Current Roster | All-Time Roster
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Melvin Cunningham Wide Receiver/Defensive Back
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Height: 5-10
Weight: 185
Date of Birth: 12/16/73
College: Marshall
Year-by-Year:
1999: Signed by the Storm in the offseason, he is purported to be the team's fastest player...Was the Storm's steadiest WR/DB in the preseason... Broke up a team-high two passes in the first preseason game with Orlando (4/10)... Had another pass defensed at Florida (4/16), and added two tackles and two receptions for 33 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown with 2.9 seconds left in the first half...Saw action on both sides of the ball in the season opener against Albany (4/24); however, his statistics were confined to defense, as he posted three tackles and one assist ...One week later at Milwaukee (4/29), he awakened offensively, turning in the night's niftiest play on a 32-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter...Cunningham took a short pass in the right flat and turned on the speed, dodging three Mustang tacklers on his way to the end zone...He added two more catches for 30 yards...Enjoyed a breakout performance in the win over Florida (5/15), and earned Tinactin Ironman of the Game honors for his proficiency...Began making his presence known by stripping Florida fullback/linebacker Michael McClenton of the ball at the Storm's one-yard-line on the first possession of the game; Andre Bowden pounced on the football...After galvanizing the defense, he proceeded to jump-start the Storm's languishing offensive attack by catching a 37-yard touchdown pass from Peter Tom Willis 4:42 into the second quarter...To round out his Ironman-worthy performance, he made a huge play on special teams, recovering a loose Storm kickoff that had bounced off the lower bar on the right rebound net...The recovery gave the Storm possession at the Bobcats' seven-yard-line and set up a two-yard scoring run by Les Barley...Ended the game with two total tackles, two passes defensed and three catches for 54 yards.Other Pro Experience: Was a part of training camp for the Miami Dolphins prior to the 1997 season.
College: Recruited to Marshall University as a running back, he eventually converted into a standout cornerback...Helped propel the Thundering Herd to a 15-0 record and the national championship in 1996 in the university's final season on the I-AA level before moving up to I-A and the Mid-American Conference in 1997...Faced a greater challenge in practice than in any Herd game, as he spent his senior season practices covering the incomparable Randy Moss during the pigskin prodigy's first season on the Huntington, W.Va. campus...Holds the MU career record for post-season interceptions with six.
Personal: Hails from the evocatively named hamlet of Red Jacket, West Virginia...Graduated from Marshall with a degree in Psychology...Enjoys reading books of quotes, poetry and the Bible.
AFL Statistics
1999 GAME-BY-GAME RECEIVING Date Opponent REC YDS AVG LG TD ---------------------------------------------- 4/24 Albany 0 0 0.0 0 0 4/29 Milwaukee 3 62 20.3 32 1 5/15 Florida 3 54 18.0 37 1 ---------------------------------------------- SEASON TOTALS 6 116 19.3 37 2 DEFENSE Date Opponent TKL AST SKS YDS FF-FR INT YDS TD ------------------------------------------------------------- 4/24 Albany 3 1 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 4/29 Milwaukee 3 3 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 5/15 Florida 1 1 0 0 1-1 0 0 0 ------------------------------------------------------------- SEASON TOTALS 7 5 0 0 1-1 0 0 0 CAREER RECEIVING Year Team REC YDS AVG LG TD ---------------------------------------------- 1999 Tampa Bay 3 62 20.3 32 1 ---------------------------------------------- CAREER TOTALS 3 62 20.3 32 1 DEFENSE Year Team TKL AST SKS YDS FF-FR INT YDS TD ------------------------------------------------------------- 1999 Tampa Bay 3 1 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 ------------------------------------------------------------- CAREER TOTALS 3 1 0 0 0-0 0 0 0