vice-President of Communications David Cooper. "What separates him from the others is his desire to learn and his self-depreciating manner - he doesn`t take himself too seriously and can admit when he`s wrong. He also brings so much knowledge and experience to each broadcast. We are lucky to have him."
If the ABC Monday Night Football crew were wise, they would take a page from the St. Louis Rams and look to the AFL for their current vacancy.
"I don`t think it`s that far-fetched," Cooper said of the possibility of Cunningham stepping into the ABC booth. "If Boomer Esiason can do it - there is no question in my mind that Ed Cunningham would do a much, much better job for ABC."
Weekend highlights
Best play-by-play: 1. Eli Gold, TNN. Every week Gold is in the top two. This week, Gold was able to make a smooth transition from the first half two-man booth, to a second half three-man booth. Gold has that Jon Miller (of ESPN baseball) calmness about him that leads the viewer through a broadcast without taking away from the game itself. It is easy to see why Gold is a three-time winner of the Alabama Sportscaster of the Year Award as play-by-play commentator for Crimson Tide football and basketball teams. 2. Jim Brinson, Empire Sports Network.
Best color commentary: 1. Ed Cunningham, TNN. It is really going to be tough to knock Cunningham from this spot. As the feature stated above - his quick observations are almost always right on the money, he`s insightful, and he is not afraid to ask the tough questions during interviews. 2. Sam Wyche, TNN. 3. Bob Trimble, Empire Sports Network.
Best sideline: 1. Jill Arrington, TNN. Despite not having the 30-minute drill due to the starting time of the game, Arrington showed a lot of hustle grabbing interviews and what have become her trademark top-notch features.
Top quote: 1. Ray Bentley to Empire`s Bob Trimble in a post-game interview, "We`re just going to go back to work. I haven`t lost any confidence or faith in my guys. I told them, `We`ve got to stay together,` because we`re going to build this thing. It`s not an overnight deal where you put a band-aid on it. We`re not going to hang our heads, we`re not going to hide from anybody. We`re committed to turning this thing around."
Tom Goodhines was a writer for ArenaFan Online during the 2000 season.
